Arsenal 2 Birmingham 0: We should have got six!

Thierry Henry fires home his free kick for the opening goal

And I can't remember a League season when I'd ever felt more optimistic on the opening day. We have the best manager in the world, bar none. A squad that looks the dogs proverbials, apart form a worrying keeper shortage. World-class players in every position, who have been there, done it and provided the T-shirt salesmen with a good living. What could go wrong? Well I had this little nagging memory of our first ever Premiership match. Remember newly promoted Norwich back in '92 when we took a 2-0 lead only to finish with a very sorry 2-4 defeat. Couldn't happen again could it? Not with our current squad going for a 14th straight win it couldn't.

Our assistant manager Pat Rice will no doubt have fond memories of playing Birmingham. Way back in 1978 he scored one of his twelve league goals against them. Those were the days when they had a habit of yo-yoing between the top two divisions. They haven't been in the top flight since 1985-6 when they played out a goal-less draw at Highbury in front of a meagre 16,673 fans. A pitiful crowd but far better than the 6,234 who saw Woodcock score Arsenal's winner up at Brum in May 1986. It's been a long time since our last match against them but with Steve Bruce in charge seeing them relegated for another sixteen years in the lower divisions wouldn't unduly upset me.

What transpired today was nothing more than confirmation of what we already knew, namely that Arsenal are serious contenders to defend our Championship and anyone hoping to beat us to the Championship will probably be required to go the entire season unbeaten. We started off slick and got slicker, we rarely got out of second gear and it looks like we had about six gears to play with. The possession ratio must have been something like 75-25, Birmingham were just not in our class. At best only Darren Purse and Aliou Cisse could hope to make our reserve team.

We started with Parlour right, Wiltord left and Edu alongside Pat in midfield. The Brummies were without the suspended Savage and the injured Morrison. Kanu, Jeffers, plus of course Van Bronckhorst, Ljungberg and Pires were not available for the Champions. Mike Riley was in charge and failed to book a single Arsenal player so no doubt he will be reprimanded by the FA. The fourth official resembled Barthez, but I'm sure it wasn't him because he didn't set up Henry for a goal.

Birmingham kicked off in all blue and that was the last they saw of the ball for quite some time. Bruce was standing in front of the bench early on and looking very anxious, as well he might. Not surprisingly 'We won the league in Manchester' was our opening ditty of the game followed by 'You'll never play here again'. I can't possibly recount the players involved in all our moves because it was just one move after the other and they all were almost all invariably so fluid you couldn't see the joins. There was a big appeal for handball from the Clock End Gooners before we opened the scoring but nothing was given.

Henry won a free kick for a tackle from behind with about nine minutes gone. It was fairly central about three or four metres outside their box. As expected he took the kick himself. The shot was ok but what should have been a low save to the keepers right resulted in an early lead. 1-0 to the Arsenal - game over. 'Pull your players off the pitch' was the advice offered to Bruce by a wag sitting behind me in the West Lower. 'You' ll never play here again' was the Gooner chant that rang out elsewhere.

Cisse was by far their best player but Vieira beat him all hands up shortly after we'd scored and dominated the match from this point onwards. Dave, resplendent in a new mainly grey with a touch of pale yellow kit, was required to take a through ball with ease but had very little else to do all afternoon. 'Stand up if you're going down' raised the odd smile but not from the fans in blue. Wiltord looked sharp and popped up all over the place winning a corner from one fine cross that Henry nearly capitalised from. Slick describes our play in every area of the park, even Keown showed a few flash touches - it was that
one-sided. 'You're the Spurs of Birmingham'.

Number one of the season for Tel

Dennis to Thierry - almost. A naff clearance by Cole was skied and fell to Stern John who ballooned well over into the North Stand. John was their most effective forward player but that's not saying a lot. Dennis was challenging in the air and everything was going our way when Sylvain ensured the three points. He got the ball on or about the half way line in the left hand channel, from then on it was like watching an action replay of Freddie's goal in Cardiff, apart from Terry trying vainly to clatter him. Sylv ran at them and they backed off or couldn't catch him, he ran on, cut further inside and unleashed a gem. 2-0, beautiful goal. 'You might as well go home'.

