Arsenal are beginning to restate their case for consideration as the only serious alternatives to Manchester United as Premiership champions. Behind the claim is the growing strength of Arsene Wenger's options at Highbury, although he is still in the market for another striker.
In their last two home league matches Arsenal have defeated Leeds United, the Premiership leaders, 2-0 and Sunderland, starting Saturday in fourth place, 4-1. They have done so, moreover, while lacking the services of Dennis Bergkamp, their principal creative influence, and this win was achieved in the absence of not only Bergkamp but Tony Adams, Marc Overmars and Nwankwo Kanu.
Arsenal meet Manchester United at Old Trafford a week today. Wenger doubts whether Bergkamp will be fit, but at least he knows that his team will not need Dutch courage for their most important domestic fixture of the season so far.
Before the United game Arsenal face an FA Cup replay against Leicester at Filbert Street. "I believe that if we do well at Leicester we will feel confident for United," said Wenger. "We do have the quality and potential to do well at Old Trafford."
Saturday's victory was distinguished by two slickly taken goals from Thierry Henry and a wonderful piece of opportunism from Davor Suker, who also scored with a tap-in. Equally significant was the way Arsenal's defence managed, in Adams's absence, to cope with the prolific partnership of Kevin Phillips and Niall Quinn.
Oleg Luzhny, normally a right back, played on the left side of Martin Keown with no hope of beating Quinn in the air. Yet the Ukrainian still managed to reduce Quinn's effectiveness through persistent hustling.
Overall, the main reason why Sunderland were over-run before half-time and kept at arm's length thereafter lay in the continuing excellence of Patrick Vieira and Emmanuel Petit in midfield. One cross-field pass from Petit to Suker midway through the first half, beautifully timed to reach the Croatian through a closing gap, was football's equivalent of the perfect cover drive.
The speed of Henry might have brought him a goal after just 20 seconds but for Thomas Sorensen's save. As it was, Henry put Arsenal ahead on three minutes when a ball from Fredrik Ljungberg enabled him to turn inside Steve Bould and drive in a shot off Sorensen's knee.
Bould, Quinn and Stefan Schwarz are Highbury old boys; by half-time they must have felt even older. In the 27th minute Suker gathered a square pass from Henry to the left of goal, spotted Sorensen off his line and proceeded to loop a gloriously impudent shot over the Dane and into the net via the far post.
"A Suker goal," was how Wenger described it. Certainly the Croatian has a penchant for lobbing Danes, witness his towering shot against Peter Schmeichel in Euro 96.
Henry set up Suker's second after twisting past Paul Butler on the byline and turned Bould once more to add Arsenal's fourth nine minutes from the end, Quinn having toe-poked Sunderland's goal immediately after half-time.
Sunderland, who lost 5-0 at Everton on St Stephen's Day, have now taken one point from four matches and meet the Premiership leaders Leeds next Sunday with Newcastle to follow.
"You can't give fours and fives away at this level," Peter Reid sighed. This match, for all Reid's sterling efforts as manager, put his team into better perspective.
Arsenal: Seaman, Dixon, Keown, Silvinho, Luzhny, Parlour, Vieira, Petit, Ljungberg (Malz 31), Henry (Barrett 83), Suker. Subs Not Used: Winterburn, Manninger, Hughes. Goals: Henry 3, Suker 27, 32, Henry 81.
Sunderland: Sorensen, Makin (Williams 61), Bould, Butler, Gray, Summerbee (Kilbane 71), McCann, Roy, Schwarz, Phillips, Quinn. Subs Not Used: Marriott, Rae, Craddock. Booked: Makin, Roy. Goals: Quinn 46.
Referee: P Alcock (Halstead).
