Arsenal:
         Lehmann
Lauren Campbell Cygan Cole
Ljungberg Vieira Gilberto Pires
    Henry  Kanu

Arsenal started to take a bit of control going forward from 10 minutes in. Everyone was playing well, especially Vieira who got forward a lot and Pires who was popping up all over the place. Great feet from Bob beat a couple of men in the centre circle then he tried to thread it forward for Henry but Ronnie Johnsen cut it out very nicely.

Moments later we had a superb break down the right. Freddie to Bob, then forward for Lauren who took it to the goal-line and cut it back for Kanu when everyone was expecting a cross. Kanu carried it forward into the box and squared it from a foot off the goalline. JLloyd Samuel got a foot on it and the deflection took it out off the near post.

On 13 Lauren did brilliantly to keep the ball in on the right just inside the Villa half, then won a free-kick as Johnsen tried to haul him over. Bob's free-kick was poor and cleared to the centre-circle, from where Cole lobbed it forward towards Freddie, still lurking in the D. Samuel had stayed back too and managed to get a head on it, and it fell for Pires about 25 yards out who struck a sweet side-footed volley which was dipping under the bar when Sorensen got up to make a great save, tipping it over the bar.

More good Arsenal attacking followed, in particular another excellent long-range effort from Pires, lower this time so Sorensen had to dive to his right to save.

Then on 17 minutes Samuel caught Henry in the face with a flailing arm. No intent at all, but Henry was clearly hurt. The Villa fans who were booing him and calling him a cheat after this incident will hopefully feel a bit silly when they see the pictures of blood coming from his split lip!

On 20 Delaney hit a nice ball past Cygan for Angel. Lehmann rushed out and Angel chipped him but too strong. Then Angel on their right squared a ball for Ahlback which he struck nicely on the turn from the D. It was heading inside Lehmann's left hand post but got a tiny deflection off Campbell to save the goal (and we got a goal kick for it).

On 29 the big talking point happened when Arsenal took the lead. Vieira burst through and won a free-kick. A few yards outside the box to the left of centre. The ref (Mark Halsey) was standing by the ball talking to Henry and Vieira and the Villa defence were getting organised. I think it was Angel, who should have been making sure we couldn't take it quick, who was bending over a few yards away fiddling with his boots. Henry took it quick and slotted it inside the right hand post for 1-0. As far as I can see, the only complaint Villa can have is that the ref could have made a more definite move away from the ball when he told Henry he could take it quick. But if O'Leary blames anyone but his players for not preventing it (it's so easy to prevent if you're aware to the possibility) then he'll be a fool for doing so. The first time I saw a goal scored like this was against Arsenal at Bradford in 2000. See the report for that game for a discussion of "ceremonial free kicks" and the legality of situations like this. It's become a lot more common since then including, most significantly, the time that Ian Harte did it to us at Highbury for Leeds, when O'Leary was manager there. The report from that one includes a link to an article about quick free-kicks which includes mention of a rule change that season. Nigel Martyn is quoted as saying, "Hartey took the free-kick quickly but that was down, I think, to a new rule this season whereby the referee asks the free-kick taker whether he wants the 10 yards to be marked out or not. 'If the player says he doesn't, then he's allowed to take the free-kick as quickly as he wants'". If Martyn (Leeds keeper that day) knew about it, then I figure Spider must have known about it too.

5 minutes from the end of the first half, Ahlback got the ball in the net but had been clearly offside.

3 minutes into the second half Lehmann had to come out of his box when Ahlback got behind the advanced defence to chase a through-ball. The keeper made a superb sliding tackle a couple of yards outside his right hand corner of the box.

A couple of minutes later they got a free kick in the same place and Freddie made a point of standing near to prevent the quick one, to much jeering from the Villa fans of course. Angel took it and looked to have Lehmann beaten but it landed on the roof of the net.

A minute later and Kanu's skill made it 2-0. He received the ball in a borderline onside position just outside the D and tricked his way past his marker to get into the box. Knocked it forward, and ran into Mellberg. The penalty was given and I have to say my first reaction was it was a bit harsh. Mellberg didn't seem to have much chance to get out of the way, and Kanu's touch had been too strong for him to have any chanec of getting to the ball before Sorensen. The keeper made a good attempt to save Henry's free-kick, and got a touch on it as the power took it inside his left hand post.

Villa had some more attacks the most dangerous of which were another Ahlback shot on the turn in the box which again went wide, and a few lobs into the box which Lehmann dealt with superbly.

Cole tried a free-kick goal from 45 yards when he spotted Soresnen off his line, but hit it a bit hard.

With 15 minutes to go Arsenal brought on Parlour, Edu, and Toure for Freddie, Kanu, and Bob. Toure took up a position up front andif anything Henry dropped off into midfield. Ray got forward plenty too, and with his first touch he received a lay off from Pires, just outside the left hand corner of the box, then aimed a shot for the far top corner, beating the keeper but just missing that corner by a foot.

With 5 minutes to go Henry had to slide to keep the ball in, halfway into our half on the left, then whacked it forward for Kolo whose power kept a defender off him and gave him the chance to strike from the edge of the box. Well struck, too, but too close to Sorensen. In injury time Sorensen denied Henry the hattrick with another good save.

This win takes Arsenal 2 points clear in the table thanks to Man Utd's loss at Wolves yesterday. The unfortunate corollary is that the result takes Tottenham up a place at Villa's expense.