AT ST ANDREW'S, Arsenal have often felt sinned against, and there was further evidence of that this time: a horrific, cowardly stamp by Lee Bowyer (who else) on Bacary Sagna that went unpunished - because it was unseen - by referee Peter Walton. Retribution from the Football Association is bound to follow and, with it, a ban.
It was the only mark Birmingham City, however, could leave on Arsenal. They were too quick, too clever, too fresh and simply too strong. The margin of victory should have been greater and, as it stands, was the heaviest home defeat suffered by the Blues for almost six years. It was significant.
Arsenal had to win. Not just because of their title hopes but to justify Arsene Wenger's decision to rest so many players against Wigan Athletic in midweek. There was sweet vindication, and however much Birmingham rail against their own sense of injustice - a perceived dive by Robin van Persie that led to the first goal and, certainly, an undetected handball by the same player that should have resulted in a penalty and the chance of an equaliser - manager Alex McLeish knew this was the most emphatic of demolitions.
"Even if we had won the game Arsenal would have been the classier side," McLeish conceded as his side slumped into the bottom three. The Blues have too much fight - surely - to go down but can expect to be without Bowyer for the next three matches.
McLeish professed not to have seen the incident involving Sagna but his decision to withdraw his midfielder shortly after spoke volumes.
It started ugly with Arsenal angered by a studs-up challenge on Cesc Fabregas by Roger Johnson, who went on to have a wretched match. The defender was cautioned rather than dismissed, and Wenger was left to shake his head in disbelief. Soon McLeish was doing the same as van Persie attempted to head clear - only for Johnson's knock-back from a free-kick to strike his arm. "How they never saw that I cannot understand," McLeish said of the officials. "You see him blatantly use his arm."
By then van Persie had scored. He made the most of Scott Dann's passing attention to earn a free kick, which he took - only for the ball to strike Bowyer's elbow and be diverted into net to beat the outstretched grasp of Ben Foster. It was van Persie's first English Premier League goal since May and soon Samir Nasri was carving out more opportunities for him - a one-on-one that he dinked rather than drove with Foster saving, and another he failed to control.
Birmingham's hope would be the set piece. And, from another free kick, Cameron Jerome headed on to Johnson, who wastefully steered his volley over the crossbar. But Arsenal were even more profligate. Theo Walcott sped down the right and crossed deep for Nasri, who cushioned his volley to Jack Wilshere. Surely a second goal? But, no, on his 18th birthday the midfielder volleyed over before the deceptively quick Nasri sprinted through only for his flicked shot to be parried superbly by Foster.
Finally, Arsenal did strike. After a mesmeric passage of possession Nasri and Fabregas raised the pace with a snappy exchange of passes for the former to pick his spot and beat Foster from the edge of the penalty area. It was his 13th goal of the season and another fine strike from the French midfielder.
He wasn't finished there. A wonderfully clever disguised pass picked out Fabregas inside the six-yard area, after another bewildering piece of possession, and his angled shot was saved by Foster but then cannoned off Johnson and Dann and into the net. Birmingham threw on the man-mountain Nikola Zigic, and his header came back off the goal frame but it was inconsequential. They had been humbled.
Telegraph, London
