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Jose Antonio Reyes' 22nd-minute strike earned Arsenal victory in the North London derby and made Chelsea wait at least until Saturday's game at Bolton to clinch the Premiership title.
The Gunners' win left them 11 points behind Chelsea with four games to play. It also put them four points ahead of FA Cup final opponents Manchester United in the race for England's second automatic Champions League place.
Tottenham's defeat dented their hopes of a UEFA Cup place.
The visitors exerted pressure for 20 minutes at the start of the second half, without testing Arsenal goalkeeper Jens Lehmann.
Their best chance came in the 87th minute when unmarked substitute Robbie Keane headed wide from Andy Reid's cross. Then referee Mike Riley turned down Keane's late penalty appeal after the ball hit Ashley Cole's arm as he lay on the ground.
Arsenal were still without Premiership top scorer Thierry Henry, who has groin trouble, and hip injury victim Freddie Ljungberg. Reyes and Cesc Fabregas continued to deputise and combined for the crucial goal. Reyes was also a target for tough tackling throughout and three Spurs players were booked for fouling him.
Robin van Persie replaced Dennis Bergkamp, who dropped to the bench. Arsene Wenger decided not to risk England centre back Sol Campbell after his long-term ankle problem.
Striker Fredi Kanoute displaced Keane for Tottenham after recovering from a neck injury. Midfielder Michael Brown was suspended.
Reyes gave a warning of Arsenal's threat after just 47 seconds when he burst onto van Persie's throughball, only to shoot wastefully into the side netting with the goal at his mercy.
Tottenham lacked rhythm going forward and while Jermain Defoe posed a real threat, he lacked effective support. The England striker pounced on a 16th-minute mix-up in the home defence, but Lehmann made a point-blank save.
Reyes broke the deadlock with a clinical finish. Fabregas broke from midfield and threaded a perfect ball through to the striker, who drove a diagonal shot beyond Paul Robinson.
Arsenal had chances to kill the game before the interval. Patrick Vieira, unmarked, headed wide from van Persie's free-kick, before Fabregas shot wide from the edge of the box. Van Persie's turn earned him space for a shot but he was also off target.
The Gunners were content to soak up pressure early in the second half and Kolo Toure and Philippe Senderos stood firm as Tottenham bombarded them with long balls.
A double substitution that saw Edu and Bergkamp enter the fray for Fabregas and van Persie lifted Arsenal again.
They created more chances without finding the killer second goal. Edu spun and shot against the outside of an upright before Reyes hit the side netting after a sweeping move, while Bergkamp curled wide after Reyes's pace left the visiting defence struggling.
The Gunners are now unbeaten in 12 league and cup games against Spurs. But Keane gave them a scare - and they had to sweat through the dying minutes.