Substitute Robert Pires scored with his first touch at Pride Park to keep Arsenal on course for the Champions League.

The Frenchman calmly slotted home last in the second half after Mart Poom had kept out a Sylvain Wiltord shot to increase the Gunners' advantage over the chasing pack.

Arsene Wenger's men, who had taken the lead through Kanu only to be pegged back by Stefano Eranio's header on the stroke of half-time, remain in the runners-up spot with a four-point buffer to Leeds and Ipswich.

Derby, meanwhile, often outclassed by the visitors, are still not safe from the drop with just Manchester United and Ipswich to play.

David O'Leary's side's 2-0 victory over Chelsea earlier in the day upped the pre-match pressure on Arsenal, whose away record leaves a lot to be desired.

Just four wins outside Highbury previously had hampered the Gunners' challenge to Manchester United for the Premiership title.

But Pires' late strike provided a cure for their travel sickness and while there is still work to be done a place in Europe's premier club competition should be almost a formality.

Alittle time in getting started and Wiltord, preferred to fellow Frenchman and top scorer Thierry Henry up front, appeared on the right flank to deliver a teasing ball to strike partner Kanu.

The languid Nigerian displayed his usual fleet of foot to engineer space in the area but Mart Poom read the danger and smothered at his feet.

The visitors sprayed the ball around with some style and they found an end product in the 20th minute.

With the rain beginning to lash down on the Pride Park turf, Arsenal slickly carved upon the Derby defence.

Ashley Cole burst forward and the full-back's slide-rule pass sent Wiltord scampering to the left byline, he in turn centred and Kanu calmly sidefooted past Poom from six yards with the Derby defence seemingly preoccupied with half-hearted offside appeals.

Fredrik Ljungberg almost took advantage of Rory Delap's collision, which left the French midfielder needing lengthy treatment, but Poom clutched the well-struck drive.

Kanu conjured up the visitors next effort, teeing himself up before letting fly from 20 yards and forcing Poom into a diving save to his right.

The former Inter Milan forward then invited Wiltord to race beyond the Rams' backline but his scuffed left-foot shot from the edge of the box rolled wide.

Chris Riggott prevented Kanu doubling the lead with a carbon copy of the first, clearing off the line after Poom had got a hand to his toepoke.

And from their first effort on target, Derby found an equaliser in first-half injury-time.

Delap dashed down the right and lifted the ball towards the far post, Tony Adams deflected the cross and Eranio buried a header past David Seaman.

Derby began the second half with more purpose yet could have been behind again two minutes in when Poom's reactions kept out a miskick by his own defender Horacio Carbonari, under pressure from Kanu.

The Argentinian centre-back's next meaningful contribution to the contest had a lot more purpose - and the majority of the crowd off their seats.

Darren Gough and Glenn McGrath will be going head-to-head in the Ashes battle in a couple of months but Carbonari put in his own contender for fastest delivery of the summer in the 53rd-minute.

He stepped up to the 25-yard free-kick and flashed the ball past Seaman's left-hand post almost before the England goalkeeper could move.

A series of niggly fouls plagued a frenetic 15 minutes on the resumption and from the last in a long line, on the hour mark, Vieira planted a diving header from Lee Dixon cross the wrong side of an upright with Poom helpless.

Wenger, no doubt realising the importance a fifth away victory might have, sought an extra attacking option by introducing Henry in place of Lauren midway through the half.

Seaman was forced to tip over a looping Giorgi Kinkladze shot as Derby looked for a second but it was their opponents that found one 11 minutes from time.

Wiltord had just watched Poom hold a 20-yard curler when Henry's gallop down the left found him unmarked in the box.

His instinctive sidefoot was brilliantly kept out by Poom but the Estonian's flailing legs only succeeded in directing the ball into path of Pires, only on the field a minute, who calmly deposited it into the top corner.

Teams

Derby: Poom, Delap, Riggott, Carbonari, Higginbotham, Boertien, Eranio, Burley (Murray 66), Johnson, Kinkladze (Gudjonsson 86), Christie (Burton 78).

Subs Not Used: Mawene, Grant.

Booked: Boertien, Johnson, Higginbotham.

Goals: Eranio 45.

Arsenal: Seaman, Dixon, Keown, Adams, Cole, Vieira, Lauren (Henry 67), Ljungberg (Pires 78), Grimandi, Kanu (Manninger 89), Wiltord.

Subs Not Used: Parlour, Upson.

Booked: Kanu, Ljungberg, Adams.

Goals: Kanu 21, Pires 80.

Att: 29,567

Ref: G Barber (Tring).

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