THEY were only playing leapfrog one of the Western Front's more ironic numbers might well be applied to the Premier League this season, especially if the contest goes to the wire.

Newcastle United and Arsenal have been trading places since mid October. In the space of seven weeks each has been top three times. Given the added involvement of Liverpool and Manchester United, along with Wimbledon's perky presence in the top four, there is every chance of a memorable finish.

It will be surprising, however if any other team quite captures the heroic undertones of 2-1 victory over Newcastle at St James' Park on Saturday which restored Arsenal to the head of the queue. It was achieved with 10 men after the captain, Tony Adams, had been sent off midway through the first half.

Since Arsenal are now managed by a Frenchman, some might be tempted to believe that under Arsene Wenger the players have become imbued with the spirit of Verdun. There was little doubt that, having lost Adams those who remained decided: "They shall not pass."

And pass Newcastle did not in fact, poor passing contributed to their inability to break Arsenal down. But as for Verdun, well, Arsenal's performance owed less to French military history than Highbury's own traditions of dogged resistance when the odds appear insurmountable.

Saturday's game bore distant echoes of the 1952 FA Cup final when the early loss of their Welsh right back, Wally Barnes, forced Arsenal into a similarly courageous rear guard action against a Newcastle attack containing Mitburn, Mitchell and the Robledo brothers. That afternoon they lost to a goal from George Robtedo. On Saturday, Ian Wright's scorer's instincts brought Arsenal a famous win.

The tone of Arsenal's performance was captured in the way that Lee Dixon hobbled back for the closing minutes after being caught by a late, studs up tackle from Beardsley, who was rightly cautioned despite Kevin Keegan's ranting at the officials. By then Wenger had used all his substitutes and Arsenal faced the prospect of having to hold out with nine men.

For Lee Dixon the afternoon was particularly satisfying. He was regularly booed by the Newcastle supporters, who remembered the League Cup quarter final in January when David Ginola, having suffered rough treatment from the Arsenal right back all evening, was sent off.

Dixon's response was to head Arsenal into the lead after 11 minutes, coming in at the far post to meet Wright's cross from the left while Ginola, who should have been tracking him back, maintained his belief in the Gallic principle of priorite a droit and let his man go.

When Alan Shearer outjumped John Hartson 10 minutes later to head the scores level from Ginola's deflected centre, the England striker's seventh goal in as many appearances, a marvellous match lay in prospect. In the next instant, however, the afternoon became a classic of a totally different kind.

As Adams pursued Shearer towards the 18 yard line the Newcastle man moved across him, contact was made, and Shearer went down. Having decided that Adams, the last defender, had fouled Shearer, Graham Barber was entitled to send the Arsenal man off and to his credit Adams went without an argument.

But had he actually brought the canny Shearer down? And surety Faustino Asprilla, who had allowed the ball to pass between his legs while running back from an offside position, was interfering with play anyway. Why did the linesman's flag stay furled?

In the event, the sending off worked against Newcastle rather than their opponents. A week earlier Keegan's team, reduced to 10 men by David Batty's dismissal, had presented Chelsea with a human barrier similar to that which they themselves faced now. An eight man defence is difficult to dismantle at the best of times and well nigh impossible when it is an Arsenal team showing rather more determination than had been evident at Liverpool in the League Cup three nights earlier following the dismissal of Steve Bould.

Afterwards Keegan complained about Newcastle's lack of imagination "given the talent we had out there", adding darkly that "it wouldn't take many more performances like that, for me to start changing players".

Yet a week earlier, at Stamford [Bridge, he had rounded on the critics. "When there are a lot of positive things happening at a club people tend to jump on things and get them out of proportion," he grumbled. In his manic reaction to results Keegan is in danger of becoming the thinking man's Alan Ball.

Wenger offered a sharp contrasts on Saturday. "It is my responsibility to keep cool, analyse what is going on on the field and take decisions," he explained. "There is something special about this team. They have the spirit and camaraderie that comes from playing together for a long time."

Arsenal also have Wright, the master pickpocket, who scored the winner on the hour. Paul Merson's attempt at a shot became a brisk through pass which caught Wright on the back of the heel, momentarily throwing Albert, the nearest defender, off balance. That was all Wright needed as he flicked the ball past Pavel Srnicek.

Newcastle have now lost twice Bat home in the league and four times in all. They have, moreover, won only once in five Premiership fixtures since beating Manchester United 5-0. Les Ferdinand should be back for the game at Nottingham Forest a week today, but by then Keegan's team could be out of the leading three.