Aston Villa 0 - 0 Arsenal

	David James challenges Fredrik Ljungberg (LaurenceGriffiths/Allsport)

The French defender, booked for a foul on Julian Joachim, was dismissed in the final seconds of the drabbest of Villa Park draws for bringing down Darius Vassell when he was going nowhere.

It was the fourth time Grimandi has been sent off for Arsenal, and the 32nd red card since Wenger took charge of the club five years ago.

Grimandi was in the tunnel by the time referee Barry Knight appeared to realise he had already cautioned the defender and Wenger said: 'It was a little bit harsh. I'm talking about whether he should've been sent off, not the consequences.

'If the referee had remembered he'd already given Gilles a yellow card, I don't think he'd have given him a second. He didn't realise until after he'd produced the second card. That makes it harsh.'

Grimandi's dismissal represented the only real talking point of a miserable match which increased Arsenal's cushion in the Champions League race over third-placed Ipswich to five points. John Gregory agreed with Wenger's claim that the Villa Park surface was 'the worst in the Premiership' but the lack of quality of the pitch was matched by the players.

Villa goalkeeper David James, hoping to take advantage of England coaching assistant Tord Grip's presence in the stands and the injury absence of David Seaman, needed the opportunity to prove his abilities.

Yesterday though, James spent much of this dire advertisement for the self-proclaimed 'best league in the world' warming his hands against the bitter cold and snow.

But Gregory insisted: 'In my opinion, David James is No.1 in the country. I hope he starts against Finland.

'He is an aggressive keeper. Peter Schmeichel was one, and so is Mark Bosnich. They dominated the 18-yard box and beyond. David is the same.'

The Villa goalkeeper was only brought into genuine action twice, when he made an ungainly block with his legs to foil Freddie Ljungberg after Patrick Vieira had played the Sweden midfielder in on goal, then when Grimandi, found by Dennis Bergkamp, tapped tamely into his hands late on.

Otherwise, the game was turgid in the extreme, as the excellence of Gareth Southgate and Alpay Ozalan kept the Gunners far too quiet, even if Villa could create nothing themselves.

Wenger made six changes from the side beaten in Munich. In addition to Seaman and Tony Adams, Kanu was missing altogether, with Robert Pires, Ashley Cole and Thierry Henry all on the bench, alongside the hastily-summoned John Lukic.

Fortunately for Arsenal, they did have Vieira and in a game which plumbed the depths of desperation for long periods, the France midfielder was a shining beacon of hope and intelligence.

Determined in the tackle, demonstrating drive as he burst forward with the vision to create, Vieira was the only Arsenal player to live up to his reputation.

The brilliant angled pass that sent Ljungberg in behind Steve Stone midway through the first half should have been rewarded but that aside, the game was largely shapeless, frequently aimless and consistently listless.

Villa's formation did not help. Although Juan Pablo Angel, preferred to Dion Dublin, looked more effective in the space off Julian Joachim than in his previous appearances, the home side's two most creative influences were exiled to the flanks.

Playing Paul Merson wide on the right did not make a great deal of sense, while David Ginola seemed more intent on recalling past feuds with Lee Dixon than making a positive impact on the game.

After the first minute, when Lee Hendrie's deflected shot forced a scrambling save from Alex Manninger, the Arsenal rearguard was put under no pressure.

That ceded the initiative to Arsenal but Ljungberg's mis- control was matched at the end of their best incursions with similarly poor touches from both Bergkamp and Sylvain Wiltord.

Wiltord made better contact after Bergkamp, Silvinho and Ljungberg combined to expose Stone's defensive frailties but the Frenchman's first-time shot flew into the side-netting.

James did make a diving save from Bergkamp before Grimandi's late claims for attention at either end. But the team to take most out of this game were Manchester United, who will now be champions if they win their next three matches.