Arsenal 1 Blackburn Rovers 0 - Andy Neild reports

WHEN the dust finally settles in the race for the title, Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger may well look back on this result as one of the pivotal moments in his side's season.

The Gunners, never at their fluent best, returned to the top of the Premiership after extending their record-breaking start to a whopping 16 games courtesy of Dennis Bergkamp's solitary strike.

But, boy, were they made to sweat for it by a Blackburn side who pushed them all the way during a scintillating second half fight-back which greatly encouraged manager Graeme Souness.

Just what is it about Rovers and Highbury?

Before yesterday, they had visited this great Mecca of English football on seven previous occasions in the Premiership and tasted defeat just once.

That was on April 6 1999 when once again Dennis the Menace scored the winner in a 1-0 victory.

Since then, Rovers have taken four points out of a possible six from their last two visits here and for large spells in the second half yesterday they looked like becoming Arsenal's bogey side once again.

In the end, one piece of predatory finishing from Bergkamp ultimately proved decisive but Brad Friedel, the Highbury hero last season when Rovers won this fixture 2-1, admitted his team were a touch unlucky to be heading back up the M6 empty-handed.

"Last year we got absolutely annihilated here and won. Today we played a lot better and lost, but that's football," said the United States international philosophically.

"When you've got Henry, Pires, Ljungberg, Gilberto, Vieira and Bergkamp all coming at you, it's always going to be a difficult game but I thought we performed admirably.

"So this is one of those occasions where we didn't take the three points but we can still take a lot of positives from it.

"At times in the second half I thought we had them on the back-foot and we were unlucky not to get something in the end."

Last season, Friedel produced a super-human effort to repel the Gunners as Rovers completed stage one of a league double in what was a real backs-to-the-wall job.

On this occasion, however, the American saw far less action but still ended up on the losing side as Arsenal ground out one of those results which often define champions.

At times this season, Wenger's side have been awesome during what has been their best ever start to a Premiership campaign.

But it's those days where you don't play well and still win which ultimately tip the balance when it comes to the final reckoning.

In fairness, the Londoners could have been out of sight by half time as they showed glimpses of the free-flowing football that has torn some sides to shreds, Inter Milan included.

The movement of Robert Pires and Freddie Ljungberg, in particular, was breathtaking to watch at times in the first half but some of the finishing didn't match the quality of the approach play.

To their great credit, though, Rovers showed commendable spirit and character to hang in there and with a little more luck in front of goal, they may well have a nicked a point in the end.

For a second, Markus Babbel thought he had.

The former Bayern Munich defender rose to meet a Barry Ferguson cross at the back post in the 59th minute and his downward header found a way past Jens Lehmann.

However, the referee, Andy D'Urso, immediately ruled the effort out after spotting an infringement on Kolo Toure and, although Babbel later pleaded his innocence, I have to say I thought the official got it right.

Having said that, Alan Shearer has made a career out of scoring goals like that and there's no doubt some refs would have allowed it to stand.

Overall, though, Rovers should seek solace from the fact they gave one of the finest club side's in Europe a decent run for their money.

The whole tone of the afternoon might have been so much different had Dwight Yorke made more of a golden opportunity inside the opening 22 seconds.

Barry Ferguson, an impressive force in midfield for the visitors, fed Lucas Neill who in turn slipped a clever pass into the box where Yorke suddenly found himself with a clear sight of goal 12 yards out.

In fairness to the striker, the ball got stuck under his feet and he barely had time to get a shot off at all but when he did, his toe-poked effort flew just the wrong side of Lehmann's left-hand post.

Arsenal, acutely aware of what happened in this fixture last season, were immediately stung into life and Ljungberg and Pires, in particular, started to exert their influence.

Within five minutes, Vratislav Gresko found himself in the book after a rash lunge at Ljungberg.

Then Gresko was caught out again in a move that led to Bergkamp breaking the deadlock in the 11th minute.

Ljungberg fed Kolo Toure on the right and the defender muscled his way past the Slovakian as he made for the by-line.

For a moment, Gresko appeared to have rescued the situation with an out-stretched boot but Toure just beat Craig Short to the loose ball and his squirted pass was coolly dispatched by Bergkamp, who tucked a low shot through the legs of Todd and inside Friedel's near post from eight yards.

Things might have got worse for Rovers two minutes later when Ferguson suffered a rush of blood and pushed Pires to the floor after the Frenchman had barged into him over by the touchline.

Had D'Urso followed the letter of the law then the former Rangers star

would have been sent off but, thankfully, common sense prevailed and a booking was deemed sufficient.

Arsenal, meanwhile, continued to pour forward with real venom.

Pires should have done better with two free headers, Patrick Vieira shot wide from an inviting angle, and a Pires curler cannoned back off the post.

Then Friedel came to the rescue with a smart block to deny the speedy Thierry Henry, who was otherwise well shackled by the robust pairing of Todd and Short.

The Gunners began the second half in equally menacing mood as Ljungberg forced another sharp save out of Friedel but from then on, it was all Rovers.

After Babbel's effort was chalked off, Neill and Andy Cole combined to create an opening for Ferguson whose shot was saved by Lehmann at full-stretch.

Then with seven minutes remaining, Steven Reid's corner skimmed off a head at the near post and looked to be creeping in but Lehmann got a hand to it and from the rebound, Yorke fired over from six yards.

So near, and yet so far.