Despite the best effort of to keep the lid closed, it will remain open until our forwards (especially the one from Africa) become more clinical with their finishing.
I have followed Arsenal for a long time and the disappointments every time the results did not go our way were more than compensated by the joy and elations when the did. It was the same on Monday morning.
The way we wrested control in the middle of the Anfield pitch kept my hope going that a lucky break would come our way, especially after 'Lucky' Jaime Carragher again did what he had done at Goodison last week, and escaped from any punishment whatsoever.
Though I must admit that a part of me was willing to accept the match could be the end of our unbeaten run in ALL competitions this season. So, you could just imagine my jubilation when Alex Hleb had the vision to wait before delivering the telling pass that Cesc Fabregas converted into what he referred later as a 'lucky' goal.
At 1-1, the match could have gone either way. Remember a couple of seasons ago when we have tied up the score when a last minute effort from Neil Mellor secured the three points for the home side? I was crossing my fingers hard, praying we would not have to go through the same experience again. Thank God, we did not.
It was a joy to watch Arsenal play right now under Arsene Wenger, but the satisfaction and joy of seeing Arsenal achieving a result was still the same as it was when we did so under Terry Neill, Don Howe, George Graham and Bruce Rioch.
As always, I believe that an Arsenal player would give his/her (Yes, I do support the women's team too) best whenever they pull the famous red and white jersey (or whatever colour the away, third and goalkeeper kit might be) thus they deserve every support from us Gooners.
Though he (the African striker) has become the source of me moaning more frequently recently, I still could not bring myself to say he did not deserve his place in the Arsenal line-up. What I hope is for him to regain his finishing touch or other players could take his spot in the first eleven.
One thing for sure he gave us the joy at Old Trafford last season and I would be certainly keep my fingers crossed again, hoping he would come good again against Fergie's more expensive line-up this weekend.
Go Gooners!
...
Tuesday, 30 October 2007
Monday, 29 October 2007
Premier League - Match #10
Liverpool 1 Gerrard
Arsenal 1 Fabregas
Arsenal returned to the summit of the Barclays Premier League after coming back from behind at Anfield. I was having this feeling all week that the meeting with the red half of Merseyside would be a tough test indeed.
Facing Liverpool during their so called 'crisis' would never be just another walk in the park. With their captain Steven Gerrard in a really determined form to restore the belief of a successful season is still within reach, Arsenal would be deemed 'fools' had they under-estimate the home side.
True enough, it was Gerrard who broke the dead-lock in the eigth minute, after Matthieu Flamini had lost possession to the England international. Manuel Almunia made the first of a series of important saves during the match.
The ball found its way to Xabi Alonso who was fould by compatriot Cesc Fabregas right at the edge of the box. A tap by John Arne-Risse was all Gerrard needed to blast the wall past Almunia.
I believe, had the wall did not break immediately after the tap, Alex Hleb would have blocked the effort.
Rafa Benitez certainly had Liverpool in an attacking mode with a 4-3-3 formation but Fernando Torres, Dirk Kuyt and Andriy Voronin failed to impress.
Arsenal began to take control of the midfield with their usual pass and run football. Unfortunately, the final ball did not fell too kindly for them.
Striker Manu Adebayor is really having a bad spell since starting on a very bright note since the season started. He needs to step-up in order to get the critics off his back. His opposite number
Fabregas missed a glorious opportunity to level the score when he took the the rebound from Manu Eboue on first time, when he could afford to take an extra touch with all the home defenders at sea.
Theo Walcott was brought on for Tomas Rosicky in the 66th minute and he immediately injected a bit of an extra pace to the Arsenal attack.
Peter Crouch who scored a hat-trick in the same fixture in March came on at the start of the second half for Torres who did not make the impact his manager was hoping for. The lanky England striker tested Almunia twice with one of them forcing the Spaniard to make a smart save.
Then Niklas Bendtner and Gilberto Silva came on for Eboue and Gael Glichy. The Brazillian took Flamini's place with the versatile midfielder moving to left-back.
Jaime Carragher was perhaps the luckiest man in football at the moment, especially in the penalty box. Just as it was the same against Everton's Joleon Lescott last week, the England defender pulled Fabregas down and the replay suggested it was a foul and a penalty should have been awarded.
But with ten minutes to go, Arsenal who were looking for the crucial pass finally got it through Hleb. Bendtner was making a run but he strayed too far behind the Liverpool line. The Belarussian waited for just a bit longer before picking up Fabregas who just toe-poked it past Pepe Reina.
The match could have gone either way, with Fabregas hitting the post and Bendtner repeating the same action by Fabregas earlier on the rebound. Captain William Gallas then produced a crucial block on an attempt by Gerrard who had latched on a wonderful lay-off by Crouch.
In the end, both sides shared the spoils though Arsenal perhaps thinking they deserved more from the match than just the single point.
...
