Shaaban's quiet day as ill wind blows for Keller

Two foreign keepers inhabit two different worlds

The north London derby has seen most things in 131 meetings, but here was a novelty: a foreign goalkeeper between the sticks at each end. Evaluation, let alone comparison, proved almost impossible, however, for Rami Shaaban at one end was as under- employed as poor Kasey Keller was over-extended.

Only Tottenham's Erik Thorstvedt and, briefly, his Norwegian compatriot Espen Baardsen had previously bucked the trend of entrusting the jersey to solid British citizens. Even one from each club with names as exotic as Milija Aleksic and John Lukic turned out to be from Stafford and Chesterfield respectively.

Arsène Wenger has long known that he must consider a successor to David Seaman and initially went for the Austrian Alex Manninger, before deciding after five long seasons that he was not the answer. Although not renowned for signing Englishmen, Wenger was prepared to give Richard Wright from Ipswich a shot, but lack of faith on one side and impatience on the other took him off to Everton.

That left a hole just before the transfer deadline in August, filled by Shaaban, the Swede with a Finnish mother and Egyptian father, who yesterday completed an eventful week by following his debut in a Champions' League tie against PSV Eindhoven with the madness of derby day. It meant a serious disappointment for Stuart Taylor, the England Under-21 keeper who has experienced big European games against Deportivo La Coruña and Juventus.

Shaaban, tall, with what Wenger called "good strength and a good leap", had recovered well enough from one embarrassing early fumble against the Dutch, and helped Arsenal to a rare goalless draw that won them the group by saving resourcefully from the Yugoslav striker Mateja Kezman. His Saturday afternoon was made considerably less demanding – as was that of his team – by Mike Riley's sending-off of Simon Davies for two minor offences.

Before that piece of characteristic fussiness, Shaaban had settled himself early on with a sprawl to the right to hold Jamie Redknapp's low drive. One confident shout to Sol Campbell – in English, presumably – to leave a harmless through ball asserted his authority, which was not tested again until Dean Richards nicked the ball past him, only for Pascal Cygan to clear.

How Keller, the college boy from Frasier Crane's Seattle, would have relished that sort of support as he attempted to furnish further proof that he should now be regarded as Tottenham's No 1; the American took it badly when, given a chance last season by injury to Neil Sullivan, he was immediately dropped again.

Keller must have started to worry about a lack of protection when first Sylvain Wiltord and then Thierry Henry were both unattended in volleying past him from close range. The assistant referee's flag was raised on both occasions, but there was no help from either the officials or team-mates as Henry made his spectacular burst from the far distance; Keller looked on with what must have been increasing alarm as one white shirt after another failed to intervene and, despite adjusting his position more than once, had no chance of keeping out a drive placed just inside his right-hand post.

Having never left Highbury with as much as a point on his various visits with Leicester, he could see the way the wind was blowing and felt its chilly blast again from Freddie Ljungberg's tap-in soon after half-time. Once Wiltord had an empty net to shoot into, after Keller had saved from Henry, a call to Dr Crane was definitely in order.