WIMBLEDON often play better football than many people think and have been doing so for a number of seasons. But if they ever lost their traditional role as the barking underdogs of the Premiership, forever gnawing at the trouser legs of the elite, then their prime motivating force would surely disappear.

So while Joe Kinnear and his players must have been disappointed to miss the opportunity of leading the league, even for one night, through their inability to beat Arsenal at Selhurst Park on Saturday afternoon, they, could console themselves with the knowledge that their reputations as the game's ragamuffins remained intact.

It has been a worrying time for Wimbledon. Not only did they win seven league matches in succession but their performances were acquiring the kind of attacking style that excites the sort of critics this feisty little club affects to despise.

Saturday's 2-2 draw must have come as something of a relief. Normal service was resumed with relish.

The match began with strong claims for a penalty being refused, thus reiterating the credo that there is a masonic conspiracy among referees to do Wimbledon down. It ended with Kinnear pushing his way towards Martin Keown wearing the sort of look on his face that did not suggest he was about to congratulate the Arsenal defender on a fine performance.

By half time Arsenal's other two centre backs, Bould and Adams, had gashed their foreheads, having collided with, respectively, Jones and Ekoku. Bould was bandaged, Adams plastered.

Midway through the second half Earle followed in on Seaman as the Arsenal goalkeeper caught a high ball. The mobbing of the Wimbledon player, led by Keown, that followed was mild by Arsenal standards but it could have turned ugly, especially as Wright chose to sprint back 60 yards to get involved.

Almost immediately after this Wright, having set Lip Merson for the goal that Arsenal a brief 2-1 lead, was promptly punched by Jones as he began to celebrate. Wright went gown but got up almost immediately, and accepted Jones's peace overtures before the referee could get involved.

According to Kinnear: "Wright showed how good a professional he was." Seeing that he is due to renew acquaintances with Jones at Highbury in February the Arsenal striker also showed a profound sense of self preservation.

An oddly assorted match of incident, excitement and bits and pieces of good football had an even more bizarre postscript. Nobody could remember the last time an Arsenal manager had complained about the opposition's use of the long high stuff making it difficult for his side to get the ball down and pass it.

George Graham might have put on his earnest face and tried this one on from time to time, but that was in the good old bad old days. Even when Arsene Wenger said that "it was difficult for our defenders because Wimbledon fight very hard for the long ball" the urge to giggle became irresistible.

"In my opinion," Wenger continued, "the referee was not hard enough with the Wimbledon strikers." That may have been the French coach's honest view but the idea of Arsenal defenders, especially Adams, Bould and Keown, needing protection from opposition forwards will send ripples of mirth through Premiership dressing rooms.

Paradoxically, one of the best pieces of football in the match came when Bould was off receiving attention. Vieira broke up a Wimbledon attack and from the edge of his own penalty area strode half the length of the pitch to set up Wright for the precisely taken goal which gave Arsenal the lead in the sixth minute.

Since Seaman should have been penalised bringing down Ekoku after a few seconds, Wimbledon's perennial sense of injustice had already been rekindled. A sharp header from Jones brought the scores level on the stroke of halftime.

Merson's restoration of Arsenal's lead might not have happened had the referee ruled that, in raising a foot so high to bring the ball down before making the decisive pass, Wright was guilty of dangerous play. In any case Wimbledon drew level again four minutes later when Earle played back a centre from Jones and Gayle forced the ball over the line with his chest.