Arsenal 1 Fabregas
Arsenal returned to the summit of the Barclays Premier League after coming back from behind at Anfield. I was having this feeling all week that the meeting with the red half of Merseyside would be a tough test indeed.
Facing Liverpool during their so called 'crisis' would never be just another walk in the park. With their captain Steven Gerrard in a really determined form to restore the belief of a successful season is still within reach, Arsenal would be deemed 'fools' had they under-estimate the home side.
True enough, it was Gerrard who broke the dead-lock in the eigth minute, after Matthieu Flamini had lost possession to the England international. Manuel Almunia made the first of a series of important saves during the match.
The ball found its way to Xabi Alonso who was fould by compatriot Cesc Fabregas right at the edge of the box. A tap by John Arne-Risse was all Gerrard needed to blast the wall past Almunia.
I believe, had the wall did not break immediately after the tap, Alex Hleb would have blocked the effort.
Rafa Benitez certainly had Liverpool in an attacking mode with a 4-3-3 formation but Fernando Torres, Dirk Kuyt and Andriy Voronin failed to impress.
Arsenal began to take control of the midfield with their usual pass and run football. Unfortunately, the final ball did not fell too kindly for them.
Striker Manu Adebayor is really having a bad spell since starting on a very bright note since the season started. He needs to step-up in order to get the critics off his back. His opposite number
Fabregas missed a glorious opportunity to level the score when he took the the rebound from Manu Eboue on first time, when he could afford to take an extra touch with all the home defenders at sea.
Theo Walcott was brought on for Tomas Rosicky in the 66th minute and he immediately injected a bit of an extra pace to the Arsenal attack.
Peter Crouch who scored a hat-trick in the same fixture in March came on at the start of the second half for Torres who did not make the impact his manager was hoping for. The lanky England striker tested Almunia twice with one of them forcing the Spaniard to make a smart save.
Then Niklas Bendtner and Gilberto Silva came on for Eboue and Gael Glichy. The Brazillian took Flamini's place with the versatile midfielder moving to left-back.
Jaime Carragher was perhaps the luckiest man in football at the moment, especially in the penalty box. Just as it was the same against Everton's Joleon Lescott last week, the England defender pulled Fabregas down and the replay suggested it was a foul and a penalty should have been awarded.
But with ten minutes to go, Arsenal who were looking for the crucial pass finally got it through Hleb. Bendtner was making a run but he strayed too far behind the Liverpool line. The Belarussian waited for just a bit longer before picking up Fabregas who just toe-poked it past Pepe Reina.
The match could have gone either way, with Fabregas hitting the post and Bendtner repeating the same action by Fabregas earlier on the rebound. Captain William Gallas then produced a crucial block on an attempt by Gerrard who had latched on a wonderful lay-off by Crouch.
In the end, both sides shared the spoils though Arsenal perhaps thinking they deserved more from the match than just the single point.
...
Wednesday, 24 October 2007
European Champions' League - Matchday #3
Arsenal 7 Fabregas 2, Hubacek OG, Walcott 2, Hleb, Bendtner
Slavia Prague 0
It was a performance befitting a perfect birthday present for manager Arsene Wenger. The French coach celebrated his 58th birthday on Monday and his players delivered a perfect present for him a day later.
There was no live telecast (again!) by the service provider and I had to wake up at 5 in the morning to catch the match. It was certainly worth the effort.
Slavia Prague lined-up with a 4-5-1 formation in an effort to pack the midfield and starve the Arsenal front-line from the services of Cesc Fabregas. However, the source if danger came from another player.
Alex Hleb ball skills is one of the reason Wenger splashed the cash for the Belarussian player. In the 5th minute he was surrounded by two Slavia defenders but still managed to find Fabregas just inside the box.
With his marker losing his footing Fabregas had a clear shot at goal. A wonderful finish by the Spanish youngster saw the ball resting at the back of the net a while later. Arsenal 1-0.
If the home fans were expecting the flood-gate to open, they must be terribly disappointed. Slavia hold their own for much of the match after the goal and posed a threat a couple of times. However, their final ball let them down.
Manu Adebayor was holding the line well and bringing other players into the match but his failure to find the net was causing much concern. Gael Glichy found him twice with wonderful crosses but Adebayor's headers failed to cause much trouble to the Slavian goalkeeper.
Then Slavia failed to clear a corner in the 24th minute. Hleb picked up the loose ball and his stiff shot was deflected by David Hubacek past his own goalkeeper, Martin Vaniak into the net. Arsenal 2-0.
Vaniak then produced a wonderful save with his leg from another Adebayor's header after Theo Walcott had found a bit of space to run into on the left.
Manuel Almunia then justified his selection ahead of Jens Lehmann when he gathered cleanly a shot from the right by Matej Krajcik.
