ARSENAL’S hopes of lifting the European Cup improved last night, even if it was not evident from a subdued performance. Arsène Wenger had talked expansively and romantically on the eve of the match about the importance not only of winning, but also of winning stylishly. This, though, was an evening when the Arsenal manager was happy to settle for muddling through.

The news that AS Roma were winning 3-0 by half-time in Valencia appeared to draw the sting from both these sides in the Amsterdam ArenA. Although an unexpected victory for the Italians meant that a three-way fight for qualification had suddenly become a tussle involving all four teams in group B, Ajax and Arsenal will feel in control because they each have six points at the top of the table with home games to come.

If Arsenal can beat Roma next week and Ajax can overcome Valencia, then a tight group will be settled before the final matches and a treacherous trip to Spain for Wenger’s men will lose its menace. It depends on Arsenal overcoming the poor run that has seen them win only once at Highbury in their past five Champions League matches and they will have to beware a Roma side that has something to fight for after last night’s startling win.

“It was frustrating,” Wenger said, “because there were not many chances tonight, but we were disciplined and we must take the positives. We did not lose and, with the result from Valencia, we have a good chance of going through.”

Wenger remarked on the caution of his opponents last night, but, as Ronald Koeman pointed out, Ajax had no need to seek a winner after their draw at Highbury. To much laughter, the former Holland player pointed out that while “we may have been defensive, we were a bit smarter than Manchester City”. Kevin Keegan’s side had run blindly into an Arsenal ambush on Saturday and Koeman made sure that he did not make the same mistake.

The Ajax head coach could justifiably claim that it was also a “no-risk game by Arsenal” and, when both managers saw at half-time that Roma were cruising, it was almost inevitable that they would play out a goalless draw that fell as flat as the Dutch countryside.

Not even the return of Dennis Bergkamp to the club where he began as a schoolboy could spice up the occasion. The striker was given a warm round of applause when he was taken off in the 78th minute, but appreciation for the former Holland striker came easily given that he never threatened to unlock a defence that limited Arsenal to a handful of half-chances.

The breathless quality of the first meeting at Highbury had raised expectations of another thriller. It was certainly tense, but both sides appeared more concerned with the consequences of defeat than victory. Koeman had made no secret of his intention to approach the game with caution and his young, inexperienced players set about smothering Arsenal with blanket defence.

Four goals up inside 20 minutes at Maine Road, Arsenal barely mustered four chances all game. Koeman’s defensive strategy had caused disquiet in the Dutch media, which had argued for another striker to be included in the team, but the plan succeeded in frustrating Robert Pires, Bergkamp and Thierry Henry, who burst into life only shortly before the interval with a pirouette that drew applause from the home supporters.

Koeman will have been pleased that Martin Keown was spending as much time in possession as any of his Arsenal team-mates, constantly dribbling the ball out of defence only to find his colleagues tightly marked. Koeman knew that Keown and Sol Campbell were opponents who could not damage him with the ball at their feet.

His hope was of a goal on the counter-attack and, after Pires felled Hatem Trabelsi just outside the penalty area during a rare Ajax break, they almost scored from the free kick. Christian Chivu, who will be competing against Roberto Carlos for the right to take set-pieces when he joins Real Madrid in the summer, placed his shot in the top corner, but Ashley Cole managed to leap high enough to head clear.

When Trabelsi sprinted past Cole and cut into the penalty area just after the interval, Zlatan Ibrahimovic looked certain to score at the near post from the cut-back, but Lauren blocked with an outstretched foot and the ball cannoned over the crossbar. It was the best chance of the game, apart from a free kick floated by Bergkamp to the far post in the seventieth minute. Patrick Vieira was unmarked, but his well-struck volley flew straight at the goalkeeper.

The 3-1 victory in Rome in November, when Henry scored a fine hat-trick, will give Arsenal confidence that they can put Fabio Capello’s team to the sword once more, but it promises to be a tense occasion at Highbury in a fortnight unless there is an early goal. There looked to be some tired Arsenal legs last night and Henry was once again guilty of overelaboration when team-mates were screaming for a simple pass.

Wenger said that he was not worried about his team’s record at home in Europe, but PSV Eindhoven are the only side to have succumbed at Highbury this season. That will have to change unless Arsenal are to travel to Valencia, the team that Wenger regards as the best in Spain, needing at least a point.

AJAX (4-1-3-2): B Lobont — H Trabelsi, C Chivu, P Pasanen, Maxwell — T Galásek (sub: A Yakubu, 70min) — N de Jong, S Pienaar (sub: W Sneijder, 90), R Witschge — Z Ibrahimovic (sub: Mido, 86), A van der Meyde. Substitutes not used: J Didulica, A Bergdolmo, J van Damme, N Boukhari.

ARSENAL (4-4-2): D Seaman — Lauren, M Keown, S Campbell, A Cole — S Wiltord (sub: R Parlour, 78), Gilberto, P Vieira, R Pires (sub: G van Bronckhorst, 86) — D Bergkamp (sub: F Jeffers, 78), T Henry. Substitutes not used: S Taylor, Edu, P Cygan, K Touré. Booked: Cole, Vieira.

Referee: V Ivanov (Russia).

Group B

RESULTS: Nov 27: AS Roma 1 Arsenal 3; Valencia 1 Ajax 1. Dec 10: Ajax 2 AS Roma 1; Arsenal 0 Valencia 0. Feb 18: Arsenal 1 Ajax 1; AS Roma 0 Valencia 1. Last night: Ajax 0 Arsenal 0; Valencia 0 AS Roma 3.

FIXTURES: March 11: Arsenal v AS Roma; Ajax v Valencia. March 19: AS Roma v Ajax; Valencia v Arsenal.