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Guns ‘n’ Danny Rose - Tottenham cripple Arsenal’s title hopes
 TOTTENHAM 2
Rose 10, Bale 47
 ARSENAL 1
Bendtner 85
In an evening and, indeed, a week that has seen the league table sculpted into what could be its final look, Tottenham’s win is doubly sweet as it not only edges them closer to fourth - a point behind Man City - but potentially kills off Arsenal’s hopes of claiming their first Premier League trophy since 2003/04.
Much was riding on the game in north London as Tottenham ended their 11-year wait for bragging rights over rivals Arsenal with a 2-1 victory. Spurs kept their coveted Champions League hopes alive through a solid performance with aptly timed goals from Danny Rose and Gareth Bale. The game evoked sore memories of Arsenal’s first-leg encounter with Barcelona as the Gunners again conceded just after the restart.
The selection of Sol Campbell in Arsenal’s starting line up added fuel to an always explosive fire but the defender coped well under pressure and came close to opening the scoring as he contacted the ball with his knee from an early corner. Harry Redknapp’s tactics fitted perfectly into the Arsenal jigsaw as the Lilywhites’ defence proved watertight for the crux of the game. Spurs’ latest talent, Rose, bagged his first goal when he took advantage of Manuel Almunia’s positioning by firing in a volley from outside the box to set the pace in the first 10 minutes. Despite an abundance of Arsenal possession throughout the game, Tottenham doubled their lead when Gareth Bale tactfully played himself onside and netted his first goal of the season. Tired red legs finally broke through the Tottenham defence as Theo Walcott’s cameo once again proved vital for Arsenal - the England winger squared the ball to Nicklas Bendtner who stumbled in a desperate consolation.
Harry Redknapp’s outfit have shown remarkable resilience at the business end of the season to challenge for fourth, winning when it matters. With Manchester City facing Manchester United at the weekend, Spurs fans will hope they can replicate their performance on the Saturday against Ancelotti’s high-flying Chelsea. Liverpool, Aston Villa and City fans would have their palms adjoined in hope that Arsenal would do them a favour, but the fourth spot is still up for grabs and Tottenham will look to firmly land the European cameras in N17 next season.
Even with Bendtner’s goal, Arsenal fans will know the loss could prove to be a hard pill to swallow as another season passes with nothing in the quest for trophies. Fans will feel that their title chances are now defunct as Thomas Vermaelen has been added to the long list of injured players. Robin van Persie’s fantastic vignette in a jaded team performance will bring half a smile to sombre fans in the red half of north London. The Dutch forward’s bit-part in the derby after five months out was the only ray of light for Arsenal fans. Looking sharp and eager, van Persie’s contribution can be thrilling, but is there enough time for him to really swing the Premier League pendulum Arsenal’s way?
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