Rose spikes Arsenal title hopes

Arsenal were 20 games unbeaten in the league against Spurs before this match [GALLO/GETTY]

Teenage debutant Danny Rose scored a wonder goal as Tottenham Hotspur retook the fourth European Champions League place and effectively ended bitter rivals Arsenal’s title challenge.

Spurs beat their north London neighbours 2-1 at White Hart Lane on Wednesday for their first English Premier League win over Arsene Wenger’s team in a decade.

The result puts them two points above Manchester City, while Arsenal face a six-point gap with leaders Chelsea with four games to play.

Manchester United are two ahead of Arsenal.

In the night’s other matches, Aston Villa drew 2-2 at home with Everton while Wigan failed to ease their relegation fears with a 0-0 home draw with demoted Portsmouth.  

Much at stake

The north London derby has rarely had so much at stake with Spurs looking for their best finish in the Premier League years and a place in Europe’s top competition, while Arsenal are seeking at least a second placed finish.

But after just 10 minutes Manuel Almeria punched out a corner which dropped to 19-year-old Rose outside the box, who put his foot beautifully through the ball to fire it back over the keeper and into the net for one of the goals of the season.

Both teams spurned chances in the rest of the half but then two minutes after the break Gareth Bale found himself unmarked from a Jermain Defoe through ball to make it 2-0.

Arsenal looked finished when Huerelho Gomes made two wonder saves in the last 10 minutes, first palming away a top-corner free kick from the returning Robin van Persie then tipping a Sol Campbell header onto the bar.

But Theo Walcott found space with five minutes left to cross for Nicklas Bendtner to set up a nervy finish.

Seventh-placed Villa salvaged a late 2-2 draw against Everton, who are in eighth spot.

Tim Cahill headed in both Everton’s goals either side of Gabriel Agbonlahor’s second-half header before Phil Jagielka’s injury-time own goal levelled it.

At the bottom of the table, relegation-threatened Wigan Athletic were held 0-0 at home by already condemned Portsmouth to leave them five points clear of the drop zone in 16th place.