Score: Steve's Gunners jinx continues

Wenger's Mac lash

From Ray Ryan at The Riverside

STEVE McCLAREN'S Arsenal hoodoo continued after Robert Pires handed the Gunners a lucky win.

Boro's boss was on course to pick up his first league point against Arsene Wenger's men until Pires struck 17 minutes from time.

It was a devastating blow to Boro, who had outplayed the Londoners for much of the game only to end up with nothing.

McClaren has suffered a miserable time at the hands of Arsenal since he took charge at the Riverside Stadium.

Wenger's men had won the last SEVEN league meetings and went away with 4-0 thrashings on their last two visits to the Riverside.

So when keeper Mark Schwarzer injured his back in the warm-up and had to be replaced by Brad Jones, Boro fans must have feared the worst.

But the expected goal avalanche failed to materialise as Boro outfought their London opponents.

Ticket

Arsenal's passing was wayward, Thierry Henry never looked like racking up a third successive hat-trick and Jones did not touch the ball for the first 15 minutes until he came out to comfortably collect a Lauren cross.

McClaren said: "I just don't have any luck against Arsenal — but that's the closest I've come against them.

"I'm very pleased with my players and coouldn't have asked for any more from them.

"Brad Jones didn't have a shot to save until their goal — and that came after a deflection.

"But I certainly won't be buying a lottery ticket after the kind of luck we had here."

Even Gunners boss Wenger admitted: "We didn't create any clear-cut chances despite our possession and the players got a bit frustrated.

"We lacked imagination and lacked creativity in the penalty area.

"But Pires' goal was our 100th of the season and no one else has scored that many.

"Confidence is high and over the last seven games no one has picked up more points. I just wish we could carry on playing until August — in fact I might ring the Premier League and ask if we can do that!"

Boro threatened first as Brazilian Doriva swapped passes with Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink and smashed a 20-yard shot that beat Jens Lehmann all ends up but thundered against the post.

And Hasselbaink himself was put through moments later only to squirm his shot wide when normally he would have done better.

Arsenal did create a couple of half-chances in the first 45 minutes but their finishing let them down.

That was perfectly demonstrated when Jose Reyes outpaced two Boro defenders down the left and cut back for Henry.

But the Frenchman — usually so deadly — made a complete hash of his shot and sent it well past the post.

Henry almost made amends just before the break when he cut inside from the left, spotted Jones off his line and went for the top, right-hand corner with a curling effort which flew just wide.

And Reyes himself was just off target as Arsenal struggled to find their rhythm and form.

The Spaniard was replaced at half-time by Dennis Bergkamp but Arsenal still struggled to break down a solid Boro defence.

Gareth Southgate and Chris Riggott were outstanding at the back for McClaren's men.

Riggott showed just why he has kept his place in the side ahead of Ugo Ehiogu with a brilliant blocking tackle as Henry threatened to pounce early in the second half.

Boro's Stewart Downing did well to beat the Arsenal defence before his long drive was comfortably saved by Lehmann.

But just when it looked as though Boro had done all the hard work, Arsenal snatched the lead after 73 minutes.

Golden

Henry started the move with a ball out wide to Cesc Fabregas and his cross took two deflections off Franck Quedrue and Doriva before the ball fell nicely to Pires.

The Frenchman made no mistake from close range as he blasted past Jones with his left foot to break Boro's hearts.

It was a cruel blow and certainly something Boro did not deserve after the way they had contained Wenger's men for so long.

And the home side knew their luck was out after 78 minutes when Hasselbaink missed a golden opportunity to grab an equaliser.

The Dutch striker was sent racing clear on goal but shot tamely straight at Lehmann.

McClaren added: "Jimmy apologised to the players for his miss. He's very disappointed but he has won us loads of games this season. It's just one of those things."

Smirking King shattered my life for the second time on the day that he walked free from jail

EXCLUSIVE: Torment ofpaedophile's victim

By Holly Jarvis

A BRAVE victim whose harrowing evidence sent child sex monster Jonathan King to jail last night told how the paedophile's early release has torn his life apart for a SECOND time.

Main prosecution witness Chris Sealey waived his right to anonimity to slam the pop pervert after he was left revolted by the outrageous claims King made as he stepped out of prison.

The smirking 60-year-old bragged that he was innocent and that his victims all consented to have sex with him.

