Arsenal had to scrunch their eyes and force each step they took into the wintery blast of Tottenham Hotspur's boundless intent. There is no more summery cavorting for Arsene Wenger's team now and the champions are at least as much devoted to protecting themselves as they are to bringing down devastation upon the opposition. The season is at its most malleable, but it will not be easy for Arsenal to shape it.
Had it not been for a gross misjudgment by Kasey Keller, the Tottenham goalkeeper, they would have lost yesterday, when saves and goalline blocks amounted to the lion's share of the excitement they caused.
Whereas their supporters revelled in the 3-0 win over Spurs at Highbury last month, there must have been Arsenal players who paused in their celebrations to wonder just how much trouble they had stored up for themselves with that gleeful show of superiority.
This fixture is an endlessly posed question of honour and the visitors found no way of countering the righteous anger that was channelled, before the interval, into spiky attacking. Although Jamie Redknapp was missing because of a foot fracture that will rule him out for five weeks, Glenn Hoddle's team dominated the midfield. Steffen Freund was a one-man nemesis for any Arsenal player in possession, others kept passes rolling and the wing-backs offered far more than industry.
Stephen Carr is rumoured to be inexorably bound for Highbury, but here he brought Arsenal to a standstill with challenges and overlapping forays.
While it is not in Christian Ziege's nature to be as rumbustious as that, he was the cause of the greatest frenzy. The 30-yard free-kick with which he opened the scoring in the 11th minute was a lavish contribution, with the ball curling high past David Seaman's left hand.
Shortly before that Ray Parlour had barged Gus Poyet in the back and it must have been the disinclination of the Uruguayan to keel over that baffled the referee and caused the penalty appeal to be denied.
There was no evidence that good fortune would act as a stimulus on jaded Arsenal. Ashley Cole made the first of his precious clearances when he nodded out Robbie Keane's header from a Darren Anderton corner after 14 minutes.
Arsenal had no means of repelling Spurs and, although the injured Patrick Vieira was missed, Wenger's men will have to overcome far greater adversity if they are to turn a one-point advantage into another Premiership title. The manager still declines to grant Manchester United any special status as a menace to his ambitions but Arsenal must give fresh evidence of their own distinction.
The spasmodic character of the visitors' efforts prevented them from coaxing the forwards into a productive rhythm and clumsy attempts at link-up play often ended in a throw-in. Arsenal were vulnerable.
When Carr came rollicking through, with half an hour gone, the break of the ball and a lay-off by Teddy Sheringham invited Keane to shoot but Cole was again in place on the goalline.
"They were a bit shell-shocked," Hoddle said of the opposition.
The manager wants to use the high calibre of this performance as a means of showing his players that they belong in the upper echelon of the table but concentration is as essential an attribute as good technique and Keller's mind wavered in the 44th minute.
With Henry chasing the ball towards the corner flag, the American goalkeeper had time to reconsider, as two defenders provided cover, but still opted to lunge at the Arsenal forward's feet and brought him down. Robert Pires denied Keller rehabilitation as he converted the penalty with a low, confident strike.
Wenger would like to depict the recovery as a demonstration of "mental strength", but the point extracted from White Hart Lane was not marked by concerted determination. Even in their improved display following the interval, Arsenal depended on frantic contributions by a small number of players, with Seaman excelling.
The veteran is supposed to be falling apart but, if so, the ruins of his talent are handsome indeed. Keane, who could have had four goals here, tried to round the goalkeeper in the 58th minute but learned that the England international's reflexes are still sharp enough to make an excellent tackle. The reaction to the Irishman's volley following a Poyet flick, four minutes later, was just as keen.
Having lost at Manchester United the previous weekend, Arsenal were the relieved survivors of an onslaught here and will cherish this result.
"This is where it gets serious," said Wenger of a Premiership in which Manchester United's unbeaten run has ratcheted up the tension. The trip to White Hart Lane pinned fittingly grave expressions to Arsenal faces.
Guardian Service
TOTTENHAM: Keller, Bunjevcevic, King, Richards, Ziege, Poyet, Anderton (Davies 71), Freund, Carr, Sheringham, Keane. Subs Not Used: Hirschfeld, Perry, Iversen, Clemence Booked: Keller, Sheringham, Freund. Goals: Ziege 11.
ARSENAL: Seaman, Lauren, Keown, Campbell, Cole, Ljungberg (Toure 87), Parlour, Silva, Pires (van Bronckhorst 80), Henry, Bergkamp (Wiltord 71). Subs Not Used: Taylor, Upson. Booked: Lauren, Parlour. Goals: Pires 45 pen.
Referee: N Barry (N Lincolnshire).