Then four minutes from the interval Walcott starting his first match as a striker found the net for his first goal at the Emirates, which was also his first goal in European football. The 18 year old capitalised on a defensive error which saw Vaniak clearing a suicide backpass straight to the England U-21 player.
He sidestepped the challenge from the goalkeeper and cooly slotted the ball home between two defenders who were closing in on him. Arsenal 3-0.
The Gunners had chances to increase the lead further but Adebayor managed to put his header wide of the goal when it looked easier to score. Then Manu Eboeu came within inches of finding the back of the net from the right.
Then six minutes into the second half, Hleb finally put his name on the scoresheet. A wonderful lay off by Fabregas gave Hleb the opportunity to have a run at goal. He disguised his shot twice, fooling the defender and the goalkeeper into committing themselves before slotting the ball home. Arsenal 4-0.
Four minutes later, Hleb became the provider. He found Walcott who ran with the ball into the box and showed his maturity well beyond his years by finishing with his outstep that went in off the far post. Arsenal 5-0.
Adebayor, despite missing a host of chances in front of goal continued to play an important role
for Arsenal. He found Fabregas in the 56th minute but the Spaniard's attempt was blocked.
Then two minutes later Hleb found Adebayor with a crisp pass. His nifty footwork took him from his marker and his pass found Walcott at the edge of the box. This time the England youngster laid it into Fabregas' path. The Spaniard finished off the move with his second touch. Arsenal 6-0.
Wenger made a wholesale substitution in the 61st minute with Gilberto Silva, Tomas Rosicky and Niklas Bendtner coming on for Matthieu Flaminini, Hleb and Adebayor. A serious injury at this juncture would force Arsenal to play with less than eleven men.
Almunia then made two wonderful saves to ensure his clean sheet after defensive errors by the Arsenal defence gave opportunities to the visitors to have a shot at goal.
Every Arsenal players were trying to assist Walcott to get his first hat-trick in Arsenal colours. Gilberto found him with just ten minutes to go but somehow Vaniak redeemed himself with a wonderful instinctive one hand stop.
Then in the 82nd minute Rosicky's effort hit the bar from a rebound after Vaniak had saved a shot from Walcott again. Four minutes later Walcott was presented with another opportunity by Fabregas, who himself was also looking for a hat-trick. However, he lost his composure and sliced his shot away from goal.
Then with just two minutes remaining, Eboue found Bendtner who used his physical presence to run past the defence and his pace to beat Vaniak to ball which left him with an open goal. He did not miss to record his first goal in European football. Arsenal 7-0.
I wish the match would not end until both Walcott and Fabregas found their third, but it ended anyway with me feeling very, very much elated and looking forward in cautious manner to the trip to Anfield on Sunday.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY, ARSENE!
...
Slavia Prague 0
It was a performance befitting a perfect birthday present for manager Arsene Wenger. The French coach celebrated his 58th birthday on Monday and his players delivered a perfect present for him a day later.
There was no live telecast (again!) by the service provider and I had to wake up at 5 in the morning to catch the match. It was certainly worth the effort.
Slavia Prague lined-up with a 4-5-1 formation in an effort to pack the midfield and starve the Arsenal front-line from the services of Cesc Fabregas. However, the source if danger came from another player.
Alex Hleb ball skills is one of the reason Wenger splashed the cash for the Belarussian player. In the 5th minute he was surrounded by two Slavia defenders but still managed to find Fabregas just inside the box.
With his marker losing his footing Fabregas had a clear shot at goal. A wonderful finish by the Spanish youngster saw the ball resting at the back of the net a while later. Arsenal 1-0.
If the home fans were expecting the flood-gate to open, they must be terribly disappointed. Slavia hold their own for much of the match after the goal and posed a threat a couple of times. However, their final ball let them down.
Manu Adebayor was holding the line well and bringing other players into the match but his failure to find the net was causing much concern. Gael Glichy found him twice with wonderful crosses but Adebayor's headers failed to cause much trouble to the Slavian goalkeeper.
Then Slavia failed to clear a corner in the 24th minute. Hleb picked up the loose ball and his stiff shot was deflected by David Hubacek past his own goalkeeper, Martin Vaniak into the net. Arsenal 2-0.
Vaniak then produced a wonderful save with his leg from another Adebayor's header after Theo Walcott had found a bit of space to run into on the left.
Manuel Almunia then justified his selection ahead of Jens Lehmann when he gathered cleanly a shot from the right by Matej Krajcik.
Then four minutes from the interval Walcott starting his first match as a striker found the net for his first goal at the Emirates, which was also his first goal in European football. The 18 year old capitalised on a defensive error which saw Vaniak clearing a suicide backpass straight to the England U-21 player.
He sidestepped the challenge from the goalkeeper and cooly slotted the ball home between two defenders who were closing in on him. Arsenal 3-0.
The Gunners had chances to increase the lead further but Adebayor managed to put his header wide of the goal when it looked easier to score. Then Manu Eboeu came within inches of finding the back of the net from the right.
