Opportunism rather than inspiration made Arsenal leaders in their own lunchtime here yesterday. A goal down to Chelsea in the first half, Arsene Wenger's side drew level following a corner, went ahead from a free-kick and eventually won to go top of the Premiership for the first time in more than two months.
The staggering of the St Stephen's Day kick-offs made this a passing detail but in overcoming a Chelsea side whose defensive parsimony evoked the image of Scrooge before he started seeing ghosts Arsenal confirmed they have the strength of character to stay well up in the pack hunting the championship.
The fact yesterday's win was achieved after Ray Parlour, jaded by his efforts in the 2-1 win for a 10-man team at Anfield, had stayed off for the second half further proved the point.
Yet it did take Arsenal a while to get going. For 45 minutes their football possessed neither the width nor the wit seriously to disrupt a Chelsea defence playing with a close-knit confidence born of conceding only two goals in its previous seven league matches.
The considerable physical presence of Sol Campbell, who brought the scores level with his first goal since arriving at Highbury from Tottenham during the summer, was more responsible for Arsenal getting into the contest than any of their finer arts. As Wenger observed: "This win was down to physical determination more than technical ability."
In the English leagues one remains as important as the other, always provided the muscle is kept on a tight rein.
Arsenal's lengthening list of red cards suggests they do not always get the balance right although yesterday's isolated flare-up was due to a red mist once again clouding the vision of Graeme Le Saux.
Memories of Le Saux's frightful two-footed tackle on Leeds United's Danny Mills at Elland Road in October were reawakened early in the second half when the Chelsea captain charged recklessly at his opposite number, Patrick Vieira, and caught him with a knee to the head.
As Vieira collapsed in a painful heap a multi-man shindig developed but, apart from Le Saux, only Arsenal's Nwankwo Kanu was booked, for a shove on the aggressor.
"I think the referee (Graham Barber) was Pontius Pilate," said Ranieri, making hand-washing motions. "It was a Boxing Day boxing match," he added.
At least the melee, occurring as it did a couple of minutes after Campbell's goal, ensured the beast in Arsenal's football stayed aroused. Until half-time it had been no more threatening than a woolly mammoth frozen in ice.
In fairness much of this was due to the efficiency with which Chelsea maintained a pattern of play designed to break up Arsenal's better passing movements, frustrate their strikers and seize the moment when it came.
John Terry and William Gallas were outstanding in the heart of Ranieri's defence while Emmanuel Petit, returning to his old Highbury haunts, and Frank Lampard, frequently denied Vieira and Parlour opportunities to advance from midfield.
Apart from Kanu sidling in from the right after two minutes to see his shot deflected over the crossbar off Terry, Arsenal achieved few scoring opportunities during this period. Not that their own penalty area was exactly a hive of activity. Yet, when Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink, with his back to goal, laid off a long throw-in from Mario Melchiot just past the half-hour, Lampard was well placed to score inside the left-hand post.
Chelsea looked set for a historic first win at Highbury in the Premiership. But in the 49th minute Campbell debunked such thoughts as he headed in at close range from Pires's corner.
After 66 minutes Fredrik Ljungberg, who had been making little headway on the right, was replaced by Sylvain Wiltord and at last Arsenal's movements took wing. Not that Wiltord was anywhere near the flanks five minutes later when he met a weak clearance from Melchiot, following Van Bronckhorst's free-kick, to drive Arsenal towards a second Christmas victory.
ARSENAL: Taylor, Lauren, Keown, Campbell, Cole, Ljungberg (Wiltord 67), Parlour (van Bronckhorst 45), Vieira, Pires, Henry, Kanu (Bergkamp 73). Subs not used: Luzhny, Wright. Booked: Keown, Kanu. Goals: Campbell 49, Wiltord 71.
CHELSEA: Cudicini, Melchiot, Terry, Gallas, Babayaro, Petit, Stanic (Dalla Bona 73), Lampard, Le Saux (Zola 82), Gudjohnsen (Forssell 82), Hasselbaink. Subs not used: de Goey, Jokanovic. Booked: Stanic, Cudicini, Le Saux, Babayaro. Goal: Lampard 31.
Referee: G Barber (Tring).
