Arsenal vs. Tottenham Hotspur: Half-time score 3-1 as Olivier Giroud adds insult to injury

Arsenal are now 3-1 up on the stroke of half-time at the Emirates Stadium as Olivier Giroud has pretty much sealed the deal for Arsenal barring a remarkable comeback from Tottenham.

After Aaron Lennon gave away a free-kick, Santiago Cazorla escaped down Tottenham's left-flank after being given the advantage by Howard Webb, then played in a low cross for Olivier Giroud to get in between the Spurs defenders and turn home. It's poor defending from Tottenham considering their position, and the game is beginning to look like a lost cause for them now.

Emmanuel Adebayor had put Tottenham 1-0 up early on after getting on the end of Theo Walcott's saved shot, but Spurs were about to endure a nightmare as the Togolese forward saw red for a terrible tackle on Santi Cazorla, before Per Mertesacker equalised, getting on the end of Theo Walcott's cross. Lukas Podolski then put the Gunners in the lead with a scrappy finish, and now it's beginning to look like a case of damage limitation for the visitors, barely half an hour after they'd made such a strong start.

It's easy to blame it all on Adebayor - and obviously he's by far the most culpable for this disaster - but Tottenham have neither played nor defended well since he was sent off. It's a shame for Andre Villas-Boas, who never seems to get any luck and had been incredibly bold in starting with a 4-4-2 away at the Emirates, but it could be an opportunity for Arsenal to dish out a real hammering here.