Slick Gunners too strong for Birmingham

Arsenal maintained their serene progress in the Premier League with a 3-1 victory over Birmingham City on Saturday.

Quick-fire goals from Robin van Persie and Abou Diaby put the Gunners into a commanding position and, while Lee Bowyer halved the deficit after seizing on an error from goalkeeper Vito Mannone, Andrey Arshavin sealed Arsenal’s seventh straight win with a smartly-taken third late on.

The only cloud on an encouraging day for Arsene Wenger’s team was an injury to Theo Walcott, who was forced off before half-time after his knee buckled following a hefty challenge from Liam Ridgewell.

It was an eerie throwback to Arsenal’s last meeting with Birmingham in February 2008 when, notoriously, Eduardo da Silva’s leg was shattered by Martin Taylor’s challenge.

That horrific injury proved the catalyst for the collapse of Arsenal’s title challenge that season, although Wenger should feel confident that history will not repeat itself.

Walcott was not so grievously hurt that he could not play on for a further 20 minutes before finally hobbling off and it might be that he was replaced as a precautionary measure.

Either way, the French manager can console himself with the knowledge that his team did not drop silly points here, even if they did make life harder for themselves than was strictly necessary.

Arsenal quickly took the game in a chokehold and might have been two up within 10 minutes, only for Tomas Rosicky to show unusually sloppy technique in his volleying.

No matter. Shortly afterwards, Birmingham’s defences were breached when a weak clearance from Barry Ferguson allowed Alex Song to scoop up possession 30 yards from goal and feed van Persie.

The Dutchman swerved around his leaden-footed marker, Roger Johnson, and whipped a low shot across Joe Hart and into the bottom corner.

Birmingham barely had time to draw breath before they fell further behind. Emmanuel Eboue’s cute pass once again opened up Birmingham’s left flank and, while Rosicky’s cut-back just evaded the onrushing Walcott, Diaby was lurking at the back post to sweep high into the top corner.

The game appeared to be as good as over. With Birmingham making no palpable impression as an attacking force, Arsenal were able to ping passes at their leisure and, while Walcott’s withdrawal just after the half-hour was a blow, they appeared in little danger.

But that reckoned without Arsenal’s penchant for self-destruction and Birmimgham were duly tossed a lifeline.

Mannone, who had been surprisingly preferred to fit-again Manuel Almunia, should have collected comfortably after Diaby’s header looped into his own six-yard box. Instead, he could only pat down to Bowyer, who rattled in on the half-volley.

That was a gift Birmingham scarcely deserved and it did not disrupt the pattern of the game, with Arsenal maintaining control after the interval.

Arshavin, who had replaced Walcott from the bench, provoked some quizzical looks by somehow missing the target from four yards after wriggling into space and van Persie clattered the crossbar from an indirect free-kick awarded for Seb Larsson’s backpass.

While the deficit remained at just a single goal, there was always scope for a Birmingham comeback and there were horrified gasps from the home fans when Mannone was forced to paw away Ridgewell’s dangerous cross.

Their nerves were eased, however, in the 84th minute when a quick break saw Cesc Fabregas release Arshavin. The Russian spotted a gap in the far corner and duly bent his shot past Hart.