Chelsea 0 Arsenal 0

By Bill Pierce, PA Sport

Lee Dixon became the second Arsenal player sent off in consecutive Premiership games, as the Double-winners fought to secure their third goalless draw in a row in another fraught struggle with fierce London rivals Chelsea at Stamford Bridge.

There were 26 bookings and two sendings-off when these two teams fought out a bitterly-contested four-match series last season.

And this time, Arsenal's Martin Keown and Dixon plus Chelsea's Graeme Le Saux and Michael Duberry had all been shown the yellow card by referee Steve Lodge before Le Saux went flying over Dixon's outstretched leg when trying to penetrate down the left in the 60th minute.

The pair had clashed and been cautioned for a bad-tempered exchange just before the interval.

And when England star Le Saux tumbled spectacularly at their next meeting 15 minutes into the second half, the red card was inevitable for Dixon who indicated to the official that his rival had taken a dive.

It did not save him the long walk towards an early exit down the tunnel - a path his French team-mate Emmanuel Petit also had to take against Charlton at Highbury 11 days ago.

Unlike that game, however, when the Gunners kept firing for the 33 minutes that remained, they had to mount one of their famous backs-to-the-wall struggles this time.

Chelsea poured forward like a blue wave but could not breach the solid red line and were reduced to claiming penalties when Italian striker Pierluigi Casiraghi crashed down from Patrick Vieira's challenge and again when Le Saux's full-blooded cross-shot appeared to strike Martin Keown on an arm.

Both appeals were firmly waved away by referee Lodge, although if he agreed with Vieira that Casiraghi had dived in the 72nd minute, he should surely have booked the striker.

There was little to choose between Chelsea's team of nine foreign imports and Arsenal's complement of three Frenchman, two Dutchman and half-a-dozen Englishmen in an opening 45 minutes when the main object of the battle seemed to be establishing midfield supremacy.

Keown soon added to the rising tally of bookings in matches between the two close rivals when his lunging challenge from behind cut down Casiraghi after only five minutes, and had it been in the World Cup or European Championship, referee Steve Lodge might well have felt justified in punishing it with a red card.

It may have looked like a World Cup occasion with so many France 98 performers on view, but instead, the 34,000 crowd were given a typically English display of belligerence.

It needed a magnificent save by Seaman in the 12th minute to keep Arsenal on terms, however. Zola, taking Celestine Babayaro's pass, stepped inside Lee Dixon and curled his sot powerfully for the far corner.

The ball almost seemed to be beyond Seaman when the England keeper arced backwards to tip it over the bar at full stretch.

Frenchman Bernard Lambourde, a late replacement for injured Spaniard Albert Ferrer, launched himself into an acrobatic bicycle-kick to connect with the resulting corner but sent his shot wide of the near most.

But Arsenal organized well to deny a series of sharp Chelsea raids although when they launched any counterattack, teenage striker Nicolas Anelka too often found himself isolated.

Dennis Bergkamp, still seeking his first goal of the season, again looked to be slightly off the pace, and fellow Dutchman Marc Overmars was well shadowed by Lambourde. He was lucky to escape a booking when tripping Brian Laudrup on the half-way line in what looked like sheer frustration.

Twice in quick succession Bergkamp over-hit through-passes for Anelka, but Petit did better with a neat ball that set up the tall striker for a central run at the Chelsea defence. His final shot flew well over from the edge of the box.

But he almost won the game in the second half when, finally linking productively with Anelka, he shot smartly from the edge of the box, and his Dutch international team-mate Ed de Goey saved with his feet while falling backwards.

Laudrup's full debut was a disappointment for Chelsea and he was substituted by Gustavo Poyet early in the second half. But maybe he would have been a useful weapon after Arsenal were down to 10 men.

As it was, Arsenal's depleted forces held out admirably despite Casiraghi going close with a header in the last of seven minutes added time. And the blank sheet left Chelsea's cup specialists still looking for their first win of the new Premiership campaign.

Teams

Chelsea: De Goey, Lambourde (Petrescu 70), Duberry, Leboeuf, Le Saux, Laudrup (Poyet 58), Desailly, Di Matteo, Babayaro, Zola (Flo 84), Casiraghi.

Subs Not Used: Hitchcock, Newton.

Booked: Le Saux, Duberry, Casiraghi.

Arsenal: Seaman, Dixon, Keown, Adams, Winterburn, Parlour, Vieira, Petit, Overmars (Garde 61), Bergkamp (Wreh 90), Anelka (Hughes 76).

Subs Not Used: Manninger, Grimandi.

Sent Off: Dixon (61).

Booked: Keown, Dixon, Winterburn.

Att: 34,644

Ref: S Lodge (Barnsley).