Tottenham’s old failings returned to haunt them as they squandered the opportunity to put a marker down in front of their own supporters against depleted Arsenal.

They were reflected in the goal as Spurs once again failed to defend a set-piece, a constant Achilles heel in the Ange Postecoglou era.

Last season, excluding penalties, Spurs conceded 16 goals from set-pieces out of 54 conceded. Including penalties it was 23 from 61.

Postecoglou appeared unconcerned by this obvious weakness but another crucial goal leading to a defeat from a routine corner poorly defended should focus the manager’s mind, with three of Arsenal’s last four goals against Spurs coming from set plays.

In the wider context, there was plenty to admire in Spurs’ early endeavour but the longer the game went on the more wayward they became, descending into a catalogue of poor decision-making and failures to deliver quality from good positions.

There was a growing sense that Arsenal would punish these flaws and so it proved, much to the frustration of Spurs fans, who created a thunderous atmosphere as Postecoglou’s side opened with verve but without end product.

This will be a bitterly disappointing day for Postecoglou and his players as Arsenal’s absentees presented them with a big opportunity to make a statement, instead they fell short once more and now have only one win from their first four league matches.