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Arsenal 3 Liverpool 0November 13, 2006
ARSENE WENGER had his hands full again yesterday — and this time they weren’t gripping the opposition manager’s neck.
In his left hand was the big cigar and in his right the finest brandy.
He can rarely have had a more relaxing afternoon in his entire decade as Gunners boss.
The only time Wenger put the brandy down was to shake hands with Rafa Benitez at the end and say “thank you very much” for a nice easy three points.
For any team who want to get their season back on track, Liverpool at home is the answer to their prayers.
In six Premiership trips this season Liverpool have drawn only once — their first at Sheffield United — and lost five. In those last five games they have not registered one single goal.
Bolton, Chelsea, Manchester United, Everton and now Arsenal have all ripped into the Reds.
Wenger does not count Liverpool out of the Premiership race but it is difficult to see how they will mount a realistic challenge from here.
Arsenal should have been vulnerable after their fire and brimstone defeat at West Ham last week, where Wenger got so frustrated he ended up shoving Alan Pardew for celebrating the Hammers winner.
But back-up keeper Manuel Almunia, pressed into service when Jens Lehmann went down with a throat infection, had no reason to be nervous. He was never put under pressure.
The Gunners passed their way round The Emirates Stadium with consummate ease and, once they got the first goal after an inordinately long 41 minutes, there was only ever going to be one winner.
Aleksandr Hleb cut in and picked out Cesc Fabregas and the Spaniard crossed low for Mathieu Flamini, who slid the ball home from close range.
It was the second time Arsenal had put the ball in the net in the first half. But had Robin van Persie’s effort, with less than two minutes gone, stood it would have caused merry hell.
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