Arsenal produce final flourish

PERHAPS it needed a Frenchman to trim the feathers of the North London cockerel. Certainly Arsene Wenger's Arsenal beat Tottenham with a fine Gallic flourish at Highbury yesterday, their first home victory over this opposition for five years and their first win against them anywhere for three.

Just when Gerry Francis's limited but well organised and supremely fit Tottenham side appeared to have forced a well merited draw Arsenal won the match in the 88th and 89th minutes through goals from Tony Adams and Dennis Bergkamp. Adams had not found the net for 14 months but the goal epitomised his new determination to get forward more often.

Until that moment it looked as if a game of imaginative movement by both sides would be let down by the general waywardness of the finishing. A penalty in the first half gave Arsenal the lead, a fortunate double ricochet just before the hour brought the scores level, and there they seemed destined to remain.

The supreme difference, in the end, proved to be Bergkamp, who played a crucial role in Adams's goal and then scored himself with masterful skill. Throughout a rainswept afternoon, which made the ball as slippery as a piece of soap, the Dutchman's first touch was outstanding.

At the moment, and until Iversen arrives from Rosenborg, Tottenham have no one remotely in this class. Yesterday their best player was Sol Campbell, superb at the back and especially in his handling of Wright, the Premiership's leading scorer. Using his pace and strength, and reading Wright's runs astutely, Campbell frequently blocked the Arsenal's striker's routes to goal.

Significantly, the penalty, which arrived after 27 minutes, resulted from Clive Wilson's failure to do likewise when Paul Merson's pass sent Bergkamp through in the inside right position. The Tottenham defender half stopped his man legally and then caught Bergkamp with a flailing leg as the Dutchman tried to break clear.

Wright, having scored with the penalty, marked the goal, Ravanelli fashion, by flinging his shirt over his head except that in this case his T shirt bore the legend "I love the lads."

"He's a celebration specialist," Wenger observed later, but Wright might well have ended the afternoon rueing chances he had missed in open play.

The first came shortly after the penalty when a low centre from Lee Dixon took a deflection off Colin Calderwood and went straight to Wright, who dragged his shot wide of the far post. The next, soon after half time, was created by Merson's shrewd ball past Campbell again Wright had a full view of goal but again he shot wide. Another, coming in the wake of Tottenham's equaliser, followed one of several quick, co ordinated passing movements Arsenal achieved hut unusually Wright remained off target.

Three minutes before the hour Campbell headed on Allan Nielsen's long throw from the right to Andy Sinton, lurking in space on the left. Sinton's shot cannoned off the inside of the near post, then hit John Lukic on the bead and rebounded in to the net.

The goal followed Tottenham's one seriously sustained spell of attacking pressure, during which Lukic, who had replaced the injured David Seaman, thwarted Darren Anderton and Chris Armstrong with sharp saves, and Patrick Vieira and Armstrong shared the game's only spat. Before half time Teddy Sheringham, inadvertently set up by Dixon's deflected clearance, had wasted Tottenham's previous best opportunity.

Tottenham looked worth a point and nothing Arsenal did seemed likely to deny them the draw. Wenger's decision to replace David Platt with an extra striker, John Hartson, prompted Arsenal's final surge forward but few could have anticipated the way the game would be won and lost.

In the 88th minute Merson's throw in from the right was flicked hack from the byline by Bergkamp as Adams strode towards goal. Taking the ball in his stride, the Arsenal captain produced a stunning shot which took a deflection off the crouching Steve Carr on its way past Ian Walker.

Highbury had scarcely recovered its wits when, in the next minute Bergkamp had gathered Wright's long centre near the left hand byline and dummied past Carr before scoring Arsenal's third goal from the narrowest of angles. It was a poor reward for Tottenham's defensive efforts but Wenger's will to win had found the perfect response in his team.