Arsenal produced a display of awesome power as they brushed hapless
Middlesbrough aside to replace Manchester United as leaders of the Premiership.
Arsene Wenger's six-shooters blasted their way to the top of the table as they
refused to let go of their title, and even if their stay lasts just 24 hours,
they have thrown down the gauntlet to Alex Ferguson's treble-chasers.
Two goals each from Nicolas Anelka and Nwankwo Kanu, and one apiece for Marc
Overmars and Patrick Vieira, took Arsenal's tally to 11 in six days, and all but
wiped out United's advantage in terms of goal difference.
It was Boro's heaviest defeat of the season, but it could have been even worse
as Patrick Vieira and Emmanuel Petit allowed Anelka to cause havoc every time he
got the ball.
Substitute Alun Armstrong pulled one back for Boro three minutes from time,
but the result was rarely in any doubt from the moment Overmars put Arsenal
ahead from the penalty spot after three minutes.
Dennis Bergkamp's loss was Anelka's gain as the Dutchman's groin injury paved
the way for the Frenchman to partner Kanu up front.
There were changes too at the back where Lee Dixon came in for Nelson Vivas
and Steve Bould teamed up with skipper Tony Adams in the absence of the
suspended Martin Keown.
Boro boss Bryan Robson also had selection problems with midfielders Paul
Gascoigne and Keith O'Neill ruled out through injury.
Robbie Mustoe replaced O'Neill and Robbie Stockdale returned from a one-match
ban for Steve Baker, while defender Gary Pallister passed a late fitness test on
a dead leg.
Boro had only lost once at the Riverside Stadium all season before kick-off
and went into the game determined to improve on the point they picked up at
Highbury in November.
But their hopes were shot down in flames as the Gunners produced a powerful
first-half display to signal their intentions to title rivals United and
Chelsea.
And it was the recalled Anelka who led the charge with a fine individual 45
minutes which cruelly exposed the weak spots in the home defence.
It took the Frenchman little more than two minutes to carve his way through,
and when Steve Vickers interrupted his progress with a mistimed challenge,
referee Mike Riley pointed straight to the spot.
Overmars, deputising for Bergkamp from 12 yards, drilled the ball straight up
the middle to beat Mark Schwarzer, and the bandwagon was rolling.
Arsenal simply had too much for Boro as Vieira and Petit took control in the
middle of the field, and although the Teessiders had their moments, it was
always going to be an uphill struggle.
Their cause was not helped shortly before half-time when defender Colin Cooper
departed injured, and things went downhill rapidly from there.
David Seaman had already pulled off one superb stop to keep out a Brian Deane
volley, but he surpassed that with a breathtaking save to keep out Dean Gordon's
effort three minutes before the break.
But in the meantime, Anelka had doubled
his side's lead with a cool 38th-minute finish after running on to Vieira's
beautifully-timed pass, and worse was to come for Robson's men.
Anelka's injury-time cross from the right arrived perfectly for Kanu to
side-foot home from close range to effectively seal victory with 45 minutes to
go.
If Boro expected the Gunners to drop the pace after the break, they were sadly
mistaken and Overmars was just wide on 50 minutes after Vieira and Anelka
created havoc down the right.
Hamilton Ricard squandered a good chance to pull one back five minutes later
after Gordon's determined run, but Arsenal flexed their muscles once again to
devastating effect to end the contest.
Vieira started and ended a deliciously-crafted move to make it four on 58
minutes, and then Kanu produced a sublime back-heeled finish to make it five
goals in an hour.
Ricard saw a free-kick come back off the upright on 71 minutes as the visitors
finally eased off, but it proved only to be a lull in the storm.
Anelka mesmerised the home defence as he twisted and turned his way into a
shooting position, and when he pulled the trigger from 20 yards, there was
nothing Schwarzer could do to deny him a 78th-minute sixth.
Only last-ditch blocks from Schwarzer and Vickers spared Boro's blushed with
10 minutes remaining as the men from Highbury ran riot.
Armstrong got a consolation goal for the home side three minutes from time
when he headed home Vladimir Kinder's free-kick, but the celebrations were
understandably muted.
Teams:
Middlesbrough: Schwarzer, Cooper (Kinder 37), Pallister,
Vickers, Stockdale (Summerbell 61), Mustoe,
Maddison (Armstrong 71), Townsend, Gordon, Deane, Ricard.
Subs Not Used: Beresford, Cambell.
Booked: Ricard, Summerbell.
Goals: Armstrong 87.
Arsenal: Seaman, Dixon, Bould, Adams, Winterburn, Parlour,
Vieira, Petit (Hughes 86), Overmars (Diawara 70), Anelka,
Kanu (Vivas 79).
Subs Not Used: Lukic, Grimandi.
Goals: Overmars 4 pen, Anelka 38, Kanu 45, Vieira 58, Kanu 60,
Anelka 78.
Att: 34,630
Ref: M Riley (Leeds).
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