Gunners title hopes hanging by a thread

FOOTBALL – bloody hell! as Alex Ferguson famously remarked.

This was a game and a draw that did little for either sides’ ambitions, but did wonders for the Premier League’s reputation for providing the most spectacular football on the planet.

A point was no good for Arsenal, leaving them six points behind Manchester United with only five games to play but manager Arsene Wenger refused to throw in the towel.

“It’s not over...we’ll fight,” vowed the Frenchman. “In the second half we dropped physically because we had a difficult game on Sunday (at home to Liverpool). We’ve had two games in three games, our recovery was a bit short.

“We suffered physically in the second-half and were very unfortunate to concede the penalty.

“Maybe the (Tottenham) second goal was decisive because we wanted to get to half-time with a two-goal lead, but we had an outstanding spirit and we have to keep battling to the last day.”

Arsenal dropped to third place as Tottenham’s fans celebrated raucously at the final whistle, having put possibly a fatal dent in the title ambitions of their bitter rivals, but the draw also means Spurs’s own chances of overtaking Manchester City in the top four — and the Champions League places – receded.

But what a game. And Tottenham manager Harry Redknapp heaped praise on both teams for serving up such a cracking contest.

“It was one of the great games...a real classic. We showed fantastic character to come from 3-1 down,” he said.

“Arsenal were top class in the first half, they had us at full stretch and were hard to live with.

“But in the second-half the best chances were going our way, we just couldn’t get the winner.

“We came back from an almost impossible position and had chances to win it. Anyone who watched that match must have loved it.”

Despite that, Redknapp believes his side are not the favourites to claim fourth spot.

“They (Man City) were favourites at the start of the year because of their squad.

“We finished a couple of points above them last year and they’ve spent about £150million to get above us.

“But I can’t ask for any more. The season’s still going and the spirit we’ve got is fantastic. We never give up.”

For 90 minutes it ebbed and flowed, with Arsenal starting like a steam train and taking a 3-1 lead inside 41 minutes, but Spurs coming back to equalise twice and finishing the stronger.

Indeed if it had not been for the goalkeeping of Wojciech Szczesny in a frantic final 15 minutes, Spurs supporters would have been singing even louder at the final whistle.

Arsenal drew first blood with only five minutes on the clock, exploiting Harry Redknapp’s decision to go with a bold attacking formation that left them light on defensive midfielders. Theo Walcott put the visitors ahead, rolling the ball past Heurelho Gomes into the far corner after beating the offside trap.

But Spurs hit back quickly, with Rafael Van der Vaart hitting his first goal for two months. The little Dutchman made a clever run in behind Arsenal’s defence, before hitting the back of the net with a right-footed drive inside the near post.

Arsenal soon regained the lead, however, when Samir Nasri exchanged passes with Cesc Fabregas and Abou Diaby in a mazy run in from the left before firing past Gomes through a crowded penalty area.

Tottenham’s sense of injustice at not seeing more than a booking for heavy tackles on Modric were compounded when Robin Van Persie put Arsenal 3-1 ahead shortly afterwards. William Gallas failed to cut out a cross that allowed Walcott to chip the ball back for Van Persie to head goalwards. Although Gomes stopped the ball, Van Persie was alert to lash the loose ball home from close range.

Three minutes later Spurs reduced the arrears when Huddlestone rifled a fierce volley home from 30 yards following a corner. Then with Spurs chasing the equaliser came the most controversial moment yet. Modric broke into the area, lined up his shot but was bundled off the ball by the feet and arms of Johann Djourou but referee Martin Atkinson was unmoved.

Bale did not reappear after the break following a collision with the Arsenal ‘keeper but Spurs strived for another equaliser, and Van der Vaart brought a superb save from Szczesny with a stinging volley in the 54th minute. But then came the equaliser. Benoit Assou-Ekotto sent Aaron Lennon away with a superb defence splitting ball, Szczesny had little choice but to haul the England winger down, and Van der Vaart sent the keeper the wrong way from the penalty spot.

The keeper redeemed himself with some astonishing saves in the closing stages but Arsenal were hanging on at the end, and Arsene Wenger cut an increasingly frustrated figure on the sidelines. He knows it will take a miracle for his side to claim the Premiership title now.

Subs for Tottenham: Kaboul 7 for Corluka 46, Lennon 7 for Bale 46, Sandro 6 for Pavlyuchenko 78) Subs for Arsenal: Wilshere7 for Diaby 52, Bendtner for Nasri 81, Arshavin 6 for Walcott 81