Arsenal:
           Almunia
     Lauren Campbell Toure Cole
Pires Vieira Flamini Reyes (Cesc 89)
      Henry Bergkamp

We nearly went one up in the first minute with a classic Arsenal move. Vieira brought the ball out of defence and via Flamini and a Bergkamp flick it came to Henry on the left. Cole made himself available on the overlap and hit a lovely cross beyond the far post to Pires who stooped to head it toiwards the goalline. Couldn't quite see exactly what happened but I think there were ricochets off a defender, and Given, before the keeper was able to claim. In the meantime Flamini had swung at it a couple of times from a yard out but the path to goal was blocked.

There was a bit of pressure from the visitors after that. Shearer put Bowyer through but Arsenal closed him down well and won it back.

Just after 10 minutes gone and we came close again. Reyes was put through on the left and squared for Henry, but it was just too strong for him to gather and get a shot away so he poked it wide to Pires on the right (Freddie was a late absentee with a hamstring problem). Bobby took the ball forward before cutting it back to Henry on the edge of the box from where he dragged his shot wide, so much so that it almost turned into a pass for Dennis coming in on the left hand post.

It was Dennis that got the goal on 20 minutes, thanks to a splendid bit of control by Flamini in the box on the right, and then a little flick into Bergkamp's path. He raced in, touched the ball on, and slotted it low past Given.

Almost immediately we came close again when Reyes again squared from the left for Henry in the D. This time he was able to get a shot in and forced Given to make a good save tipping it round the post. But still, Henry acknowledged to Pires that a pass to him, in the clear on the right, might have been better.

On the half hour Ameobi beat Campbell easily on the left, but when he cut it back for Bowyer the shot was sliced high and wide. Bergkamp volleyed a difficult chance short of the near post, and them Ameobi had a chance himself with a header that also went wide.

Pires hit a sweet shot from 25 yards that curled outwards and had Given beat, but curled just a little too much and went a foot past the post.

Campbell did Bowyer a favour when he got up quickly following a bad foul, but no-one else was doing the nasty little man any favours (Bergkamp's little tread on his foot was missed by the officials, fortunately) and he was becoming the centre of attention. More big fouls from Bowyer didn't help matters, and there was a certain inevitability about his booking.

Right at the start of the second half Reyes went on a great run half the length of the pitch and when he cut it back the ball ricocheted out for a corner. Henry took a good one ( a few more good ones in this match overall which is good to see) but a defender managed to head it out of the 6 yard box just in front of Toure, to save a certain goal.

Henry's free kick forced a good scrambling save out of Given. The ball came out to Toure who played a 1-2 with Bergkamp to get into the box and was then caught by a defender as he was about to shoot, just enough to put him off and send it wide.

Then Henry was put in on the left of the box and did well to beat his man before chipping a shot onto the far post and out.

Halfway through the half and Henry won a corner and took another good one. It went over Campbell's head towards Toure who had to stretch to get to it and only managed to glance it just beyond the far post.

Pires forced another good save out of Given with a firm low shot after good interplay between Reyes and Vieira had set him up. Then Henry was put clear on Given and went down under challenge, but nothing was given despite definite contact.

Henry was put in again but miscontrolled in front of goal. But he chased the ball and recovered it wide on the right. When he put it in again it was Reyes' turn to miskick it, right in front of goal again.

Henry forced another terrific reaction save after being supplied by a great ball from Dennis. Then Flamini saw a half-chance deflected for a corner.

Bowyer had a good chance after being set up by Ameobi on the left of our box. He stepped inside a defender but hit his shot straight at Almunia. It was low and could have nutmegged him but the keeper got down on it well, ended up sitting on the ball in fact. This prompted a bit of a flurry of activity from United, which was a bit worrying. Cesc came on for Reyes to bolster the midfield, and in injury time Shearer headed a decent chance wide.

We're probably too far behind Chelsea now. Arsenal can come good but can hardly expect Chelsea to slip up enough to let us in. But this was an important win not only because it took us back into second place but also because we need a good run of form going into the forthcoming cup games.