Arsenal flex their muscle

SOCCER/FA PREMIERSHIP - Arsenal ... 2 Everton ... 1: After so much shimmer and anti-climax Arsenal needed to get back to basics, but Highbury cannot rejoice in grunt and grimace. The fans have seldom come to admire the brawn of Dennis Bergkamp, yet they were relieved here yesterday by the coarse wrestling with David Unsworth that set up Patrick Vieira's winner. The crowd's noise only swelled late on with the desire to urge the side through this trial.

Everyone knows now what it is like to see Arsene Wenger's signings slog their way to a win. The exertion summoned up so soon after being eliminated from the Champions League let them lever themselves back to the top of the Premiership, but they had better have strength in reserve if they remain as predictable as this.

The win over Everton did reveal the side locating the doggedness it had misplaced in Europe. When Wayne Rooney equalised for the visitors there were overtones of those fading Arsenal displays that let Ajax and Roma scamper away from Highbury with draws. Bergkamp averted a similar conclusion by employing the intermittent aggression with which he punctuates his virtuosity.

While earning a living over a long career in three countries he has cultivated his punitive streak. Alan Stubbs may have felt it in the first half when one could not be absolutely sure that Bergkamp might not have avoided treading on the defender as he went down. Everton were suspicious then and launched into full-blown protest at the winner. The forward, pursuing a Thierry Henry header in the 64th minute, struggled with Unsworth and threw an arm across him.

The referee, Alan Wiley, may just have been justified in his belief he was watching nothing more than two rivals flexing their muscles and, deep down, Everton must also feel their left back had not competed vigorously enough. With the ball running free and Freddie Ljungberg adding to the confusion as he sprawled in a seemingly offside position, Vieira smashed in the decider from close range.

The goal was crude and this was also rough justice for David Moyes's team. Through the simple expedient of using Joseph Yobo as a right back who could step inside as a third centre half when needed, they bottled up Arsenal, highlighted Wenger's dependence on Henry and gave themselves the basis to dominate stretches of the game.

Everton are now out of the Champions League places but we have surely not seen the last of their bid to claim one. The morale in the ranks must be good if they could not be deflected by the amateurishness with which they conceded a goal in the eighth minute. Pascal Cygan headed in Henry's corner kick with absurd ease.

You could not even claim that the Frenchman had lost his marker because Kevin Campbell was never on his trail. A goal for the often-derided Cygan brought him some respite, but at present he cannot expect to be undisturbed for long. Rooney, making his first start since New Year's Day, regularly distressed the centre half with his skills.

The groin strain suffered by Tomasz Radzinski was worse news for Arsenal than it was for Everton, excellent as the Canadian has been. A way was opened up for Rooney to re-enter the line-up against the opponents who endured his first Premiership goal at Goodison in October.

Wenger was magnanimous in defeat that day as he eulogised the teenager and, pertinently, declined to classify him solely as a scorer. The manager preferred to compare him to Paul Gascoigne and at Highbury the 17-year-old once again beat opponents as if dribbling beautifully demanded only half his attention.

It was obvious why Sven-Goran Eriksson worries about picking someone with so little match practice in an England squad yet also wishes he could give Rooney his head. A very convertible cross from the attacker zipped through the Arsenal six-yard box in the 40th minute, and before the interval it took a splendid challenge by Sol Campbell to prevent him meeting a Kevin Campbell flick.

After 56 minutes, Rooney gathered on the right, feinted slightly towards the wing and then ran for the area before shooting through the legs of Cygan. The finish was so precise it beat Stuart Taylor and knocked over the bottle of the goalkeeper's sports drink that was lying just inside the far post.

Thereafter Rooney had the stadium churning with fear whenever he had possession and each intervention that clumped the ball away from him was greeted as a coup. Arsenal did recover to scoop all the points, but in general there was a lack of danger from them here once Richard Wright had blocked a Henry effort in the 27th minute.

Their range may only be extended once Ljungberg is back at his best. A run of crucial goals from him started at around this stage last year and Arsenal hope again for that rite of spring.

ARSENAL: Taylor, Lauren, Campbell, Cygan, van Bronckhorst, Ljungberg, Silva, Vieira, Pires (Parlour 68), Bergkamp (Toure 86), Henry. Subs Not Used: Jeffers, Wiltord, Warmuz. Booked: Lauren, Henry. Goals: Cygan 8, Vieira 64.

EVERTON: Wright, Yobo, Stubbs, Weir, Unsworth, Watson (Ferguson 79), Pembridge, Li Tie (Gemmill 73), Gravesen, Rooney, Campbell. Subs Not Used: Simonsen, Naysmith, Carsley. Booked: Li Tie. Goal: Rooney 56.

Referee: A Wiley (Staffordshire).

Guardian Service