Gunners spark fires them past Sparta

Arsenal 3 Sparta Prague 0

The France striker capped his club's best start to a Champions League campaign by sealing their fourth victory in four group games with his third goal against Sparta in just over a fortnight.

Boss Arsene Wenger's cautious decision to substitute Henry with 24 minutes left to protect his inflamed groin may have left his captain somewhat unimpressed.

However, while the move at least saved Sparta from any further punishment by the Frenchman, Robin van Persie completed Arsenal's passage into the last 16 with two group games left with two excellent late strikes.

Afterwards, Arsene Wenger said van Persie was regaining his confidence: "Robin is improving. We've made big steps with him, he's found his confidence and it's very positive."

The Arsenal manager added that Thierry Henry had suffered no reaction to his recent groin injury.

After sealing qualification for the knockout stage, Wenger demanded his team now start to improve their consistency in the Premiership.

Wenger said: "Qualifying will help us to focus on the Premiership. We need to keep it as tight as we can and be consistent.

"We want to focus on playing football and winning games - and every victory makes us stronger."

For once, the view from Highbury across London to Stamford Bridge is appealing, at least in European terms. While Chelsea's progress in the competition is rather less impressive, Arsenal are making the most of their rather more straightforward group.

It is all rather different not only to their respective Premiership fortunes but also the Gunners' usual preference for the most difficult route through the Champions League, where they have never made the semi-finals.

Henry nevertheless remains the one Arsenal player who makes the difference and, having returned from injury in Prague, he was back again at Highbury after another rest, even if Jens Lehmann was ruled out with a minor back problem.

Arsenal's openings came as thick and fast as the pouring rain. Dennis Bergkamp uncharacteristically squandered the first, stabbing the ball against the bar from point-blank range after Henry had opened up the Czech side's defence and Robert Pires had cut the ball back invitingly.

Henry was not so merciful. There was little obvious danger when the ball reached him 25 yards out after Bergkamp and Jose Antonio Reyes had combined in the fluid build-up.

However, the Frenchman let fly with a shot of such stunning simplicity that it took the breath away, just like his effortless first goal in Prague, before celebrating by mimicking Pires' recent penalty mix-up.

Arsenal still had to be alert, with keeper Manuel Almunia clawing the ball away at full stretch as Lukas Zelenka stretched to reach Miroslav Matusovic's cross.

Sparta appealed vigorously for a penalty on the stroke of half-time after the ball flew off Sol Campbell's boot onto his arm, but the contact was deemed to be accidental.

Arsenal's lead survived that incident and Almunia's haphazard distribution, although Sparta were finally alive to the danger posed by Henry.

The Frenchman conjured a superb free-kick which keeper Blazek acrobatically tipped around the post.

Wenger removed Henry from the fray in the final third of the match.

On came Van Persie, who tested Blazek with a fierce free-kick.

After Pires and Reyes both came close, Arsenal survived a nervous moment when Adam Petrous grazed the bar with a header, before Van Persie finally made sure of victory.

Bergkamp set up his compatriot, who took a moment to settle himself before unleashing a superb shot into the net with eight minutes left.

Van Persie added a third with three minutes left, slotting home fellow substitute Emmanuel Eboue's cross and he just missed out on a hat-trick as he clipped a late chance wide.

Mathieu Flamini also came within inches of a fourth goal, but Arsenal were into the last 16 with two games to spare.

ARSENAL: Almunia, Lauren, Toure, Campbell, Clichy, Reyes (Eboue 82), Silva, Flamini, Pires (Fabregas 73), Henry (Van Persie 66), Bergkamp.

SPARTA PRAGUE: Blazek, Pergl, Lukas, Petrous (Jeslinek 80), Kadlec, Pospech, Petras, Zelenka, Hasek, Polacek (Slepicka 58), Matusovic.

Ref: Alain Sars (France).