Tireless Vieira keeps Arsenal's feat up

Charlton Athletic 0 Arsenal 3

Arsenal's supposedly weary captain Patrick Vieira was the dominant figure in a record-breaking victory as the champions moved further ahead at the top of the Premiership yesterday. For much of the game, he might have slung a hammock between David Seaman's posts, Charlton's lightweight attack failing to give the goalkeeper a shot to save. Instead, Vieira was at the hub of an Arsenal performance that grew in conviction from unexpectedly humble beginnings as the day wore on.

By the end, they had passed Manchester City's 65-year-old top-flight record by scoring for the 45th successive game and set a club best of 27 League matches undefeated.

Arsenal can have felt little trepidation about returning to their Woolwich roots – deserted for north London in 1913 – despite having experienced what Arsène Wenger regards as the low point of last season against Charlton: a 4-2 defeat at the start of November. That, significantly, was at Highbury, where the visitors counterattacked cleverly and profited from poor goalkeeping by Richard Wright.

At The Valley on April Fools' Day, however, Charlton were the biters bitten, des-troyed by Thierry Henry's pace and three goals within 25 minutes. It took longer for the same scoreline to materialise yesterday, the home side resisting until Henry's opener a minute before the break.

If anything, the stiffer challenge pleased Wenger all the more. "We had an outstanding game against a team who fight for 90 minutes and close you down on every ball," he said. "The records show that the consistency and quality is there and that the team has a very strong attitude to offensive and positive football." On Vieira, he added with a smile: "I'd like to see him tired like that for the whole year. His performance was fantastic."

His captain bestrode the midfield, playing at his own pace, refusing to be harried from his immaculate stride by Charlton's hustling. He was also involved in what were, unexpectedly, Arsenal's only two chances of the first half, the second bringing that opening goal at a critical moment.

The first opportunity took fully 32 minutes to come, Dean Kiely saving wellSylvain Wiltord's ferocious volley from Vieira's cross. Twelve minutes later, Vieira put Dennis Bergkamp in at the by-line to drag back for Henry, who scored with a perfect drive a fraction inside the post.

"That's why we're the champions," crowed the visiting supporters. They had a point, given that Charlton deserved to have gone to their tea break on level terms. The home team had pushed just enough men forward without risking being outnumbered on the break this time, and been unlucky on a couple of occasions. In only the fourth minute, Jonatan Johansson, on his own in front of goal, failed to reach the deflection from Chris Bart-Williams' shot, and after Claus Jensen miskicked when set up by John Robinson, Jason Euell headed wide from Luke Young's centre.

For the second half Charlton rejigged, pushing Johansson forward on the right with Kevin Lisbie behind him. They now risked being caught by Arsenal's speedy thrusts, and within a few minutes of the restart Wiltord's crossed low from the left for Kolo Touré, the Ivory Coast international making his full debut, to smack the post.

It was merely a reprieve. In the 66th minute Edu sent Vieira through, and although the man of the match might have scored a rare goal, he had seen Wiltord unmarked to his right and duly set up his compatriot's sixth goal of the season, confirming him as the Premiership's leading scorer.

The pattern was now well established, with Arsenal's breaks the more likely to produce further reward. Indeed, they scored with a header five minutes from the end, Edu sneaking in behind Young to nod over Kiely, and then having a tap-in disallowed.

"It's a great side," Charlton's manager, Alan Curbishley, agreed, uncomfortably aware that after three successive home defeats his side's next visitors are Manchester United. They have not been helped this season by Murphy's Law. Having sold their captain, Mark Kinsella, to Aston Villa just before the transfer window closed, they immediately suffered injuries to other key midfielders.

"We look like we're getting and better," Wenger purred, which is bad news for the rest of the Premiership, not to say Arsenal's Champions' League opponents, of whom Borussia Dortmund are first up at Highbury on Tuesday.