Arsenal 2 - 0 Coventry
The performance was dominant and confident but far from our best. The game started quite evenly; Coventry packed midfiled with Huckerby being used as a lone striker. They obviously were playing for a draw, with just a lone striker.However the Gunners were rather comfortable in the early stages and began to put Coventry on their back feet.
Emmanuel Petit and Dennis Bergkamp combined for a one-two, but Petit's resultant shot was just wide.
Yet it was in-form Ray Parlour who opened the scoring on seventeen minutes with a beautifully taken goal.
After avoiding a challenge from David Burrows, Parlour swerved a right-foot shot into the far corner to notch his fifth goal of the season.
Arsenal continued to play in almost exhibition mode, sweeping forward gracefully and forcing fine saves from Coventry keeper Marcus Hedman from both Mark Overmars and Nicolas Anelka.
But the Gunners were not taking their chances, as is often the infuriating case for their supporters, and Coventry grew in confidence as the first half progressed.
The visitors should have had a penalty around the half hour mark. Darren Huckerby crossed for Steve Froggatt and the winger seemed to have been brought down by the trailing legs of Arsenal's keeper David Seaman, who touched the ball away. Yet the referee saw no offence and no spot-kick was given.
Muhammed Konjic and Paul Telfer of Coventry and Nigel Winterburn of Arsenal were booked, while Freddie Ljungberg replaced Lee Dixon on twenty-nine minutes. Dixon had been making his 500th appearance for the Gunners before an ankle injury.
Ray Parlour took over at right-back to allow the Swede to run Arsenal's right flank, although fluency was lost through the enforced change. Ljungberg proved to be a further source of danger to the visitors' defence, forcing a fine save from Hedman as the Gunners sought a second goal.
Coventry were far better after the interval, with Arsenal finding it extremely difficult to break through their man-marking defence. Marcus Hedman was the principle reason why the Gunners could not knick a second goal.
The Swede made countless saves from one Arsenal player after another, with Anelka and Overmars in particular suffering from his superb handling.
But he could not keep making such fantastic stops and the Gunners doubled their lead on eighty minutes, after Nwankwo Kanu replaced Nicolas Anelka and did his usual cameo act.
With his ability to switch the ball from foot to foot, the Nigerian mesmerised Coventry's defence with a powerful run. He slipped Marc Overmars in and the Dutch winger's left foot shot zipped across Hedman.
Kaba Diawara again looked sharp when he came on towards the end and put one header just over the bar and saw a shot saved after he combined with Kanu.
It was another identikit Arsenal home performance. The champions had the great majority of possession, rained in many shots against visitors intent on defending for ninety minutes and yet despite their dominance they did not make the most of their opportunities.
Coventry could well have sneaked off with a point if they had been remotely attacking in their outlook and will look to the penalty incident as a potential turning-point for their fortunes.
Arsenal will now be quietly pleased and very confident that their proximity to United in the title race keeps alive the belief that a second consecutive 'double' is still a highly realistic possibility.