Then six minutes into the second half, Hleb finally put his name on the scoresheet. A wonderful lay off by Fabregas gave Hleb the opportunity to have a run at goal. He disguised his shot twice, fooling the defender and the goalkeeper into committing themselves before slotting the ball home. Arsenal 4-0.
Four minutes later, Hleb became the provider. He found Walcott who ran with the ball into the box and showed his maturity well beyond his years by finishing with his outstep that went in off the far post. Arsenal 5-0.
Adebayor, despite missing a host of chances in front of goal continued to play an important role
for Arsenal. He found Fabregas in the 56th minute but the Spaniard's attempt was blocked.
Then two minutes later Hleb found Adebayor with a crisp pass. His nifty footwork took him from his marker and his pass found Walcott at the edge of the box. This time the England youngster laid it into Fabregas' path. The Spaniard finished off the move with his second touch. Arsenal 6-0.
Wenger made a wholesale substitution in the 61st minute with Gilberto Silva, Tomas Rosicky and Niklas Bendtner coming on for Matthieu Flaminini, Hleb and Adebayor. A serious injury at this juncture would force Arsenal to play with less than eleven men.
Almunia then made two wonderful saves to ensure his clean sheet after defensive errors by the Arsenal defence gave opportunities to the visitors to have a shot at goal.
Every Arsenal players were trying to assist Walcott to get his first hat-trick in Arsenal colours. Gilberto found him with just ten minutes to go but somehow Vaniak redeemed himself with a wonderful instinctive one hand stop.
Then in the 82nd minute Rosicky's effort hit the bar from a rebound after Vaniak had saved a shot from Walcott again. Four minutes later Walcott was presented with another opportunity by Fabregas, who himself was also looking for a hat-trick. However, he lost his composure and sliced his shot away from goal.
Then with just two minutes remaining, Eboue found Bendtner who used his physical presence to run past the defence and his pace to beat Vaniak to ball which left him with an open goal. He did not miss to record his first goal in European football. Arsenal 7-0.
I wish the match would not end until both Walcott and Fabregas found their third, but it ended anyway with me feeling very, very much elated and looking forward in cautious manner to the trip to Anfield on Sunday.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY, ARSENE!
...
Sunday, 21 October 2007
Premier League - Match #9
Arsenal 2 Toure, Rosicky
Bolton 0
It was good to watch a 'live' Arsenal match again after international break, which brought mixed fortunes to Arsenal players who were involved in getting their country to the Euro 2008 and also the African Nations' Cup in January next year.
Sadly, Robin Van Persie sufferred another injury, this time against Slovenia which would see him out of action for at least a month. The Gunners' topscorer's place was taken by Eduardo da Silva but the Croatian striker struggled to impose himself during the match.
For those who have their case against Manu Adebayor, the Togolese's performance during this match simply provided more ammunitions for them to fire their criticism in his way. The lowest point of his outing must be when he was through with just Jussi Jaaskelainen to beat but his heavy teach took the ball away from goal. Then while trying to re-position himself, Adebayor just simply fell.
Bolton came with a gameplan and stuck to it to frustrate Arsenal for a long period of time. There were several times when the creative players such as Cesc Fabregas and Alex Hleb found themselves having to deal with two or three Bolton players around them.
But after the interval Arsenal stepped up a gear and the urgency was more evidence in their passing. Manu Eboue could not take the opportunity that came his way in the opening minute of the second half. A mistake by Gavin McCann fed the ball into the Ivorian's path but he simply lashed at it, and it went high and wide.
The introduction of Tomas Rosicky and Theo Walcott put the visitors under more pressure and began to concede free-kicks due to their physical approach to the match. They were made to pay in the 67th minute when Kolo Toure blasted home from after Matthieu Flamini had set him up after receiving a tap from Fabregas.
Bolton did come out a bit were not able to do much against the back-line of Toure and William Gallas, who resumed his duty as captain. The absence of former Gunner Nicolas Anelka in the Trotters front line could also be a factor why Arsenal defence had it easy this time around.
Arsenal should have been a head by a bigger margin but with chances being wasted, there was always a chance for Bolton to spoil Arsenal's day. A second goal was badly needed.
England youngster Walcott began to show his true capability in Premier League matches. His superb take from a Hleb's pass allowed him to beat two Bolton players and delivered a low ball across the goal which the unmarked Rosicky deflected past Jaaskelainen.
The way the Czech Republic international sneaked past the Bolton defence certainly reminded me of Robert Pires and hopefully he would also be able to emulate the Frenchman goalscoring feat as well as creating chances for other players.
One thing about the Arsenal line-up this evening that could be significant was the decision to keep Manuel Almunia in goal. He was calm throughout the match and did not even react to the foul by Kevin Davies early in the match.
I am sure that Jens Lehmann would have reacted differently had he been playing. The calmness of Almunia certainly helped the defence and this could be a factor which would see the German leaving the club comes January.