But Chris, who was only 14 when King brutally raped him, snapped: "That b*****d has no idea what he has done to me and the others. I can't believe his nerve.

Raped

"There should be laws in place to make sure scum like him can't live a normal life. He should have stayed in prison.

"The day Jonathan King came out of jail was the day my life ended for the second time."

In an exclusive interview with the News of the World, Chris

TORE APART point by point evil King's shocking statement made outside Maidstone Jail last Tuesday.

OPENED his heart on how his attacker's release has plunged him back into a nightmare battle against drug and booze abuse—a fight he was winning while King was behind bars.

RELIVED his terrifying ordeal at the hands of the pop guru.

"He ruined my childhood and him being a free man has shattered my life again," said Chris, now 36.

"I was beginning to get myself together but now I've lost the will to live.

"I have been back on heroin ever since I was told they were letting him out after just half of his sentence."

Chris, of Cambridgeshire (right) was the star witness who came forward to nail King in 2001.

The former DJ was jailed for seven years after being accused of attacking 22 boys in the 1980s.

The jury heard how he "groomed" them with gifts and money and then abused them in his London mansion.

But the ranting King continued to protest his innocence in jail through his website—and when he was released he made a sickening statement that made Chris's blood boil.

KING LIED that his victims "wanted to go with me. I was famous. I was extremely handsome. I was stunningly attractive in every way".

CHRIS SAID: "He used his money and fame as an attraction, but he is one of the most hideous, ugliest people that I have ever met."

KING LIED that none of his victims were children, none of them were young and none of them were forced to do anything they didn't want to do.

CHRIS SAID: "Under any law at any time in Britain he cannot deny I was a child or young. Hell, I was only 14. I felt trapped when he abused me."

KING LIED: "I am not guilty of going with children." He added that they were "of an age and mental maturity" to make their own decisions.

CHRIS SAID: "He must live on another planet to be able to convince himself he did not have sex with children. I was a schoolboy and used to play with Scaletrix. King gave me money to buy toys. Physically, mentally and legally I was a child as were many of his other victims."

And Chris feels he can now never get away from the fiend's shadow without the help of drugs.

"When I was young I turned to marijuana to hide away from the nightmares of what King did to me," said Chris.

Escape

"But I moved on to heavier stuff. I became hooked on heroin within a few years of the attacks which helped me block out even thinking about King.

"But when he was convicted I felt some king of closure. I felt I had been given a chance to sort my life out without worrying about him. So I went to drugs rehabilitation and was weaned off heroin."

Chris planned to be living abroad by the time King was freed to try to escape the memories of what he did to him.

"I was going to sell my house and move to Europe. I didn't want to be anywhere near him. I'd been clean for the last three years and I was looking forward to a fresh start."

But Chris slipped back into his old habits as soon as he learned King was to be released.

He said: "I was watching the news about two months ago and I saw his disgusting face on the screen with that horrible lop-sided smile that will haunt me forever.

"When they said he might be freed, I felt sick to my stomach. I just wanted to curl up into a ball and die.

"All I kept thinking about was getting a hit of heroin so I could wipe the memories from my mind."

That night Chris (pictured right as a young boy) went on a massive drink and drugs binge that could have killed him. I went berserk. I drank loads of vodka and took huge doses of heroin," said Chris. "I was stumbling around in a busy main road and cars were having to swerve to avoid hitting me.

"I woke the following morning by a roadside and the police helped me home. I've been on heroin ever since."

Chris's mind keeps flashing back to when he met King in a London record shop.

"He came up to me and said ‘Do you know who I am?' Then he took me to a peep show joint where there were naked women. I started to get excited," said Chris.

The fiend then lured the youngster back to his home in his Rolls Royce. "I was with a famous man and so I thought it was all right. When I got back to his house I was stunned by all the gold discs hanging on the walls," said Chris.

"Then he gave me a ginger beer and took me up to his bedroom. He made me undress and told me to lie down and watch a porn video.

"King unzipped his trousers. There was nothing I could do, I knew he was doing wrong but I felt trapped.

"I felt his bristly chin next to my skin and I can still remember his heavy breath on the back of my neck".

It was the start of three years of horrific abuse for Chris in which King lured him to his house at least six times, promising the boy he would get him into showbusiness.

