Arsenal march on at the double

Arsenal's Jose Antonio Reyes (L) moves the ball up the pitch near Charlton's Claus Jensen during their Premiership football match at Highbury in London

Arsenal killed off this London derby against Charlton with two superbly worked goals in the opening four minutes to continue their relentless charge to the Premiership title.

Robert Pires and fellow Frenchman Thierry Henry were responsible for extending the Gunners' unbeaten league run to 27 games, with Claus Jensen making it 2-1 on the hour mark.

After Manchester United could only draw at Fulham, Arsenal extended their lead at the top by two points to nine with seemingly only injuries now their greatest hazard to the title.

Arsenal's unbeaten run in the Premiership now extends back to 300 days and a defeat to Leeds at Highbury last May.

A mere two minutes had gone before Pires was celebrating his 50th goal for the club on his 157th start, the France international capping a superb flowing move when he finished off a cross from Fredrik Ljungberg after the Swede had exchanged passes with Henry.

Charlton were given no time to recover their composure from that blow before Arsenal struck again, with Patrick Vieira bursting clear down the left flank.

Vieira crossed to his compatriot, Henry, who outwitted Jonathan Fortune and Hermann Hreidarsson with his instinctive control and finish.

That double strike looked to have sealed victory for the team FIFA president Sepp Blatter rates "the best in the world", but Arsenal had to survive a major second half scare from Alan Curbishley's side before being assured of maximum points.

Arsenal's Thierry Henry (L) fights for the ball with Charlton's Hermann Hreidarsson (C) during their Premiership football match at Highbury in London

Relaxing their grip slightly on the game cost them dear in the 59th minute when Lauren was harshly penalised for a tackle on Paolo di Canio, with Jensen promptly curling the ensuing free-kick past Jens Lehmann from 20 yards out.

That slight woke Arsenal up and within a minute Henry was denied by Dean Kiely's legs and Vieira then headed wide from a free-kick with the goal at his mercy.

Kiely also tipped Henry's free-kick around the post, while the Frenchman clipped the bar with a cross-shot as snow began to fall.

Wenger brought on Gilberto Silva and Jose Antonio Reyes for Dennis Bergkamp and Ljungberg with quarter of an hour left, while Curbishley replaced Radostin Kishishev with Paul Konchesky.

Arsenal had chances of their own, with Reyes flashing a shot wide, and Arsenal then appeared chamred when in injury time a shot from substitute Jonatan Johansson bounced against the post and out to safety.

But despite their generous lead the ultra cautious Wenger will not be taking anything for granted as Arsenal were eight points clear of Manchester United at this stage last year before slipping up on the run-in.