Arsenal win Comfortably
December 26 , 2003
Arsenal 3 Wolves 0

Wolves defender Jody Craddock had a game to forget, scoring an own goal to put Arsenal ahead and then conceding possession for the second. Patrick Vieira's 13th minute shot came off Craddock for the opener before the Frenchman set up Henry moments later. Henry completed a brace when he slotted home with only a minute of the match remaining. But it could have been far worse for Wolves, who were beaten 5-1 at Highbury in the Carling Cup earlier in December by a youthful Arsenal side. A similar score this time would have been a fair reflection of Arsenal's superiority. With the home crowd at Highbury expecting a comfortable win, it seemed Wolves were only to happy to oblige. Wolves keeper Michael Oakes was called upon to stop the Gunners taking the lead in only the fourth minute. Henry's shot was well turned over the bar and the warning signs were already clear for Dave Jones' relegation-threatened side. And the vistors contributed to their own downfall courtesy of a mixture of misfortune and some sloppy defending. Arsenal's opener had an element of luck about it as Vieira's shot cruelly deflected off Craddock and looped over Alex Rae on the goal line. But the Gunners' second gave some clues as to why Wolves are struggling at the bottom of the table. Craddock's hesitation in possession was punished by Vieira, who robbed him of the ball on the edge of the box. The Arsenal skipper advanced on goal and squared for Henry to thump home from 12 yards. The game was effectively over as a contest after that and it was merely a case of damage limitation for Wolves. At times, there was little cutting edge to the match but Henry did povide a flash of inspiration with one minute remaining when his goal put a little gloss on a matt performance that proved sufficient to earn three points.