English FA Premiership: Arsenal 0 - Manchester United 0: Two clubs who have absorbed the country in the past 10 years strove determinedly but merely showed why their prominence has been lost.
Manchester United despite their surge in the latter part of the night, are 13 points adrift of Chelsea in the Premiership and Arsenal, for all their smoothness, stand fifth. Neither could score and much has changed.
With Patrick Vieira and Roy Keane both at new clubs it was time for regular devotees of this rivalry to discover whether, in all honesty, they could really stomach civility at this late stage. While Arsenal had by far the better of the first half, there was a considered tone to their tactics.
The reigning Premiership champions have done more that demoralise the other clubs; they have also made them reflect. Arsène Wenger has developed a growing interest in Chelsea's 4-3-3 system. His own interpretation of it was on show here, with Robert Pires and José Antonio Reyes dropping back as required to pack a midfield in which Gilberto Silva sat deep and hoped to stifle Wayne Rooney.
The security also gave Arsenal the confidence to attack. The visitors lacked the invention of Paul Scholes, who was ruled out with blurred vision, and could not budge the balance of power at that stage. Wenger's team, all the same, did not exactly mount an onslaught and there was a temperate tone that spoke of the alterations to English football.
For once not all eyes were on this fixture, and the lack of interest from Chelsea was particularly studied.
Jose Mourinho claimed to be unsure whether his wife would let him watch it on television, while Frank Lampard and John Terry, who are among several players excused duty in Saturday's FA Cup-tie with Huddersfield, had flown off for a break in Dubai.
Even so, there were important long-term themes woven through this game.
Unless a FA Cup draw dictates otherwise, this was the last clash between the clubs at Highbury, with Arsenal relocating to Ashburton Grove in the summer. Wenger wants to have a flourishing side wrapped up securely for the short journey to the new stadium.
The manager, of course, also has to ensure that Arsenal clinch a top-four finish so that the revenue from the Champions League is not turned off just when the expenditure on bricks and mortar bites. Alex Ferguson has a demanding building project of his own as he aims to show United's owner Malcolm Glazer that he is creating a new line-up rather than supervising mediocrity.
The Americans could have cocked a sceptical eyebrow until, at the close of a counter-attack in the 44th minute, Ruud van Nistelrooy made Jens Lehmann parry well before Cristiano Ronaldo hoofed the loose ball high. Apart from that there was just a certain doggedness to be admired in United's back four.
It was symptomatic that Arsenal should come closest to a goal at a set-piece, with Thierry Henry bending the free-kick a couple of feet wide of the top corner in the 32nd minute. Wenger's side had worked the ball rapidly if too often laterally and, eight minutes earlier, Gary Neville needed to bundle a Pires cross behind after space was made for the Frenchman on the right.
For all that, the one significant save of the first half by Edwin van der Sar had not extended him all that greatly when, after 19 minutes, Pires, set up by Cesc Fábregas, shot for the near post.
Wenger's side opened the second half by resuming their display of patience. If there was to be any stirring of disquiet, it came with the sight of Rooney attempting a difficult header in the 53rd minute and putting it slightly wide. For all that, the thought that these sides are actually famous for cutting loose was bemusing on this evidence.
Ferguson would still have been encouraged by the methodical progress of his team. United paced themselves and gradually raised their tempo. A lavish, long cross from Ronaldo picked out Ryan Giggs in the 57th minute, but he lashed wide on the volley.
Arsenal strove to respond and Wes Brown needed to block a Gilberto effort at close range, but United's opportunities were stark. A Kolo Touré miskick left Van Nistelrooy clear, but he uncharacteristically crashed his finish wide. In the 68th minute Arsenal reacted, with Pires just failing to turn an Henry flick past Van der Sar.
The rewards this fixture contains are not so great as they once were, but they are still fought over.
ARSENAL: Lehmann, Lauren, Toure, Campbell, Cygan, Pires, Fabregas (Flamini 80), Silva, Hleb (Bergkamp 73), Reyes (Eboue 89), Henry. Subs Not Used: Almunia, Senderos. Booked: Lauren, Cygan.
MAN UTD: Van der Sar, Neville, Ferdinand, Brown, Silvestre, Ronaldo, Fletcher, O'Shea, Giggs (Park 73), Rooney, van Nistelrooy. Subs Not Used: Howard, Saha, Bardsley, Pique. Booked: Giggs, Rooney, O'Shea.
Referee: G Poll (Hertfordshire).
