LONDON, Sept 20: Defender Sol Campbell celebrated his first Premier League game of the season in style by heading both goals as Arsenal beat Everton 2-0 at Highbury on Monday. Campbell, wearing the captain’s armband in the absence of injured striker Thierry Henry, scored his copycat goals in the 11th and 30th minutes — both times from free kicks curled in by Spanish forward Jose Antonio Reyes.

Arsenal, who memorably won this fixture 7-0 at the end of last season, coasted through the second half and were only denied a third when a Fredrik Ljungberg effort crashed against the crossbar.

The victory will have steadied Arsenal’s nerves after two defeats and two wins in their previous league games and only a stoppage-time win over tiny Swiss club Thun in their Champions League opener last week.

For Everton, it was only the latest setback in a season which has started in unrelenting misery after David Moyes’s side finished a highly impressive fourth last term.

Knocked out of the Champions League qualifiers and almost certainly heading out of the UEFA Cup after being hammered 5-1 last week in the first leg of their first round tie at Dinamo Bucharest, they are second from bottom in the Premier League with three points from five games.

Campbell, who made his season debut against Thun after a prolonged spell on the sidelines, could not have dreamed of such a rewarding opening half hour.

Reyes curled over a free kick from the right and the burly central defender got to the ball before Nigel Martyn, leaving the Everton keeper with no chance.

The release from a year dogged by injury which had cost him his England place and raised speculation that his top-flight career might be over was etched over Campbell’s face as he celebrated.

Arsenal soon settled into their passing rhythm and Dutch winger Robin van Persie missed his chance to make it 2-0 with a shot on the break which cannoned off the post.

Robert Pires, injured by a crunching tackle from Phil Neville, was replaced by Belarus midfielder Alexander Hleb two minutes later — just before Campbell added his second.

Reyes, this time shaping up on the left side, sent his free kick straight into the danger zone and Campbell again steered his header past a stranded Martyn.

Everton struggled to gain possession in both halves and offered little real threat in front of goal, though striker Marcus Bent warmed Jens Lehmann’s gloves after the break.

At the other end, Martyn needed a sharp save to stop Van Persie’s first-time shot from a Hleb cut-back but the bigger applause was saved for Reyes for kicking the deeply unpopular Neville — for which the Spaniard was booked.

Ljungberg hit the bar after following up Martyn’s punched clearance, but Arsenal had done enough to seal the points. With only nine on the board, though, they are still far from the 18 earned so far by champions Chelsea, who have played a game more.

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