LONDON, 14 March 2004 — Thierry Henry’s sweetly-struck free kick and a late Robert Pires strike gave treble-chasing Arsenal a 2-0 Premier League win at Blackburn Rovers yesterday, maintaining their nine-point lead over Chelsea.
The victory took unbeaten Arsenal to 70 points, with Chelsea second on 61 after they won 2-0 at Bolton Wanderers earlier in the day. Champions Manchester United, third on 58 points, visit neighbors Manchester City today.
Charlton moved up to fourth with a 1-0 home victory over Middlesbrough while Leicester City, playing their first game since nine players were arrested on March 4 following an incident at a Spanish resort, gained a 1-0 success at Birmingham City to move out of the bottom three.
Leeds United remain bottom after a 2-0 defeat at Fulham while Portsmouth slipped into the relegation places after going down 1-0 at Everton.
Arsenal, still on course for success in the Premier League, Champions League and FA Cup, showed only occasional glimpses of their fluent best in the first half against a hard-working Blackburn side who did the double over them last season.
Frenchman Henry thought he had poached a cheeky first-half goal when he nicked the ball away from Brad Friedel, only to be penalized for lifting his foot as the American goalkeeper prepared to take a drop kick.
Ailton Double Helps Werder Stretch Lead
In Berlin, two goals from Ailton helped Werder Bremen stretch their lead at the top of the Bundesliga with a 3-2 win over bottom club Cologne yesterday.
The northerners moved nine points clear of second-placed champions Bayern Munich, who were held to a 3-3 home draw by Hansa Rostock in their first outing since being knocked out of the Champions League by Real Madrid.
Brazilian striker Ailton, who made headlines this week with a controversial move to play for Qatar, struck twice before the break for the hosts, who were 3-0 up at the interval. Bayern, who face a struggle to catch Werder with 10 matches left, led 2-0 at halftime but then conceded three goals before Dutch striker Roy Makaay saved them from defeat with a penalty in the 76th minute.
Werder looked comfortable in the first half, taking the lead courtesy of French playmaker Johan Micoud on 16 minutes before Ailton, the Bundesliga’s top scorer with 22 goals from 24 games, increased their advantage. But Cologne mounted a brave challenge in the second half, reducing the arrears with efforts from defender Oliver Schroeder and midfielder Dirk Lottner.
Rangers Held to 1-1 Draw at Hearts
In Glasgow, Scottish champions Rangers were held to a 1-1 draw by third-placed Hearts yesterday, reducing Celtic’s lead to 15 points.
Craig Moore’s 55th-minute penalty following a foul on Peter Lovenkrands put Rangers ahead at Tynecastle but a crisp volley by Dennis Wyness 15 minutes from time earned Hearts a point.
Celtic, who play Motherwell at home today, have 76 points from 26 matches. Rangers, who have played a game more, are on 61 and Hearts have 49. The matches between Dundee and Aberdeen and Partick Thistle and Dundee United also ended in 1-1 draws.
