LONDON (AFP) - Arsene Wenger insisted the pressure is all on Manchester United after Arsenal preserved their two-point lead over their Premier League title rivals with a 2-0 victory over West Ham on New Year's Day.
The Gunners produced a spluttering performance at the Emirates Stadium but still won with something to spare courtesy of goals in the first 20 minutes from Eduardo and Emmanuel Adebayor.
United maintained the pressure on the north London club by beating Birmingham at Old Trafford, but Wenger had no doubts about where the advantage lay at the start of 2008.
"It's too early to go into mind games but I do always prefer to lead from the front - it gives you the luxury of being able to rely on your own performances," Wenger said. "If you are behind, you have to rely on others dropping points which doesn't always happen.
"United will be a tough opponent and Chelsea will also be involved because they had a very good result against Fulham but we have belief, talent and this team is hungry. They are good ingredients," the Frenchman added.
Arsenal were far from their polished best against West Ham but they were aided by some wretched defending from the visitors, who never seriously threatened to repeat either their startling victory at this venue last season, or their equally impressive defeat of Manchester United three days previously.
The hosts were ahead after just 90 seconds, when Cesc Fabregas picked out Eduardo with a searching ball and the Croatia international capitalised on the vast swathes of space afforded him by Hammers defender Anton Ferdinand to control on his chest and crunch in a left-footed volley.
West Ham rallied impressively and came agonisingly close to an equaliser when Ferdinand's shot was hacked from the goal-line by Gael Clichy.
But the points were Arsenal's once Adebayor had latched on to Clichy's long ball, rounded England goalkeeper Robert Green and - from the acutest of angles - hooked in a shot via the right-hand post.
"We had a great start and after that we controlled the game," Wenger said, as he reflected on a festive period which has seen his side emerge from daunting meetings with Tottenham, Portsmouth, Everton and West Ham with 10 points and their lead at the Premier League summit in tact.
"Overall, this period has been absolutely great for us - we have had four difficult games, but we have come away with three wins and a draw, which is terrific. I hope 2008 will be a great year for us and I will give every last bit of energy to make sure that happens."
For West Ham, this was one game too far. Alan Curbishley had just 14 fit senior outfield players to choose from at the Emirates and one of those, the Sweden midfielder Freddie Ljungberg, lasted just 37 minutes before limping off against his old club with a hamstring strain.
Curbishley bemoaned his injury crisis as "unprecedented" but he is still uncertain over whether he either needs, or will be able to, make signings in this month's transfer window.
"We'll have to see: if any area gets really acute, we might have to do something," he said. "At the moment, one comes in and one goes out. We'll see what the next couple of weeks bring but we will think about what we can do.
"I was worried about some of the back-four lads who have played every game this season. I haven't discussed things with the board yet about money. I'm still not totally sure what we've got because I've never seen them fully fit."
