Reid's `scufflers' foil Arsenal

Arsenal matter. Even those up the road in Tottenham would be prepared to admit that, if not drunk on the mighty achievement of beating Ipswich. Even those at Old Trafford know, that while aware of Chelsea's apparently genuine and dangerous emergence, the two encounters with Arsenal this season will be defining moments in the effort to capture another Premiership crown.

As Manchester United fans know, Arsenal are one of the few teams who can be relied upon to actually strike back at the Ferguson Empire.

Consequently, it was rather depressing to be at the Stadium of Light in Sunderland on Saturday, a depression that could worsen on departure from Highbury tonight after the visit of Liverpool to the marble steps.

Just in case you're unaware, Arsenal lost 1-0 in Sunderland, a result that would have prompted a stewards' inquiry in horseracing such was Arsenal's dominance over Peter Reid's collection of stubborn scufflers. To make things worse, Arsenal's talisman, Patrick Vieira, was sent off by referee Steve Dunn, a decision that should have seen the official forfeit his match fee - £900.

That's good money for being myopic. All afternoon Vieira was subjected to physical harassment from a variety of Sunderland sources. Only once - in the last minute of the game - was a Sunderland player punished by Dunn for the abuse. The player was Darren Williams, who revealed afterwards that the instruction from his manager was to: "Get in their faces, get up against them."

Williams, a second-half substitute, did this so energetically he finally received his well-deserved yellow card. Sadly for football, Williams was only shown his card a few seconds after Vieira was given his red one.

Presumably in Dunn's judgment Vieira had retaliated violently against Williams' conduct which, as Dunn's yellow proved, amounted to cheating. Fouling and shirt-pulling is, after all, just that.

Too often the game's vocabulary allows people to get away with that, the democratic notion that it is the way poor players cope with their superiors. Williams, a £50,000 signing from York City a couple of seasons ago, is manifestly not as good as Patrick Vieira, a midfield member of the best football side on the planet, the French national team.

But Williams annoyed Vieira, who reacted by flinging a forearm across the Sunderland man's face. Even Williams, though, was prepared to admit Vieira's dismissal was unwarranted.

The incident personified the afternoon - Sunderland annoyed Arsenal. Nor was it simply a case of football frustration. Yes, Thierry Henry, Ray Parlour, Nwankwo Kanu, Freddie Ljungberg and Robert Pires all missed chances they will convert on every other day of the season.

And yes, Sunderland's uncompromising tactics did hurt - as did David Seaman's latest mistake that led to Niall Quinn's winner - but as he tried to stare into the heavens in search of inspiration Arsene Wenger must also have been perturbed by the sight of the Stadium of Light's newest arrival, a 6,000-seat extension to the ground's North Stand. It takes Sunderland's capacity to 48,300. Arsenal's capacity is 38,500.

It is a long time since Sunderland were known as the "Bank of England", and the club is rightly proud that their tickets are the cheapest in the country, but you do not need to be Charlie Haughey's accountant to work out that over a period of time the extra seats bring extra revenue. And in football, revenue has always meant power.

Wenger and his chairman David Dein are acutely aware of this. There may have been personal reasons involved in the summertime departure of Emmanuel Petit and Marc Overmars to Barcelona but the £30 million was also a factor. Arsenal were powerless to refuse.

Moreover, as they sat down to watch Manchester United on the telly yesterday, Wenger and Dein will have noted Old Trafford's extension. At 68,936, United have nearly double the pulling power of Arsenal.

The issue is being addressed. In October/November, Arsenal, who have 10,000 fans on a waiting list to become season ticket-holders, will receive a response to their planning application to build a 60,000-seat stadium on a site near King's Cross station. Even if accepted, however, construction and completion is three to four years off.

Newcastle United, who have brought their capacity to 52,167 this season, offer an example of how damaging that time lag could be to Arsenal's ambitions. A senior Newcastle spokesman, Russell Cushing, said last week the club expects to generate £1 million per home game through ticket sales. That's £19 million a season excluding FA Cup ties and European matches. Enough for a Hasselbaink, a Nistelrooy.

Or a Wiltord, Sylvain of that name joining the Brazilian Edu as another of Wenger's close-season non-buys. It meant Arsenal have had a false start. On Saturday they had another. They cannot afford a third tonight.