Robert Pires and Thierry Henry finally found the inspiration to puncture the belligerent resistance of injury-decimated Tottenham.

But new boss Glenn Hoddle's team will not have taken on any inferiority complex for next Sunday's FA Cup semi-final rematch with Arsenal from the events at Highbury.

Their distinctly under-strength team, lacking skipper Sol Campbell, £11million top scorer Sergei Rebrov, Darren Anderton, Stephen Carr, Ledley King and Stephen Clemence, held out for just over 70 minutes before winger Pires finished off yet another raid on the Spurs goal with an unstoppable cross-shot.

But until Henry skipped through three minutes from the end to slide the points-clincher past heroic goalkeeper Neil Sullivan, a practically full-strength Gunners wasted every other opportunity to build a massive psychological advantage for next week's repeat showdown at neutral Old Trafford.

And you can bet Hoddle will have many of the first-choice troops back in action for that one - all of them eager to impress the new master and prove that when the year ends in one Tottenham really do achieve something.

Hoddle, jeered by the Arsenal fans when he appeared in the tunnel just before kick-off, must have been lifted by the unstinting work ethic of his new charges in a first half the Gunners predictably dominated.

They could have suffered a mortal wound but for an outrageous stroke of fortune in only the seventh minute when Henry, racing in pursuit of Martin Keown's marvellous through-pass, turned Gary Doherty, who fell on the ball in the area and appeared to handle.

Henry pressed on and rapped a post with his shot, the rebound striking Sullivan on the body and somehow staying out. It was only then that Henry chased referee Paul Durkin asking for a penalty but the Portland official did not want to know by then.

Sullivan saved well from Henry and Ray Parlour but should have been beaten by Pires on the half-hour mark, the Frenchman shooting straight at him from 12 yards after a neat exchange between his compatriots Wiltord and Henry.

Lively young Welshman Simon Davies often embarrassed the Arsenal towering ex-England veterans with his runs from midfield at the heart of the home defence.

The 22-year-old would have given Spurs a shock lead but for his shot deflecting off Lee Dixon's desperate challenge and falling wide of a post after the youngster had bamboozled Tony Adams on the edge of the box in the 34th minute.

And although Arsenal, too often ragged despite their dominance before the break, really took up the cudgels to batter their neighbours in the second half they were repelled time and again by a thick white line of defenders.

Even when they broke through that Wiltord squandered a trio of golden chances and Sullivan saved magnificently from Henry, Pires and Patrick Vieira.

Spurs' luck was also out when wing-back Luke Young saw his goalbound drive deflect off Keown - back in action after missing the previous 13 games with a knee injury - for a corner.

But Arsenal's sheer weight of pressure just had to tell in the end and, in all fairness, Pires' breakthrough effort was a beauty.

Henry's purposeful run started it, Vieira flicked on from the edge of the box and Pires moved in from the left, stepping inside Doherty before powering into the far corner to complete an all-French link-up.

Yet another great save by Sullivan stopped Vieira adding a second almost immediately afterwards.

But Spurs, with lanky Anthony Gardner making a first senior start in place of Campbell and Willem Korsten and Alton Thelwell having rare first-team outings, were practically on their knees by then.

They had no answer when three minutes from the end substitute Kanu won possession and supplied a magic touch to send Henry clear to leave head-bandaged Chris Perry for dead and slide his shot beyond Sullivan.

It wrapped up yet another home win for an Arsenal side still unbeaten in the Premiership at Highbury this season and needing the points to resist Liverpool's challenge for the second Champions League place.

But the feeling is undeniable that next Sunday at Old Trafford promises to be a whole new ball game.

Teams

Arsenal: Seaman, Dixon (Luzhny 82), Keown, Adams, Cole, Vieira, Parlour, Lauren (Kanu 67), Pires, Henry, Wiltord.

Subs Not Used: Manninger, Ljungberg, Edu.

Goals: Pires 70, Henry 87.

Tottenham: Sullivan, Gardner, Young, Doherty, Perry, Thelwell, Freund, Iversen, Davies (Etherington 78), Korsten (Piercy 66), Ferdinand.

Subs Not Used: Walker, Hillier, Ferguson.

Booked: Freund.

Att: 38,121

Ref: P Durkin (Dorset).