But January is still far away and there could be plenty of matches to be played and who knows, we could be talking about the German shotstopper in two months time.
For now, I am quite happy with us being at the top of the table, a position that I wish to be come the end of the season.
...
Bolton 0
It was good to watch a 'live' Arsenal match again after international break, which brought mixed fortunes to Arsenal players who were involved in getting their country to the Euro 2008 and also the African Nations' Cup in January next year.
Sadly, Robin Van Persie sufferred another injury, this time against Slovenia which would see him out of action for at least a month. The Gunners' topscorer's place was taken by Eduardo da Silva but the Croatian striker struggled to impose himself during the match.
For those who have their case against Manu Adebayor, the Togolese's performance during this match simply provided more ammunitions for them to fire their criticism in his way. The lowest point of his outing must be when he was through with just Jussi Jaaskelainen to beat but his heavy teach took the ball away from goal. Then while trying to re-position himself, Adebayor just simply fell.
Bolton came with a gameplan and stuck to it to frustrate Arsenal for a long period of time. There were several times when the creative players such as Cesc Fabregas and Alex Hleb found themselves having to deal with two or three Bolton players around them.
But after the interval Arsenal stepped up a gear and the urgency was more evidence in their passing. Manu Eboue could not take the opportunity that came his way in the opening minute of the second half. A mistake by Gavin McCann fed the ball into the Ivorian's path but he simply lashed at it, and it went high and wide.
The introduction of Tomas Rosicky and Theo Walcott put the visitors under more pressure and began to concede free-kicks due to their physical approach to the match. They were made to pay in the 67th minute when Kolo Toure blasted home from after Matthieu Flamini had set him up after receiving a tap from Fabregas.
Bolton did come out a bit were not able to do much against the back-line of Toure and William Gallas, who resumed his duty as captain. The absence of former Gunner Nicolas Anelka in the Trotters front line could also be a factor why Arsenal defence had it easy this time around.
Arsenal should have been a head by a bigger margin but with chances being wasted, there was always a chance for Bolton to spoil Arsenal's day. A second goal was badly needed.
England youngster Walcott began to show his true capability in Premier League matches. His superb take from a Hleb's pass allowed him to beat two Bolton players and delivered a low ball across the goal which the unmarked Rosicky deflected past Jaaskelainen.
The way the Czech Republic international sneaked past the Bolton defence certainly reminded me of Robert Pires and hopefully he would also be able to emulate the Frenchman goalscoring feat as well as creating chances for other players.
One thing about the Arsenal line-up this evening that could be significant was the decision to keep Manuel Almunia in goal. He was calm throughout the match and did not even react to the foul by Kevin Davies early in the match.
I am sure that Jens Lehmann would have reacted differently had he been playing. The calmness of Almunia certainly helped the defence and this could be a factor which would see the German leaving the club comes January.
But January is still far away and there could be plenty of matches to be played and who knows, we could be talking about the German shotstopper in two months time.
For now, I am quite happy with us being at the top of the table, a position that I wish to be come the end of the season.
...
Monday, 8 October 2007
Premier League - Match #8
Arsenal 3 Van Persie 2, Senderos
Sunderland 2 Miller, Jones
It was a hurried breaking of fast, a simple meal of rice with gulai daging and a salted egg. Of course, the Maghrib prayer before parking my bums in front of the TV. By the time the picture came the scoreline already read Arsenal 1 Sunderland 0.
I did not see how the goal came about, but the replay of the goal certainly showed it was another beautiful precision by Robin Van Persie from a dead ball situation. I read in the match report later that the free-kick was a result from a foul, and despite Vassiriky Abou Diabi had blasted the ball into the net, referee Rob Styles had blown for the foul.
Luckily, it did not matter.
Manu Adebayor had failed to find the net for the last two matches he started, but this was not due to his lack of trying. The Togolese managed to connect with a wonderful cross from Bacary Sagna but Craig Gordon showed the prove why he became the costliest goalkeeper in Britain, with a brilliant save.
If he is not scoring, then he would be creating chances for others. Just like his cutback in Bucharest, this time Adebayor collected a loose ball in the Sunderland box and returned it into the box following a corner.
Diaby failed to connect properly but Phillipe Senderos took a stab at it. Sunderland players were taken by surprise and could only watch as the ball bounced over the goal-line.
Arsenal were in total control.
Alex Hleb displayed his usual trickery on the right side of midfield. In the 20th minute he sent a teasing cross into the box. Matthieu Flamini failed to get a good touch but Diaby was once again came from the blind side to blast home ball.
It was supposed to be 3-0 to Arsenal and the Wearsiders would have been deflated. But it was not to be. The assistant referee had raised his flag for what it seemed to be a contentious offside decision against Flamini.
