SOCCER/Champions League: Arsenal took an emphatic stride towards the quarter-finals of the Champions League here last night when they swept aside Bayer Leverkusen, the new German league leaders, with some memorable attacking football.
A lone dash by Robert Pires saw Arsenal take the lead after six minutes, Thierry Henry increasing it two minutes later after a wonderful passing movement.
Patrick Vieira headed their third at the start of the second half and Dennis Bergkamp added an impudent fourth seven minutes from the end when he lobbed the Bayer goalkeeper from just outside the penalty area. Zoltan Sebescen scored Bayer's goal from a tight angle in the 86th minute.
Arsenal stand level on points with Deportivo La Coruna at the top of the table after the Spanish team beat Juventus 2-0 last night, with Juve's Edgar Davids sent off.
Given the weakened state of a defence and midfield hit by injuries and suspensions, it appeared particularly important for Arsenal last night that Vieira protected their back four as well as maintaining links with the attack. Not that this turned out to be quite the case.
Hoping to contain Arsenal's brisk, free-flowing style, Klaus Toppmoller, the Bayer coach, sacrificed his most creative force, Yildiray Basturk, in order to have Carsten Ramelow patrolling the back of his midfield and keeping a weather eye out for Henry.
Arsenal's response was to use Ramelow as a marker for an astonishing burst of attacking play which brought them a goal in the fifth minute and another in the seventh. Each time Bayer paid heavily for failing to close down the space around the man in possession, not that they had much chance to realise what was happening.
The first goal was simplicity itself as Vieira won the ball with a sliding tackle which at the same time launched Pires through a wide and inviting corridor in the Bayer half. The Frenchman outpaced a spreadeagled defence before driving a low shot into the far corner of the net.
Arsenal's second goal was one to treasure, an immaculate example of scoring on the break. Pires, deep in his own half, appeared to be about to pass back to David Seaman but instead found Bergkamp, who exchanged passes with Vieira before taking the ball on at speed through the middle.
The Dutchman sent Sylvain Wiltord past the defence on the right, Wiltord's cross, low and true, reached Henry at the far post and Highbury could have been forgiven for wondering how Leverkusen had just gone top of the Bundesliga.
Oliver Neuville's speed on the right probed at a potential weak point in Arsenal's defence caused by the loss through injury of the naturally left-footed Ashley Cole and Giovanni van Bronckhorst, who is likely to be out for nine months. Yet Arsenal continued to dominate the match and came close to scoring a third goal midway through the half when Henry's corner was met by a header from Igor Stepanovs which Jorg Butt managed to tip onto and over the crossbar.
Toppmoller introduced Basturk for the second half but Bayer needed rather more than one man could provide. In any case, Arsenal wasted little time increasing their lead.
The goal followed a free-kick from Henry on the right. Dimitar Berbatov, another substitute, outjumped Wiltord as the ball sailed into the goalmouth but could only deflect it towards the far post and Vieira's diving head did the rest.
ARSENAL: Seaman, Dixon, Campbell, Stepanovs, Lauren (Inamoto 84), Wiltord (Pennant 90), Vieira, Grimandi (Edu 67), Pires, Henry, Bergkamp. Subs Not Used: Wright, Tavlaridis, Aliadiere, Volz. Goals: Pires 5, Henry 7, Vieira 48, Bergkamp 83.
BAYER LEVERKUSEN: Butt, Zivkovic (Sebescen 74), Lucio, Nowotny, Placente, Schneider (Basturk 45), Ramelow, Ballack, Ze Roberto, Kirsten (Berbatov 45), Neuville. Subs Not Used: Juric, Vranjes, Brdaric, Kleine. Booked: Ballack, Zivkovic, Ramelow. Goals: Sebescen 86.
Referee: A Hamer (Luxembourg).
