THE entire Arsenal team could have posed like an archer firing a bolt into the sky. This was their Usain Bolt moment. We went from stalemate to checkmate at superhuman speed. In playing time, the delay between 0-0 and 2-0 for Arsène Wenger’s team was 11 seconds.

From them all, but especially the scorer of the second goal, Cesc Fabregas, it was gold medal stuff. Tottenham, as for a decade in the Premier League, were yielding at the point when their rivals imposed their will. They have not beaten Arsenal in the competition for 20 games, stretching back to 1999, and are not going to beat schoolboys defending like this. Having clung so determinedly to Harry Redknapp’s gameplan for 42 minutes, in an instant they ripped it up in his face.

Not that the gameplan was especially sound. Redknapp’s record against the Big Four is mediocre and if beating a top side was just a simple matter of keeping 10 men behind the ball and launching counterattacks via high balls to a big striker, everybody would do it. The philosophy was more in keeping with the traditions of nowdefunct Wimbledon than a club that styles itself as playing “the glory game”.

In Redknapp’s defence, the absence of Jermain Defoe, Aaron Lennon and Luka Modric robbed Spurs of subtlety and pace but had not Robbie Keane claimed his club now possess a superior squad to Arsenal’s? Not according to Redknapp, who said remarks made by Keane had been twisted, as had his own comment that his bets for the title are Chelsea and Manchester United, because of their players’ greater maturity and experience. “Nobody’s saying Arsenal can’t win the championship,” ranted Redknapp who, having explained how an altercation with an Arsenal fan had been caused by the supporter’s bad language (“there were children around”, Redknapp said) happily swore at journalists. “Of course they can.” Naturally, Wenger agreed.

The managers differed in their analyses of how the game was poised before Arsenal’s quick one-two, however. Redknapp felt Arsenal’s players were frustrated and “scared to make a pass because the crowd was jumping all over their backs” thanks to his spoiling tactics. Wenger admitted Arsenal initially lacked fluency, with their midfield struggling to pass their way through the crowd in front of Tottenham’s box, but he felt his team were controlling things nonetheless.

What was true was that before the 42nd minute there was just one clear chance, falling to Fabregas and drawing a prodigious save from Heurelho Gomes, but Redknapp must have been in extremely optimistic fettle if “with three minutes to half-time I’m thinking, ‘Yeah, I fancy us today’.” Tottenham were giving the best possession side in England the lion’s share of territory and the ball. That Arsenal made it pay was hardly a surprise.

Only the circumstances were unexpected. Bacary Sagna took a quick throw, which was touched back by Fabregas as Benoit Assou-Ekotto watched dreamily. Sagna crossed and Robin van Persie was flashing towards the ball before a defender had moved. Only Gomes stayed alert and was down immediately to try to keep out Van Persie’s shot, yet having got a hand on the ball he let it squeeze inside his post.

Once Arsenal had celebrated the ball was placed back on the centre spot and from Spurs kicking off to the point at which Arsenal were celebrating again, there was a similar interval as the time required to read this sentence. Van Persie intercepted an aimless pass by Wilson Palacios and fed Fabregas, who brushed off Palacios’s attempt to atone, beat Tom Huddlestone and nutmegged Ledley King to bring himself to the edge of Tottenham’s box. Vedran Corluka charged over to cover but Fabregas was too quick and, using a dummy to unbalance Gomes, scored with his right foot. “Scandalous,” spat Redknapp.

“We took advantage of the shock provoked by our first goal to score again,” Wenger said.

Arsenal had to replace Nicklas Bendtner after 37 minutes with Eduardo. The Dane is likely to be out for a month with a groin injury. Tottenham went to 4-4-2 for the second period, bringing Keane infield from a left-wing position. David Bentley forced a fingertip save from Manuel Almunia with a free kick and Thomas Vermaelen had to execute three pieces of expert defending — a header, a block and a clearance — one after another but Spurs’ change had not reversed the flow.

They switched off again and Sagna, having also stopped momentarily, played on to send in a cross that Gomes missed and Van Persie turned in. The 3-0 scoreline could have been 5-0, with Arsenal missing subsequent chances and Wenger throwing his jacket down in anger. “I couldn’t communicate with the players because of the noise in the stadium,” he drawled, “and [at the Emirates] I’m not used to that.”

ARSENAL: Almunia 6, Sagna 7, Gallas 7, Vermaelen 8, Clichy 7, Song 6, Fabregas 9, Diaby 6, Bendtner 5 (Eduardo 37min, 5), Van Persie 8 (Ramsey 86min), Arshavin 7 (Eboue 78min)

TOTTENHAM: Gomes 5, Corluka 5 (Hutton 86min), King 5, Bassong 5, Assou-Ekotto 4, Bentley 4, Jenas 5, Huddlestone 6 (Bale 55min, 5), Palacios 5, Keane 5 (Pavlyuchenko 65min), Crouch 6