"While the abuse was going on I knew it was wrong and it repulsed me, but I was young and thought that this was what they did in the music business," said Chris.

"I was so desperate to be involved in it I went along against all my instincts." Chris is also haunted by the court case—and the five hours he spent in the Old Bailey witness box giving his evidence. "It was a totally humiliating experience," he said.

"I was so desperate for the jury to believe me that I turned to them and said, ‘I swear on my mother's life everything I've told you is true'.

"I could tell by their eyes they did believe me. I knew they felt sorry for me. But I don't want pity. I want King to get what he deserves."

A condition of King's release is that he is banned from having contact with anyone under 18. But Chris thinks the pervert will strike again.

Sick

"I find it very difficult to believe he has learned to control his horrific sexual desires," he said. "He had ferocious urges. He'd turn into a monster. I wouldn't be surprised if he got into trouble soon. He's very sick. His website proves that.

"He told the world not to believe his victims—he said we were all drug addicts and low lives—but he can never ignore the fact that I was only 14 when he raped me.

"He can't face up to the awful crimes he committed—it's like one big game for him. "But it's a game that destroyed my life."

THIERRY HENRY hits hat-trick to home in on Wrighty record

It's va-va boom

THIERRY HENRY smashed a glorious hat-trick against rock-bottom Norwich as Arsenal cruised to victory at Highbury.

The French hitman struck twice in three minutes before the break and then rounded off his second treble in as many league games just after the hour.

That took his Gunners tally to 181 — just four behind Ian Wright's club record.

And boss Arsene Wenger joked: "I'd be worried if I was Ian — he hates Thierry!"

Freddie Ljungberg also scored, while Darren Huckerby conjured up the goal of the day as a consolation.

Gilberto started his first game for six months for the Gunners but Norwich continued to look hopelessly out of place in the Premiership.

They arrived at Highbury on the back of four straight defeats and anchored to the foot of the table. And while they did not have to face Patrick Vieira, who picked up a knock in midweek, they did have to contend with Henry's va-va voom.

He returned after missing both of France's World Cup qualifiers but, ominously, his last league outing against Portsmouth had seen him score a hat-trick. Wenger revealed: "Thierry played with his brain because he was not physically fit. A hat-trick for a guy not fit isn't bad!

"He was rested by France in midweek, which was nice of them, and a three-week break has helped.

Even Norwich boss Nigel Worthington said: "Henry is the best in the world. It's exciting for the British people to see him play like that.

Carved

"As for us, we're obviously nowhere near Arsenal's level but we'll keep fighting."

The opening minutes were spent camped in Norwich's half but it took until the quarter-hour mark for a chance to be carved out. Henry set up unsettled Spaniard Jose Reyes for a one-on-one with Robert Green but the keeper easily saved his tame effort.

Yet, four minutes later, Henry made no such mistake. He latched on to a free-kick and left Green with no chance as he fired into the bottom corner.

It was 2-0 in the 22nd minute. Cameroon star Lauren spotted the Frenchman on the left, Henry cut inside, fooled two defenders and deposited an unstoppable effort past Green.

Ljungberg was the next to line up a chance as he stormed through.

This time, Green was up to the task as he saved Norwich's bacon while, at the other end, Huckerby had a penalty appeal turned down following a scruffy tackle from Pascal Cygan. Then, completely against the run of play, Wenger's side conceded their first goal in more than five matches.

It came after another blunder from keeper Jens Lehmann.

He flapped at a corner, the ball was not cleared and Huckerby drove a screamer into the top corner. But normal service was resumed in the second half and the Canaries were pummelled.

Ljungberg had already had a shot cleared off the line within moments of the restart, before the Swede finally made it 3-1.

Lauren again sent over a pinpoint cross, Craig Fleming failed to deal with the hanging ball and Ljungberg stole in to leave Worthington fuming just five minutes into the second half. How Fleming allowed the slight frame of the Arsenal man to beat him in the air is anyone's guess.The game continued to be played in Norwich's half as the Gunners' constant teasing turned into total domination.

Whistled

Henry sent another thunderbolt wide, while Reyes whistled an effort over the crossbar.

And it was no surprise when Henry completed his stunning hat-trick to make it four in the 66th minute.

Reyes went dancing into the area and would probably have won a penalty had the ball not broken to Henry who stroked home from five yards.