Arsenal:
                   Lehmann
            Lauren Hoye Toure Toure
Ljungberg Fabregas (Edu 73) Gilberto Pires (Clichy 83)
            Reyes (Bergkamp 73) Henry 

Pascal Cygan strained a calf muscle in the pre-match warm-up, so young defender Justin Hoyte got his Premiership debut with only moments notice. He's best known as a right-back, but did play in the centre in pre-season. Having both him and Toure as possible centre backs AND as right-back cover for Lauren does appear to solve the problem of strength-in-depth in the latter position. Perhaps we should stop thinking about signing another defender.

David Bentley didn't play for Norwich which was a shame, it would have been nice to see how he fared against our midfield and defence (see bottom of page for the reason fro his absence).

Arsenal blew City away in the first half. Henry got the scoring underway on 22 minutes with a run from just beyond the centre circle, down the left and to the goal-line. The keeper got a hand to his cross, but only the merest of touches, and it went through to Reyes on the far side of goal for an easy finish.

At 1-0 came the controversial moment of the game, when Lauren clearly fouled Darren Huckerby when he broke into our half from the half-way line. Arsenal had been attacking so there's no question that Lauren was the last man (Cole was almost level, but out towards the wing). The defender was very lucky to get away with just a yellow card. Referee Graham Poll explaiend after the game that the foul was given for the initial contact between the players, at which point Lauren was not denying a clear scoring opportunity. He said that the reason the whistle was delayed, giving Lauren the opportunity to make a further foul which did deny a clear scoring opportunity, was that the linesman lost his hand-hold on the flag and hence pressed the button indicating the foul to Poll slightly later than intended. The attempts of Sky TV to scoff at this explanation by showing that the linesman did not even attempt to flag for the foul at that point, were uncalled-for and inflammatory, given that the linesman went out of the camera's field of vision earlier than would have been necessary to prove their point. Poor show, Sky folks.

15 minutes after the first goal, a lovely one-touch series created a move that ended with a Ljungberg cross headed home by Henry, looking like a normal centre-forward for a moment. A simple but beautiful goal.

5 minutes before the break it was 3 and out. A defender tried to control Henry's diagonal cross into the box from the left on his chest when he could have just hoofed or headed it clear. Big mistake. The ball came away from him slightly and Freddie nipped in to steal it, knocking the ball square to the left. Pires was following in too from that side of the box and slotted it home.

Norwich came out fighting in the second half, and caused us a few worries, although it never looked like Arsenal were too worried, or like they were giving it 100%. Perhaps the reason we get so many 4-1 games these days is that a 3 goal lead is what it takes for Arsenal to relax (good thing too, they used to do it after 1 or 2 and that lost us a good few points).

They clawed one back 5 minites after the break. Huckerby went on a good run into the box, past a few players, and went down under Hoyte's challenge. He put the penalty away himself, sending it low to the left as Lehmann dived the other way. Huckerby's efforts probably deserved a goal, but not this way. Replays showed that he very much played for the penalty. There was contact, but very much in a "dragging your foot into the defender" kind of way. Very much a speciality of one of our own wingers, mentioning rien nombres, so we won't go on about it....

2 minutes later someone played a 1-2 with Huckerby into the box and forced a good near post save from Lehmann. The corner came out to Gary Holt whose shot made Lehmann work again.

More good play from Norwich... Huckerby beats Lauren and puts a cross dangerously across the face of goal. Toure hacks another cross clear and its crossed back in and a clear header is placed, fortunately, straight into Lehmann's hands.

Up the other end Pires found Fabregas near the penalty spot but his shot was easy for the Norwich keeper. 10 minutes to go, and Bergkamp and Edu came on for Fabregas and Reyes. Cesc had had another good game, but it was nice to see Edu back in the side again as well. Arguably our best central midfielder of last season, despite playing far less than Vieira and Gilberto, he looked well up-to-speed and not to be suffering for his (controversial) exertions for Brazil over the summer.

Bergkamp got into the action straight away with a lovely ball for Cole as he made a run into the box deep on the left. He might have had a go at goal as the keeper came to meet him, but decided to poke it square past him instead, and was a bit unlucky to see it go a bit too strong for Henry, in loads of space, to pick up the pass on the far side of goal.

Clichy came on for Pires a little after. Then Lehmann caught a cross on his line and was bundled into goal by 2 strikers jumping at him, the ball falling over the line. The foul was given, and it was particulary nice to see Lehmann completely failing to get visibly pissed off by the incident. As I've said before, now that he's calmer in that way he's looking quite superb. He made some good saves in this match and controlled his box nicely too.

Lauren was lucky not to get shown a second yellow card for a late tackle. So, lucky not to get sent off twice in this game, and getting roasted regularly by Huckerby. Seems to be our weak link at the moment, if there is one (to be fair to Lauren, you can easily be world class and yet still be the weakest player in this team).

In injury time Bergkamp made it 4. Clichy started it with a headed interception in the centre-circle, which came to Henry on the left wing. He hit a perfect pass to Dennnis just inside the box on the right. His first touch placed the ball just in front of him, just in the right place to swing his right foot at it almost in the same movement, almost without moving, and he whacked it inside the right hand post.

People will be saying that Norich will be heartened by their secodn half performance. Perhaps so. But as we know, Arsenal are not a team that gives it their all when they don't need to. This retention of energy is perhaps part of what goes to make up a run like we're experiencing. And another bonus effect might be that it helps to keep the confidence of teams like Norwich up. I don't think their second half performance means much, but if they think so, and if it helps them play better in their matches against our real challengers then all well and good!

Back on top with 4 out of 4. Man Utd are already 8 points behind but will surely be getting their act together soon (Rooney has got to be a great singing, for whoever gets him). Chelsea are the only team keeping pace, although at a slower pace as it were, getting another narrow win, this time at home to Southampton. Tottenham must be pinching themselves, in 3rd place. See table.

Rupe adds...
With regard to Bentley, it turns out that new Premier League rules stiplulate that no loan player can play for a Premiership club against the club to which they are primarily contracted. So that's why he wasn't playing against Arsenal. Wenger has said he's against this rule: "Unfortunately he cannot play," said Le Boss. "I would like him to. I did that with Pennant at Leeds and Jeffers at Everton last season. Why should I punish a player I want to give out on loan and secondly why should we stop a player who is playing regularly for his club. I find it difficult to come to a decision like that."