The Arsenal fans were already celebrating after another moment of brilliance by Nwankwo Kanu had sealed victory in the supposed lion's den of their fiercest rivals Tottenham.

But with two minutes left, they erupted into completely unrestrained glee.

News had just filtered through that Liverpool had equalised in the dying minutes against Manchester United at Anfield and the chants of 'You'll Never Walk Alone' immediately began in tribute.

For whatever had happened at White Hart Lane, with Dennis Bergkamp carving apart Spurs to set up the win against former boss George Graham, the Gunners supporters knew that the goal by Paul Ince could prove the defining moment in the title race.

Their own side had done all that could have been asked of them against their North London rivals.

Dennis Bergkamp had dominated the first-half with his sublime talent, setting through first Emmanuel Petit and then Nicolas Anelka to take a seemingly unassailable 2-0 lead.

Only wasteful finishing by Marc Overmars and a series of superb saves by Ian Walker prevented them increasing their lead before they were rocked by an uncharacteristic error by David Seaman which allowed a Darren Anderton free-kick to slip under his body.

Nervous moments ensued as Tottenham pressed forward only for the defence which, ironically, Graham himself had built at Highbury to hold firm until Kanu sealed victory with six minutes left.

But it was when the ball went out for a corner with 88 minutes on the clock that the greatest cheers of the evening came from the enclave of Arsenal fans at the opposite end of the stadium.

For until that Ince strike at Anfield, the title had never been in Arsenal's own hands, they knew that they were relying on United to slip up.

Now with a three-point lead and the slightest of advantages on goal difference, the Gunners know that comprehensive victories over Leeds and Aston Villa can seal the title yet again.

They had seized control of the game at White Hart Lane almost from the first whistle amid an electric atmosphere, with Overmars wasting their first chance within just four minutes as Walker raced from his line to block his shot for a corner.

The visitors seemed able to pick off the Tottenham defence almost at will as Petit saw a shot tipped around the post before Bergkamp took centre stage.

The Dutchman received possession in a crowded midfield and crafted a through-ball which few players in the Premiership would even have envisaged let alone produced to send Petit through to lift calmly lob the ball over the advancing Walker.

Arsenal continued to pour forward from then on at the slightest invitation, with Bergkamp rolling an effort just wide after turning his marker before fully making amends with another defence-splitting ball to this time send Anelka clear.

The young French striker was at full pace to outstrip Sol Campbell but did not even have to break stride before directing a first-time shot into the net.

The floodgates seemed to be opening and Arsenal should then have killed the game off.

Bergkamp set Anelka clear again but Walker blocked with his body, the Frenchman headed the ensuing corner against the crossbar and Ray Parlour drove an effort out for a throw-in when he had all the time in the world.

Tottenham's only real threat had come when Bergkamp, for once covering in defence, unwittingly directed the ball past Seaman and the keeper had to quickly recover to tackle full-back Mauricio Taricco as he threatened to pounce.

However, the whole complexion of the game changed three minutes before the break after David Ginola had made the most of a slight push by Patrick Vieira to earn a free-kick just over 20 yards out.

Anderton drove the dead-ball effort low past the edge of the wall but Seaman should have had it easily covered at the far post, only to somehow let it slip underneath his body.

Graham's arrival to the dugout after the interval even went unnoticed as Vieira went down injured in a hefty challenge, which threatened to spark a melee but instead led to a Spurs free-kick and a booking to Petit, apparently for dissent.

Still Arsenal pressed.

Anelka's shot on the turn was magnificently blocked by Campbell and when Overmars broke clear, his touch let him down and he allowed Walker to rush out and smother the ball.

Tottenham were simply gifting possession to the visitors and when Armstrong became the latest culprit, only the brilliance of the Spurs keeper blocked Overmars a second time in a matter of minutes.

But United's second goal at Anfield fuelled the passion of the home fans though and they were off their seats in anger as referee Steve Dunn turned down penalty appeals after Martin Keown and Nigel Winterburn had tackled Steffen Freund in the area.

The tide slowly began to turn as it became Arsenal's turn to hang on grimly, with Anderton starting to make his presence felt in midfield and Ginola threatening down the left flank.

A rash of substitutions ensued, with Ginola surprisingly taken off, but his replacement, Jose Dominguez, soon crossed dangerously only for Steffen Iversen to shoot into the side netting.

The Norwegian did force Seaman to save his next effort, a long-range drive, but then Kanu completely took the wind out of Tottenham's sails.

The Nigerian, a 75th minute replacement for Bergkamp, dismissed the challenge of Luke Young ahead of him by simply flicking the ball over the bemused youngster's head and then firing past Walker.

The only sour note was caused by Nigel Winterburn's inflammatory celebrations in front of the Spurs fans, followed by him unleashing a torrent of abuse at a security official.

Then came the news of Liverpool's equaliser and although a free-kick by Anderton flew just wide, by then the ground was half-empty.

There may still be more than a week of the season to go but this could have proved the most decisive North London derby since Arsenal sealed the title at White Hart Lane in 1971 - when Graham was on the Arsenal side.

This time, he could just watch in frustration.

Teams:

Tottenham: Walker, Carr, Campbell, Young, Taricco (Dominguez 77), Anderton, Freund, Sherwood, Ginola (Sinton 77), Iversen, Armstrong.

Subs Not Used: Baardsen, Nilsen, Clemence.

Booked: Young, Anderton.

Goals: Anderton 43.

Arsenal: Seaman, Dixon, Keown, Adams, Winterburn, Parlour (Vivas 57), Petit, Vieira, Overmars (Grimandi 87), Bergkamp (Kanu 75), Anelka.

Subs Not Used: Lukic, Diawara.

Booked: Parlour, Petit, Dixon.

Goals: Petit 17, Anelka 33, Kanu 85.

Att: 36,019

Ref: S Dunn (Bristol).