Andre Villas-Boas: 'Arsenal stuck in negative spiral'

Tottenham Hotspur manager Andre Villas-Boas has declared that Arsenal will struggle to shake a negative run of results following their 2-1 defeat in the North London derby today.

Gareth Bale and Aaron Lennon struck before the break to earn Spurs a crucial victory in the race for Champions League football.

Villas-Boas believes that while their seven-point advantage over the Gunners is not unassailable, his side are in pole position to secure a top-four finish.

He told The Telegraph: "It's not a big enough margin yet for us to be completely safe but what we think is that it can have a direct effect on their motivation.

"We are on an upward spiral in terms of confidence and they are on a negative spiral in terms of results. To get out of that negative spiral is extremely difficult."

Today's win at White Hart Lane has moved Spurs back above Chelsea to third place in the Premier League.