Arsenal stayed on the tail of the Manchester teams at the top of the English Premier League by powering past Birmingham 3-0 on Saturday.
Scores by Robin van Persie and Samir Nasri plus an own goal from Roger Johnson kept Arsenal in third place in the standings, two points behind Manchester United and City.
''I am delighted because we have shown physical qualities, we were up for the challenge and mentally as well we kept our calm,'' Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger told the British Press Association.
''We kept faith in our game, that we could put the ball down and play our game. I feel we have had a great performance.''
Birmingham, which fell back in the relegation zone before kickoff, couldn't reproduce its sterling effort in the 1-1 draw with Manchester United in midweek.
After Scott Dann fouled Van Persie just outside the area, the latter's free kick deflected in off Lee Bowyer in the 13th minute.
Following a flurry of missed chances, Arsenal doubled the lead in the 57th when Nasri and Cesc Fabregas, making his 200th league appearance, swapped passes and Nasri show low past Birmingham goalkeeper Ben Foster.
Eight minutes later, Nasri gave a shot to Fabregas, but he was thwarted by Foster. However, the rebound ricocheted off Dann and Johnson and into goal.
