ANDY COLE, the player once rated surplus to requirements at Arsenal, struck the first blow for Manchester United in the title showdown at Highbury last night.

Arsenal, two points behind Manchester United from a game more, were desperate to exploit the absence of Eric Cantona and notch what would be only their second win in their last dozen meetings with the champions.

Ian Wright, the player whose unerring instinct for goal contributed to Cole's departure to Bristol City when no-one would have envisaged him as a £7 million star, certainly had the chances to put the home side in control.

The vagaries of the wind had just put Peter Schmeichel in trouble from a Dennis Bergkamp corner when Ray Parlour swung a low cross over from the right. Wright was perfectly positioned, but his low right foot shot clipped Gary Pallister's heel and flew just inches wide.

Then Patrick Vieira stamped his mark on the game with a through ball that was brilliantly turned on by Bergkamp to send Wright clear. He looked up at the linesman, expecting an offside flag, as he angled into the area and seemed distracted as he shot straight at the advancing Danish goalkeeper.

Cole, making only his third start of his comeback, had gone close, from a David Beckham cross. But then, in the 18th minute, he surprised Tony Adams with his determination to bustle past him onto Gary Neville's long ball down the right and cut into the penalty area.

He easily rounded stand-in goalkeeper John Lukic before cutting a tightly-angled, right-foot shot into the bottom far corner, his third goal of the season.

Wright, who has scored just once in his last five games, was frustrated again when he was inches away from meeting Parlour's cross with a diving header, Gary Neville turning the ball back just wide of his own post.

United who had made Roy Keane captain for the night were put under tremendous pressure, Lee Dixon's 31st-minute drive taking a deflection just wide.

But from the corner, United showed their devastating pace to break away and score the second, Giggs leading the attack and the ball being switched right to left by Karel Poborsky and Cole into the path of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer who drilled his low shot across Lukic and in.

The referee was having an excellent game and spotted Steve Bould scything through Solskjaer, butt played an advantage. It was sometime before play stopped and he immediately booked the Arsenal defender.

Adams, clearly struggling with the ankle injury which kept him out of last week's England game against Italy, did not reappear for the second-half.

And then Ian Wright went in heavily on Denis Irwin to earn the booking which carries him past the 21-point disciplinary threshold and into his second ban of the season, this time for two more games.

To the despair of the home fans, Arsenal were quickly running out of ideas as they struggled for a way back into the match while United looked capable of punishing them.

Poborksy went close with a diving header from Solskjaer's cross, while Cole, in stupendous form, flicked Ryan Giggs through for a shot which flew off Lukic's body and high over his goal. Then Beckham speared through to test the Arsenal goalkeeper with another cracking shot.

Wright's misery continued when he had a 68th-minute goal disallowed for offside, after Hughes had hit the crossbar. But a minute later, Arsenal were back in the game with a brilliantly taken goal by Bergkamp who shot home Parlour's cross from the right after Paul Merson launched the attack with a clever flick.

As the players left the pitch and moved towards the tunnel, Wright was involved in a furious bust-up with Schmeichel. and had to be restrained by physiotherapist Gary Lewin as he tried to confront United's Danish goalkeeper before police intervened to keep the pair apart.

The Gunners' England striker was angry that Schmeichel had tried to get him sent off in the 76th minute. Wright had already been booked for a foul on Irwin, to earn his second suspension of the season, when he went through in an offside position and caught the United goalkeeper with raised studs as he came out to collect the ball.

Wright could now face an FA charge of bringing the game into disrepute, which could extend his two-match ban.

There is a history of bad blood between Wright and Schmeichel. Earlier this season, Wright accused the Dane of making racist remarks at him during the Old Trafford game between the clubs.