Four minutes of magic just enough for Arsenal

Arsenal 2 Charlton Athletic 1

Four years ago the director Spike Lee made a film called Bamboozled about a writer struggling to get a break. Yesterday the New Yorker was a spectator at Highbury to attend the sequel about a football team struggling to comprehend what was happening to them. Bamboozled? For 45 minutes Charlton Athletic were bewitched, bothered and bewildered too by an utterly irrepressible Arsenal. That they came back so vigorously to make a hard-fought contest of it says much for the resilience Alan Curbishley has instilled. Indeed they almost grabbed a draw but the substitute Jonatan Johansson's acrobatic overhead kick in injury time thudded back off a post. "In the end we were lucky," admitted Arsenal's manager Arsène Wenger. It was some finale.

It was some opening, also. One hopes Spike didn't take his seat late. Otherwise he would have missed two goals from the team he apparently supports in an extraordinary passage of play which lasted four minutes, the first four minutes, and in which Charlton were laid to waste. "We were stunned," said Curbishley. It took them the best part of an hour to recover.

The points stretch Arsenal's unbeaten run this season to 27 Premiership matches, now just three short of setting a new League record. As a result they pushed their lead over Manchester United and Chelsea to nine points and although this corresponding fixture last season put Arsenal eight points clear, only for them to blow up, such a repeat appears unthinkable. "It's going to take a hell of a run to catch them," said Curbishley. "Perhaps the hunger and disappointment from last year will take them to it."

Complacency has been banished even if Arsenal would have wanted to be more clinical. The championship is not over, cautioned Wenger. "I don't believe that because seven games ago we were three points behind Manchester United," he said. "The only thing is it's down to how well we play." From kick-off, Charlton didn't play at all. Inside 90 seconds and Arsenal had constructed a balletic passing movement - was it 30 or 35 exchanges? - and the visitors were mesmerised. It was like a snake-charmer's dance. Finally Thierry Henry played the ball inside the defence to Fredrik Ljungberg and his low, precise cross was nudged in by Robert Pires. It was his 50th goal for Arsenal, just short of one every three games. And it was jaw-dropping.

Charlton were static, stung, frozen in time. Arsenal wasted little of that and quickly struck again. Patrick Vieira sprinted from deep and was released down the left. Henry, in centre-field, offside but "inactive", waited and then joined the play. He collected Vieira's pass, steadied himself with one touch and stroked the ball into the net. Curbishley was bemused by Henry's positioning. "They are using the rules to the nth degree," he said. "Perhaps the old Arsenal back four could not stand there with their arms up in the air." It wasn't "sour grapes", he added, and he had a point.

At this stage, Charlton were fodder. Having conceded just 10 League goals away from home all season, they had seen two fly in within seconds. The non-flying Dennis Bergkamp, replacing Jose Antonio Reyes, and with his feathery control, curled narrowly wide before Ljungberg had Dean Kiely stretching. Charlton retreated further and Henry flipped the ball over Jonathan Fortune before thundering a shot into Kiely's chest. Still Arsenal swept forward. In fours and fives they attacked. Corner after corner was conceded. Bergkamp was sublime, Charlton supine. "Great goals; 2-0 up - and maybe a little bit too much control," said Wenger.

Charlton gratefully seized the half-time respite. After it, a competition emerged. Paolo Di Canio was its standard-bearer and, just before the hour, he skipped through three challenges before being halted unceremoniously by Lauren. Claus Jensen's free-kick, from 25 yards, was accomplished and the ball kissed a post and in. It really was a contest again although Henry almost ended it when clear, Kiely saving smartly, and a free header from Vieira inside the six-yard box somehow flew wide.

The profligacy spread. Again it was a wayward header - but this time it was Charlton's with Graham Stuart striking Carlton Cole's centre across rather than into the goal from no distance at all. The blood was up now and they sensed an improbable point. "They keep on coming and keep on coming and keep on coming," said Wenger in admiration. Charlton pressed their hosts back and Johansson, from 20 yards, almost saved them. He struck the same post as Jensen - but this time the ball bounced out. Arsenal hung on.

They feel the script is written and, this time, they do not want to fluff their lines. Wenger offered his own plot summary. "We have seen everything in football today," he said. "We have seen how pretty it can be and enjoyable to watch... and sometimes when you lose a goal you need to dig deep." His players did just that.

Arsenal 2
Pires 2, Henry 4

Charlton Athletic 1
Jensen 59

Half-time: 2-0 Attendance: 38,137