Robbie Keane had boasted pre-match that Tottenham Hotspur have a stronger squad than Arsenal. Harry Redknapp thinks his side can still qualify for the Champions League. But Spurs need to make a statement on the pitch. They have hope and hype but games against Manchester United, Arsenal and Chelsea have brought defeats and three goals against each time.

Yes, Tottenham beat Liverpool; but doesn’t everyone these days? If they are to reach the top four it will be through near-impeccable results against weaker teams, because it is hard to see them doing it by directly defeating their main rivals.

Keane’s confidence proved misplaced from kick-off on Saturday when the captain found himself on the left of a five-man midfield, a position that demanded all of his energy and almost none of his creativity. He was background noise.

The absence of the suspended Jermain Defoe and the injured Luka Modric and Aaron Lennon had encouraged Tottenham to be diffident in tactics and attitude. The game plan was essentially negative, an approach defined by fear of Arsenal’s strengths not confidence in Tottenham’s own capabilities.

It was understandable and inevitable. Next Saturday marks the tenth anniversary of the last time Tottenham beat Arsenal in the league, a one-sidedness that has reduced the fixture’s allure. Derby-day pessimism is now institutionalised in N17, as much a part of the Tottenham psyche as push-and-run, Chas & Dave, Ricky Villa’s Wembley goal and signing a lot of expensive flair players then finishing mid-table.

So it would have taken something extraordinary for Tottenham to get a result, yet that is exactly what happened twice in the past 21 months: the 5-1 Carling Cup win over Arsenal at White Hart Lane and the 4-4 draw in the Barclays Premier League at the Emirates Stadium a year ago, when the visiting team pinched a point with two goals in the last two minutes. Sheer, freakish, fabulous, subversive craziness.

But here, Tottenham were cautious and failed to execute even a basic direct style. Peter Crouch was the loneliest of lone strikers: there was no team-mate to collect his knock-downs because Keane was wide and the other Tottenham midfield players were indisposed. Paranoid about being sucker-punched on the counter-attack and preoccupied with tailing Cesc Fàbregas.

David Bentley’s selection was an interesting punt from Redknapp. The right winger had scored against his former club in the 4-4 game, a long-range strike that briefly masked his rapid descent from England hopeful to Tottenham has-been. Before Saturday, the 25-year-old’s league action this season amounted to five minutes as a substitute against Hull City in August. He flunked this audition, though, as he hurtled recklessly around for the first 20 minutes then gently floated off into irrelevance.

After 42 sensible minutes, Spurs briefly went demented. Robin van Persie stole in front of Ledley King to poke a cross past Heurelho Gomes and the lead was doubled 11 seconds after the restart as Fàbregas pilfered the ball from Wilson Palacios on halfway and erupted on to the defence like molten lava.

As Tottenham panicked and Fàbregas dribbled boldly forth, it was one of those moments when individual genius senses collective idiocy; when you realise that greatness is a combination of opportunism, technique and courage.

The 22-year-old should score more often. He has five league goals in nine appearances this season, which is unusually prolific. His best league tally for a season is seven, in 2007-08. He averages one every 8.5 games in contrast to Frank Lampard, albeit a penalty taker, who scores every 3.4 appearances for Chelsea.

After the break, Van Persie’s second came via a tap-in, Eduardo da Silva, a substitute, missed a pair of great chances and the rest of the match was almost as embarrassing as those 11 seconds: a long Spurs sigh, a languid Arsenal stroll. “Are you Tottenham in disguise?” sang the home fans, adding an ironic spin to one of their favourite taunts. Spurs were not disguised, but wearing the Emperor’s new clothes.

Arsenal (4-3-3): M Almunia 5 B Sagna 6 W Gallas 7 T Vermaelen 7 G Clichy 6 F Fàbregas 8 A Song 7 A Diaby 5 N Bendtner 6 R van Persie 8 A Arshavin 7 Substitutes: Eduardo da Silva 4 (for Bendtner, 37min), E Eboué (for Arshavin, 78), A Ramsey (for Van Persie, 86). Not used: P Senderos, S Nasri, V Mannone, K Gibbs. Next: Wolverhampton Wanderers (a).

Tottenham (4-5-1): H Gomes 6 V Corluka 5 L King 5 S Bassong 5 B Assou-Ekotto 4 D Bentley 4 J Jenas 5 T Huddlestone 4 W Palacios 6 R Keane 6 P Crouch 7 Substitutes: G Bale 4 (for Huddlestone, 56min), R Pavlyuchenko 5 (for Keane, 65), A Hutton (for Corluka, 86). Not used: M Dawson, N Kranjcar, D Button, J Woodgate. Next: Sunderland (h).

Referee: M Clattenburg Attendance: 60,103.