ENGLISH FA PREMIERSHIP: Arsenal - 2 Manchester City - 1 Arsenal returned to the top of the Premiership last night but only after being stretched by a typically attacking Manchester City who do not yet possess the solidity to complement their talent.
Goals by Sylvain Wiltord and Thierry Henry took the Double winners above Tottenham, with Nicolas Anelka scoring an unpopular equaliser in between. It required a sharp save by David Seaman to deny the former Arsenal striker a second leveller in the last 25 minutes as City pressed.
City's determination to go forward gave Arsenal plenty of uncomfortable moments but also left them exposed in an entertaining match which saw Ali Benarbia sent off five minutes from the end for a second booking, for dissent. Certainly he was not discussing Arsenal's success in equalling their visitors' record of scoring in 44 straight league games.
Arsene Wenger's side came into this game on the back of nine straight Premiership home victories, whereas City arrived after losing at Leeds and Aston Villa.
City's last visit to Highbury had ended in a 5-0 defeat and Wenger must have been confident of another three points with Henry, Dennis Bergkamp and Sol Campbell available after injuries. Bergkamp was thrust straight into the side alongside Henry at the expense of Nwankwo Kanu.
There was a time when Bergkamp lined up with Anelka here, and Anelka's return had given the game extra spice. Wenger had called on the Arsenal fans to give the striker a positive reception but the 23-year-old was jeered, a legacy of his messy departure for Real Madrid in 1999.
With Kevin Keegan opting for an attacking 3-5-2 formation which featured not just Anelka and Darren Huckerby but Eyal Berkovic and Benarbia, it was clear City had not come to defend. And at first they had plenty of possession and threat as Arsenal kept giving the ball away.
Benarbia even hit the bar from near the touchline after a short corner, the woodwork saving Seaman from more embarrassment after those incidents against Brazil and Chelsea. With City taking the game to the champions, the game had a nice open feel.
City's willingness to push players forward meant Arsenal were dangerous on the fast breaks from which they score so many goals. Bergkamp was dropping deep to find space and Henry's pace made him a menace, with the Frenchman nearly capitalising on a slip by Marc Vivien Foe. But Wenger's players were often pushed back by a City team that was passing and moving neatly. Benarbia in particular showed a clever eye.
Arsenal were struggling to make clear chances. City might be famed for their attacking but their midfielders scurried defensively, too, to force Arsenal to play more quickly than they wanted. When Wiltord scored in the 26th minute it was scarcely deserved.
Bergkamp's vision and quickness of thought were critical, the Dutchman playing a pass that clipped off Steve Howey's boot and sent Wiltord clear of Sun Jihai to beat Peter Schmeichel.
If Arsenal thought they would then canter home, they were quickly rocked by Anelka's merited equaliser. A sloppy pass by Patrick Vieira culminated in Benarbia crossing from the right and poor defending enabled Anelka to sneak between Martin Keown and Oleg Luzhny to score with a well-taken header.
That galvanised Arsenal and they might have had three before half-time as they took control. Schmeichel produced a fine save to keep out Henry but could not repeat it when a typically quick move saw Ashley Cole run on to Wiltord's pass and cut back for Henry to sweep a low shot into the far corner. Shortly after, Wiltord might have added another.
Arsenal continued in command after the interval. Vieira, after a sluggish start, was taking control in midfield and Henry had some sublime moments in attack.
With Vieira on a booking, there was always the danger that Arsenal might be reduced to 10 men, but in fact it was City who were. Berkovic made more than necessary of one challenge by the Arsenal captain but the referee Clive Wilkes resisted the temptation to issue a second caution.
ARSENAL: Seaman, Luzhny, Campbell, Keown, Cole, Wiltord, Vieira, Edu (Toure 73), Silva, Bergkamp, Henry. Subs not used: Jeffers, Taylor, Cygan, Kanu. Booked: Vieira. Goals: Wiltord 26, Henry 42.
MAN CITY: Schmeichel, Distin, Jihai, Howey (Horlock 79), Wright-Phillips, Foe, Berkovic, Benarbia, Jensen, Huckerby (Goater 59), Anelka. Subs not used: Tiatto, Nash, Dunne.
Referee: C Wilkes (Gloucestershire)
