Theo Walcott warns Tottenham that Arsenal are poised to overtake

The England winger crossed for Thomas Vermaelen to give Arsenal a 2-1 victory at the Emirates Stadium in the fifth minute of stoppage time, which was the prompt for wild celebrations and a bust-up on the field in the prickly heat of the moment.

The Arsenal captain, Robin van Persie, clashed with the Newcastle goalkeeper, Tim Krul, having had a running battle with his fellow Dutchman throughout the match. Both players were booked and Arsène Wenger, the Arsenal manager, admitted his relief that the cards were not red.

It was the victory, though, that represented the drama. Arsenal have now won five straight Premier League games, the last four of them having come from behind, which is a competition record. Three of those wins have come courtesy of goals in the 90th minute or injury time. Tottenham, who have hit poor form, can feel Arsenal's breath on their necks. They are now only one point clear in third.

"Tottenham have got to be watching over their shoulders now," Walcott said. "With the squad of players we've got – and we've got a lot of players coming back to fitness now – we believe that we can go much further. It's been an up-and-down season but it's the way you finish that's the most important thing."

Vermaelen added: "We showed the mentality of fighters. It's the fourth time we've come back from 1-0 down. In the second half we were pushing and pushing. We knew we had to be patient and in the end we would score a goal and that's what happened."

Wenger suggested that the flashpoint between Van Persie and Krul had stemmed from "history" between the pair from Holland. Van Persie had grown more and more angry at what he felt had been time-wasting by the goalkeeper from late in the first half and he had strong words for Krul after Vermaelen had scored. Players from both sides converged and Van Persie and Krul were kept apart in the tunnel, where a member of Newcastle's backroom staff had to be stopped from confronting Arsenal's captain.

"Why is Tim Krul crying as well " Jack Wilshere, Arsenal's injured midfielder tweeted. "Obviously don't know about RVP'S temper! Don't mess with the captain!"

Wenger said: "Is it history from Holland or is it just today's story ... I don't know. They both looked a bit nervous. I have not spoken to Robin yet. I will find out but I am happy it stayed yellow and did not become red. He is absolutely committed and he gave everything again tonight. He got us a quick equaliser. But the whole team played very well and Walcott also had an exceptional performance."

Wenger felt that Arsenal's recent run had served to prove some of the critics wrong and he delighted in praising the mental strength of his players who, he suggested, simply refused to accept anything less than victory.

"That is the best response to something that has been questioned sometimes this season," he said. "I believe that shows we have quality, we have spirit, which I have never questioned. It was a relentless effort again tonight from the first to the last minute. Certainly the fact we have done it before helped us.

"The atmosphere is great within the squad and tonight it was exceptional in the dressing room because the pleasure is even more intense when you win in the final minute of the game where you have given everything.

"It shows that as much as two defeats are quicksand, the positive recent history of a team has a very positive influence and the positive vibes make everyone stronger."

Newcastle's woes in the south of England this season continued. They had already lost heavily at Tottenham, Fulham and Norwich in the Premier League and exited the FA Cup at Brighton & Hove Albion.

"To lose in the last minute like that was galling," said the manager Alan Pardew. "Unfortunately we had no legs left to see it through. We ran out of steam. But I cannot fault our lads for effort and commitment."

（一个慢牛）