Tottenham must now answer the challenge

Midway through the first half at the Emirates Stadium, just at the point when it seemed Arsenal were facing humiliation, the atmosphere turned decidedly nasty.

The home support had enough. When they weren’t howling with rage at every misplaced Theo Walcott pass, they directed their vitriol at Harry Redknapp and his assistant, Joe Jordan. Both men were clearly riled by the abuse with Redknapp apparently pointing out one of his critics to stewards and Jordan inviting another to discuss matters more intimately.

Yet as unpleasant as it may have been, the manager might reflect that it was preferable to the taunts that followed later on in the game.