RAFAEL VAN DER VAART has told Arsenal not to get carried away with their win over Chelsea and insists that Tottenham are still the best team in north London.

Arsenal shocked Chelsea with a stunning 5-3 win at Stamford Bridge on Saturday to move within three points of the Premier League top four.

The victory was their eighth in nine matches – a sequence that demonstrates just how much Arsene Wenger’s men have turned around their season after a dismal start.

Their only defeat since that run began last month was at White Hart Lane – a fact that Van der Vaart perhaps took into consideration when he issued a stark warning to the Gunners after helping Tottenham extend their own unbeaten run to seven matches with a 3-1 win over QPR.

The Dutchman thinks that despite Arsenal’s good form, Tottenham who are the kings of north London.

“We are better than Arsenal,” Van der Vaart said.

“In our last seven games we have won six and drawn once.

It’s a long season, but I think we have a bigger and better squad.”

Chelsea and Arsenal have dominated the London scene for the last two decades, but under Harry Redknapp, Tottenham reached the Champions League quarter-finals last term, and look set to challenge for qualification to Europe’s top club competition again this term after their recent good form.

Van der Vaart is so confident about Spurs’ strength in depth that he thinks the club could challenge the likes of Chelsea and even Manchester United for second and third come the end of the season.

“Are we the best team in London? Maybe, but it’s still early,” Van der Vaart said.

“We’re in a good way. We are much better than we were last season.

“Man City are the best team in the league and below them you have a lot of good teams and we are one of them.”