Ray shows up hesitant Kanu

Their industrious start yielded nothing save a rebound off the crossbar for a Patrick Vieira header delivered from all of one yard.

A blank scoresheet against Valencia is not the stuff of which shame is made, given that last season's beaten finalists arrived at Highbury with the best defensive record in the Champions League. Yet Valencia have not won on English soil for 40 years and you did not need to be a rocket scientist to spot that Arsenal wanted to be armed with victory for the return leg.

When Valencia broke the deadlock before the break, it might have proved crucial. All right, so it was an away goal and it might prove crucial still, but when Roberto Ayala steered the ball in the net it went down like a cup of cold sick with the Highbury crowd, who were not exactly creating a blazing atmosphere as it was.

The Clock End faithful were doing their noisy best but seeing as that meant endless repetitions of last Saturday's scoreline over Spurs, it sounded as if they preferred not to dwell on the task in hand.

But Arsene Wenger spent half-time chanting a one-word mantra at his players - "belief" - and they emerged almost visibly chorusing the buzzword, crafting attacks with new confidence. If only Henry could have found the net when Vieira put him through five minutes after Parlour's glory goal, Arsenal could have gone into the second leg contemplating the prospect an all-English semi-final.

As matters stand there is still work to be done. The Spanish defence must surely be breached at least once more if Arsenal are to qualify but Valencia conceded as many goals in this one game as in all six of their second group phase matches.

It remains to be seen if that drives them to victory or damages their confidence. But after an uncertain campaign, of Arsenal's confidence there can suddenly be no doubt - and nor should there be.