Arsenal finished with nine men after Fredrik Ljungberg and Martin Keown were
both sent off in a North London derby that turned into bitter hostility.
Tottenham scored their first victory over their local rivals since Arsene
Wenger took over at Highbury and George Graham switched, via West Yorkshire, to
White Hart Lane.
Referee David Elleray also flourished 11 cards - two for England defender
Keown - and Arsenal collected six of those to add more damning figures to a
poor disciplinary record.
But the most telling statistics, on a highly-charged afternoon when both sides
let passions run away with them, were early Tottenham goals by Steffen Iversen
and Tim Sherwood.
It was a double which left Wenger's team with just too much to do - especially
after Ljungberg's premature 52nd-minute exit.
By the time Keown joined the Swede in an early bath, teased into a rash challenge by Spurs substitute Jose Dominguez, it was too late to effect the
outcome.
Arsenal were left chasing the game after an opening 20 minutes in which they
had barely penetrated Tottenham's last defensive third and found themselves two
goals down.
Both emanated from free kicks given away by the pony-tailed, knee-bandaged
Emmanuel Petit who was fortunate to avoid a yellow card for his first reckless
tackle after only six minutes.
That set-piece led to Iversen slotting his ninth of the season after Arsenal
failed to clear Steve Carr's free kick and Petit was duly booked for his next
indiscretion which Sherwood punished with a delightful curl into the far corner
from Ginola's free kick.
Patrick Vieira's unmarked header when Petit had a free kick in his favour -
following a foul by Justin Edinburgh on Ljungberg which was to have
repercussions later - finally gave Arsenal something to bite upon in the 38th
minute, just after Kanu bundled the ball in only to be pulled up for illegal use
of a gloved hand.
But although Graham no doubt lambasted his Spurs players for the space Vieira
was given to make his mark, the Scot would have found it hard to disguise a grin
at the way defensive standards appear to have slipped at Highbury, virtually
gifting Iversen his early opener.
Petit's unnecessary headlong slide to pull down Leonhardsen was bad enough but
when Steve Carr delivered into the box, Adams managed only a tentative
half-clearance which the former Wimbledon and Liverpool midfielder chipped back
into the box where Iversen ran free to beat the hopelessly exposed David
Seaman.
That should have galvanised the Gunners but instead Spurs still had all the
urgency and desire, with the pace of Iversen and Chris Armstrong continually
catching Arsenal square at the back as their midfielders tried to push up.
And when Vieira was caught on the ball just outside the area by Armstrong - it
should have been punished by a free kick.
Instead Petit tried to extract revenge with another lunge. Harrow schoolmaster
Elleray whistled for that one and took out the yellow card to the blond
Frenchman and the situation looked tailor-made for a David Ginola strike at the
corner of the box. Instead he merely set up Sherwood for the attempt and the
midfielder put it away perfectly.
Arsenal looked shattered but began the long uphill battle to get back into the
match with a more familiar dedication and after Vieira's reply, his header going
in off a post, the game was back on a knife-edge for the second half.
The bookings came thick and fast after Ljungberg's dismissal for what looked
like an angry swipe at the clinging Edinburgh and Elleray was often fighting to
keep control when booking Keown - for a scything foul on Iversen - and Vieira,
for dissent, in quick succession.
This was Vieira's last game before a six-match ban for his recent spitting
incident but the booking at White Hart Lane was also his fifth in the League this
season and will add one more game on the sidelines to his sentence.
How Arsenal will miss him. Despite the total lack of impact from Kanu and
Bergkamp - apart from the Dutchman's daft clip from behind on Ginola - Vieira
drove on their depleted side with typical energy and the 10 men dictated for the
last half-hour.
But Tottenham closed down and tackled with all the zeal and belligerence
Graham once made Arsenal famous for - although in the end it took a magnificent
double-save by Ian Walker to deny the visitors.
In the 75th minute he beat out the sadly under-achieving Marc Overmars' shot
from 15 yards and somehow also blocked the follow-up by Davor Suker, who had
been on only four minutes as substitute for the out-of-salts Kanu.
And when Ginola's substitute Dominguez teased the frenzied Keown into his
second bookable tackle in an injury time breakaway there was no way back for the
frustrated Gunners.
Spurs deserved their triumph - the first time they have beaten Arsenal in
seven attempts - but the entertainment on a frantic afternoon was most enjoyed
by those who enjoy a scrap rather than coherent football.
There was little time or space allowed on the battleground for anything else.
Teams
Tottenham: Walker, Carr, Perry, Campbell, Edinburgh,
Leonhardsen (Fox 87), Sherwood, Clemence,
Ginola (Dominguez 89), Iversen, Armstrong.
Subs Not Used: Baardsen, Vega, Young.
Booked: Edinburgh, Leonhardsen, Clemence, Carr.
Goals: Iversen 7, Sherwood 20.
Arsenal: Seaman, Dixon, Keown, Adams, Winterburn, Ljungberg,
Petit (Grimandi 77), Vieira, Overmars, Kanu (Suker 72),Bergkamp.
Subs Not Used: Manninger, Vivas, Upson.
Sent Off: Ljungberg (53), Keown (90).
Booked: Petit, Bergkamp, Keown, Vieira, Dixon, Suker.
Goals: Vieira 39.
Att: 36,085
Ref: David Elleray (Harrow-on-the-Hill).
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