Arsenal 2 (Henry 9, Wiltord 24)
Birmingham 0
Att 38,018 at Highbury

Arsenal were all over Birmingham, at times having 80 percent possession. Around 25 attempts on goal yielded two goals, both in the first half.

Thierry Henry scored from a 35 yard free kick after 9 minutes, but can thank Birmingham goalkeeper Nico Vaesen for fumbling it in.

Sylvain Wiltord crowned a top class performance with a solo goal midway in the first half, beating a number of Brummies before slotting home from 15 yards.

Dennis Bergkamp went off after half an hour, but his thigh injury was reported to be slight and not serious. Gilberto Silva got his debut from then on, impressing with accurate long range passing.

Late in the game, Jeremie Aliadiere came in for Wiltord and Kolo Toure for Edu. They both had big opportunities, only to be denied by the best central defender on the pitch: Darren Purse. The Arsenal target should still figure in Arsène Wenger's long term plans based on today's performance.

Birmingham's new signing from Senegal, Aliou Cisse, was sent off after two bookings.

The win means that Arsenal have set a new record with 14 consecutive wins in the Premier League.