Over-confidence may have cost Arsenal the title last year but the Gunners
survived a major second-half scare against Charlton to increase their
Premiership lead to a seemingly unassailable nine points.
Arsenal looked to have sealed a routine victory at home to Alan Curbishley's
side within just four minutes at Highbury.
After all, Robert Pires struck his 50th goal for the club on his 157th start
with just two minutes gone and Thierry Henry took his Premiership tally to 20
before Charlton could recover their heads.
Thereafter, however, Arsenal went through their full repertoire of tricks and
flicks without ever making the most of their clear advantage.
And they were made to pay for relaxing their grip when Claus Jensen pulled a
goal back with a free-kick 30 minutes still left to play.
It could all have gone horribly wrong for Arsenal when Charlton substitute
Jonatan Johansson struck the post deep into injury-time.
But while Arsenal squandered numerous leads last season in allowing their
title advantage to slip away, this time they held on.
Indeed, while there were several nervous moments in the Arsenal defence, it is
still Manchester United who have their finger firmly pressed on the
self-destruct button.
After all, it was ironically a strike by a former Arsenal player, Luis Boa
Morte, to equalise for Fulham against Manchester United that underlined the
Gunners' Premiership superiority.
After all, while they may not yet live up to FIFA president Sepp Blatter's
assertion of being the best side in the world, their control of the Premiership
is currently undeniable with a nine-point lead.
Their unbeaten Premiership run since the start of the season now extends to 27
games and it was 300 days since last league defeat - at home to Leeds last May -
when Charlton arrived at Highbury.
With just over 90 seconds gone though, Alan Curbishley's side were on the back
foot as Pires capped a superb flowing move, finishing off a cross from Fredrik
Ljungberg after the Swede had exchanged passes with Henry.
Charlton had not even recovered their composure from that blow before Arsenal
struck again, with Patrick Vieira bursting clear down the left flank.
The French international crossed to his compatriot, Henry, who outwitted
Jonathan Fortune and Hermann Hreidarsson with his instinctive control and
finish.
Arsenal thereafter rather toyed with their over-run opponents, with some of
their one-touch play being exquisite.
But while shots rained down on Kiely's goal from all angles, Ljungberg,
Vieira, Edu and Henry all failed to beat the keeper again before the break.
Instead, the Gunners started to relax on their lead, while Charlton
desperately tried to raise the tempo on the break.
While Paolo di Canio half-volleyed just wide and Jensen sent a chip just over
the bar, there was nothing they could do to disrupt Arsenal's flow before the
interval.
But the second-half was nevertheless a rather different story. Arsenal still
retained the edge in class yet Charlton simply refused to give up.
Ashley Cole had to produce a fine covering tackle on his Charlton namesake
Carlton, while Graham Stuart and di Canio both had fierce shots blocked.
When Lauren was harshly penalised for a tackle on di Canio, Jensen promptly
curled the ensuing free-kick past Jens Lehmann from 20 yards out.
Arsenal were at least now awoken from their complacency. Within a minute,
Henry was denied by Kiely's legs and Vieira then headed wide from a free-kick
with the goal at his mercy.
Kiely also tipped Henry's free-kick around the post, while the Frenchman
clipped the bar with a cross-shot as snow began to fall.
Wenger's response, meanwhile, was to bring on Gilberto and Reyes for Bergkamp
and Ljungberg with 16 minutes left, while Curbishley replaced Radostin Kishishev
with Paul Konchesky.
There was no way that Arsenal could take anything for granted, with Cole's
deep cross evading Lehmann only for Stuart to head the ball back across goal.
Arsenal had chances of their own, with Reyes flashing a shot wide, but the
title looked inexorably bound for Highbury when Johansson's shot bounced - as if
in slow motion - against the post and out to safety.
Teams
Arsenal Lehmann, Lauren, Campbell, Toure, Cole,
Ljungberg (Silva 74), Vieira, Edu, Pires (Cygan 88),
Bergkamp (Reyes 74), Henry.
Subs Not Used: Taylor, Kanu.
Goals: Pires 2, Henry 4.
Charlton Kiely, Kishishev (Johansson 78), Fortune, Fish,
Hreidarsson, Young, Holland, Jensen, Stuart, Di Canio, Cole.
Subs Not Used: Bartlett, Konchesky, Turner, Royce.
Goals: Jensen 59.
Att: 38,137
Ref: G Barber (Hertfordshire).
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