Arsenal ... 2 Middlesbrough ... 0: Arsene Wenger's announcement that he was pleased with the "attitude of the team and the concentration" sounded at first like a mere platitude. Yet, as the Arsenal manager warmed to his theme, it became clear his words held far greater significance.
The Frenchman had started to wonder whether his players possessed the focus to repeat last season's Double. First came defeat at Southampton. Then Arsenal failed to match Manchester United's hunger and finally a difficult first half at Tottenham left Wenger worrying once more about his players' mental readiness.
When the going got tough, did they still possess the strength to prevail? Hard though Middlesbrough made it, this was not a game on which to make a definitive judgment. Boro posed few attacking problems while Arsenal were poor before the interval and finished up against 10 men. The leaders' next three games, away to West Brom and at home to Liverpool and Chelsea, are sterner tests. Yet for Wenger this win contained important signs.
"The team was much more focused on defending well," he said. "I felt the concentration was high even when it was difficult and that the team had the right attitude. I have been slightly concerned that when a game was going a bit one way or the other way, it went the other way. Of course that's down to concentration. You look at how you lose games and think you have to focus better."
Arsenal's focus here seemed fine. Though they remain below their best going forward, Sol Campbell was excellent at the back and seemed more comfortable with Martin Keown rather than Pascal Cygan alongside him. It was a credit to Wenger's side, as well as a reflection of Boro's problems away from home, that their opponents did not muster a shot on target except from a free-kick.
Arsenal should have won more comfortably and would have done but for a couple of fine saves by Mark Schwarzer, yet a late flurry of chances against 10 men somewhat disguised the fact that they had found it hard to break down a well-organised Boro from open play. They are not performing with their early-season swagger.
Campbell's headed goal from a corner was ideally timed at the end of a first half in which Arsenal were several notches below their finest. The final ball was lacking, not least from Sylvain Wiltord, and their distribution suffered because Boro worked hard and closed the angles. Up front Thierry Henry was too static.
Arsenal were better after the interval when they quickened the pace of their passing but threatened to run up a big win only after Luke Wilkshire had been sent off 20 minutes from the end and Robert Pires went from increasingly influential to outstanding. He found it hard in his position between Henry and the midfield to impose himself before half-time.
Steve McClaren must have been joking when he said his team "took the game to Arsenal" and "caused them problems". His players gave away too much possession in the second half and were slow to cross.
Having been beaten by Campbell from Gio Van Bronckhorst's corner, Schwarzer was eventually undone again when a quick move culminated in Henry's fine pass being finished by Pires to confirm Arsenal as the Christmas number one.
"The hunger is still there and so is the ambition, for all of us," Campbell said. "I think the players are ready to do what they did at this time last year and go on a good run."
Last season Arsenal did not lose in the Premiership from this point. After his recent worries Wenger will trust Campbell is right.
Guardian Service
ARSENAL: Seaman, Lauren, Keown, Campbell, Cole, Ljungberg, Silva, van Bronckhorst, Pires, Wiltord, Henry. Subs not used: Jeffers, Luzhny, Shaaban, Kanu, Toure. Booked: Cole. Goals: Campbell 45, Pires 90.
MIDDLESBROUGH: Schwarzer, Queudrue, Ehiogu, Southgate, Wilkshire, Boateng (Job 24), Nemeth (Vidmar 78), Greening, Parnaby, Boksic (Windass 70), Geremi. bMaccarone, Crossley. Sent off: Wilkshire (73). bGreening, Wilkshire, Queudrue.
Referee: S Dunn (Avon).