Sunderland received a lifeline. They began to believe that they could get something from this match and Arsenal began to feel the pressure. A long pass from Dwight Yorke was taken down superbly by Kenwyne Jones.
The striker's attempt was blocked by Manuel Almunia but the rebound fell to Liam Miller who remained calm to slot the ball home. Sunderland tried to put Arsenal under more pressure and created a few more chances in a period where they had the upper hand over the Gunners.
However, they were saved by the impressive Gordon again when in a typical Arsenal counter-attack, Van Persie found the goal within his shooting range. The Scotland goalkeeper got his hands to the goal-bound shot and diverted it over the bar.
Senderos could have his name on the scoresheet again from the corner, but he completely missed the goal from just a couple of metres out.
The interval came with Arsenal just remained ahead.
But four minutes after the restart, the advantage was gone. Arsenal seemed a bit stretched on the right side of defence, allowing Miller to send a wonderful weighted cross into the box. Jones who had been winning his aerial battles with Senderos all day, did not have any problem outjumping Gael Clichy to head Sunderland into level terms, despite the best effort from Almunia.
At this moment it was anybody's game. At the hour mark Kolo Toure saw his long range effort hit the post with Gordon completely beaten.
Seeing that his could do with fresh legs and additional pace, Arsene Wenger took off Diaby and Sagna for Theo Walcott and Manu Eboue respectively. The England youngster showed he has begun to mature with a number of beautiful runs and used the ball to good effect.
Unfortunately, he seemed to have a bit of a bad luck when it comes to finishing off chances. With a quarter of an hour to go, Hleb who had switched flanks cut inside the Sunderland defence before delivering a teasing ball across the goalmouth.
It was easier to score than to miss but Walcott somehow managed to trip himself and the chance went a begging. However, Walcott made amends a few minutes later. Eboue found him at the edge of the box, and with a superb turn took him clear of the defender before delivering the ball across the box to Van Persie.
The Dutchman wonderful take allowed him to blast the ball past Gordon in a quick movement. Arsenal were ahead again and this time did not allow Sunderland to comeback again. The visitors were down to 10 men after Paul McShane was red carded for a foul on Hleb, which made life even more difficult for them.
Walcott could have made the scoreline bigger but his shot hit the post, and it would not give a true reflection of what a close and entertaining match this has been. Arsenal went back to the top of the Premier League again, where they would remain during the international break.
...
Sunderland 2 Miller, Jones
It was a hurried breaking of fast, a simple meal of rice with gulai daging and a salted egg. Of course, the Maghrib prayer before parking my bums in front of the TV. By the time the picture came the scoreline already read Arsenal 1 Sunderland 0.
I did not see how the goal came about, but the replay of the goal certainly showed it was another beautiful precision by Robin Van Persie from a dead ball situation. I read in the match report later that the free-kick was a result from a foul, and despite Vassiriky Abou Diabi had blasted the ball into the net, referee Rob Styles had blown for the foul.
Luckily, it did not matter.
Manu Adebayor had failed to find the net for the last two matches he started, but this was not due to his lack of trying. The Togolese managed to connect with a wonderful cross from Bacary Sagna but Craig Gordon showed the prove why he became the costliest goalkeeper in Britain, with a brilliant save.
If he is not scoring, then he would be creating chances for others. Just like his cutback in Bucharest, this time Adebayor collected a loose ball in the Sunderland box and returned it into the box following a corner.
Diaby failed to connect properly but Phillipe Senderos took a stab at it. Sunderland players were taken by surprise and could only watch as the ball bounced over the goal-line.
Arsenal were in total control.
Alex Hleb displayed his usual trickery on the right side of midfield. In the 20th minute he sent a teasing cross into the box. Matthieu Flamini failed to get a good touch but Diaby was once again came from the blind side to blast home ball.
It was supposed to be 3-0 to Arsenal and the Wearsiders would have been deflated. But it was not to be. The assistant referee had raised his flag for what it seemed to be a contentious offside decision against Flamini.
Sunderland received a lifeline. They began to believe that they could get something from this match and Arsenal began to feel the pressure. A long pass from Dwight Yorke was taken down superbly by Kenwyne Jones.
The striker's attempt was blocked by Manuel Almunia but the rebound fell to Liam Miller who remained calm to slot the ball home. Sunderland tried to put Arsenal under more pressure and created a few more chances in a period where they had the upper hand over the Gunners.
However, they were saved by the impressive Gordon again when in a typical Arsenal counter-attack, Van Persie found the goal within his shooting range. The Scotland goalkeeper got his hands to the goal-bound shot and diverted it over the bar.
Senderos could have his name on the scoresheet again from the corner, but he completely missed the goal from just a couple of metres out.
The interval came with Arsenal just remained ahead.
But four minutes after the restart, the advantage was gone. Arsenal seemed a bit stretched on the right side of defence, allowing Miller to send a wonderful weighted cross into the box. Jones who had been winning his aerial battles with Senderos all day, did not have any problem outjumping Gael Clichy to head Sunderland into level terms, despite the best effort from Almunia.
