Wright gets that shrinking feeling

Arsenal 0

Spurs 0

Ian Wright has top advocates Glenn Hoddle and Arsene Wenger scrapping their way to the witness-box to defend him.

But someone up there - far higher than both - just doesn't like him at the moment.

Wright, who goes to a counsellor to deal with his rage, has obviously angered the gods of football.

There is no other way to explain how he didn't win the most one- sided derby for years with its simplest chance.

Just picture the scene. There's Wright ten yards from goal, no Spurs defender in sight, and keeper Ian Walker at his mercy.

He had watched himself score 14 more difficult goals on Highbury's giant video screen while warming up for the match.

But was that a good idea? Wright took the extra split second to make sure and was stunned to see his shot rebound to safety from the underside of the bar.

No doubt he will tell his psychotherapist about it next time he trots along for assistance.

There will be no comforting theories, though, and who wants to pay for someone to say you're just bang out of luck. As were team-mates Marc Overmars, who smashed a 20- yarder against the Spurs bar, and Dennis Bergkamp who saw Walker push his shot against the woodwork.

Add a Steve Bould shot that cannoned against the foot of the post off skipper David Howells and you can see how lucky Spurs were.

Especially when defender Justin Edinburgh was deservedly shown the red card seconds before the break for desperate fouls on Wright and Lee Dixon.

Spurs boss Gerry Francis conceded: "I wasn't pleased with our first-half performance. Arsenal were quicker and sharper and we rode our luck.

"I had to change things at half time for a rearguard action and we earned what we got after that."

That was largely due to a towering exhibition of defensive skill and courage from England defender Sol Campbell.

Hoddle was present to check on the fitness of Campbell who had been out for almost three weeks with knee and ankle ligament damage.

The England boss can happily pencil in Campbell for the World Cup- tie against Moldova and, come to that, for any others in the future.

Francis revealed: "Sol made the decision to play only at midday and I'm pleased he did. We were not going to lay down and die."

Arsenal keeper David Seaman had only one shot to save - a powerful 30- yarder from Howells that he touched one-handed over the top.

Arsenal were in total control but Campbell had a vigorous ally at his side in Gary Mabbutt who was unbeatable in the second half. Wenger added: "The championship is a long race and things look very positive for us. It's amazing we didn't win. Spurs didn't try to play in the second half. They just kicked the ball out."

You couldn't blame Spurs for that. Ref Gary Willard managed to keep the lid on this simmering tribal feud with eight bookings and a sending-off.

Wright, inevitably, was shown one for the foul that put Andy Sinton out of the game with an ankle injury.

He probably won't face his FA accusers until after England have played Italy early in October.

He will probably be booked again before then - but will he have scored for Arsenal?

ARSENAL.- Seaman 7; Dixon, 7, Winterburn 6, Vieira 7, Bould 6, Wright 6, Bergkamp 7, Overmars 6, Parlour 7 (Anelka 6), Petit 5 (Platt 6), Grimandi 6.

TOTTENHAM.- Walker 7; Edinburgh 6, Howells 6, Fox 5 (Mabbutt 7), Ferdinand 6, Carr 6, Scales 7, Iversen 5 (Nielsen 6), Sinton 5 (Domingues 6), CAMPBELL 8, Clemence 6.

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