The result leaves Arsenal and Manchester United still
grappling tenaciously with one another at the head of the
table, but it may be the champions' grip on the title that
is loosening. The visitors, dominant in the first half, were
perceptibly superior and Arsène Wenger's team must be
conscious now of the obstacles in their path as, with a game
in hand, they hurry to catch the Old Trafford club.
With seven minutes remaining, Sol Campbell flung out an
elbow as he sought to drive away from Ole Gunnar Solskjaer
and smacked the Norwegian in the face. If the deed was not
malicious, it was certainly imprudent. The Arsenal centre-
half received his second red card of the season and unless
the decision is overturned a four-game ban will keep him out
of the FA Cup final.
Sir Alex Ferguson can savour the worries that beset Arsenal,
but will not look back on this evening with contentment. A
linesman's mistake permitted Wenger's team to take a 2-1
lead when Thierry Henry, from an off-side position, snatched
his second goal of the evening and the result also wronged
United. They were superior for long enough to have merited
victory.
Ferguson was so enamoured of the St James' Park show that he
picked the same line-up here. David Beckham was therefore on
the bench as an unused substitute. The attacking pattern
laid down in the north-east had been too effective to be
broken up at Highbury.
With 51 minutes gone, there was a neat exchange of roles as
Robert Pires dropped deeper and put Ashley Cole in for a
swerving run that carried him across Wes Brown. Even so, his
shot would have been unlikely to beat Barthez had it not
deflected off Henry.
The tonic effect may have been all the greater for Arsenal's
recognition of their good fortune. There was an air of
purpose even if Henry should have been ruled off-side from
Gilberto Silva's pass in the 62nd minute but, allowed to
race free, he slipped the ball home.
United's spirit is, however, rarely broken and Arsenal have
a habit of relaxing prematurely. A minute later, Solskjaer
crossed deep and Giggs headed home from close range. Near
the close, Barthez blocked a Henry effort with his feet, but
a win for Arsenal would have been travesty more than
triumph. A match that was supposed to decide the title had
trouble separating these sides.
Telegraph:
All shared points are equal but some are more equal than
others. A smiling Sir Alex Ferguson will have loved this
draw gained at the home of his biggest rivals. Not only does
it keep Manchester United three points clear of Arsenal but
the champions finished with some notable absentees.
With eight minutes remaining, Sol Campbell was deservedly
dismissed for flicking an elbow into Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's
face right in front of the linesman, Nigel Miller, who duly
informed the outstanding referee, Mark Halsey.
Here was English football at its intoxicating best, full of
nip and tuck, end-to-end moves, wonderful waves flowing
between a transfixed Clock End and North Bank. It
encapsulated all the rivalry between the Premiership's
finest sides, well-matched thoroughbreds contesting a
compelling race.
Until Arsenal's second-half revival, Ferguson could not have
been more pleased. His plan to steer the ball quickly
towards the lone front-runner, Van Nistelrooy, brought rich
reward midway through the half. Arsenal should have cleared.
But his 37th goal of the season was never in doubt. The ball
seemingly mesmerised by Van Nistelrooy, the forward guided
it into position before lifting it unerringly over the
diving Taylor.
First blood to United. Wenger's men refused to lie down.
Five minutes after the restart, Arsenal's heightened tempo
helped them level. Pires, so often the catalyst, cut in from
the left and played the ball into the box. It clipped Dennis
Bergkamp on the way through and fell to Cole. Alarms bells
rang in United's backyard.
Then controversy. With Henry a yard offside, the Frenchman
received a wonderful pass from Gilberto Silva. As United
appealed vainly, Henry turned, raced through the gears and
slipped the ball past the diving Barthez: one-nil down, 2-1
up. No wonder Arsenal fans were singing. Extraordinary.
So was United's response. Within a minute, they were level,
drawing on their deep well of determination, working the
ball wide and then in, devastatingly so. Solskjaer whipped
in a cross that David Beckham would have admired and there
was the unmarked Giggs to head home from five yards.
Brilliant.
Indie: