LONDON, Aug 26: Champions Arsenal became the first side in English football to go 43 league matches unbeaten when they trounced Blackburn Rovers 3-0 at Highbury on Wednesday.
Inspired by Thierry Henry, the north London club surpassed the previous record set by Nottingham Forest between November 1977 and December 1978. Arsenal's third victory in as many games sent them back to the top of the Premier League, ahead of Chelsea on goal difference.
Blackburn kept the game scoreless until halftime but France striker Henry broke the deadlock on 50 minutes when he poked in a pinpoint Dennis Bergkamp cross from close range.
A Henry corner was then headed home by Gilberto with the ball brushing off 17-year-old Spanish midfielder Francesc Fabregas on its way into the net. Substitute Jose Antonio Reyes scored with practically his first touch 11 minutes from time after Henry unselfishly squared the ball.
"It is something amazing if you look at the number of goals in the 43 games, the number of victories and the quality of the football," Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger told reporters.
"The most positive thing is that the players enjoy playing at this level and with each other. But we will not relax. We are not perfect." He added that Fabregas was claiming the second goal, which would make him Arsenal's youngest ever league scorer.
Arsenal, still without injured trio Patrick Vieira, Sol Campbell and Edu, attacked Blackburn from the start with Henry forcing goalkeeper Brad Friedel to make three saves in the first five minutes.
The home side were sloppy for the remainder of the first half and Jens Lehmann had to make a smart save from defender Craig Short after Arsenal had failed to clear the ball.
Arsenal have not lost a Premier League game since a 3-2 defeat to Leeds United at Highbury in May 2003, which cost them the league title. They recovered from the disappointment to win the Premier League last season, winning 26 and drawing 12 of their 38 games.
It was the first time a team had gone unbeaten through an English top flight season since Preston North End in 1888-89. "They are a great team to watch, a super team," Blackburn manager Graeme Souness conceded.
"In the first half we matched them in every department but there was only one outcome after the first goal." Arsenal opened their title defence by thrashing Everton 4-1 before coming from behind to beat Middles brough 5-3 and equal Forest's record last Sunday.
CHAMPIONS LEAGUE DRAW:
Group A: Deportivo Coruna (Spain) Liverpool (England) Monaco (France) Olympiakos (Greece)
Group B: Real Madrid (Spain) AS Roma (Italy) Bayer Leverkusen (Germany) Dynamo Kiev (Ukraine)
Group C: Bayern Munich (Germany) Juventus (Italy) Ajax Amsterdam (Netherlands) Maccabi Tel Aviv (Israel)
Group D: Manchester United (England) Olympique Lyon (France) Sparta Prague (Czech Republic) Fenerbahce (Turkey)
Group E: Arsenal (England) Panathinaikos (Greece) PSV Eindhoven (Netherlands) Rosenborg Trondheim (Norway)
Group F: Barcelona (Spain) AC Milan (Italy) Celtic (Scotland) Shakhtar Donetsk (Ukraine)
Group G: Valencia (Spain) Inter Milan (Italy) Anderlecht (Belgium) Werder Bremen (Germany)
Group H: Porto (Portugal) Chelsea (England) Paris St Germain (France) CSKA Moscow (Russia). -Agencies
