Soccer-Arsenal cruise to 3-0 victory at Sunderland

LONDON, May 1 (Reuters) Three goals in 14 minutes before halftime secured a routine 3-0 victory for Arsenal over relegated Sunderland in the Premier League today.

Sunderland, rooted to the bottom virtually all season and still without a home victory, looked comfortable until the 29th minute when Thierry Henry's free kick was headed into his own goal by Danny Collins.

Henry set up Cesc Fabregas for the second after 40 minutes before making it 3-0 himself with a superbly struck free kick two minutes before the break.

The victory left Arsenal four points behind fourth-placed Tottenham Hotspur in the battle to secure the final place in next season's Champions League qualifiers.

Arsenal, who can also qualify for the Champions League by winning the final against Barcelona on May 17, can cut that deficit to one at Manchester City on Thursday before Sunday's final round of fixtures.

Sunderland, who have amassed 12 points, will break their record for the lowest amount of points in a Premier League season of 19 set in 2002-2003.

Should they fail to beat Fulham on Thursday, they will become the only club in the history of the top four divisions in English football to conclude a season without a home victory.

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