Gunners give Fergie reason to be fearful

Arsenal 2 Blackburn 0

Arsenal cherish any victory over Blackburn, a notorious bogey side, and while this stodgy performance will quickly vanish from the memory, the implications are writ large in black and white. The north Londoners now enjoy a five-point cushion over Manchester United and if they maintain this ruthless mood, even Ferguson may struggle to claw it back.

Where United had collapsed under the weight of expectation in Sunday’s emotionally-charged Manchester derby, Arsenal’s young shoulders proved equal to their own burden last night.

Blackburn may have caused Arsenal angst in the past, but the hosts were in no mood to pass up the opportunity to take a choke-hold on the championship race: ahead after just four minutes through Philippe Senderos, of all people, they shook off some unwelcome jitters to eventually close out a precious win, with Emmanuel Adebayor sealing the points in stoppage time.

A perfectionist such as Wenger could not have been satisfied with this laboured performance, but his irritations will not endure. Instead, the Frenchman travels to Old Trafford for Saturday’s FA Cup fifth round tie knowing that it is his side who have the psychological edge. The post-match handshake with the Scot promises to be even curter than usual.

As the weeks roll on, the suspicion is growing that this might just be Arsenal’s year. They have honed the priceless habit of discovering points in barren performances and circumstances, too, are springing to their aid.

Wenger has not always been complimentary about the staggering of Premier League fixtures over a weekend, but on this occasion the television schedulers did him a favour. He hardly needed to rack his brains for a way to motivate his charges when they knew that United had already slipped to a damaging defeat but if their whirlwind start was hardly a shock, the manner in which they snatched the lead certainly was.

A team as disciplined and well-drilled as Rovers should not be leaking soft goals at set-pieces and yet when Cesc Fabregas curled in a routine corner after four minutes, panic swept through their penalty area. Senderos hardly had to break stride to slip the attention of Benni McCarthy, his notional marker, and once the Swiss had made firm contact on the cross from six yards, there was no doubting the end result: one-nil to the Arsenal.

The Emirates duly smacked its lips in anticipation of a goal glut but scoring so early and so easily appeared to lull Arsenal into lethargy. Mathieu Flamini ballooned an 18-yard shot well over when teed up by Sagna after 18 minutes and then found himself one on one with Brad Friedel courtesy of Fabregas’ headed pass. The midfielder kept his shot down this time, but Friedel saved well with his legs.

Buoyed by those let-offs, Rovers began to impose their own muscular rhythm on a stuttering game. David Bentley, whose every touch was jeered by his former fans, found his range, with one sumptuous cross being headed over by Stephen Reid, and suddenly Arsenal were edgy. Their rat-a-tat passing patterns turned ragged and incoherent and the stadium’s excited hububb gave way to howls of discontent.

Blackburn should have capitalised on the nerves eight minutes before half-time when Brett Emerton ploughed into space down the right-hand side and whipped over an inviting centre. The ball skimmed off McCarthy’s forehead at the near post but the diving Roque Santa Cruz could not deflect in from eight yards.

Arsenal needed the interval to clear their heads and they emerged for the second half re-focussed and re-energised. Alexander Hleb rattled the base of an upright with a crisp low drive and the previously ineffective Adebayor forced Friedel into a sprawling save at his near post.

That set the tone for a half dominated by Arsenal, and only Friedel ensured their nerves remained frayed until the end. The American made two more smart saves from

Adebayor and parried a swirling 20-yarder from Fabregas but Blackburn rarely threatened to capitalise on his heroics at the other end. Instead, it was left to Adebayor to have the final word, the Togo striker slamming in from six yards after neatly controlling Hleb’s pass.

ARSENAL: Lehmann, Sagna, Gallas, Senderos, Clichy, Fabregas, Flamini, Gilberto, Hleb, Adebayor, Eduardo.

BLACKBURN: Friedel, Emerton, Khizanishvilli, Ooijer (Rigters 80), Warnock, Bentley, Reid, Tugay (Mokoena 77), Berner, Santa Cruz, McCarthy (Roberts 77).

Ref: Steve Bennett (Kent).