Arsenal 3 Birmingham City 1

The Premier League game between Arsenal and Birmingham City at the Emirates Stadium on Saturday, Oct 17 2009.

Arsenal claimed their fourth successive victory at the Emirates Stadium with Robin van Persie and Abou Diaby scoring inside a four-minute spell early in the first half. Though Lee Bowyer replied, Arsenal responded late on through Andrei Arshavin.

Poignantly, this was the first time these teams had met since the fateful day in February, 2008, when Birmingham City defender Martin Taylor broke the leg of Arsenal forward Eduardo.

Neither were involved but memories of the injury - a multiple fracture that ruled the Croatian international out for a year - returned when, in the seventh minute, Birmingham left-back Liam Ridgewell slid into Arsenal’s Theo Walcott.

Walcott needed treatment while the visiting Birmingham fans sang: “There’s only one Martin Taylor.”

But Arsenal, having scored 14 goals in their previous three home League games, wasted little time getting into the groove.

Roger Johnson had already blocked one effort, from Tomas Rosicky, while goalkeeper Joe Hart tipped over from Theo Walcott, before Arsenal scored twice in four minutes.

In the 16th minute, Alex Song threaded the ball forward to Van Persie and the Dutchman juggled with the ball before finding the bottom corner with a left foot drive to claim his fifth goal of the season.

And then Emmanuel Eboue slid the ball delightfully to Rosicky and he pulled it back from the right. Cesc Fabregas missed contact but the ball fell to Diaby, who converted with ease.

Soon afterwards, Arsenal brought on Arshavin, a 33rd-minute replacement for Walcott, who was clearly struggling following the earlier challenge.

There was a warning for Arsenal, though, when, in the 37th minute, Barry Ferguson’s ball was met by Diaby, who headed the rebound high. Mannone, preferred to Manuel Almunia in goal, spilled the ball under pressure from Larsson and Bowyer finished acrobatically.

And there were acrobatics of another kind before the break when Hart saved brilliantly to deny Rosicky.

In the early stages of the first half Birmingham came close to an equaliser when Cameron Jerome pulled the ball back and Ferguson’s touch prevented Bowyer from testing Mannone again.

Arshavin should have extended Arsenal’s advantage in the 53rd minute while, soon afterwards, Fabregas attempted a lob from 20 yards. And when Larsson was penalized for a pass back to Hart, the short free kick fell to Van Persie, who struck the cross bar.

But with 11 minutes remaining Mannone atoned for his early error when he made a crucial save when he got a hand to a cross from Liam Ridgewell, with Garry O’Connor and Larsson in close attendance.

However, Arsenal secured the points in the 85th minute when, on the counter-attack, Arshavin scored with ease.