Chelsea will have to wait at least till Saturday’s match with Bolton to claim their first title in 50 years after a Jose-Antonio Reyes goal gave Arsenal a 1-0 victory over North London rivals Spurs on Monday.
It leaves last year’s title winners still with a mathematical chance of overhauling Chelsea — they are 11 points adrift with four matches remaining — but they have to win their last four matches and hope Chelsea lose all theirs.
It was Arsenal’s first double over their bitter London rivals in 16 years and their ninth clean sheet in 10 matches — all of which have been without Sol Campbell.
Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger said Campbell — who was left on the bench as young Swiss Philippe Senderos was once again given the nod — retains his full confidence.
”We have 17 or 18 players of top quality,” said the Frenchman. ”Of course I see Campbell coming into the side again; he has my full confidence. But the players who have come in are doing well.”
Wenger said he has still not conceded the title.
”I won’t let that go as long as we have one chance to lift it. We will still go for it. In most other leagues, we would be top, but Chelsea have got more points than us.”
However, he insisted that his side maintain their momentum and at the very least prevent Manchester United from taking the runners-up spot, which is the last spot for automatic entry into the group stages of the Champions League.
”We have built momentum and it is important to keep it up,” he said.
Reyes missed an open goal in the first minute after being beautifully released by Robin van Persie, but he shot woefully into the side netting.
Spurs too went close in the 14th minute as their leading scorer, Jermain Defoe, turned Kolo Toure and put in an audacious chip that beat Jens Lehmann but went over the bar.
Defoe should have opened the scoring three minutes later as he was slipped free by Fredi Kanoute after Arsenal needlessly gave away the ball.
However, having wriggled through the defence, his shot was parried by Lehmann and then booted clear by Toure.
Reyes redeemed himself in grand style in the 22nd minute — for only his second goal in the last 19 Premiership matches and eighth of the season — running on to a finely sleighted pass from Francesc Fabregas and this time making no mistake shooting past Paul Robinson into the far corner.
Wenger said that transformed the young Spaniard.
”He was very lively. He missed an early chance, but when he scored he was a different animal on the pitch.”
Arsenal skipper Patrick Vieira, who had earlier had claims for a penalty turned down by Mike Riley, should have doubled the lead 10 minutes from the break, but having broken free of Kanoute, his header went just wide of the post.
Riley made the right decision in the 40th minute as he rejected Kanoute’s appeals for a penalty when Senderos appeared to catch him, but replays showed he had made contact with the ball.
A minute later, and the blossoming talent of Van Persie shone again as he turned King and blasted just wide from outside the area.
Arsenal were running rings round the Spurs defence and it was Fabregas who had the Gunners’ next chance, but his shot was bravely blocked by Michael Dawson.
Arsenal failed to find the same tempo for the first 20 minutes of the second half, but again nearly doubled their advantage in the 67th minute when the impressive Senderos’ towering header went just wide of the post.
His fellow central defender Toure was not to be outdone and unleashed a fierce shot from 35m out, which beat Robinson but went just over the bar.
Arsenal went even closer in the 73rd minute as Robert Pires went on a run down the centre and put in a short pass to Edu, whose instinctive shot from just outside the box curled past Robinson but clipped the post and bounced to safety.
The Gunners were back firing on all cylinders, and four minutes later a wonderful passing movement saw Reyes unmarked out on the left. Found by Gilberto Silva, he fired in a shot, but it hit the side netting.
A quite stunning piece of individual skill by Reyes — picking the ball up deep in his own half and spinning in between two Spurs defenders — set up Dennis Bergkamp, but his shot from outside the area curled just wide.
Reyes then set up Edu, but again a desperate lunge by defender Erik Edman saw him block the shot and it went out for a throw-in.
However, a major injustice was avoided when Robbie Keane got free of Senderos but his header from Andy Reid’s cross went wide, leaving him shaking his head in frustration.
Keane then claimed vociferously for a penalty for handball by Andy Cole, but Riley waved him aside and pointed for a corner — replays again showed the referee was right. — Sapa-AFP