Arsenal completed a run of nine games in 28 days yesterday with what any team faced with such a punishing schedule deserves: a breather.
That is what a home match against Coventry represents these days, for Gordon Strachan's side are the only side in the four divisions not to have won away, and the ineptness of yesterday's performance went a long way to explaining why.
The comprehensive nature of Arsenal's victory, which lifted them to fourth in the table and a little closer to the third Champions League qualifying spot they covet, was never reflected in the scoreline.
Only a series of acrobatic saves from Steve Ogrizovic, that no normal 42-year-old should think about attempting, kept the Arsenal tally below double figures.
Goals from Thierry Henry, Gilles Grimandi and Nwankwo Kanu pocketed the points and left Strachan with nowhere to hide.
"We were beaten by a more intelligent team, a quicker team, a better team," he was honest enough to admit. "It was a non-event for us and disappointing when you know you've wasted a week at training." As for an explanation of his side's desperate away form, Strachan remains stumped.
It took the home team half an hour to test Ogrizovic, playing his first senior game since December 1998. His first save was a well-timed block from Thursday's hat-trick hero against Werder Bremen, Ray Parlour; his second a flying one-handed stop to deny Oleg Luzhny. Shortly after the break he thwarted Marc Overmars, who had been released by Bergkamp's sumptuous through pass.
However, three minutes later, Ogrizovic was once again left exposed by his defence as Patrick Vieira's through-ball found Thierry Henry, who tucked away his 18th goal of the season. Arsenal were now in the mood, but so was Ogrizovic. Emmanuel Petit, influential all afternoon, curled in a 25-yard free-kick which the keeper pushed wide. Then when then the Frenchman hit the post it rebounded to Overmars whose shot found Ogrizovic's giant frame arriving in the nick of time.
The second-oldest keeper to play in the Premiership behind John Burridge then outdid himself with a one-handed tip away to deny an 18-yard first-time shot from the unbelieving Overmars. However on 78 minutes Arsenal, with some inevitably, increased their lead when Petit's free-kick was half-cleared to Grimandi, who scored from close range.
Arsenal scored their third after Petit's through ball was finished by the cool Kanu.
ARSENAL: Seaman, Dixon, Luzhny, Grimandi, Winterburn, Parlour, Vieira, Petit, Overmars (Suker 80), Bergkamp (Kanu 68), Henry (Ljungberg 75). Subs Not Used: Manninger, Silvinho. Booked: Vieira. Goals: Henry 50, Grimandi 79, Kanu 80.
COVENTRY: Ogrizovic, Shaw, Gustafsson (Telfer 63), Hendry, Chippo, McAllister, Eustace, Froggatt, Hadji (Normann 71), Whelan, Roussel. Subs Not Used: Breen, Quinn, Kirkland. Booked: Gustafsson, Chippo.
Referee: B Knight (Orpington).
