Arsenal emphasised their Barclays Premier League title
credentials by becoming the first side to win at Eastlands in the
league this season.
Two goals from Emmanuel Adebayor and one from Eduardo da Silva
earned them a 3-1 win which keeps the pressure on Manchester United
and Chelsea.
Gelson Fernandes did manage to pull one back for City, but it
was in effect a token gesture.
Arsenal played with a composure that comes with losing only one
game in the league and that was to Middlesbrough months ago.
City almost took the lead early on when Dietmar Hamann played
the ball forward. However, Stephen Ireland failed to read the
situation and a grateful Jens Lehmann was able to make the
save.
That seemed to act as a wake-up call to Arsene Wenger's side,
who took the lead in the ninth minute after Martin Petrov
carelessly lost possession.
Bacary Sagna took advantage and delivered a cross into
Adebayor's path, with the Togo striker bundling home with the aid
of a deflection off Micah Richards.
Sagna was again given room down the right in the 21st minute but
put too much weight on the cross and the chance was lost.
Arsenal extended their lead in the 25th minute when Eduardo
scored with a superb overhead kick after a header down from
Adebayor.
It was marvellous effort by the Brazil-born Croatia striker, but
City were thrown a lifeline in the 27th minute after Gael Clichy
was caught napping.
He lost possession on the byline to Vedran Corluka and the
Croatian picked out Fernandes. The midfielder calmly slotted his
close-range effort beyond Lehmann for his second goal for the
club.
It was Arsenal, however, who continued to look the more
dangerous of the two teams going forward.
Adebayor almost extended their lead in the 30th minute when he
got on the end of a cross from Sagna, but goalkeeper Joe Hart stood
tall and managed to parry the ball to safety.
Then William Gallas raced forward and sent a shot wide after
Adebayor's effort had only been partially cleared.
The home fans were getting frustrated at the lack of devil shown
by their side when they did get forward.
Petrov scuffed a shot wide in stoppage-time after being released
by Ireland.
Gallas then picked out Cesc Fabregas in the 54th minute on the
edge of the area. He tried to chip Hart from an acute angle, but
his effort cleared the crossbar.
City boss Sven-Goran Eriksson then made a change a minute later
as Daniel Sturridge was not getting any change from Gallas.
The experienced Darius Vassell came on, but it was Arsenal who
continued to dictate the pace.
Adebayor set up Fabregas in a good position in the 58th minute,
but his effort failed to trouble Hart and went over the
crossbar.
Eriksson, normally so passive, was out of his technical area,
trying to urge his team forward.
And City came close to grabbing the equaliser in the 66th minute
when Vassell got on the end of a ball from Hamann, only for Lehmann
to kick it clear.
Elano, who had been quiet, latched onto the rebound but lofted
his effort over the top.
City had a scare in the 77th minute when Arsenal launched a
swift counter-attack. Adebayor picked out Eduardo on the left and
he tried to release Fabregas, only for Michael Ball to make a
timely interception.
Fabregas then chipped the ball into Adebayor, but he was unable
to get any power on his header.
Adebayor sealed the victory two minutes from time with his
second goal of the game following a neat build-up involving
Fabregas.
http://soccernet-akamai.espn.go.com/report?id=220306&cc=4716
