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| August 19, 2002 | Monday | Jamadi-us-Saani 9, 1423 |
Arsenal open season with record win
LONDON, Aug 18: Classy Arsenal cruised to a record-breaking 14th straight league victory when they beat 10-man Birmingham City 2-0 in their opening game of the season Sunday.
First-half goals by Thierry Henry and Sylvain Wiltord gave the champions and FA Cup holders a flying start that also took them past the previous record of 13 successive wins in England’s top division.
Liverpool, runners-up to Arsenal in the premier league last season, also started with a victory, beating Aston Villa 1-0 at Villa Park thanks to John Arne Riise’s second-half goal.
On Saturday three other title contenders made winning starts. Manchester United beat West Bromwich Albion 1-0 at Old Trafford, Leeds United overcame Manchester City 3-0 at Elland Road and Chelsea won 3-2 at Charlton Athletic.
Arsenal picked up where they left off last season with another record-breaking feat against Birmingham, who had Senegal captain Aliou Cisse harshly sent off for two bookable offences on his debut.
Wenger’s side became the first premier league club to score in every game last season and they also became the first top flight side in over a century to remain unbeaten away from home in the league.
Sunday’s win took them past the record of 13 straight league wins achieved by arch rivals Tottenham Hotspur, Preston North End and Sunderland.
Arsenal were given a helping hand by Birmingham goalkeeper Nico Vaesen, who could only paw Henry’s 30-metre free kick into his net on nine minutes.
After his disastrous World Cup with France, Henry gratefully accepted the gift as he got his bid to surpass last season’s tally of 32 goals underway.
Compatriot Wiltord curled in a magnificent second on 23 minutes after ghosting through the Birmingham defence in a mazy run from the halfway line.
Birmingham, promoted via the playoffs last season, spent heavily in the close season but were well beaten by the time Cisse earned a second yellow card for a late tackle on Ashley Cole to receive his marching orders after 74 minutes.
Arsenal created chance after chance in the second half and only some dogged defending, including two astonishing goal-line clearances by Darren Purse, kept the score down.
Villa goalkeeper Enckelman made a series of fine stops at Villa Park to keep Liverpool at bay.
Apart from saving a Michael Owen penalty with an outstretched boot, the Finn produced a fine stop to deny the England striker in the first half and also saved from Steven Gerrard, again with his feet, in stoppage time.
But he could do nothing when Danny Murphy led a lightning Liverpool counter-attack two minutes into the second half, racing past several challenges from deep inside his own half before laying the ball into the path of Riise.
Covering Villa defender Mark Delaney slipped over at the vital moment and Riise’s deadly left foot did the rest.
Liverpool’s new Senegalese striker El Hadji Diouf missed a first-half sitter on an otherwise impressive debut.
The first round of premier league games will be completed on Monday when Newcastle United, fourth last season, take on West Ham United at St James’ Park.
Results
Arsenal 2 Birmingham City 0
Aston Villa 0 Liverpool 1
Played on Saturday:
Blackburn Rovers 0 Sunderland 0
Charlton Athletic 2 Chelsea 3
Everton 2 Tottenham Hotspur 2
Fulham 4 Bolton Wanderers 1
Leeds United 3 Manchester City 0
Man United 1 West Bromwich Albion 0
Southampton 0 Middlesbrough 0
—Reuters
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