Arsenal win after Barthez blunders

2001-11-25 20:15

Trevor Huggins

London - Two schoolboy blunders by Manchester United goalkeeper Fabien Barthez handed Arsenal a 3-1 victory over the English champions at Highbury on Sunday.

Ten-man Liverpool stayed top with a 1-0 win over Sunderland, Leeds United had goalscorer Alan Smith sent off in a 1-1 draw with Aston Villa and Middlesbrough were held 0-0 at home by Ipswich Town.

But the place to be for drama was north London, where Arsenal rallied from a 1-0 deficit at the break to romp home after Barthez's error-prone season continued.

Fredrik Ljungberg cancelled out Paul Scholes's first-half strike for United but the game turned in the 80th minute when Barthez miscued an easy clearance and sent it straight to the feet of French international team mate Thierry Henry, who slotted home.

Five minutes later, Henry steered in a second after Barthez spilled a long upfield ball which the World Cup and Euro 2000 winner looked to have covered.

The win gave Arsenal 23 points and third place in the table, ahead of Newcastle United and Aston Villa on goal difference.

Searching test

Elsewhere, red cards provided a searching test of title credentials as leaders Liverpool moved on to 26 points despite losing Dietmar Hamann but Leeds stayed second on 24 after Alan Smith opened the scoring before being dismissed in the 32nd minute.

Liverpool, with striker Michael Owen rested, had Germany international Hamann dismissed two minutes before the break for a two-footed challenge on Swiss defender Bernt Haas.

Fortunately for the hosts, slack defending by Sunderland had enabled Emile Heskey to head home a Danny Murphy free-kick in the 22nd minute from inside the six-yard box.

It was Heskey's first goal for Liverpool in 18 matches, a drought stretching back to a 2-1 defeat to Bolton Wanderers on August 27.

Sunderland had plenty of second-half possession but failed to make their numerical advantage count, while Gary McAllister ballooned a sitter for Liverpool in a 68th-minute counter-attack.

Over at Elland Road, Leeds took an 18th-minute lead with Robbie Keane supplying the pass and Smith supplying an equally neat finish with a crisp shot.

But Smith got his marching orders soon afterwards, being judged to have elbowed Alpay Ozalan, and Villa levelled within three minutes - Hassan Kachloul lashing home Paul Merson's free-kick.

- Reuters