Aston Villa up the tempo and earn a point

IN this open season, Arsenal and Aston Villa fancy their chances of closing in on the silverware next May.

Both these enterprising teams will give it a firm shot, and play some entertaining stuff along the way, but the title may be beyond them. Having shared four goals at Villa Park earlier this season, they repeated the scoreline in this absorbing game. Both showed glimpses of vibrant football, yet neither could impose themselves enough to emerge victorious.

Vieira, back in the Arsenal line-up after serving a two-match suspension. gave the home side a lift. It is a measure of the impact the young Frenchman has had that the midfield had looked decidedly lacklustre without his spark. His presence gave Arsenal's creative outlets - Bergkamp, Wright and Merson - added confidence. The subtle touch of Bergkamp opened up what little space there was.

Having given Bosnich his first test of the afternoon with a speculative lob, the Dutchman created the opening goal after 13 minutes. Bergkamp's accuracy and awareness provided Wright with the kind of chance he relishes. Picking up a neat interception from Vieira, he turned the ball directly into Wright's path. The Arsenal marksman raced clear, leaving Villa's three central defenders in a line behind him, and finished crisply.

From the moment the ball left Bergkamp's foot a goal was inevitable, such was the quality of his pass. When the Arsenal front pair are both on song, the rapport between them is sweet harmony. Moments later the roles were reversed, Wright finding Bergkamp accelerating into the box with a quick touch, but the linesman raised his flag. Where Villa's hack three were struggling to match Arsenal's movement in the absence of the injured Gareth Southgate, the home trio of Adams, Bould and Keown snuffed out the threat of Yorke and Milosevic.

Although a vital interception by Adams on Draper deprived the visitors a chance of a swift equaliser. Arsenal should have increased their lead before the break, creating a string of excellent chances. Scimeca's block denied Wright a certain second, after the explosive striker latched on to another immaculate pass from Bergkamp and danced past Bosnich towards a gaping, unprotected net. Then Arsenal's Dutch international produced a fitting shot which Villa's Australian goalkeeper parried, Keown hooked the ball back into the danger area, only for Bould to flick a header over the bar.

Villa started the second half in more determined mood, wasting no time in crafting Yorke's first chance of the afternoon. Villa's top scorer broke into the penalty area and his shot seemed to slip straight through the fumbling Lukic's grasp. The Arsenal goalkeeper was relieved that Bould was on hand to clear the ball before it slipped over the line.

The visitors' break came with 22 minutes remaining. Nelson whipped a free-kick into the box, Draper nodded the ball back across goal, and there was Milosevic to strike sweetly past Lukic. Five minutes later the Serb might have scored again, launching onto Townsend's cross to send a header on to the crossbar, with a little help from Lukic.

All that excitement was merely a prelude to an action packed two minutes, during which Arsenal again took the lead and Villa again equalised. Substitute Morrow fed Merson, who scored a delightful goal, finishing an artistic dribble with an audacious strike. No sooner had he run off in celebration than Yorke met Milosevic's pass to guide the ball under I.ukic and into the back of the net. It was breathless stuff, with both teams following their attacking instincts.