Arsenal 2 Tottenham 3

By Myles Palmer

Arsenal 2 Spurs 3

Nasri 9, Chamakh 28, Bale 50, Van Der Vaart 67(pen), Kaboul 85

If Gilberto had played, Arsenal have won.

If Vermaelen had played, Arsenal would have won.

If Gallas had played, instead of being Tottenham’s captain for the day, Arsenal would have won.

The first half was much as expected. Good rhythm and fluency, quick passes creating promising positions and good chances.Two goals scored.

After nine minutes, a Fabregas pass released Nasri, keeper Gomes bottled the one-on-one, making a feeble, half-hearted attempt to dive at his feet. Nasri did well to go through him and knock the ball over the line from a very tight angle. Very good lofted pass, great diagonal run from deep, bad mistake by the goalkeeper who gifted a surreal goal to Nani two weeks ago.

Second goal was a tidy move, the cute Arshavin didn’t stray offside, picked up the ball from Fabregas, played a slide-rule pass across the goalmouth for Chamakh to stab in, Ian Wright-style. Superb goalpoaching from a beautifully-fashioned chance.

Second half, after his wide men had been utterly peripheral, Harry Redknapp brought on Jermain Defoe for Lennon, and got his wide men, Bale and Rafael van der Vaart, to attack down the middle rather than the flanks.

Van der Vaart took over the game and made three goals.

He played Bale in beautifully for 2-1, took the freekick which Fabregas handled, buried the penalty himself for 2-2, then supplied a pinpoint freekick for Kaboul to glance the winner.

One £8 million player has made a huge difference to Spurs. And Harry has adapted his formation to allow the Dutchman to do his stuff in the final third, linking mostly with a six foot Welsh sprinter who zooms infield and causes havoc, and snapping up goals from Crouch knockdowns.

Van der Vaart makes goals and scores them.

He has no engine but he's a one-off. Not a wide man, not a midfielder, not really a half-striker either. Almost as slow as Teddy Sheringham but just as efficient. And he can do things that Sheringham could never do.

The last ten minutes was a tale of two fouls. Spurs kicked and threw the ball into the box and Arsenal struggled to get it away. When Rosicky fouled Hutton, RVDV overhit the inswinging free-kick and Fabianski punched it away. But then, outside the Spurs box, Song didn't read Rosicky’s iffy square pass and Bale nicked it off him and played a one-two with RVDV as he made a long crossfield run which Koscielny interrupted with a foul in a deeper but similar position to where the Dutchman had just taken that inswinging free-kick. Koscielny was mugged. Bale saw him coming and played for it.

This RVDV inswinger was perfect and Fabianski hesitated and moved back and the big lump Kaboul sent a glancing header down for the winning goal. Squillaci, Koscielny and sub Van Persie could not defend that ball into the box, or even get anywhere near it, so Arsenal conceded yet again from a set-piece. Conceding goals like that is Wenger’s trademark. He's known for that in 190 countries worldwide.

Spurs were not great, even in the second half. But they were better than Arsenal because they had more nous, more bottle, more improv. They were less naive, less ignorant. They  scored one goal in open play, one from a free-kick that became a penalty, and one with a header from a free-kick.

Wenger abdicated defending long ago. Holding a line and attacking a cross into the box? He can’t teach that every morning till these clowns get it right. His Phrench back four would not enjoy that. And he wouldn’t know where to start anyway. He doesn’t have to because he is the club and can do what he likes and not do what he doesn’t like. Defending is half the game but he ignores it and that's why Arsene FC can be 4-2 up at home to Spurs and draw, and two years later be 2-0 up at home to and lose 3-2. It’s because of his laissez-faire methods and the culture he ｃ ｒｅａｔｅs at the self-designed Colney Creche, where no shouting is allowed. There are 71 pilgrims in this football Mecca and they come from all over the world to touch the hem of his garment.

As soon as Gareth Bale scored, thousands of Arsenal fans thought the game was lost.

The team panicked, some players ran out of gas, and their ignorance was there for all to see. They didn't know how to react, how to defend a lead, how to close out a game, although Fabregas and Koscielny had chances at 2-2.

Even the captain faded. Fabregas gave a masterclass in the first half and then, amazingly, handballed a freekick to concede a penalty for 2-2. How unprofessional is that? Song  went AWOL on the Bale breakaway. Who tracked Bale’s run? Denilson till he gave up.

Second half, the laptop-loving sports scientist was always going to take off Nasri and Arshavin off, regardless of what was happening. He can't feel a game, can't think on his feet.

Will Spurs win the league? No.

Does Fabregas think Arsenal can win the league? Of course he doesn't.

Can Arsenal finish top four? Yes.

Will Arsenal win the title ever again? Not while Wenger is within 200 miles of London Colney.

Bottom line : There is no big club in North London.