Wiltord sets up Cole on a run. Pat to Thierry and it's just over. We looked awesome. Thierry to Ray and a fine save followed. A Campbell header is cleared off the line but Martin can't capitalise on the partial clearance. No bookings to date but Dennis is replaced by Gilberto Silva after 31 minutes, so Edu goes left and Wiltord joins Henry up front. It must have been an injury to Bergkamp but it wasn't obvious to me quite what type. Another Wiltord, Henry, Parlour move culminates with Ray shooting. Another fine move involving the speedy Cole. Chants featuring 'Ljungberg' and 'Pires', you know the ones,
serve to remind us what is yet to come this year. A shot straight at Seaman, how dare they come in our half, was shortly followed by masterly ball control from Martin. Brilliant ball by Wiltord to Henry but he was given offside.

Henry gets through but can't chip the keeper. Tebily should have been booked for his foul on Henry but it was a very clean game overall. Parlour wins another corner, which was scrambled clear. Great interplay by Edu and Wiltord but the Frenchman's shot was weak. Lauren sorted out a Birmingham cross with ease and the half ended. City fans had been their most impressive aspect thus far.

Not only did I miss the ovation given to Seaman by the City fans but also Henry sending Wiltord on his way and missing a reasonable chance by putting it wide. I missed them because the girl selling bagels was doing so in a very slow motion inaction replay mode. Had she been any slower I would have mistaken her for Sherringham! Cisse fell over but won his appeal for a free kick. Pat tackled well, put Henry away down the left but Silva could not quite convert the centre. Great save from Henry when he was one on one and went for the old Bergkamp-style-bend-it-in-the-far-post-type-shot. Clever play by John earned a rare City shooting opportunity that he put wide.

Loads of movement from Arsenal and great excitement in the Brummie end as ten minutes into the second half they finally win a corner. Dave deflated their enthusiasm when he nonchalantly caught the corner kick. Another fabulous move from which Edu headed over Ray' s cross. Those of you who haven't been to Highbury for a while would have been amazed at our next attack where we had no less than five in the box looking to get on the end of Ray 's cross! Gilberto to Lauren who crossed for Thierry to head just wide. Cisse fouls Gilberto. Carter on for Tebily.

Silva fires in and Wiltord deflects with a header at goal. John has a header saved by Seaman as Arsenal ease off the throttle. A joke free kick given against Gilberto but Grainger fires his free-kick into our wall. Cisse shoots over from long-range. John has a shot on the turn. Vieira breaks away starting another fine move. Our next attack sees Gilberto, Edu, Cole and Henry combining but Thierry can't find Ashley with his return ball. A bad tackle on Wiltord by Cisse earns a deserved yellow card.

Gilberto Silva is tackled by Cunningham

Lazaridis on for Horsfield. Vieira has the midfield sewn up, Gilberto passes perfectly every time and you just know we're not flat out. Cisse leaves the field to the chant of 'Cheerio' having picked up a second card for a ridiculously late tackle on Cole. The Brummie fans accuse Ashley of diving but their outrage is totally miss-placed. Cisse must have realised that he'd be playing by himself for the entire season and his frustration resulted in an act of stupidity. City head over from a left wing cross. Aliadiere comes to replace the hardworking Wiltord, the ovation he received as he left the field was well deserved.

Henry wins and takes a free-kick from outside the box but this time the keeper saves. Gilberto wins a corner following more great play from the Gunners. Martin heads over. A slick eight-pass move sees Jeremie cross to Ray who's shot is blocked for a corner. Martin heads wide this time. Toure on for Edu. Henry sets up a Vieira shot that's saved. A Kolo Toure power driver is blocked after great stuff from Ashley down our left. Ray's shot is spilled by their keeper, but there is no-one close enough to benefit. Another great cross from Ray sees another save on the line from Toure's shot. Two minutes added time meant we went 92 minutes without giving away a goal of getting a booking. Our 14th win on the trot was probably by far our easiest.

The big question, for my money, is not will we retain our Championship, but on which date will Fergusmoan totally crack up under Arsene's superior verbal pressure.