At this moment it was anybody's game. At the hour mark Kolo Toure saw his long range effort hit the post with Gordon completely beaten.
Seeing that his could do with fresh legs and additional pace, Arsene Wenger took off Diaby and Sagna for Theo Walcott and Manu Eboue respectively. The England youngster showed he has begun to mature with a number of beautiful runs and used the ball to good effect.
Unfortunately, he seemed to have a bit of a bad luck when it comes to finishing off chances. With a quarter of an hour to go, Hleb who had switched flanks cut inside the Sunderland defence before delivering a teasing ball across the goalmouth.
It was easier to score than to miss but Walcott somehow managed to trip himself and the chance went a begging. However, Walcott made amends a few minutes later. Eboue found him at the edge of the box, and with a superb turn took him clear of the defender before delivering the ball across the box to Van Persie.
The Dutchman wonderful take allowed him to blast the ball past Gordon in a quick movement. Arsenal were ahead again and this time did not allow Sunderland to comeback again. The visitors were down to 10 men after Paul McShane was red carded for a foul on Hleb, which made life even more difficult for them.
Walcott could have made the scoreline bigger but his shot hit the post, and it would not give a true reflection of what a close and entertaining match this has been. Arsenal went back to the top of the Premier League again, where they would remain during the international break.
...
Saturday, 6 October 2007
The Black Cats Cometh
Arsenal welcome Sunderland at the Emirates on Sunday with a lot of respect to the man in charge of the Wearsiders. The man who used to do much damage to the Gunners on the pitch and his encounters with Patrick Vieira were often in fiery nature.
Roy Keane will bring his Sunderland side with a rather mixed form in September. They forced Man United to the edge before losing to a solitary goal, then won against Reading at home, came away from the local derby against Middlebrough with a point but lost at home to Blackburn in their last match.
Arsenal meanwhile have won their last nine matches and unbeaten in twelve competitive matches so far this season. The football displayed by the Gunners was every football fan's dream of watching.
For the supporters, the new found resilient in the team was a bonus after the departure of Thierry Henry, with wins at Sp*ds and West Ham offering ample evidence of the mental toughness the current Arsenal team possess.
For Arsene Wenger, the return of Jens Lehmann and William Gallas to training is a welcomed headache on who would be selected in the first eleven. The duo are unlikely to feature on Sunday thus we would continue to see Manuel Almunia in goal with Phillipe Senderos partnering Kolo Toure at the centre of defence.
Bacary Sagna and Gael Glichy will offer supporting runs for the wide men. In Bucharest, Wenger opted for Manu Eboue on the right with Alex Hleb on the left. Perhaps this is a better option even though Vassiriki Abou Diaby has not let anybody down with his performance on the left so far.
Matthieu Flamini should get the go ahead to continue his partnership with Cesc Fabregas, while Manu Adebayor and Robin Van Persie who combined well to produce the winner against Bucharest on Tuesday should play together again. A run out for Niklas Bendtner is certainly a good option if the score is already very much in favour of the home side.
The return of Lehmann could spell the end for Almunia sojourn between the sticks this season. It would be very ironic if he turns up for Germany against the Czech Republic and gets himself injured again. But in football you just never know.
One player that I wish to see more often is former Arsenal player, Anthony Stokes. So far he has made three starts for the Black Cats and four substitute appearances. Despite being a prolific goalscorer during his loan spell at Falkirk in the Scottish Premier League, Wenger agreed to let him go when Keane enquired about him in January.
The main reason I believe, is the choice Wenger has to make between him and Bendtner, with both of them being similar to one another. In the end, Wenger put his faith on the big Dane, who so far has a good start to the season, starting the Carling Cup match against a full strength Newcastle United and scoring the first goal with seven minutes to go.
Though I am optimist that Arsenal would collect another three points, but as always football is so unpredictable that a win for the visitors could materialise, as it did way back in 1982 when Mark Prudhoe produced a blinding display in goal for Sunderland in their 1-0 win at Highbury.
Craig Gordon, who became the costliest goalkeeper in Britain after his £9 million move from Hearts in the summer; could be the biggest stumbling block for the Gunners as he did against Man United until he was beaten by Louis Saha late in the match.
Thus, it is important for Arsenal to play their usual brand of football, create a number of chances which I believe with team, would eventually find their way to the back of the opposition's net.
Go Gooners!!!
...
Roy Keane will bring his Sunderland side with a rather mixed form in September. They forced Man United to the edge before losing to a solitary goal, then won against Reading at home, came away from the local derby against Middlebrough with a point but lost at home to Blackburn in their last match.
Arsenal meanwhile have won their last nine matches and unbeaten in twelve competitive matches so far this season. The football displayed by the Gunners was every football fan's dream of watching.
