So the Premier League has provided its spectacle. Arsène Wenger had billed this collision of the division's top two as potential footballing "art" with the estimated billion television viewers around the globe - quite how they calculate such a figure remains a mystery - no doubt enticed by the promise of goals galore. In the end, that is precisely what it provided, as well as intrigue, quality, spellbinding football and, in its final seconds, breathless drama.
For so long, Manchester United had threatened to burst Arsenal's bubble of optimism, only for William Gallas's stoppage time equaliser to keep their dream alives. The Frenchman's volley, clearly planted over the line following a rat-a-tat of efforts in the penalty area, prompted wild scenes in the stands and technical areas alike. Sir Alex Ferguson held his head, Wenger clenched his fists in familiar up-standing pose. The sides at the top of the Premier League will simply not be separated and, on occasions such as this, we can be thankful for that much. Long may this jousting between the two be maintained.
This was always likely to be an occasion that defied logic. There were times in the first half when the visitors, a nervous opening exorcised and their midfield increasingly dominant, had threatened to squeeze the life out of Arsenal. When Wayne Rooney's scuffed attempt dribbled in off Gallas in stoppage time at the end of the first half to establish United's first lead, it was easy to retire at the interval having concluded that the champions' more streetwise personnel, boasting considerably more experience, would inevitably prevail. Cristiano Ronaldo's side-footed finish, after Louis Saha's exquisite reverse pass and Patrice Evra's cut-back to put United 2-1 up as the clock ticked down, restored such sentiment.
Yet this youthful Arsenal team boast their own rare resilience. Cesc Fabregas's 11th goal of what is already a staggering season had initially hauled them level in the opening skirmishes of the second half. Gallas' late riposte merely offered a reminder that there really is no predicting the way contests between the division's elite will veer. Logic had suggested United would stamp their authority on proceedings and pick off their hosts on the break. The reality was very different. The football may not have flowed as it has from both sides against less opponents, but the passing and movement on offer here were still stunning, allied with the grit and strong-arm muscle demanded by champions.
So what, if anything, could be gleaned from this encounter? Perhaps that Arsenal, as they had demonstrated at Liverpool the previous Sunday, really have unearthed new-found aggression and self-belief, epitomised in the industry and waspish tackling of the likes of Mathieu Flamini, Emmanuel Eboué and a regular centre-half pairing. Fabregas, as we already knew, is a world-class talent and their fulcrum. Stop him and you might stop Arsenal. United could not.
Yet they came as close to anyone has this term, and largely courtesy of their own find of the season to date. Anderson Luis de Abreu Oliveira boasts the dreadlocks of an Edgar Davids and is developing the snarl to match. While he was on the pitch, it felt as if the visitors' aggression might prevail. He boasted strength on the ball, an array of passes, and a spiteful streak which offered the Arsenal fans a new pantomime villain to berate. When he wasn't snapping into challenges, he was busy screaming abuse - in Portuguese - at the officials and his opponents. His theatrics when Fabregas crunched him early in the second half were hilarious, the Brazilian rolling dramatically before leaping to his feet as soon as his opponent received the yellow card.
Every team needs an enforcer, and Anderson could yet become United's. As it was, he had left the field by the time these sides traded goals in the dying minutes. If a billion people tuned in to the fixture, none could have been disappointed. This was a glorious advertisement for the Premier League, a true collision of contenders, with its finale quite staggering to behold.
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