Arsenal thrive after slow start

Arsenal 3 Liverpool 0: If there is a mystery about the days when fluent Arsenal fail to score, a merry afternoon like this can also be a bit of a puzzle. Arsene Wenger's eventually outstanding men were below their best initially as the visitors passed the ball more purposefully, but the victors had the rare luxury at Ashburton Grove of breaking through with what smacked for a while of a counter-attacking style.

While a speed of foot and thought suits them well to that approach, they would never have anticipated thriving on it against opponents normally associated with a disciplined style. By the 88th minute, when the substitute Emmanuel Adebayor broke clear for a finish that Pepe Reina blocked, this was a match wobbling on the brink of a rout.

After the clash with Alan Pardew the week before, Wenger had no trouble reinstalling his composure. It will have gladdened him, too, that his back four was so secure when resistance had to be maintained. Dirk Kuyt was enterprising to beat William Gallas to a Reina clearance after 11 minutes and then floated the bouncing ball wide, but that was one of Liverpool's most enterprising episodes.

Arsenal dealt well with the early flurries around their penalty area and Kolo Toure is an ever more important factor at the club. Not even the far taller Peter Crouch could discomfit him and a centre half who shimmers with so much energy can hardly limit himself to containment. Having done his work in defence, he raced upfield after 56 minutes and, following passes by Thierry Henry, Cesc Fabregas and Robin van Persie, broke clear to slide the second goal past Reina.

This was a bottomlessly depressing outing for the losers. With a lunchtime kick-off they opened the Premiership season with a 1-1 draw at Sheffield United, but the curtain came down some time ago on any challenge for the title. Rafael Benitez' men, now 14 points behind the leaders, have so far been unable to score another away goal in the competition.

Disturbingly for the manager, his purpose here was to pose a threat. A pair of forwards was sent out and there were a few adventurous characters in midfield as well, yet the afternoon slipped away without a save of note from Manuel Almunia. The absence of Jens Lehmann with a throat infection went virtually unnoticed.

In theory, Benitez' close-season signings gave Liverpool a more expansive style, but the potential shrivelled to vanishing point here. The ungainliness was embodied in Steven Gerrard, compelled to play on the right until Jermaine Pennant took the field for the closing 28 minutes.

The midfielder has been in a wide role for his club on many occasions but Gerrard must still have been baffled to discover that he had to stay there even though Mohamed Sissoko's dislocated shoulder had created a vacancy in the centre. Bolo Zenden filled it, raising questions about where Benitez' convictions tip into sheer bloody-mindedness.

The odd good cross and a deflected drive are not sufficient from a player of Gerrard's calibre. While Benitez could reel off many occasions when his key player has flourished from the flank it would have aided Liverpool here, against a five-man Arsenal midfield, if Gerrard had been in the thick of the battle. An air of disillusionment clung to the captain.

He seemed to be chastised by John Arne Riise for not marking Gallas as the Frenchman scored with a free header from Van Persie's corner in the 80th minute. Everything was galling for Gerrard and, when his mishit shot was nodded home by Craig Bellamy four minutes later, the substitute was offside.

There was to be nothing at that stage to give Arsenal any discomfort, but they had taken a while to collect themselves. The first danger they presented was founded on sneakiness. Van Persie, after two minutes, flicked the ball round Reina with a brush of his fingertips before finishing and the referee, Mark Clattenburg, was alert to detect the offence.

Liverpool bustled for a while occupying territory and making Arsenal look out of sorts when, for instance, Van Persie passed to where Alexander Hleb ought to have been, only to discover that the Belarussian was lagging 20 yards behind.

Arsenal broke through in the 41st minute. Hleb slipped the ball into Fabregas who squared for Mathieu Flamini to bundle beyond Reina.

The only cause Liverpool had for gladness thereafter came with clemency from Clattenberg, who spared Jamie Carragher a second booking for an uncontrolled challenge on Van Persie.