Derby, to their credit, didn't just sit back..... at least for the first half.

So Arsenal were able to create a good few chances. But the pressure of knowing the win would take us top seemed to be telling, and Arsenal just didn't seem to have the finishing edge which won so many games in style of late.

Derby were pretty toothless though, and one first half effort for Jansen was about their lot. Seaman came out well to block the close-range shot, and Luzhny was on hand to clear the loose ball from the 6-yard box.

The goal came in the second half. Pires beat the offside trap with his run behind the defence, to get onto a cute pass from Bergkamp on the edge of the box and slot it low past Oakes in the Derby goal.

The Rams had come out for the second half a bit more defensive, and even after we'd scored they weren't much of a threat. But enough for the Arsenal defence to continue to impress.

Oakes did well to keep it down to one goal, and was helped a bit by unusual wastefulness on the part of Thierry Henry. He somehow managed to blast the ball over the bar from almost underneath it, after which he doubled his work rate in a manic attempt to make amends. One excellent effort after a weaving run came back out off the foot of the post, and Oakes did well to get out sharplky and block Parlour's follow-up.

Arsenal go top, at least for a day.