Arsenal claim local bragging rights to keep Chelsea waiting for title

As ever Jose Mourinho got what he wanted with Arsenal last night defeating Tottenham Hotspur and delaying Chelsea's Premiership title celebrations at least for a few more days.

As ever Jose Mourinho got what he wanted with Arsenal last night defeating Tottenham Hotspur and delaying Chelsea's Premiership title celebrations at least for a few more days.

The Chelsea manager had, somewhat singularly, said that he wanted to go into this weekend's match at Bolton Wanderers with something to play for beyond trying to secure the record Premiership points total (currently held by Manchester United). He doesn't want his players to lose "focus" and he simply hates losing, he said.

Instead, after a thunderous first-half goal by Jose Antonio Reyes, who could have had a hat-trick, and another Arsenal clean sheet, despite some eccentrics from goalkeeper Jens Lehmann, Chelsea will have to earn the points at the Reebok this weekend. A victory would secure their first title for 50 years in this most astonishing of first season's in English football for the irrepressible Mourinho.

Chelsea's squad watched last night's game from the Chelsea Village Hotel, next to Stamford Bridge, but there was very little chance that their preparations for tomorrow's Champions' League semi-final against Liverpool would be jeopardised by any celebrations.

Spurs were comprehensively defeated by an Arsenal side who may know that their reign as Premiership champions is coming to an end but who were determined not to have that fact confirmed against their oldest and nearest rivals in this, the 136th derby between the two north London sides.

The defeat dented Spurs' hopes of securing seventh position and with it a Uefa Cup place, with Arsenal also completing a League double over them and stretching their supremacy to an undefeated 12 encounters. It is now six years since they lost to Spurs and they rarely looked in any trouble last night despite lacking Thierry Henry and Sol Campbell.

The result also opened the gap between Arsenal and Manchester United in the competition for second place - and with it automatic qualification for next season's Champions' League - back to four points with just four games to play. Indeed, in any other season, and without Chelsea's unstoppable form, the two would be duelling for the title.

As for the title, bookmakers are already paying out on a Chelsea win despite the delay caused by last night's result. After all, the leaders must fail to win any of their remaining fixtures, with Arsenal winning all of theirs for that be put into any doubt.

Chelsea, who yesterday confirmed details of a £50m, five-year shirt sponsorship deal with Korean firm Samsung, replacing their current sponsors Emirates, also declared yesterday that players would be moved on in the summer as part of further squad re-building by Mourinho which is already under way. They have no intention of resting on their laurels even if they win the European Cup and complete a treble of trophies.

At the same time, and after Mourinho's Uefa touchline ban and with the inquiry into the alleged tapping-up of Arsenal's Ashley Cole looming, Chelsea's chairman, Bruce Buck, also admitted that mistakes had been made. "There have been some sideshows recently and we don't like that, particularly because of the success we've had on the pitch," he said.