Closing in on history

Tottenham 2 Arsenal 2

It just would not be Arsenal, though, would it, if a season which has had its fair share of angst and glory had not culminated in just a hint of controversy?

And so it did German goalkeeper Jens Lehmann receiving a yellow card and giving away a penalty in stoppage time for a push on Robbie Keane to allow Spurs to grab an equaliser for a 2-2 result.

It took the gloss off a London derby which Arsenal should have won in some comfort but not even the antics of a madcap goalkeeper such as Lehmann could alter the fact that this was the zenith of an extraordinary season for Arsene Wenger and his men.

Nor should it.

Rather football followers should delight in the euphoria of Thierry Henry, who tore off his shirt and twirled it joyously around his head.

Dwell on the red circle formed by the Arsenal players, which began with a show of unity and descended into an impromptu hokey-cokey; marvel at Kolo Toure's acrobatics as he did somersaults on the pitch.

And agree with the Arsenal supporters as they burst into song as they saw the sober-suited figure of Wenger stride up the touchline: "There's only one Arsene Wenger."

Agree too with captain Patrick Vieira who, while still breathless from the effort of the day and the extent of the celebrations, insisted: "The team spirit is fantastic."

Tottenham fans had long since gone. Watching their own team, under caretaker manager David Pleat, slide inexorably down the table was bad enough.

Watching their fiercest rivals, Arsenal dismantling their fragile side in that first half and having a party at their expense was just too much to bear.

But the Gunners fans inside White Hart Lane plus the neutrals bewitched by Arsenal's play were going nowhere. No wonder.

Arsenal's first goal after just 161 seconds said everything about why the Gunners on their day are the most vibrant, most charismatic club team in the game right now.

One moment they were defending a corner at one end 10 seconds later they were celebrating at the other after the ball had been swept via the incomparable Henry to Dennis Bergkamp to Patrick Vieira who stretched out a telescopic legs to prod the ball home.

Simple in construction, ruthless in execution, beautiful to watch.

There are many things which make up the fabric of a great football team and Arsenal possess most of them. But that capacity to turn defence into scintillating attack in an instant is the hallmark of Arsenal 2004.

The Manchester United of Eric Cantona vintage had it. So did Alex Ferguson's Champions League-winning boys of 1999. Real Madrid have played that way through the generations. It is also the quality France displayed in winning the World Cup in 1998 and the European Championship two years later.

Ball to feet. Short passes, fluent movement. It is cute, astute, cerebral football, a mirror image of their studious manager though with an added dash of style and panache.

The build-up to the second goal in the 35th minute was another classic example. Patient probing, precise passing through the bemused white shirts of Tottenham defenders, an intelligent pull-back from Vieira and yet another clinical strike, this time from Robert Pires.

And if they lost a little urgency, throttled back just a shade in the second-half, then it was hardly surprising considering their supremacy and the inevitability of the title outcome.

Not that even the best can ease off, however, in a league as competitive as the Premiership.

Jamie Redknapp duly took advantage, smashing home a brilliant right-foot shot. A few tense moments followed and Lehmann had to make a series of fine saves as Tottenham woke up to the fact that they were playing for their own survival.

Even so Arsenal would have played out time with some ease if it had not been for the Lehmann incident which was a reminder that, while so much of Wenger's team borders on perfection, there are elements which require urgent attention, such as a solid and reliable goalkeeper, which remains Wenger's highest priority.

Still, it is time to salute the superiority of an Arsenal side which has shimmered with wonderful goals and brilliant performances all season.

And as the Gunners continued their celebrations in the lengthening shadows of the White Hart Lane stands the feeling was that no team has deserved their place in the sun quite so much as Arsenal, Premiership champions 2004.

TOTTENHAM: Keller, Kelly (Poyet 79), Gardner, King, Taricco (Bunjevcevic 90), Davies, Brown, Redknapp, Jackson (Defoe 45), Kanoute, Keane.

ARSENAL: Lehmann, Lauren, Campbell, Toure, Cole, Parlour (Edu 67), Vieira, Silva, Pires, Henry, Bergkamp (Reyes 80).

Referee: M Halsey (Lancashire).