Arsenal:
                  Lehmann
        Lauren Cygan Senderos Cole
Ljungberg Vieira Edu (Flamini 74) Reyes (Cesc 82)
        Bergkamp (Pires 74) Henry

There were 3 very promising points to note on the line-up. First, Cygan and Senderos made an effective central defensive partnership, and the latter showed signs of being closer to readyness than I for one had given him credit for. His positioning in particular was excellent.

Lehmann had very little to do, but there have been times in the past when this hasn't stopped him from making some sort of crazy blunder. In this game he gave us no cause for concern, and made a decent stop or 2.

And in midfield Edu returned and showed that, as Wenger promised, we probably don't need to worry about his commitment. His industry, vision, and passing made a huge difference in the middle of the park and elsewhere, and his performance overall reminded us that we will miss him if as seems inevitable he leaves us in the summer. Someone's going to get a bargain there. It was all the more impressive for the fact that he's come straight back into first team action without so much as a run-out for the reserves.

As early as the 3rd minute, Sorensen was forced into an excellent double save. He got behind Bergkamp's quick shot, spilled it, and then got up quickly to deny Henry's close-range effort on the follow-up. Shortly after, a shot from Cole gave him a somewhat easier task.

On 7 minutes a great move set up a chance for the skipper. Bergkamp played the ball from wide left and Reyes got a flick which took it on to Vieira in the middle of the box - a good chance but he miskicked.

2 minutes later Edu played a perfect, Bergkampesque, ball through the defence for Freddie who was lurking just outside the box concentrating on staying onside. It looked too strong a ball at first but Freddie's burst of pace got him there just ahead of Sorensen and, from the left of goal, he played a great chip over the edge of the keeper and just inside the far post.

On 10 minutes Angel was put through, beating the offside trap (a rare event for Villa in this game, to be fair to the Arsenal back line). He tried to cut it back from the goal-line but it was deflected off a defender in front of him which took the ball forward towards goal, and Lehmann did well to react. 30 seconds later Lehmann did well again, coming out to pick the ball off Angel's toe as it bounced towards him - the striker's first touch on the edge of the box having been just strong enough to give the keeper that opportunity.

On 12 minutes Edu linked up nicely with Reyes, got the ball back, then hit a terrific strike from outside the box on the left which came back off the far post. It fell to Henry who missed the virtually open goal - a real sitter.

A minute later though, it was 2. Vieira made a good interception 10 yards outside the box and slipped a diagonal ball into the box on the left for Henry. From pretty much the same place as Ljungberg, he also finished by hitting his shot inside the far post, but this time it was a low shot. Henry's first goal for something like 8 games - his longest dry spell since he discovered he was a centre forward.

And just before the half hour the game was virtually over as a contest when we scored what must be a contender for goal of the season. Harlem globetrotters stuff like we saw at the beginnning of the season. Henry battled brilliantly on the right touchline, holding onto the ball despite the close attention of 2 or 3 Villa players then dribbling away from them. He hit a long cross-field ball to Bergkamp on the left wing, who saw Cole powering up inside him and flicked the ball into the full-back's path with his first touch. Cole charged on and, again from inside the box on the left (but further out than the position Henry and Freddie has scored from) he whacked it inside the far post.

Vieira had a half chance a few minutes before half-time. A quick break took the ball to him on the right outside the box. He might have had a go straight away but instead took his time only to see that as his teammates came up to join him the defence were tracking back and denying an easy opportunity to set someone else up. So he went back to plan A and hit a shot which just beat the keeper but just missed the far post - not bad for a left-foot effort.

There was time for one more amazing break before the break. Reyes charged up the left from Lehmann's throw and squared the ball across the box. Cole had made another run inside the winger into the box but let it go through to Henry in a more central position. But the ball popped up a bit and though he managed to keep his shot down the aim was off, and it went down into the ground and bounced up just wide of the left post.

It probably should have been 4 a minute after the re-start. Henry put Reyes through on the left, and Freddie made a run into space on the far side of the box, but Jose delayed his pass, allowing a defender to get back and intercept it easily.

On the hour Henry beat Jlloyd Samuel on the left wing and raced forward with the ball before laying it off for Bergkamp. He was caught by Djemba-Djemba just outside the box, in a very nice position for a free kick, but the ref played a dubious advantage which quickly came to nothing, before booking the Villa debutant at the next stop in play.

Villa did start to come back into things, perhaps partly through raising their tempo and letting Djemba-Djemba's aggression be their guide (and fair play to them - that's the way to play against this Arsenal as Man Utd have shown so often). A quarter of an hour from the end they got their goal and a pretty nice one too. De la Criz played a one-two with someone on their right and got near the goal-line from where he cut it back to Angel who'd found space in the box and finished well.

Straight after that, Arsenal made 2 changes with Flamini and Pires coming on for Edu and Dennis.

Angle put in a dangerous cross from the right wing towards a couple of Villa shirst in our box, and Lehmann did really well to dive bravely at it and punch clear. It came out to Solano who sliced his shot badly.

But if Villa were coming ionto it more, Arsenal weren't finished for the day either. A terrific move involving interplay between Freddie and Pires on the right, then cross-field to Cole and Reyes on the left, ended with a nice cross from Cole which Freddie had to stretch for just a bit too much and couldn't control it.

Another nice break with 10 minutes to go saw Pires feed Henry then follow him up. Henry beat his man and got to the edge of the box, and probably should have had a go at goal himself rather than trying to set up Pires who'd strayed offside.

Cesc came on for Reyes, and Hitzlsberger came close with a long-range free-kick.

Finally Pires got a bit unlucky after another quick break. Freddie slipped the ball through to him on the left and his shot took a slight deflection off Mellberg which was just enough to take the ball onto the outside of the near post.

United won too, but Chelsea only managed a draw at home to Birmingham. Still, all we can do at the moment is look to maintain the form of this game, and hope for the breaks against Bayern Munich.