Gunners maintain race for Champions League spot

Manchester City 1 Arsenal 3

The final curtain comes down at Highbury on Sunday with Arsenal still in contention for fourth place in the Premiership.

Two goals from Jose Reyes after he stepped off the bench were enough to overcome a spirited Manchester City side tonight.

More importantly it takes the Gunners to within a point of Tottenham, going into the final round of games.

Arsenal will host Wigan, while Spurs face West Ham. It could be quite a day.

For Gunners manager Arsene Wenger, there is the added bonus of having a fit Ashley Cole to call on.

The Arsenal full-back, 25, played a full match in this his first start after recovering from a stress fracture of the foot.

There was a scare for City in the 11th minute when Robin Van Persie got goal side of David Sommeil.

He rattled in a shot which cannoned off the bar, but referee Graham Poll ruled he had fouled his French opponent.

Emmanuel Eboue then tried his luck from distance for the Champions League finalists, but his effort failed to trouble goalkeeper David James.

Georgios Samaras got into a good position for City after 21 minutes, with the visitors stretched. But he looked far from confident, and Sol Campbell was able to make the block without too much difficulty.

Arsenal made the breakthrough in the 30th minute thanks to Freddie Ljungberg’s first goal in the Premiership this season.

Thierry Henry carved out the chance by threading the ball through to the Swede - and Ljungberg showed good awareness to steer the ball beyond James, off the post and into the net.

City drew level eight minutes later, however, when Joey Barton played in a corner. Trevor Sinclair headed goalwards, and Jens Lehmann seemed to be distracted by Darius Vassell.

The ball fell kindly to Sommeil, who made no mistake from close range for the equaliser.

Arsenal were stung – and Henry sent the ball wide from inside the area on the stroke of half time following a neat one-two with Van Persie.

It was a poor effort by the Frenchman – you would have expected him to test James at least.

Arsenal almost took the lead a minute after half-time when Van Persie skipped away. But James showed good reflexes in front of a crowd of over 41,000 to turn his shot around the post.

Van Persie then stumbled at a vital moment after he had been released by Gilberto.

Arsenal stepped up the pressure, and Henry picked out Ljungberg on the left in the 53rd minute.

He advanced into the area only to see his effort come back off the outside of the post.

City hit back, and Sommeil swept in a deep cross which was met by Albert Riera.

He thumped in a shot only for it to be blocked by young Arsenal full-back Emmanuel Eboue.

Van Persie was again out of luck on the hour when James parried his effort to safety.

Riera then released Vassell only for Campbell to make a superb challenge in the area.

James again prevented City going behind in the 67th minute when he did well to turn over Alexander Hleb’s powerful shot.

Play switched down the other end, and Lehmann first turned a header from Richard Dunne to safety and then another from Micah Richards.

Henry tried to flight a free-kick from an acute angle beyond James, but the goalkeeper was equal to it.

Arsenal regained the lead in the 78th minute through Reyes six minutes after he had stepped off the bench.

He clipped the ball beyond a despairing James, after Eboue had played the ball into the area.

Reyes added a second and Arsenal’s third in the 84th minute with a superb finish, after being released by Henry.

It was City’s eighth defeat in nine games, and the season cannot end quickly enough for their supporters.