Tottenham manager Harry Redknapp has warned Arsenal to expect a fight to the finish in the race for third place in the Premier League.

Redknapp’s side surrendered their grip on third spot, which earns automatic Champions League group stages, for the first time in almost three months after a 1-1 draw against Stoke on Wednesday.

While Spurs failed to win for a fourth successive league match, Arsenal continued their revival with a 1-0 victory at Everton which allowed them to leapfrog their north London rivals by one point on the ladder.

It was another dispiriting 90 minutes for Spurs, who needed a Rafael van der Vaart stoppage-time equaliser to cancel out Cameron Jerome’s opener as football returned to White Hart Lane just four days after Bolton midfielder Fabrice Muamba’s horrifying collapse there.

Although Spurs have been in freefall over the last month, Redknapp is convinced they will rediscover their peak form in time to pip Arsenal to third.

“We can still finish above Arsenal. Arsenal can think it’s all over. It’s not all over,” Redknapp said.

“There’s a long way to go yet. There’ll be twists and turns. It’s all to play for still.

“They’re not going to win every game, are they, I don’t think.”

Redknapp rubbished suggestions his players might have been affected by Saturday’s distressing events, which saw Tottenham’s FA Cup tie with Bolton abandoned after Muamba suffered a cardiac arrest shortly before half-time.

“Nothing affects them – they’ve been ready to play,” he said. “I’d be making excuses if I said that.

“I just felt we got a bit panicky. We stopped passing the ball as well.”

Redknapp revealed he even lied to his players at half-time to motivate them, telling them fifth-placed Chelsea were winning at Manchester City.

He said: “I said Arsenal were winning and Chelsea were winning. Chelsea weren’t winning but I said, ‘They’re both winning. Let’s get after them, we need a win’.”