Gunners show style of champions

The considerable presence of Patrick Vieira, getting back to something like his best, provides Wenger with plenty of reasons for optimism, though it was the touch and vision of Dennis Bergkamp that in the end separated the teams.

The Dutchman has been one of the greatest of all the foreign imports in the Premiership over the last decade and although the years are now gnawing at his physical capabilities he remains a sublime player with the ball at his feet. He scored the only goal after 19 minutes and was an inf luential figure in much of Arsenal's good work. "His vision and technical ability were important to us," said Wenger.

"We have to accept that, physically, he can't be like he was when he was 27 but he has super class. He knows where to stand on the pitch and he knows what to do when he gets the ball."

When he's on top of his game Bergkamp gives Arsenal another dimension. He has the ability to bring shape and order to chaos and confusion.

His goal owed much to the quality of his ball control. In one effortless moment he drew the ball in to his feet, swayed beyond a challenging defender and casually slid his shot beyond the dive of Given.

Arsenal, watched by Wolves manager Glenn Hoddle who played under Wenger at Monaco, had plenty of other chances to hammer home their superiority.

Given saved a free kick from Thierry Henry and then turned a close-range shot from the French striker on to a post. The Republic of Ireland goalkeeper thwarted Robert Pires with a great diving save in the 68th minute and later blocked a superb shot from Henry.

The French striker said: "He had a great night. Without him we would have won by many more goals."

Arsenal's top marksman has now failed to score in his last five Premier League games. You have to go back 14 months to find a similarly barren period, though he insists that this blip is his goalscoring mission has not eroded his confidence.

Like many of his team-mates, he bristled with energy and menace and, for the first time in several weeks, Arsenal looked as though they meant business again. It has taken them a while to recover from the loss of their record-breaking unbeaten run at Old Trafford in October.

Yesterday they played like a team that had rediscovered some lost passion. They clearly resent losing their title but they played as if they had come to terms with the loss and intended to compensate in other ways.

They meet Manchester United again at Highbury on 1 February in a match that will help determine who finishes second to Chelsea. Arsenal and United won't see it quite like that though.

It may have been the prospect of another media-fuelled build-up to the clash with Sir Alex Ferguson that prompted Wenger to sidestep questions about Craig Bellamy yesterday.

The Newcastle striker is involved in a high-profile row with manager Graeme Souness over his reluctance to play in midfield.

The Welshman was left out of the squad by Souness, who accused the player of 'petulance' and letting down the supporters.

The incident sparked fresh suggestions he could be offloaded but Magpies chairman Freddy Shepherd insisted the matter was dealt with at a meeting on Friday.

"There was a lengthy meeting on Friday between the manager, Craig Bellamy and myself," Shepherd said. "What was discussed at that meeting is an internal matter and will remain private within the confines of the club. As far as I am concerned, that is the end of the matter."

Wenger chose his words carefully when asked his opinion. "It's difficult to judge," he said. "You need to know the reasons why someone doesn't want to play in a certain position. I don't want to interfere."