Dixon takes the walk this time in heated battle

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 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. 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 shot powerfully for the far corner.

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

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

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.

Referee: S Lodge (Barnsley)