Alan Smith flails at the ball under a Patrick Vieira challenge (CliveBrunskill/Allsport)

Last Friday, the Frenchman described the purchase of Ferdinand for a British transfer record of £18million as 'crazy'. At Elland Road yesterday, it was Arsenal who could have used an infusion of fresh talent, whatever the cost.

David O'Leary's side played their way to victory by a single goal but the slender margin disguised the impact this result will have on English football.

Leeds' improvement is a long-term project but the consequences for Arsenal are more immediate. They lost their cool, the match and the three points. More importantly, they allowed Manchester United to stretch the gap at the top to eight points.

O'Leary joked afterwards that it had been 'another good weekend for Alex' - and Sir Alex Ferguson might well have been enjoying a glass of fine red wine last night and toasting his rival's ability to commit professional suicide. It was Wenger, after all, who attempted to urge Derby County to greater heights on Saturday by accusing other teams of lying down to United.

The rest of the Premiership might now be tempted to respond that Arsenal have become rather adept at throwing in the towel themselves.

Their other League defeats have come away to Sunderland and Everton. A draw at home with Derby County didn't help and losing yesterday has just about put a tin lid on it.

Since Arsenal beat United at Highbury in September, they have been going backwards.

There is no point blaming the strain of a 4-1 midweek defeat in Moscow. Leeds managed to face Real Madrid - albeit at home - and emerged with a lot more credit from their loss.

With Olivier Dacourt and Eirik Bakke restored to the heart of midfield, O'Leary had every right to wonder in retrospect how different things might have been against the European champions had those men been available.

Dacourt in particular was outstanding and it was a measure of his performance that he out-fought, out-played and thoroughly overshadowed his compatriot, Patrick Vieira, in the centre of midfield.

The warmth of the pre-match greetings between Dacourt and Arsenal's Gallic contingent quickly evaporated as tempers flared on the field. Vieira's lunge when upended wasn't the only assault in a match which harboured a violent undercurrent throughout. Seven bookings for the away side were contested by Wenger but he can have little cause for complaint.

Some incidents perpetrated by Leeds - and Alan Smith in particular - went unnoticed. But the home side were good value for the win.

Ray Parlour's despairing lunge to block Dacourt's run at goal was typical of the cynicism on display and justice was done when Dacourt blasted the free kick past Alex Manninger - with a little help from a deflection off Lauren's head.

Ian Harte almost managed to punish Arsenal further when his shot glanced off Martin Keown and on to the post on the hour. But in a match as tight and furiously contested as this, a single strike is often enough to decide it.

Sylvain Wiltord marked the irony of his extended stay on the bench with two excellent attempts to equalise which flashed narrowly past the post. Perhaps more match practice would have seen them hit the target.

Leeds survived the scare to collect full points and can now look forward to welcoming the quality which Ferdinand will add to their challenge, never mind the return of a host of injured players including Harry Kewell, Nigel Martyn and David Batty.

Wenger must contemplate a different prospect. Since he has proven himself to be inept at manipulating the future, perhaps a brief look at the past might serve his purposes better.

The last time his team lost at Elland Road was the penultimate match of two seasons ago. In doing so, they allowed Manchester United the luxury of knowing that their destiny was in their own hands.

Victory against Spurs on the last day meant United won the Championship, and history records that the Old Trafford side then went on to complete the treble.

It doesn't get much worse than that for Arsenal and the signs of even a partial repeat of that scenario are already threatening to drive Wenger to distraction.

Leeds United (4-4-2): Robinson; Kelly, Woodgate, Radebe, Harte; Bowyer, Bakke, Dacourt, Wilcox; Viduka, Smith. Booked: Dacourt.

Arsenal (4-4-2): Manninger; Luzhny, Keown, Adams, Silvinho; Lauren (Kanu, 75min), Parlour, Vieira, Pires; Henry, Wiltord. Booked: Lauren, Keown, Luzhny, Henry, Parlour, Silvinho, Adams.

Referee: Dermot Gallagher