Match Report

Arsenal v Portsmouth 05 March 2005

Classy Henry sinks Pompey

Arsenal 3 - 0 Portsmouth

Thierry Henry fired an under-strength Arsenal side to a 3-0 win against Portsmouth, with an effortless hat-trick providing a straightforward victory for Arsene Wenger's men.

Henry took his tally for the campaign to 26 with a typically majestic performance, barely seeming to come out of his low gears to look head and shoulders above anyone else on the pitch.

Arsenal has started with a team shorn of several key players ahead of a big UEFA Champions League match on Wednesday against Bayern Munich - perhaps Wenger's most overt suggestion yet that his focus has switched away from the title chase.

However, Henry quickly showed that he does not need established team-mates around him to look special - and his interplay with Quincy Owuso Abeyie was immediately looking promising.

This was most obvious when the iconic Frenchman played a fine ball through for the young pretender to run onto - only for his placed shot to slide just wide of the far post.

At the other end Portsmouth looked buoyed by an Arsenal defence that look far from solid, and it took a decent cut-out from keeper Jens Lehmann to stop Gary O'Neil's cut-back reaching Yakubu.

Henry carved himself out a chance with pace and power but could not find a finish, but Pompey then shocked their hosts by hitting the woodwork.

A run down the left by the lively Tresor Lomano Lua Lua gave Matt Taylor the chance to cross, and Yakubu out-jumped the pedestrian Pascal Cygan to plant his header firmly against the face of the crossbar.

Arsenal redoubled their efforts, despite Cygan limping off, and replacement Lauren was instrumental in the opener.

The Cameroonian raced down the right picked out Henry in the box, and the striker slammed home courtesy of a hefty deflection off Arjen De Zeew.

Pompey were unfortunate to see a claim for handball against Flamini in the box turned down, but their luck returned when keeper Konstantinos Chalkias spilled a straightforward take from a corner and Patrick Vieira hammered over the top from a matter of yards.

Vieira made amends soon after the break when Giannis Skopeletis was guilty of dallying allowing the Gunners captain to rob him of the ball and send the perfect pass through to Henry.

With Chalkias racing out Henry looked up and dinked sublimely home as the keeper went to ground turning to celebrate without even deciding to watch the ball cross the line.

Henry then embarrassed Linvoy Primus with his pace, bursting past him in the box, only for Taylor to get to his unselfish pass across the six yard box and bundle dangerously past his own post.

At the other end Steve Stone looked shocked to be presented with a fine opportunity against the run of play, and his tame effort was easily dealt with by Lehmann.

Yakubu also went close as Arsenal began to step down the pace, getting to a Lua Lua cross ahead of Philippe Senderos but directing his low shot narrowly side.

But, somewhat inevitably, it was Henry who had the last say - firing in a free-kick that Chalkias blocked, dropped, then bundled into his own net.

It would be a harsh decision to take the goal away from the Arsenal striker, but regardless, Bayern will be well aware of who the main threat is in midweek.

Report From