Gunners held as Sol is dismissed

Arsenal 2 Man Utd 2

Sol Campbell was dramatically sent off eight minutes from time for elbowing Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and faces missing the FA Cup final with a four-match ban after Arsenal kept the Barclaycard Premiership title race and their double double hopes alive by holding Manchester United at Highbury.

United are still three points ahead but Arsenal have five games left compared to four for their rivals and have a single-goal advantage – but they made things mighty difficult for themselves in this titanic encounter.

Ruud van Nistelrooy put United ahead in 24 minutes with a classic solo strike but Ashley Cole’s shot deflected off Thierry Henry and beyond Fabian Barthez for a scrappy equaliser six minutes after half time.

Henry, looking well offside, coolly drove home 10 minutes later only for Ryan Giggs to nod a simple equaliser within 63 seconds.

Campbell’s dismissal, his second of the season, left Arsenal an uphill task to survive the last few minutes – but Henry almost scored again when his shot was saved by Fabian Barthez’s legs.

Arsenal goalkeeper David Seaman was a shock absentee with a heavy cold and Manchester United’s David Beckham only made the substitutes’ bench as the Barclaycard Premiership’s heavyweights lined up for their titanic clash at Highbury.

Although Ray Parlour was another Arsenal absentee through injury, Patrick Vieira came through a fitness test on his knee for Gunners while Roy Keane was also passed fit for the visitors in the vital battle of the midfield.

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer took the place of Beckham, who missed Saturday’s 6-2 romp at Newcastle which put United firmly in the driving seat in the Premiership title race.

Stuart Taylor, who made his Premiership debut against United in a 3-1 win last season, took over again from Seaman just four days after the England star’s stupendous FA Cup semi-final save, while the Old Trafford side had the boost of goalkeeper Fabien Barthez shrugging off a minor injury doubt.

Sir Alex Ferguson kept his faith in young Irishman John O’Shea at the back, leaving the Neville brothers, Gary and Phil on the bench.

But Robert Pires was back for Arsenal after ankle trouble and at kick-off time Highbury, which has sometimes earned the name ``The Library'' for being so quiet during games, was a cauldron of noise.

Yet, to nobody’s real surprise, it was an unremarkable opening five minutes to the game, with both sides naturally cagey.

First Freddie Ljungberg and then Vieira tried to play Dennis Bergkamp in, but United comfortably swallowed up the threat.

And it was United who were first to really threaten in the ninth minute when Solskjaer’s fine cross from the right took Martin Keown out of the game and Paul Scholes rose to plant a 10-yard header wide of the mark.

Arsenal hit back with Thierry Henry’s pace down the right but his low cross aimed at Bergkamp was cut out by O’Shea.

When United won a free kick 35 yards out, Gilberto made a brave block on Keane’s shot but for a moment a rebound favoured Solskjaer who crossed low from the right only for Vieira to stretch and clear.

The first 15 minutes reflected the two teams’ most recent form – United the more positive and sharper side, but determined work by Vieira led to a half-chance for Pires who chased a rebound off Henry, only for Barthez to get there first.

Pires forced two quick corners as Arsenal began to work up some pressure but United stood firm at the back.

United forged a second good chance in the 21st minute and were inches away from taking the lead with Ruud van Nistelrooy’s first-ever goal against Arsenal.

O’Shea curled the ball in from the left and Scholes flicked on cleverly as the Dutchman broke away from his markers to confront Taylor and dab the ball over him – but also just over the bar as well.

That was mighty close – and yet just a sign of what was to come three minutes later as van Nistelrooy scored a magnificent goal which was almost all his own work.

True, O’Shea found him with a fine ball down the left wing – but then the striker set off on a thrilling run, outpacing Sol Campbell and the covering Martin Keown before imperiously lifting the ball past Taylor as he cut in.

It took van Nistelrooy’s tally to the season to a phenomenal 37 goals – one more than his total for last season – and put a major question mark against Arsenal’s dream of retaining the title.

Bergkamp’s shot from 25 yards flew way over the bar – then came another huge blow for Arsenal as Vieira, doubtful right up to the start, limped away up the tunnel to be replaced by Edu in the 34th minute.

Pires burst through on the left and saw his pass deflected towards Ljungberg but Barthez was off his line like a greyhound to block the chance.

First half injury time was being played when Pires’ shot from Ljungberg’s pass was deflected over the bar – but like so much of Arsenal’s work, the corner came to nothing.

United's Wes Brown emerged for the second half with what looked like a couple of stitches in a wound by the side of his left eye, but there was a change of personnel at the back with O'Shea replaced by Gary Neville.

Arsenal’s opening thrusts again looked tentative, bringing no more than a couple of unproductive free-kicks but then from nowhere they snatched a 51st-minute equaliser – with the scorer a matter of debate.

Bergkamp’s through-pass put Ashley Cole into the area and the left-back took on Brown and found a yard of space for a shot which cannoned off the back on Henry’s leg and through the legs of the bemused Barthez.

But Arsenal did not care about the scrappy nature of the goal – only that they were unexpectedly back on terms as the entire team engulfed Cole in a heap of celebration.

With their tails up at last, Arsenal pressed forward again with Bergkamp penetrating down the inside left channel before skidding his shot across the face of goal.

Then the roving Pires instigated a sharp passing move which ended with Bergkamp’s shot from the edge of the area deflecting off Cole and then a United defender for a corner.

Arsenal struck again although Henry looked a couple of yards offside when Edu’s wonderful throughball found him in the 62nd minute – although the French striker made no mistake slotting low past Barthez.

Henry who had staked a claim to the first goal via the deflection off him, left no doubts this time with his 28th of the season, but within little more than a minute United had levelled again – to the fury of Wenger.

The manager was a picture of anger on the bench after Ryan Giggs was allowed a far post header from six yards which he despatched easily from Solskjaer’s right-wing cross.

Pires had the ball in the net at the other end soon after – but this time an offside flag denied the home side.

It had been a hard-fought but largely clean contest and a confrontation between Giggs and Cole in the 71st minute after the Arsenal man’s foul was a rare flash of frayed tempers.

And it looked like whoever kept their cool and discipline the best in the closing 20 minutes might be decisive.

Arsenal’s fightback was illustrated by their tally of six corners at this stage before United won their first, a poorly delivered effort by Giggs which Campbell comfortably headed away.

With 16 minutes left, Arsenal sent on Sylvain Wiltord in place of the tiring Bergkamp.

Ten minutes from time, Pires was heavily brought down by Nicky Butt and immediately replaced by Kanu. From the free kick Henry went for the spectacular but fired his effort well wide of the mark.

But then two minutes later came high drama when Campbell, having dispossessed Solskjaer, fended off the Norwegian’s recovery challenge with a flailing right arm and was shown a straight red card by Halsey.

As well as condemning Arsenal to fight with 10 men for the remaining minutes, the England defender now faces a four-match ban for his second dismissal of the season – which means he would miss the FA Cup Final against Southampton.