For the supporters, the new found resilient in the team was a bonus after the departure of Thierry Henry, with wins at Sp*ds and West Ham offering ample evidence of the mental toughness the current Arsenal team possess.
For Arsene Wenger, the return of Jens Lehmann and William Gallas to training is a welcomed headache on who would be selected in the first eleven. The duo are unlikely to feature on Sunday thus we would continue to see Manuel Almunia in goal with Phillipe Senderos partnering Kolo Toure at the centre of defence.
Bacary Sagna and Gael Glichy will offer supporting runs for the wide men. In Bucharest, Wenger opted for Manu Eboue on the right with Alex Hleb on the left. Perhaps this is a better option even though Vassiriki Abou Diaby has not let anybody down with his performance on the left so far.
Matthieu Flamini should get the go ahead to continue his partnership with Cesc Fabregas, while Manu Adebayor and Robin Van Persie who combined well to produce the winner against Bucharest on Tuesday should play together again. A run out for Niklas Bendtner is certainly a good option if the score is already very much in favour of the home side.
The return of Lehmann could spell the end for Almunia sojourn between the sticks this season. It would be very ironic if he turns up for Germany against the Czech Republic and gets himself injured again. But in football you just never know.
One player that I wish to see more often is former Arsenal player, Anthony Stokes. So far he has made three starts for the Black Cats and four substitute appearances. Despite being a prolific goalscorer during his loan spell at Falkirk in the Scottish Premier League, Wenger agreed to let him go when Keane enquired about him in January.
The main reason I believe, is the choice Wenger has to make between him and Bendtner, with both of them being similar to one another. In the end, Wenger put his faith on the big Dane, who so far has a good start to the season, starting the Carling Cup match against a full strength Newcastle United and scoring the first goal with seven minutes to go.
Though I am optimist that Arsenal would collect another three points, but as always football is so unpredictable that a win for the visitors could materialise, as it did way back in 1982 when Mark Prudhoe produced a blinding display in goal for Sunderland in their 1-0 win at Highbury.
Craig Gordon, who became the costliest goalkeeper in Britain after his £9 million move from Hearts in the summer; could be the biggest stumbling block for the Gunners as he did against Man United until he was beaten by Louis Saha late in the match.
Thus, it is important for Arsenal to play their usual brand of football, create a number of chances which I believe with team, would eventually find their way to the back of the opposition's net.
Go Gooners!!!
...
Wednesday, 3 October 2007
European Champions' League - Matchday #2
Steaua Bucharest 0
Arsenal 1 Van Persie
There was neither live telecast nor a delay one of the match on any channel on astro. It was a bit disappointing but on the plus side I did not miss my beauty sleep.
However, I managed to catch bits of the match during the post-game show and was delighted to see the front line combined well again in producing the goal which came with a quarter of an hour to go.
Manu Adebayor used his strength and pace again to bring the ball to the byline before cutting it across. Cesc Fabregas missed the cut back but Robin Van Persie did not. His shot went to the roof of the net and Arsenal recorded the 9th consecutive win.
It was reported that Arsenal were the dominant force during the match but the home side remained stubborn throughout and were quite unfortunate in trying to catch Arsenal on the break.
Gael Clichy would be very happy if his deflected shot fully crossed the line but replays suggested that the goalkeeper did not carry it over the line while attempting to smoother the shot.
The visitors also had their moments of scare too when goalkeeper Manuel Almunia headed the ball clear. Despite a good length his clearance was immediately pounced by Adrian Neaga and he lobbed the ball back into goal.
Skipper Kolo Toure was on hand to clear the danger.
In the end, Arsenal fans welcomed the 1-0 to the Arsenal scoreline with open arms.
...
Arsenal 1 Van Persie
There was neither live telecast nor a delay one of the match on any channel on astro. It was a bit disappointing but on the plus side I did not miss my beauty sleep.
However, I managed to catch bits of the match during the post-game show and was delighted to see the front line combined well again in producing the goal which came with a quarter of an hour to go.
Manu Adebayor used his strength and pace again to bring the ball to the byline before cutting it across. Cesc Fabregas missed the cut back but Robin Van Persie did not. His shot went to the roof of the net and Arsenal recorded the 9th consecutive win.
It was reported that Arsenal were the dominant force during the match but the home side remained stubborn throughout and were quite unfortunate in trying to catch Arsenal on the break.
Gael Clichy would be very happy if his deflected shot fully crossed the line but replays suggested that the goalkeeper did not carry it over the line while attempting to smoother the shot.
The visitors also had their moments of scare too when goalkeeper Manuel Almunia headed the ball clear. Despite a good length his clearance was immediately pounced by Adrian Neaga and he lobbed the ball back into goal.
Skipper Kolo Toure was on hand to clear the danger.
In the end, Arsenal fans welcomed the 1-0 to the Arsenal scoreline with open arms.
...
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