Arsenal win jeopardises Martin Jol

The gleeful Arsenal contingent chorused “you’re getting sacked in the morning” at Martin Jol, before remembering to salute their own team for going top of the table after yet another success against their north London rivals.

Suggestions of the Spurs manager’s imminent demise may be a little premature, with Seville’s Juande Ramos headed for the Emirates instead for a Champions League tie on Wednesday, but Jol is undoubtedly on shakier ground than ever after nine successive failures to beat the old enemy.

His instructions this season, after two fifth places, were to finish ahead of Arsenal, and qualify for the cash cow that is the Champions League, but already it seems a forlorn mission after four defeats in the first six league games. Tottenham possess a meagre four points from a possible 24, and as one disgruntled fan said as he headed for the exit: “That works out at about £10m a point.”

Jol did indeed spend another £40m on new players during the summer, after which Spurs’ start is not so much disappointing as downright dismal. Their afternoon was summed up when the striker who cost a club record £16.5m, Darren Bent, spurned an open goal that would have made it 2-2.

To the continued vexation of the board at White Hart Lane, Arsenal were clearly the better team, constructed the better chances and had the best player on view in the ever-improving Cesc Fabregas, who embellished his man of the match performance with a stunning goal from 30 yards. Spurs last won a north London derby under George Graham’s management, and have now failed in 19 attempts.

They had high hopes of ending that run yesterday, and threatened to do so when Gareth Bale put them ahead in the 15th minute, but yet again they threw away a winning position. As one ex-player said afterwards: “You wouldn’t trust this lot to walk your dog – they can’t hold on to a lead.”

After Bale had embarrassed Manuel Almunia with a 25-yard free kick that crept inside the goalkeeper’s right-hand post, Fabregas set about a classy afternoon’s work with a defence-splitting through-pass that led to a strong drive from Alexandr Hleb. Paul Robinson did well to block it, but could not hold the ball which ran to Robin Van Persie for a follow-up shot only inches wide.

Fabregas cleverly bisected Spurs’ centre-halves again midway through the first half, only for Robinson to deny Arsenal again, this time with a well-timed advance at the feet of Emmanuel Adebayor. The keeper was helpless, however, when Abou Diaby, set up by Hleb, belted the ball hurriedly against the crossbar when he had the time and space to pick his spot.

Reprieved, Spurs were still in front at half-time and should have doubled the margin five minutes after the interval when Dimitar Berbatov rounded Almunia, but then ran into Kolo Touré’s desperate recovery tackle. For the first, and by no means the last time, Jol held his head in disbelief. Trying to walk the ball into the net was not Arsenal’s exclusive preserve.

Adebayor ought to have equalised when Bacary Sagna drove to the byline on the right and cut the ball back to Adebayor, who scooped wastefully over from near the penalty spot. Spurs thought they should have had a penalty after 54 minutes, when Robinson claimed the ball and took out Adebayor at the same time, but Mark Clattenburg, who had an excellent match, waved their appeals away.

With Arsenal increasingly assertive and always dangerous on the break, it came as no surprise when equality was restored after 65 minutes, Abebayor beating Robinson to a left-wing free kick from Fabregas.

The equalising goal broke Spurs’ brittle confidence. Berbatov might have mended it but, after having a shot blocked on the line by Gael Clichy, he headed the rebound over, and in the 80th minute Arsenal deservedly completed the transformation from deficit to profit with Fabregas’ fifth goal of the season. “Now, he can’t stop scoring”, Wenger said. “Before, he couldn’t score at all. That shows how much of it is in the head.”

Bent, on for Steed Malbranque, was guilty of his ghastly miss, shooting wide when one-on-one with Almunia, and as the game went into stoppage time Adebayor fuelled Tottenham’s distress by thumping the ball home from the 18-yard line after Robinson had repelled a shot from Fabregas.

Arsenal turn their attention to Seville’s visit, for which Philippe Senderos will be back, enabling Gilberto to revert to midfield. Spurs and their board are left to consider Jol’s uncertain future. “The chairman always says he’s behind me”, the Dutchman said. “It’s you people in the press who put me under pressure. I don’t take it seriously.” Looking at the table, it’s high time he did.

Star man: Cesc Fabregas (Arsenal)

Player ratings: Tottenham: Robinson 6, Chimbonda 7, Dawson 6, Kaboul 6, Lee 5, Malbranque 5 (Bent 82min), Huddlestone 6, Jenas 5, Bale 6 (Lennon 69min), Berbatov 5, Keane 5

Arsenal: Almunia 5, Sagna 6, Toure 6, Gilberto 6, Clichy 6, Hleb 6 (Song Billong 90min), Fabregas 8, Flamini 6, Diaby 4 (Rosicky 56min, 5), Adebayor 6, Van Persie 6 (Denilson 85min) Star man: Cesc Fabregas (Arsenal)