Arsenal vs Birmingham City
Match pulse
Who won: Arsenal 2-0
Arsenal beat Birmingham City 2-0 on Sunday, August 18, 2002 at Highbury. Goals for Arsenal: Thierry Henry (9') and Sylvain Wiltord (24').
Play by play
- 90'
That's the end of the game - life in the Premiership for Birmingham has begun with a 2-0 defeat as champions Arsenal get off to the expected start
- 90'
Birmingham launch a late ball forward. Keown stops it and frees Parlour... Aliadiere is there but the defending is again superb
- 90'
Into added time, and it's been a controlled victory for Arsenal
- 90'
Mad scramble: it ends with Toure belting in a shot and Purse - who else - clearing off the line quite brilliantly
- 89'
The flag-kick comes to nothing... the Birmingham fans are making the noise as we enter the last minute
- 88'
Vaesen tips it round the post for a corner. A finishing flourish from the home side
- 87'
Parlour charges forward and a neat move gives Vieira a shooting chance from the corner of the area...
- 86'
Edu is off and Koulo Toure replaces him. Not long to go now, and Arsenal are in possession
- 85'
Aliadiere races into the area and squares for Parlour, who looks a certain goalscorer - until Purse makes a great block. He's had a fine game
- 83'
Birmingham have settled well to their task after the break - at times in the first half they looked likely to be overrun
- 82'
The game rather meandering towards its conclusion at the moment
- 82'
Keown meets it, but his headed attempt is off-target
- 82'
...it's blocked and goes behind for a Gunners corner
- 81'
Vieira lurking outside the area. Henry crosses, Gilberto shoots...
- 80'
Lauren chips the ball into the area, where Kenna is waiting to head clear
- 79'
He hits it, but in the end it's a comfortable catch for Vaesen in the Birmingham goal
- 78'
Henry, who got on the scoresheet from a similar range in the first half, is looking at this...
- 77'
Blues on the ball again - but they soon face danger as Henry is fouled by Purse on the edge of the area
- 76'
Aliadiere nearly gets onto the end of a low Edu pass into the area... all he gets for his pains is a knock, but he's soon back on his feet
- 75'
So nearly a route back into the game for the Midlanders. Aliadiere comes on for goalscorer Wiltord as Wenger decides to make a switch
- 74'
Birmingham's travelling fans take out their frustrations on Cole - meantime, Darren Carter meets a cross and sees his header brush the top of the net
- 73'
Cisse challenges Cole as Birmingham attack - he picks up a second yellow card and is sent off. Blues down to ten men for the last 17 minutes
- 73'
Birmingham again do well in defence as Wiltord and Parlour threaten - they've grown in confidence as this half has progressed
- 71'
Horsfield is taken off and Aussie winger Stan Lazaridis is his replacement as Blues make another change
- 70'
It falls to the unmarked Stern John, but he can't make proper contact with a fast-moving ball

