Wenger praises 'inspired substitution'

Almunia dived the right way to deny Robbie Keane then Nicklas Bendtner took centre stage four minutes later when he headed in Cesc Fabregas' corner just seconds after coming on for Emmanuel Eboue. It was the first touch of his career against Spurs.

"You can call that an inspired substitution if you want - it was a welcome goal," said Wenger.

It was cruel on Tottenham, whose patched-up team had stifled their rivals before counter-attacking through Dimitar Berbatov and Keane in attack.

Head coach Juande Ramos had Teemu Tainio and Pascal Chimbonda in unfamiliar positions in defence, while their midfield contained Jamie O'Hara, the former Arsenal trainee who was making his first start.

"It was a game we could have won," said Ramos. "It was evenly balanced and we had a great chance with the penalty but we didn't take it.

"Robbie is upset about it because it was a great opportunity in a derby where there is great rivalry. He is usually very certain with his penalties but he made a mistake when we needed a goal and that is why he is so disappointed."

Victory extended Arsenal's lead at the top of the table to four points, even though Wenger admits his side are not playing at full tilt yet.

"We weren't sharp in the first half and we needed to raise our game," said the Frenchman. "When we went ahead we looked like we were in control but we let them back into it.

"Overall, we are conscious that we were not at our best, only in patches. They missed a sitter and Almunia's penalty save was the turning point in the game."