Arsenal stand on threshold of English title

Arsenal took a giant stride towards the English premier league title with a 2-0 victory away to Bolton Wanderers, their 11th straight victory, on Monday.

Goals by Fredrik Ljungberg and Sylvain Wiltord, both superbly laid on by Dennis Bergkamp, put the London club five points clear of defending champions Manchester United with two games each left to play.

Arsenal, who have also won a premier league record eight away games in a row, are seven points clear of third-placed Liverpool, who also have two games left.

The Highbury club need only draw their match against United at Old Trafford in nine days' time to secure their first championship since 1998.

By then they might be on the point of securing their second league and cup double since the same glorious first season under manager Arsene Wenger if they beat Chelsea in the FA Cup final at the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff on Saturday.

Arsenal had been caught offside by Bolton's defence five times in the first half-hour but Bergkamp found the key in the 36th minute, stroking the ball into Ljungberg's path down the middle with the outside of his right foot.

Ljungberg darted through a gap in the defence to steer the ball wide of goalkeeper Jussi Jaaskelainen and inside his right-hand post for his sixth goal in five games.

Wiltord put Arsenal two up one minute before the interval.

He perfectly timed his run through another small gap in a rather square defence to pick up Bergkamp's low pass and shoot home under the diving Jaaskelainen's body.

CLOSE MISSES

Wiltord almost scored again nine minutes into the second half when he broke away down the right but Jaaskelainen just managed to deflect his shot which hit the post before being cleared by defender Gudni Bergsson.

The opening half-hour belonged more to Bolton, whose top-flight status was secured at the weekend, as Arsenal probed from deep positions.

But once the champions-elect had found their rhythm they moved forward and up a gear.

Bolton twice came close to pulling back a goal in the final quarter of an hour.

French midfielder Youri Djorkaeff, their most influential player, crossed from the right and Kevin Nolan looped his header towards the far top corner but England goalkeeper David Seaman tipped the ball over the bar.

In another combination between the two Bolton players, Djorkaeff set up Nolan when he superbly laid off the ball in front of goal but the striker's volleyed drive came crashing back off the post with Seaman beaten.

Arsenal's England defender Ashley Cole hit the bar with a shot two minutes from time.

A record 27,351 crowd watched the match at the Reebok stadium, just one more spectator than for Manchester United's league visit earlier this season.

Arsenal's France striker Thierry Henry was on the bench but did not come on. He has been nursing a hamstring injury and manager Arsene Wenger no doubt preferred not to risk him ahead of the FA Cup final.

However, central defender Sol Campbell did come on as a late substitute. He too has recovered from a hamstring injury in time for the cup final.