Vieira gamble pays off

It was a full-bloodied derby match

Tottenham 1-1 Arsenal

Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger said he took a major gamble sending on substitute Patrick Vieira in the north London derby.

The French midfield star, who has been suffering from a hamstring injury, came off the bench to grab a last-minute equaliser.

His goal earned the Gunners a point in a pulsating 1-1 derby against George Graham's Tottenham at White Hart Lane.

Wenger said: "He had been completely without training for nine days and I had decided not to play him.

It would have been really psychologically damaging if we had got nothing again here

  Arsene Wenger

"We were really scared he might break down and do something more to the hamstring injury he got in the last minute of our Champions League game with Bayern Munich and I knew it was a huge gamble to play him.

"But in the end I had no choice because after losing our last two away games and going a goal down to Tottenham it would have been really psychologically damaging if we had got nothing again here.

Fuming

"Patrick scored the goal right at the end and he's come off feeling okay with the hamstring. So it has proved a good decision in the end.

"I'm happy in one way with a draw but really we have the feeling that we have dropped two points because we created so many chances and couldn't take one until right at the end."

But Spurs boss Graham was furious the equaliser was allowed to stand.

He said: "I cannot believe the Arsenal goal was given. When you see it again on television it is clear that Vieira has pulled Les Ferdinand's shirt to get a free header.

I cannot believe the Arsenal goal was given

  George Graham

"Les was fuming afterwards, but you know what players are like and so I took a look at the video myself and he's right. I don't know how it wasn't disallowed but maybe the referee will say he didn't see the shirt-pulling."

There was also a dispute over the Spurs goal, a 31st-minute strike by £11m Ukrainian striker Sergei Rebrov - his first for two months.

Wenger said: "I thought it should have been given offside because Ferdinand was right in front of our goalkeeper Alex Manninger when he tried to save the original shot."