Sometimes, in order to make teams harder to beat, it is necessary to make them harder to watch. In this respect the sound of the Arsenal crowd chanting "boring, boring Tottenham" after Spurs had forced a goalless draw at Highbury on Saturday must have been music to George Graham's ears.

In fact, the present Tottenham situation is far from boring, but as Graham sets about restoring the team to something like its former splendour there is bound to be a period of retrenchment which may make less than compelling viewing. After all, people can only watch foundations being dug for so long before starting to wonder what shape the actual building work will take.

For the moment Graham can bask briefly in the satisfaction of having made Spurs sufficiently resilient to thwart Arsene Wenger's double-winning attack, while seeing his own old Arsenal defence again provide evidence of its durability. After taking over at Highbury in 1986 Graham's first north London derby ended 0-0 and White Hart Lane would surely settle for even half of what followed.

The sight of George Graham sitting on the visitors' bench at Arsenal was hardly a novelty. Since his dismissal in 1995, followed by a year's ban from football for accepting illegal payments on Scandinavian transfers, he had already returned three times with Leeds United in Premiership and FA Cup.

But, whereas before Graham had been warmly greeted by supporters who remembered the two championships and string of cup successes won by Arsenal during his nine years as manager, he now arrived to shouts of "traitor" and "Judas" from the sort of fans who worship shirts rather than people.

Sensible Arsenal followers still appreciate what Graham did for the club even if they regretted the manner of his departure and only an empty mind would think any less of his achievements simply because he is now in charge of their closest rivals. In any case, and as Graham pointed out: "I can't ask the fans to pick my job."

On Saturday's evidence Graham has lost none of his ability to organise players for a specific task and it was slightly ironic to find two Norwegians, Espen Baardsen and Steffen Iversen, the principal agents of Arsenal's frustration when one, Rune Hauge, had helped bring about his downfall as Arsenal manager. Baardsen's goalkeeping was inspired while Iversen's performance, in both attack and defence, epitomised the new willingness to work which Graham has brought to Tottenham's game.

With Darren Anderton curbing his attacking instincts to help Allan Nielsen block the forward runs of Patrick Vieira and Emmanuel Petit, Spurs managed to disrupt Arsenal's passing in the first half and when Wenger's team achieved a better attacking momentum in the second they still could not produce a finish to beat Baardsen. Tottenham seldom looked like winning the game, although Iversen had a chance in each half to steal a goal on the break, but not losing it was satisfaction enough.

Graham clearly enjoyed his afternoon and completed it with one of those verbal sleights of hand which are the manager's stock in trade. Arsenal, he declared, had been "outstanding" where his own team's performance "can be improved upon". In other words Tottenham had managed to hold superior opposition without realising their full potential.

The reality was that Arsenal performed vigorously and positively and created numerous scoring opportunities without ever playing outstandingly well. Dennis Bergkamp is off colour and off form and in his present condition only minimally missed. Yet Arsenal's increasingly frenetic attempts to break through Spurs' massed defence cried out for the subtle touches that Bergkamp at his best can provide.

In Bergkamp's absence Wenger began the match with Marc Overmars playing through the middle alongside Nicolas Anelka and until Overmars returned to the left wing for the last half-hour Arsenal's movements remained narrow and cramped. Even then they lacked sufficient presence in front of goal seriously to disturb Baardsen or the three centrebacks.

Anelka went into the match having scored six times in seven Premiership games but the young Frenchman is still not a natural taker of goals in the manner of an Ian Wright, and when he produced a fierce first-time shot on the turn two minutes before halftime Baardsen made an equally instinctive save.

Fredrik Ljungberg wasted Arsenal's best opportunity early in the second half when, with Ramon Vega needing attention and the Tottenham defence momentarily in disarray, he was unmarked in the penalty area as he met Nigel Winterburn's centre but then failed to control the ball. Wenger brought on Christopher Wreh and Luis Boa Morte to give his attack fresh legs but fresh ideas were unforthcoming.

"What can you say?" said the Arsenal manager later, "The spirit was there, the quality was there, everything was there for 90 minutes - Baardsen did the rest." Wenger praised Tottenham's disciplined defending while adding: "I thought it would be a physical Tottenham performance when I saw Ginola on the bench."

So far as the physical side went Spurs came off worse, with Nielsen's one of several cut heads. Nevertheless there must be uncertainties about David Ginola's future at Tottenham under Graham, who has never had much time for football's lilies of the field let alone a fleur-de-lis.

Arsenal: Seaman, Dixon, Winterburn, Vieira, Adams, Ljungberg (Wreh 62), Anelka (Boa Morte 79), Overmars, Keown, Parlour, Petit. Subs Not Used: Manninger, Hughes, Grimandi. Booked: Winterburn.

Tottenham Hotspur: Baardsen, Carr, Calderwood (Sinton 78), Nielsen, Anderton, Armstrong, Edinburgh, Vega, Scales, Iversen, Campbell. Subs Not Used: Walker, Ginola, Allen, Clemence. Booked: Nielsen, Armstrong.

Referee: A Wilkie (Chester-le-Street).