Rampant Arsenal matched Manchester United goal for goal in the Premiership title race with a magnificent 5-0 dismissal of the champions' hapless neighbours City.

	At arms length... Henry holds off Prior on Saturday (ShaunBotterill/Allsport)

It was only after Danny Tiatto was sent off two minutes before the break, though, that the Gunners began a Cole-fired salvo.

Ashley Cole's stunning strike came as a direct result of Tiatto's red card.

But there had to be sympathy for the City defender who, having been booked earlier for a foul on Oleg Luzhny, was committed to a desperate lunge to try and prevent Thierry Henry racing clear.

Cole, standing in for injured Brazilian Silvinho, had already scored this season in a 1-1 draw at Bradford with a simple tap-in.

This time the youngster pounced on Dennis Bergkamp's short free-kick to rifle spectacularly through a thick blue line of defenders charging out to meet him, showing the accuracy that had been missing from Arsenal's earlier finishing.

After the break Bergkamp, substitute Sylvain Wiltord and two late strikes from the electric Henry all followed the newcomer's splendid example.

City stood up to a battering in the first half, and Nicky Weaver made two exemplary saves from Robert Pires - who later limped off to be replaced by Fredrik Ljungberg - and Henry who stabbed in a shot from the edge of the area which the goalkeeper stopped with his legs.

But Pires should have done much better when Henry's pace again took him clear of City's defenders to pull over a superb cross from the right.

His fellow Frenchman was all alone in the centre and connected with a diving header only to put it wide with only Weaver to beat.

Ray Parlour and Henry also went close, but it looked like City's belligerent back line would hold out to at least half-time until new king Cole struck so magnificently.

Even then City might have had an equaliser on one of their rare breaks forward.

Shaun Goater got plenty of power into a low drive. But John Lukic, called into action for virtually the first time in the match, plunged low to his left to make the save.

There was no shortage of physical combat in the game with Arsenal captain Tony Adams, back after a three-match absence with familiar back trouble, powering into tackles against tiny former team-mate Paul Dickov and the more muscular Goater.

Adams could easily have been booked, but instead referee Rob Styles made Goater's name the first name in his notebook for a reckless tackle from behind on Patrick Vieira.

Tiatto's first yellow card came soon afterwards for pulling down Luzhny, and it was to have dreadful consequences.

	Danny Tiatto is sent off by referee Rob Stles (ShaunBotterill/Allsport)

Once in front, Arsenal tore away at the 10 men - and Bergkamp, who had looked short of touch and confidence in the first half, started to sparkle in his old style.

Eight minutes after the interval he reminded the fans again of his great quality with a snapping, low drive into the corner for Arsenal's second which was brilliantly set up by a clever back-heel from Ljungberg.

The ubiquitous Cole was involved in attack again when his shot was blocked, and Vieira swooped on the rebound to hammer a ferocious half-volley inches wide from 25 yards.

Then Parlour missed the far post by a whisker with an arrowing cross-shot from another Ljungberg set-up.

City could still have made a game of it had Goater's dismal day not continued with a spectacular miss in the 64th minute.

Arsenal stopped in anticipation of an offside decision, allowing Dickov to chip over Lukic to the all-alone Goater who unaccountably swept the ball over a yawning goal from six yards.

Normality was restored in the shape of renewed Arsenal pressure, and Cole almost completed a memorable second with a wind-assisted launch from the left which dropped on top of the City crossbar.

Everybody knew it was Arsenal's day when veteran stand-in goalkeeper Lukic, 40 next month, got away with an incredible piece of nonsense 15 minutes from time when he dallied over a Martin Keown pass back and then miskicked it straight to City substitute Mark Kennedy who was so surprised he could make nothing of the gift and was crowded out by recovering defenders.

Lukic probably deserved his luck after a splendid first-half save from Goater just after Cole's cracking strike - but contrast that with Weaver's fortunes at the other end when Arsenal substitute Wiltord hit the Gunners' third in the 74th minute straight through the goalkeeper's legs after a perfect through ball from Henry.

Weaver saved brilliantly to defy Bergkamp's flying header from Lee Dixon's cross. He bravely got a hand to Henry's powerful drive seven minutes from the end - after Wiltord had supplied his compatriot with the perfect cross - but it would have taken an iron fist to keep it out.

Number five also went to Henry as City collapsed completely, and again it was a the Gallic one-two with Wiltord setting up his fellow international to lift the ball over the goalkeeper for his eighth goal of the season.

By this time Arsenal were also down to 10 men, with all their substitutes on the field and Vieira going off for reasons not immediately apparent.

It made no difference.

Weaver had to make another acrobatic save to keep out Ljungberg and then race off his line to block the hat-trick-chasing Henry in injury time.

The end could not come quick enough for City, and referee Styles' final whistle must have sounded like an overdue stoppage to a punch-drunk fighter.