Henry's hundredth lights up Arsenal

For a while at St Andrews yesterday afternoon it seemed that Birmingham City might deny Arsenal victory. Then they found an electrician.

Once the match, delayed 30 minutes because of floodlight failure, began there was little doubt that Arsenal would restore their five-point cushion over Manchester United in Premiership. Thierry Henry, who put them ahead after six minutes, scored again after 70 to bring up his century for Arsenal – in 180 games. In between Robert Pires, after 29 minutes, and Lauren, after 67, struck to make this Arsenal's biggest league victory of the season.

It was an impressive response to United's 3-1 victory across the city at The Hawthorns on Saturday. "We were under pressure because Manchester United and Chelsea had won," the Arsenal manager Arsène Wenger said. "I like the way we coped with it. I enjoyed it and you could see the team did. It looks as though our fluent game is coming back."

The only downside for Arsenal was a caution for Martin Keown, who will now miss the visit of Liverpool on 29 January. With Pascal Cygan injured that may delay the rumoured transfer of Matthew Upson to Birmingham.

"He is staying at the moment," Wenger said, "but you never know in football. I want him to stay and be committed to us."

Birmingham, on this performance, could do with him. Defensively they were a shambles, with Ferdinand Coly, the Senegalese defender who was making his home debut, way off the pace. He was lucky to survive expulsion before being taken off with a quarter of the game remaining.

Steve Bruce, being without the suspended trio Clinton Morrison, Aliou Cissé and Geoff Horsfield, also included his fellow transfer-window recruits Christophe Dugarry, Jamie Clapham and Stephen Clemence.

Dugarry impressed, his class so evident Bruce could justifiably comment: "He could have played in their team." Composed and skilful on the ball and dominant in the air, he brought his team-mates intelligently into play. He could be the partner to bring the best from Clinton Morrison and may do for Birmingham what Youri Djorkaeff did for Bolton last year – keep them up. Of the others, Clemence, short of match fitness, struggled to make an impact but Clapham provided good balance with a tidy display.

Arsenal were themselves without Patrick Vieira, Ray Parlour and Freddie Ljungberg, but they are so much better resourced no one was missed. They began cutting through the defence in the opening minute with Henry halted only when Damien Johnson tripped him. A minute later Ashley Cole fed Dennis Bergkamp on the left. He picked out Sylvain Wiltord, who volleyed wide.

It was thus no surprise when Arsenal scored. Breaking out of defence, Henry found Bergkamp then sprinted down the centre. The Dutchman bided his time, waiting for Henry to reach the shoulder of the last defender before releasing him with a perfectly-weighted pass. Henry glided clear, touched the ball around the onrushing Nico Vaesen, and drove into the empty net.

Apart from Dugarry, who had already shot wide from a tight angle, Birmingham's initial response was negligible. Meanwhile, Edu brought a stunning save from Vaessen, and Henry, after beautiful footwork by Gilberto and a clever cross from Pires, side-footed into the side-netting.

Gradually Birmingham came into the game as Clapham and Savage drove them forward. David Seaman saved from the latter then Keown had to hack clear after Dugarry nodded down a Jeff Kenna free-kick.

But just as the Blue hordes had hope, filling the ground with roars of encouragement, Arsenal swept upfield. Henry flicked on Seaman's goal-kick and after one Johnson, Damien, had misdirected a back-pass the other, Michael, inadvertently headed the ball into Pires's path under pressure from Wiltord. Without breaking stride, Pires thrashed the ball past Vaesen. "That's why we are the champions," the travelling support chorused.

Although John Stern brought Seaman into action at the end of the half that was effectively game over. To their credit Birmingham never gave in, but Arsenal's third was inevitable. It finally came after a half-cleared corner fell to Bergkamp. He curled the ball back in and Lauren rose to head in, the ball deflecting off Michael Johnson's shoulder.

Three minutes later Pires and Wiltord linked to enable Henry to bring up his hundred. "The only way I can repay Arsenal for what they have done for me is with goals," said Henry, who was rescued by Wenger from an unhappy time on the wing at Juventus. "That is 100. I hope there are more."

Wenger said of him: "He is an exceptional player. He is only 25 years old and has only been three years in this position. He is also a team player. It is a team effort and it was the way they passed to each other which I enjoyed most."

There could have been more goals, for Henry and Arsenal, but, for effort alone, Birmingham did not deserve to be humiliated. At the end their remaining fans applauded Arsenal off.

"We caught them right on song but we have to defend better than we did," Bruce said. "They went though us far too easily. The electrician should have kept the lights out."

Henry added: "I was worried the lights would go out again when we were 4-0 up and we would have to replay. It was not easy starting a game like that, especially as it was freezing."

Arsenal, though, glowed in the cold like the Ready Brek kid.

Goals: Henry (6) 0-1; 0-2 Pires (29); Lauren (67) 0-3; Henry (70) 0-4.

Birmingham (4-4-2): Vaesen 5; Coly 3 (Grainger 4, 68), Vickers 4, M Johnson 3, Kenna 5; D Johnson 4, Savage 5, Clemence 4 (Devlin 5, 68), Clapham 6; John 4, Dugarry 8 (Kirovski, 85). Substitutes not used: Bennett (gk), Hutchinson.

Arsenal (4-4-2): Seaman 7; Lauren 5, Keown 5, Campbell 6, Cole 7; Wiltord 5, Gilberto 7, Edu 6 (van Bronkhorst, 76), Pires 7 (Touré, 80); Bergkamp 7 (Jeffers, 78), Henry 8. Substitutes not used: Luzhny, Taylor (gk).

Referee: S Bennett (Orpington) 6.

Bookings: Birmingham: Coly. Arsenal: Lauren, Keown.

Man of the match: Henry.

Attendance: 29,505.

Gunners' hot shots

CLIFF BASTIN

Scored the goals which steered Arsenal to five championships and two FA Cups during the 1930s. His club record of 178 goals stood for 50 years until broken by Ian Wright.

TED DRAKE

Drake scored 48 goals in 72 matches for Southampton before joining Arsenal. He promptly bagged 42 in his first season for the Gunners, which remains a club record.

IAN WRIGHT

Signed from Crystal Palace in 1991, Wright became the quickest player to reach three figures for Arsenal, beating Drake's 40-year-old record in October 1994 in only his 143rd game. He broke Bastin's club record of 178 goals in September 1997 and finished with 185 goals from 288 appearances.

DENNIS BERGKAMP

A £7.5m buy from Internazionale in June 1995, Bergkamp scored his 100th goal for Arsenal in the recent FA Cup defeat of Oxford United.

THIERRY HENRY

Henry – a £10.5m signing from Juventus in 1999 – fired the Gunners to the Double last season and was in Highbury's Hall of Fame before his century arrived in the 4-0 win at Birmingham.