Arsenal ease past Ipswich

Ljungberg (centre) scored Arsenal's opening goal

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Ipswich 0-2 Arsenal

Arsenal won comfortably at Portman Road to leave Ipswich rooted to the bottom of the Premiership table.

The lively Fredrik Ljunberg and prolific Thierry Henry scored the goals that put Arsenal up to second in the table.

Ipswich held their own for much of the game but were undone by defensive errors and the lack of a cutting edge in attack.

The Tractor Boys now face Italian giants Inter Milan in the Uefa Cup on Thursday.

  Goals

5 mins: Fredrik Ljungberg gives Arsenal the lead

56 mins:Thierry Henry puts Arsenal further up with a penalty - his 18th goal of the season

Manager George Burley must be worried at the prospect of his suspect back line facing the likes of Ronaldo and Christian Vieri.

The Gunners went ahead in the fifth minute.

Ipswich centre-half Titus Bramble gave the ball away and Henry powered down the left before squaring to Ljungberg, who slotted home from the middle of the area.

Arsenal, with Robert Pires and Ljungberg impressive on the flanks, then dominated the next 20 minutes.

But as so often this season, they failed to turn their superiority into goals.

Jamie Clapham should have punished the Gunners after half-an-hour, but he headed weakly from an excellent Jermaine Wright cross.

Ipswich then came back into the game strongly.

Holland headed wastefully wide from a Clapham cross early in the second half and Ljungberg had to block a Hermann Hreidarsson effort on the line.

But home hopes were dashed when Henry scored from a penalty after Mark Venus had bundled the excellent Ljungberg to the ground.

It was the 18th goal of the season for the French international.

The Gunners should have put the game beyond doubt when Nwankwo Kanu had a chance on the edge of the six-yard box, but he shot tamely.

Arsenal now host Juventus in the Champions League on Tuesday and will be heartened by their improved form of late.

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Ipswich: Sereni, Makin, Bramble, Hreidarsson, Venus, Wright, Holland, Peralta, Clapham, Naylor, Marcus Bent. Subs: Branagan, Counago, George, Darren Bent, Gaardsoe.

Arsenal: Stuart Taylor, Stuart Taylor, Lauren, Campbell, Upson, Cole, Ljungberg, Parlour, Vieira, Pires, Henry, Kanu. Subs: Keown, Bergkamp, van Bronckhorst, Edu, Stack.

Referee: D Elleray (Harrow-on-the-Hill).