PREMIERSHIP: Arsenal 2 - Aston Villa 0This must be an intensive course in scuffling for Arsenal. If they lacked that attribute as the title slipped away last year, they are now having every opportunity to nurture it.
In their previous fixture at Highbury they had summoned up a victory against Everton despite losing Sol Campbell after 25 minutes. The centre back hung around last night to score the opening goal, but Arsenal were only released from their anxiety in stoppage time, when a flick from substitute Dennis Bergkamp sent Thierry Henry free to round Thomas Sorensen and finish from a tight angle.
After their idyll against a vulnerable Middlesbrough on Sunday, this was a reminder to Arsenal that ambition is often a grind. Having been 3-0 up at the Riverside, they were pensive and goalless at the interval here. As the sides left the field then, the competitiveness produced sparks with Robert Pires reacting angrily as Olof Mellberg took him to task for alleged diving before the players were pulled apart.
Last night David O'Leary packed his team's midfield and also employed a back four to nullify the width of Arsenal's attacking. It did make the threat from Arsene Wenger's team a spasmodic one, and their best spell of the first half came in the effervescent opening passage.
Gilberto Silva launched an attack in the fifth minute that saw an Henry attempt before Pires placed a drive beyond the far post. Eight minutes later, Kolo Toure lifted a pass over the Villa defence and, with goalkeeper Thomas Sorensen leaving his line without any prospect of reaching the ball, Henry attempted a lob that bounced marginally wide.
The sense that an Arsenal goal was inevitable, however, did not last as Villa gathered enough possession in the middle of the pitch to reduce the pressure. Juan Pablo Angel may even have scored in the 25th minute, after linking well with Jlloyd Samuel, before his shot slid beyond the target from an angle.
The clean sheet, even if it had only lasted for half of the evening, was a satisfaction for Villa at the interval. They had kept Liverpool goalless in Sunday's draw and O'Leary can consider that he is making a modest improvement.
Mellberg will not necessarily appreciate every tribute to his high-profile position as Villa captain. Perhaps recalling the spat with Pires or maybe just registering frustration with the stalemate, Henry barged Mellberg into the advertising hoarding shortly after the restart.
Arsenal were soon to relieve the pressure with a goal but, typically of a hard-fought occasion, it did not arise from effortless creativity. When Pires took a corner from the right, Samuel ought to have cleared simply but he miscued with his right foot and the ball brushed Gareth Barry, on the line, before hitting the crossbar. With force and care, Campbell headed home the rebound.
The Arsenal centre-back now serves a one-match suspension while his team meet Manchester City on Sunday, but he leaves the scene after a thorough work-out here.
Even before Darius Vassell was brought on to strengthen the attack, Angel had contrived to present a threat for Villa, and soon after the England forward came on he smashed a free-kick that flew close to a post.
ARSENAL: Lehmann; Lauren, Toure, Campbell, Cole; Ljungberg (Parlour, 79), Gilberto Silva, Vieira, Pires; Wiltord (Bergkamp, 67), Henry. Booked: Toure, Vieira, Bergkamp.
ASTON VILLA: Sorensen; Delaney, Mellberg, Johnson, Samuel; De La Cruz, Hendrie, Kinsella, Barry, Whittingham (Vassell, 60); Angel. Booked: Hendrie, Delaney, Angel, Whittingham.
Referee: M Dean.
