BY Joe Lovejoy ( The Times )

FIRST versus second was always likely to be close, and so it proved, with Julian Joachim equalising for Villa for the second match in succession to keep them on top of the table, a point ahead of United. The League leaders, however, knew that this was really a case of two dropped. They made all the running, had the lion's share of the chances, and had Stan Collymore and Paul Merson been available to translate possession into goals more efficiently, they would surely have won.

United, with one eye on next Wednesday's climactic Champions League date with Bayern Munich, were nowhere near their best, but were gifted the lead by a goalkeeping gaffe by Michael Oakes, who flapped an Andy Cole cross straight to Paul Scholes. Villa, however, were the better side on the day, enjoying a marked edge in midfield, and justice was done when Joachim's shot from the edge of the penalty area was diverted high over Peter Schmeichel by Denis Irwin's lunging boot.

The day was supposed to be all about Dwight Yorke, on his return to Villa Park, but United's £12m man was no more than a peripheral figure.

Booed throughout, he was outshone by the pacy, persistent Joachim, who is laying impressive claim to a permanent place in the Villa attack. Yorke, in contrast, never looked like scoring, and caught the eye only when, to the delight of his erstwhile fans, he was booked for dissent.

Villa's record-breaking start to the season was achieved against relatively undemanding opposition. December was always going to provide the acid test for their championship potential, and it is a cause for concern for John Gregory, their manager, that they have now taken just two points from their last three games.

After losing at home to Liverpool, then drawing with lowly Nottingham Forest, they needed a reassuring result here to set them up for matches against Chelsea and Arsenal in the next eight days. One point would do, but only just.

With Bayern's visit in mind, Alex Ferguson had fielded his reserves in the Worthington Cup in midweek. United were virtually at full strength this time, the exception being Ryan Giggs, who had been expected to start his first League match since October 24, but had to wait until the second half for the chance to prove his fitness.

His presence on the bench emphasised the major difference between these two sides. United's substitutes were five internationals, Villa's included Messrs Ferraresi, Vassell, Rachel and Lescott. Lack of strength in depth may be their Achilles heel.

That said, Joachim, who earned Villa a point last week with two second-half goals at Forest, was again a high quality replacement for the suspended Collymore, and was the most dangerous forward on the field. With better luck, or more composure, he might have had a hat-trick.

Merson had been laid low by back trouble, and in his case, too, there was a more than adequate replacement in Alan Thompson, who shivered a post with one of those trademark free-kicks.

Without Merson to accommodate just behind the main strikers, Villa reorganised in the 3-5-2 formation in which they started the season, and the extra man in midfield gave them the edge.

Thompson was to the fore from the start, with three early goal attempts, the best of which was deflected wide by Roy Keane. From the subsequent corner, taken by Lee Hendrie, Ugo Ehiogu ought to have scored at the near post, but sent a free header wastefully wide.

Joachim, utilising his pace, cut in from the left but in trying to work a position to the right of the centre halves he allowed himself to be shut out, and when Ian Taylor's pass sent him scuttling through the forward was thwarted by Schmeichel's well-judged advance from his line.

United were second best throughout, but Cole might still have had a couple of goals on the break in a hurry-scurry first half. Jaap Stam supplied him for a header which Gareth Barry cleared off the line and Irwin, on the overlap, picked out he of the scattergun finish with a good centre which deserved a better fate than a horrible miscue, eight yards out.

In need of a lift, United sent on Giggs, in place of Jesper Blomqvist, for the second half and had the lead within two minutes of the resumption, when Oakes made a mess of Cole's right-wing cross, and Scholes drove it past Ehiogu's sliding challenge, and the keeper's attempted recovery, left to right.

Briefly, it seemed United were about to take over. Instead Villa were level after 55 minutes, courtesy of a fortuitous deflection. Joachim's shot from the inside-left channel would, in all probability, have been no threat had the ball not gone on to strike Irwin's outstretched boot and looped up and over Schmeichel.

Confidence fully restored by their good fortune, Villa reasserted themselves and Joachim, cutting in incisively again, threatened to score his second with a pulverising shot from the left.

Hendrie, from Watson's right-wing cross, might also have made it 2-1, but blazed over close in, and Thompson was as close as you can get with a free-kick which shivered Schmeichel's left-hand post with the keeper well beaten.

Ehiogu had a header blocked from Hendrie's corner, Joachim and Dublin saw powerful drives deflected behind. It was all Villa again and Nicky Butt, on for Cole in an attempt to win a decent share of possession in midfield, fared no better in an area where Taylor, Hendrie and Thompson always held sway.

For United it was a constant struggle, and the home crowd's glee knew no bounds when Yorke was booked for something he said to the referee's assistant.

In a late flurry, Scholes had a shot blocked, Yorke smacked the follow up straight at Oakes, and Keane, from 25 yards, was denied by a plunging save. It was not going to happen for United. They have bigger fish to fry, and a similar result on Wednesday might just about be enough.

In that context, at least, their defence had a useful preparatory work-out.

Ferguson was relieved that his team had stayed injury-free before their biggest match of the season so far.

He said: "In the end, I was well satisfied with a draw. We got a bit ragged when we took the lead, and I didn't think we deserved anything more. It's not a bad result for us."

Were Villa championship material? "Any team that works as hard as they do has to be respected, but there's a long way to go."

Joachim had been the likeliest matchwinner, the United manager felt. "All the pre-match talk had been about Yorke and Dublin, but he was the biggest threat," Ferguson said.

Gregory chose not to comment, sending his assistant, Steve Harrison to the customary debriefing.

"On chances created, we were well in front," Harrison said. "We know we should have beaten them."

The Villa captain, Gareth Southgate, struck a characteristically positive note. "We proved today that we can compete with the best," the England international said.

"We were disappointed with the result because we should have won."

Aston Villa: Oakes, Wright, Southgate, Ehiogu, Watson, Taylor, Thompson, Joachim, Dublin, Barry, Hendrie. Scorer: Joachim 55.

Man Utd: Schmeichel, Neville, Irwin, Stam, Beckham, Cole (Butt 70), Blomqvist (Giggs 45), Keane, Scholes, Yorke, Brown. Scorer: Scholes 47.

Booked: Ehiogu 15, G Neville 62, Yorke 76, Irwin 77.

Referee: M Riley (Leeds).

Attendance: 39,241.