With seven minutes left, Arsenal were staring at a serious blow to their title challenge but they found the inspiration to mount a scintillating finale that left them breathing down the necks of leaders Manchester United.

Rarely do score lines so inadequately fail to tell the full story of a game, but it is hard to imagine a side coming so close to drawing a game which they eventually won at a canter.

Before the introductions of substitutes Nwankwo Kanu, Kaba Diawara and the inspirational Emmanuel Petit, Arsenal were dull and lifeless.

Even then, they were repelled by a string of world-class saves from Sheffield Wednesday 'keeper Pavel Srnicek, but the scorching power of their final thrusts sent a stark warning to Stamford Bridge and Old Trafford.

First, Dennis Bergkamp broke the deadlock, then Kanu doubled the advantage and even the Highbury faithful could hardly believe their eyes as Bergkamp made it 3-0 in the dying minutes.

For whatever the psychological warfare being waged by United boss Alex Ferguson, this was the match in hand which Arsenal simply had to win to maintain their pressure.

Wednesday, who prevailed at Hillsborough earlier this season with a late winner, had not won at Highbury since 1962 yet had secured victories in their past three away games at Blackburn, Leicester and West Ham.

But in the return fixture of the infamous game last September when Paolo Di Canio pushed referee Paul Alcock to the ground, the Owls were a poor imitation of a side which had scored 10 times in those three games.

Amid some abject passing and an apparent lack of urgency from either side, it was hardly surprising that the best first-half chances came as a result of glaring defensive mistakes but were let slip due to abject finishing.

The first came when Tony Adams broke up a Wednesday attack, and although his pass Nicolas Anelka was misdirected, Srnicek fumbled the ball, and the Frenchman was able to recover possession.

He stepped inside and looked bound to score but tried to pass the ball into the net, and Emerson Thome was on hand to make a desperate clearance off the line.

Worse was to come at the other end when the persistence of Benito Carbone, Wednesday's attacking fulcrum, led to a mix-up between Martin Keown and David Seaman.

The England defender's hurried clearance only went as far as the unmarked Petter Rudi, but his pass towards the far corner was woeful, and the hastily-recovering Lee Dixon simply allowed the ball to run past the upright.

The next slip came from Wednesday midfielder Danny Sonner inside his own penalty area, allowing Bergkamp to pounce and at last fire in a meaningful shot.

This time, Srnicek was parried with his outstretched arm, and the 'keeper pulled off another fine reaction save to deny the recalled Patrick Vieira within 60 seconds as the midfielder twisted onto a Bergkamp cross.

An in-depth review of the Budget would have offered almost as much excitement as the first-half, and Wenger responded by bringing on Diawara for Frederik Ljungberg at the break.

Diawara immediately sharpened the Gunners' attacking options as the home side awoke from their slumbers, and within seven minutes of the restart, he had hit the upright after turning onto Anelka's cross.

Overmars missed his kick as he tried to capitalise on the rebound, and Wednesday, who had earlier seen Bergkamp curl the ball just wide, survived again.

That was the cue for Kanu - hero against Derby, villain against Sheffield United - to replace Anelka with 28 minutes left, and finally, Bergkamp found some inspiration to feed Diawara, whose shot on the turn was brilliantly saved by Srnicek.

Wenger's last throw of the dice was to throw on Petit for Ray Parlour on 70 minutes. The Highbury crowd were immediately re-invigorated, and Srnicek pulled off another impressive save to parry a Bergkamp free-kick at full stretch.

The Dutchman then crossed for Diawara, and his powerful glancing header was again acrobatically saved by the Wednesday 'keeper.

Still the chances came and went. Petit volleyed narrowly wide, Overmars was denied by Srnicek's fingertips and then a deflection, while Tony Adams headed wide.

The breakthrough came with seven minutes left.

Petit's free-kick was instantly brought under control by Bergkamp on his instep and almost in the same movement, the Dutchman swept his shot past the helpless Srnicek.

Within two minutes, Kanu put the match beyond doubt as Overmars sped down the flank and crossed to the Nigerian in space near the penalty spot. He dummied one way, turned the other and smashed a shot into the roof of the net.

With two minutes left, Arsenal's joy was complete. Overmars was again the instigator, running from the halfway line to feed Bergkamp on the edge of the penalty area, and he calmly chipped the ball over the Czech 'keeper.

It was simply amazing, and a clear indication that the title will not be surrendered without a fight to the death.

Teams

Arsenal: Seaman, Dixon, Keown, Adams, Vivas, Ljungberg (Diawara 46), Vieira, Parlour (Petit 69), Overmars, Bergkamp, Anelka (Kanu 63).

Subs Not Used: Manninger, Grimandi.

Goals: Bergkamp 83, Kanu 86, Bergkamp 88.

Sheff Wed: Srnicek, Atherton, Walker, Thome, Hinchcliffe, Rudi, Alexandersson, Sonner, Jonk, Carbone, Booth.

Subs Not Used: Newsome, Clarke, Humphreys, Briscoe, Stefanovic.

Booked: Jonk.

Att: 37,792

Ref: D Elleray (Harrow-on-the-Hill).