Richard's so right, right, right

Arsene Wenger illustrated last night that nothing is sacred by giving young Matthew Upson his place in the starting line-up over Martin Keown. On the same basis, there's no reason for a fit Seaman to be instantly drafted back into the team with Wright having staked his claim with such assurance.

Indeed, pressed about Wright's Champions League debut which he described glowingly as "decisive, intelligent and calm", Wenger was hedging his bets as he suggested he now had "two first-choice goalkeepers". With Seaman around, there has never been any doubt before, but as the leading man knew must soon happen, he has a real fight against the gifted young understudy he's helped and encouraged so selflessly in training.

In his programme notes last night, Wenger made great play about Arsenal's impressive Under-19 and Under-17 sides and how the "prospects from inside the club look very, very good", while also citing a first-team defence with an average age of 23 and without any of the old "legendary back six" as being a cause for satisfaction, not concern.

Maybe it's 'needs must', but he's never sounded more ready to give youth its hour.

Yet this, of course, can't be a painless transition, particularly in Europe, where no team come to Highbury with the sort of inferiority complex which sees Premiership visitors often roll over in fright.

Last night, the back four - clearly in need of a strong organisational voice like Tony Adams's - looked jittery again when under the cosh, with Lauren and Ashley Cole more convincing on the attack than when on defensive duty and Sol Campbell having a most uncertain night.

Even Upson, who outshone Campbell, dived in with a certain naivety for the tackle on Emmanuel Olisadebe which brought Panathinaikos's penalty. Yet behind them, Wright - who could be forgiven for getting beaten at his near post for the Greeks' equaliser because Olisadebe's shot took a slight deflection off Campbell - offered quiet reassurance all night.

"No nerves, I was fine," said Wright, and he really does seem the self-assured and unflappable type. Indeed, even the presence of Sven-Goran Eriksson in the crowd casting his owlish gaze over him was not a worry. Come to think of it, players these days probably get more worried if they don't see dear old Sven at their match.

What the England boss saw, however, can only have convinced him further that Wright has to feature in his World Cup plans.

Thanks to some profligate finishing, he had less to do than he might have, but did all that was asked well. Eriksson really ought to give him another chance in next month's international against Sweden now that he's getting regular first-team exposure, but Wright won't get ahead of himself.

He said: "I'd like to be going to the World Cup, but my short-term aim is to make sure I'm playing for Arsenal and performing well week in, week out. I know that it won't be easy with a great goalkeeper like David around. He'll be fit soon, but I have said all along that I want to make it a difficult decision for the manager and now I hope it is.

"What's happened to Matthew Upson has been an encouragement. If I can keep performing well, then I can stay in the team."

Penalty saves like this won't do him any harm. "Alucky guess," he shrugged modestly.

Yet the lightning dive needed to push away Aggelos Basinas's firmly struck spot kick was down more to tremendous reflex agility than fortune, just as, later, his decision to head a clearance on the edge of his own box like a centre-back was not down to luck but good, flexible judgement.

This was a night when Ian Wright's place up there in the Highbury pantheon came to mind again as his record Arsenal goals tally in Europe was consigned to history by Thierry Henry taking his total to 16.

"To think that the fans used Ian Wright's song for me is brilliant," smiled one happy goalkeeper. "If they ever hold me in the same regard as him, I'll be very pleased."

Too right, right, right.