During his side's supposed fall from grace, Sir Alex Ferguson had relied upon the likes of Arsenal and Liverpool taking points off each other.
And so it has proved amid United's resurgent uphill charge of eight consecutive wins.
Arsenal could, and probably should, have won this uninspiring encounter at Highbury, especially after Fredrik Ljungberg had put them ahead just after the hour-mark.
That would have dealt a considerable blow to Liverpool's faltering title challenge after just six points from their previous seven games, which made their safety-first policy at least understandable.
However, just when the writing was on the wall for them, Steven Gerrard produced a flash of genius to send John Arne Riise bearing down on goal to equalise as keeper Stuart Taylor stayed rooted to his spot.
While Sven-Goran Eriksson will be relieved to have seen Gerrard's return to something approaching his dominant best, Ferguson's side were again the only real winners this weekend.
Not only did they prevail at Southampton to move ominously top of the table for the first time this season even after a supposedly major crisis, but Leeds lost and Arsenal and Liverpool have now drawn.
As Ferguson himself said, their rivals have had the best possible chance they could have hoped for. He did not add to that sentiment but the phrase "and they have blown it" was left hanging in the air.
At Highbury, not even the return of Nicolas Anelka for the first time since his controversial move in 1999 or the return from injury of Michael Owen could spark Liverpool into life for long periods.
The onus was firmly on Arsenal to break them down but neither could they offer any real penetration amid a midfield battle with genuine chances sparse on the ground.
Henry hit the top of the crossbar early on with a speculative cross, while Stephane Henchoz escaped appeals for handball.
However, the only real chance of the first half fell to Ljungberg as he twisted onto Kanu's through-ball to beat the offside trap and go round Jerzy Dudek only to clip his shot wide from a tight angle as he lost his balance.
Kanu struck a rasping drive narrowly over but the match was yet to spark into life and while Liverpool had pace to spare on the break, they were failing to capitalise on it.
The visitors did finally threaten Arsenal's goal on the hour-mark as Danny Murphy arrived late on the edge of the six-yard box to head the impressive Riise's cross narrowly over the top.
But having extended themselves, they were duly punished as that was the spur for Arsenal to seize the lead after substitute Dennis Bergkamp provided the inspiration they had been painfully lacking.
Sol Campbell's long-ball was superbly controlled by the Dutchman, who cut back and fed the ball straight into the path of the onrushing Robert Pires, who crossed for Ljungberg to bundle the ball into the net from close range.
It rekindled memories of his goal at Anfield before Christmas and again Liverpool had to commit more players forward, although it was on the counter-attack that they equalised five minutes later.
There seemed little obvious danger when Patrik Berger passed to Gerrard well inside his own half but such was the quality of his instinctive 50-yard through-ball, that only Riise reacted to it.
Keeper Taylor should have come racing off his line to intercept but instead stayed rooted to the spot as Riise finished with style.
Thereafter, Bergkamp threatened with a volley but that was about it. It was a draw that could give Liverpool much heart as they rebuild their season.
But the real satisfaction was being felt among the Manchester United squad on their way home from the south coast. Who doubts their title credentials now?