Thierry Henry grabbed two goals to send the Gunners back to the top of the Premiership.

Two clinical finishes by the French international, one from a free-kick and the other an expertly-taken penalty, made the difference and left Derby without a win since the opening day of the season and languishing second-from-bottom.

It once more underlined how irreplaceable Henry is to the north Londoners. He now has eight goals this season and six in the Premiership from seven league games.

The first half had been all about Arsenal possession and Derby trying desperately to keep things tight and harry the visitors.

So when Martin Keown was sent off for his second caution early in the second half, with the scores at 1-0, it was expected that Arsenal would shut up shop and the game would deteriorate even further.

Instead, Henry almost immediately made it 2-0 from the spot and that set the scene for the most open period of the match, with Derby forced to revise their tactics and go on the offensive.

With David Seaman nursing a sore shoulder Pride Park saw an immaculate debut for Arsenal goalkeeper Richard Wright, who kept a clean sheet.

Wright showed his quality as early as the eighth minute when a dreadful header by Keown dropped at the feet of Italian Fabrizio Ravanelli, who ran on and struck a low shot from a narrow angle that the Gunners goalkeeper held at the second attempt.

Henry and Robert Pires then both tried their luck from distance, but both were well off-target, and Arsenal dominated the opening exchanges without having any clear chances.

But after 20 minutes Brian O'Neil fouled Francis Jeffers right on the edge of the box to give Arsenal a real opportunity, and it was one that Henry did not pass up.

From a short run-up to the free-kick, the Frenchman curled an exquisite shot which was just too accurate for Andy Oakes, though he managed to get the fingers of his left hand to the ball as it soared into the top corner.

Jeffers then pounced on a loose ball 12 yards out and rifled in a shot but Derby's defenders closed ranks to block his effort.

Uncertainty in the Gunners backline saw Malcolm Christie given space to shoot but his effort was tame and Wright had no trouble saving.

Arsenal could easily have gone 2-0 up at the end of the first half when the Gunners skipper Patrick Vieira met Giovanni van Bronckhorst's corner from the left but his header bounced wide of the other post.

Fredrik Ljungberg embarked on one of his runs across the edge of the box that have proved a rich source of goals in the past, and when Pires picked him out most people in Pride Park must have expected one more but Oakes did exceptionally well to block his shot.

After 55 minutes, Keown received his marching orders for his second caution after tumbling Christie in full flight right on the edge of the Arsenal box. He could have little complaint - though complain he did.

It was a good position for Ravanelli to show his dead-ball skills, but Wright was equal to his low effort.

The dismissal could have been the signal for a Derby comeback. Instead, in virtually their next attack in the 61st minute, Arsenal won a penalty and Henry smacked it home to make it 2-0.

Oakes was the man to blame, and was fortunate not to be sent off himself. Henry played in a ball which the Derby keeper should have gathered but he failed to hold it and when Kanu stole possession he brought down the Nigerian.

Referee Rob Styles only booked Oakes, even though the keeper was quite clearly the last man.

Six minutes later Henry should really have had his hat-trick, after Kanu, so deceptively languid, had swept past a couple of challenges and laid on a peach of a through-ball. Henry appeared to meet it perfectly but placed his shot just wide of the right-hand post.

With nine minutes remaining, Boertien's driven shot was parried by Wright, who could seem to do no wrong, and the Gunners returned to the pinnacle of the Premiership - for 24 hours at least.