An Emmanuel Adebayor hat-trick helped Arsenal beat Blackburn 4-0 and move second in the league.
Adebayor and Van Persie goals beat Blackburn
An Emmanuel Adebayor hat-trick helped Arsenal beat Blackburn 4-0 at Ewood Park and move second in the league.
Robin van Persie opened the scoring on eight minutes after England hero Theo Walcott found him with a delightful pass.
Arsenal enjoyed good possession but Rovers pressed strongly for an equaliser before Adebayor got his first on the stroke of half-time, heading home a Denilson cross.
After the break, Arsenal again enjoyed better possession and Adebayor added his second from the penalty spot on 81 minutes after Stephen Warnock had been adjudged to have fouled Emmanuel Eboue.
He then got his hat-trick in injury time after rounding keeper Paul Robinson following an Aaron Ramsey through-ball.
Arsenal stamped their mark on the game with a marvellous goal in the eighth minute and Walcott was at the heart of the move.
The 19-year-old returned to the side after his superb treble for England and was full of confidence.
He cut inside and weaved his way past a couple of players before picking out van Persie in the penalty area.
The Dutch international showed the deftest of touches to beat goalkeeper Paul Robinson with a shot into the corner.
Hit back
Blackburn hit back and almost equalised two minutes later, only for Manuel Almunia to show superb reflexes and tip Roque Santa Cruz's effort over the top.
Arsenal were spraying the ball about well and van Persie came close to adding to his tally in the 29th minute but he found the side-netting with his effort.
Blackburn were making a decent fist of it, however, and Emerton made space in the 33rd minute only for Almunia to block his effort.
Five minutes later Gael Clichy did well to head away an in-swinging cross from Morten Gamst Pedersen.
Emerton then tried to pick out Santa Cruz, only for Kolo Toure to make a timely interception at the back post.
Arsenal responded immediately in the 41st minute but van Persie's left-foot effort was marginally off-target.
It was an open game and Pedersen whipped in a free-kick two minutes later that went wide of the post and Santa Cruz's header failed to trouble Almunia.
Arsenal added a second in stoppage-time and questions must be asked of the Blackburn defence.
Unmarked
Adebayor was left unmarked at the back post and took full advantage of the home side's carelessness by heading home a Denilson cross for his first goal of the league campaign.
The Arsenal fans were on their feet two minutes into the second half when Walcott skipped away from Ryan Nelsen and homed in on goal.
Warnock raced across to try to avert the danger but England's rising star still managed to sting Robinson's fingers with his effort.
Arsenal kept up the pressure and Toure found Walcott but his cross was headed wide by Adebayor.
Walcott then saw his shot spin off Nelsen for a corner following a flowing move that split open the defence.
Blackburn found themselves on the back foot again with both Toure and Emmanuel Eboue coming close to extending their advantage.
Toure was left frustrated at failing to score with a header while Eboue's effort from distance was gathered safely by Robinson.
Arsenal made it 3-0 in the 81st minute when Warnock was adjudged to have blocked Eboue in the penalty area.
Blackburn protested vigorously but Adebayor remained to cool to score his second goal of the game from the spot and seal an emphatic victory.
And the Togo international completed his hat-trick in stoppage-time with a cool finish after a splendid through ball from substitute Aaron Ramsey.
