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Lloris makes himself big to deny Robin van Persie as United spurned several great chances in a goalless first half

Much like Network Rail’s trains, Manchester United title campaign ground to a temporary halt in the North London area. A win here, and they could have dared to dream going into the second half of the season. And while a goalless draw at White Hart Lane was far from a catastrophe, the performance was certainly less than is required of champions. Chelsea are due here on January 1. We shall see what Jose Mourinho makes of a Tottenham team that remains very much a work in progress under Mauricio Pochettino.

To be fair, neither team should be particularly happy with this. Manchester United had the best of the first-half but were undone by a combination of their own inefficiency in front of goal and the brilliance of goalkeeper Hugo Lloris. The second-half belonged to Tottenham but they did not carve out enough chances of import and while David De Gea was again impressive, it did not require heroics to keep the home team at bay.

The draw was the proper result, but those who expected a high-scoring affair given the ambition of these clubs and the array of talent on display left disappointed. Harry Kane worked hard but to scant effect, while United’s expensive acquisitions could find no way through. Louis Van Gaal picked the same United side that beat Newcastle on Boxing Day – the first consistent starting XI for United since November 2012, a run of 85 league games – and will no doubt believe he had no option given one day to prepare between fixtures.

Yet United looked leggy by the end, with Tottenham in the ascendancy. They could have lost it with eight minutes remaining when Kane put through Ryan Mason with only De Gea to beat. He snatched at his shot and blasted over. There was inevitability about the slow fade to the end from there.

It has been hard to overshadow De Gea this season, but Tottenham goalkeeper Lloris pulled it off. If there was one exceptional display here, it was his first 45 minutes, which shaded United’s stand-out performers, Ashley Young and Juan Mata. Faced with a stellar front-line and a supporting cast that is finally beginning to click, only Lloris prevented United having the game won by half-time. He flew through the air acrobatically and stuck in a tackle on Robin Van Persie that would have pleased John Terry.

Yet, from a long way out, this was a game that was going to be settled by one goal – or left wanting for goals at all. As Tottenham are currently playing the inexperienced Kane as a lone front man, they will have less to regret. The money spent on United’s forwards this season, nobody should leave a tense affair like this talking about Tottenham’s goalkeeper. Van Gaal would surely have expected to find a match-winner in his ranks, even accounting for seasonal fatigue.

Arsenal remain unconvincing in many areas and yet this was a day to savour for Arsene Wenger as four team above his dropped points and his players produced the sort of character they are usually accused of lacking.

Two goals in three minutes just before half-time were enough to clinch victory at West Ham and, although more clinical finishing would have given the score-line a healthier glow, they have emerged from two London derbies in three days with six points.

Wenger smiled with satisfaction and hailed his players for their resilience and durability, especially having played for 40 minutes with 10 men against Queen’s Park Rangers on Boxing Day.

‘We had a solid, combative and united performance from the first to the last minute,’ said the Arsenal boss. ‘We made more chances and deserved to win the game – a positive, committed and direct game. Everyone did their job well. We were a bit jaded and had to dig deep.’

Santi Cazorla opened the scoring from the spot, having reclaimed penalty duties from Alexis Sanchez who stole them against QPR and missed, and Danny Welbeck pounced for the second as West Ham were distracted by referee Neil Swarbrick’s decision to award the penalty.

Swarbrick had not endeared himself to the home crowd in the fifth minute when he ruled out Alex Song’s splendid volley because Diafra Sakho and Cheikhou Kouyate were offside.

The penalty multiplied their anger but both decisions were understandable – even though Allardyce took issue with the offside in a big way, complaining about inconsistencies and a goal scored against his side by Romelu Lukaku at Everton in November.

Once the win was in the bag, even Wenger admitted his surprise that the goal did not stand.

Kouyate pulled one back after the break and Arsenal wobbled at the back and goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny struggled under the high ball.

Substitute Enner Valencia almost levelled in a late scramble but, equally, the visitors should have extended their lead from one of many chances they carved open on the counter-attack.

Arsenal remain unconvincing in many areas and yet this was a day to savour for Arsene Wenger as four team above his dropped points and his players produced the sort of character they are usually accused of lacking.

Two goals in three minutes just before half-time were

enough to clinch victory at West Ham and, although more clinical finishing would have given the score-line a healthier glow, they have emerged from two London derbies in three days with six points.

Wenger smiled with satisfaction and hailed his players for their resilience and durability, especially having played for 40 minutes with 10 men against Queen’s Park Rangers on Boxing Day. — Mailsport.