Arsenal:
                   Lehmann
           Lauren Toure Campbell Cole
Pires (van Persie 70) Gilberto Cesc Hleb (Bergkamp 61)
         Reyes Ljungberg (Flamini 87)

The visitors started quite well, and just a couple of minutes in Heskey powered his way through and poked the ball past Lehmann. But he put no pace on it and fortunately no other blue shirts followed up quickly enough to stop Ashley Cole making a fairly comfortable clearance from the goal box.

Just a few minutes later Pennant got past Fabregas and hit a great cross but Heskey got the near post header all wrong.

Birmingham lost Kenny Cunningham on 24 minutes when Gilberto's sublime pass through the defence, and Freddie's usual excellent timing, sent the latter bearing down on goal. Or should have, if Cunningham hadn't taken his legs away. It was a clear foul and clearly the last defender. Steve Bruce tried to argue later that he shouldn't have been sent off because although it was the right decision according to the laws, it made the game less of a "spectacle". Quite right Steve, and well done for showing such restraint in not trying to lead your team off the pitch in protest.

But he's right that it was a turning-point. Birmingham's early confidence was rockedm and Arsenal's was boosted. Reyes caught the resulting free-kick pretty well, and Taylor made a good save to tip it over the bar.

On 35 minutes Jose broke into the box and was tackled expertly by Dominic Johnson. But as Freddie nipped in to pick up the loose ball and take it into space by the spot Johnson, from a prone position, raised his legs to stop Freddie getting past. A blatant penalty and, I thought, Johnson was lucky not to get shown a yellow card.

Pires stepped up to take the penalty and took a bit of a crap one to be frank. In fact he took it very similarly to the one he scored against Ajax last week, when the keeper went the wrong way... which does pour a bit of doubt on my conclusion that Bobby saw the keeper move that time.

This time, the keeper went the right way. Pires was first to the ball but Taylor was well placed and tha ball went wide left, so all the Arsenal man could do was put it into the side-netting.

This really galvanised the Arsenal and we had several chances in the few remaining minutes bfroe halftime. Cole flashed a cross across the face of goal and then Reyes went close with no fewer than four chances in a row.

It was all Arsenal as the second half started too. Hleb's shot was charged down and then Pennant had a free kick which Pires headed clear. It came to Reyes who race forward before sliding a pass across the box for Freddie. He hit it first time and forced Taylor into a breathtaking reaction save.

Then Reyes chipped a pass into the box which Pires chested on and knocked towards the inside of the far post, Taylor diving and getting the faintest of touches... just enough to get the ball to contact enough of that post not to go in.

Bergkamp came on for Hleb with half an hour to go, and shortly after Reyes dribbling craeted abnother chance for himself but again Taylor saved.

It was all looking familiar, loads of pressure, no result. And Birmingham nearly made us pay when two former Gunners combined in about the 75th minute... Matthew Upson getting highest in the box to head a Pennant free kick just over Lehmann's crossbar.

But then came the goal. Van Persie, on for Pires, hit the ball from outside the box to the right of the D, and it may or may not have been creeping just inside the post. But former Tottenham player Stephen Clemence stuck out a leg in the box and just caught enough of it to deflect it a yard or so. Not a huge deflection, and Taylor had not committed himself early, so he must have been gutted to see it bounce over his body.

A well deserved but slightly jammy win. We'll take it.

Rupe adds...
Robin van Persie's goal was taken away from him by the FA's Goal-Thieving committee. Apparently it took enough of a deflection to be counted as an own goal. Outrageous, especially when you think about the number of deflected shots the likes of Lampard get credited with. Perhaps they decided that deflection plus goalkeeping howler equals own goal.