The Nationwide League already beckons for Wolverhampton Wanderers, as Arsenal’s youngsters demolished their experienced eleven by 5 goals to 1. Goals from Jeremie Aliadiere (2), Kanu, Sylvain Wiltord and Francesc Fabregas sealed it for the young Gunners who showed Arsène Wenger that he can put his faith in youth.
Arsenal lined up with a very inexperienced back four, yet a relatively strong midfield and attack:
Stack
Hoyte
Simek
Tavlaridis
Clichy
Wiltord
Cesc
Vieira
Bentley
Kanu
Aliadiere
Wolves did quite the opposite, fielding 8 of their first team who had started against Newcastle on the weekend. They were bolstered by the return of Paul Ince and Kenny Miller:
Marshall
Andrews
Craddock
Butler
Naylor
Gudjonsson
Rae
Ince
Miller
Blake
Camara
I expected Wolves to give Arsenal a stern test, but from the outset, it was clear that I had been very much mistaken. In the first five minutes, Kanu had two chances, The first he struck wildly over the bar from distance. Soon after, Justin Hoyte crossed well from the right, the Nigerian trickster controlled it, and, one on one with the keeper, wastefully slipped the ball wide of the post from 6 yards. He obviously knew he would get another chance, and, sure enough, in the seventh minute, he made space for himself in the Wolves area with a delightful drop of the shoulder before flicking the ball against the post from a very acute angle. The notorious chant of, “Kanuuuuuuuu!” was heard all around the ground as the atmosphere heated up inside Highbury.
Arsenal were having all the possession and Wolves looked surprisingly lacklustre. Wiltord shot over from outside the box before Kanu almost hit the executive boxes above the Clock End with another ambitious attempt; rumour has it that he was attempting to imitate Jonny Wilkinson! Then, both Bentley and Clichy shot wide from distance. As Arsenal moved up through the gears, Wolves collapsed. A woeful back pass from Lee Naylor gave the lively Aliadiere an opportunity which he grabbed with both hands, slipping the ball cutely under the keeper: a real poacher’s goal, not seen since the days of the legend that is Ian Wright.
In the last twenty minutes of the first-half , Wolves began to come back into the game and even touched the ball a few times! Alex Rae shot just wide from the edge of the area, yet, at the other end, a Bentley free-kick curled marginally over the bar. Stack tipped a shot Paul Ince from a corner over his bar before Arsenal almost punished the visitors on the break through a great one-two between Vieira and Bentley. The half ended on a high note for Arsenal as they went close yet again.
I expect that the Wolves side got a real ear-bashing from their manager, Dave Jones, at half-time. They had been really poor and had hardly troubled an extremely youthful Arsenal side. The atmosphere in the North Lower was brilliant during the first half, much better than on Sunday against Fulham. It seems to me that many of the regulars take our world-class superstars for granted and don’t bother cheer for them. It was quite the opposite last night as the newcomers were a breath of fresh air.
Arsenal started the second half with three immediate chances. After some creative approach play, the shot of 16 year old Francesc Fabregas was deflected straight into the keeper’s arms. We were treated to another Kanu shimmy which sent Jody Craddock completely the wrong way, but Kanu’s subsequent shot from an angle was well saved. Aliadiere put Wiltord in after fifty minutes with a fine pass, but the French international, looking for his first goal since late August, had his snap shoit saved at full stretch.
It was a true shame to see Justin Hoyte stretchered off after falling awkwardly in the 52nd minute. He got a rousing round of applause as he went off to be replaced by Olafur-Ingi Skulason, and I am sure that all Arsenal fans will wish him a speedy recovery.
After a tussle in the first half, things boiled over between Nathan Blake and Stathis Tavlaridis, as they squared up to each other. Having both been carded, one fan sitting near me commented on how Tavlaridis reminded him of Arsenal stalwart Martin Keown. How apt, I thought.
By this stage, Francesc Fabregas, already fondly known as “Cesc”, was coming into his own. After a great bit of skill and strength in the middle, he played a crisp one-two with Wiltord but his side-foot shot was straight at the keeper. A minute later, he was involved again as he set up Kanu, whose left-foot shot on the turn was tipped over athletically by the Wolves keeper. David Bentley then went on a mazy dribble down the left, but having cut inside, blasted over the bar.
Gooners were treated to a real show in the last 25 minutes, as Arsenal went 4-0 up in the space of 10 minutes. First, Wiltord crossed low from the right and Kanu, right on time, took the ball round the keeper at close quarters with his first touch, before knocking the ball into the empty net from a yard. Just three minutes later, Aliadiere got his second. Kanu put him in space with an outrageous flick, and he ran straight at the defence, turning this way and that, and then curling the ball low to the keeper’s left with his right foot. It was a goal worthy of the great Thierry Henry himself. With 12 minutes to go, Vieira slipped the ball through the static Wolves defence to Wiltord, who, having waited for the keepr to come out, slid the ball coolly under him and into the net.
Wolves snatched a consolation immediately after Sylvain had made it 4-0. Alex Rae unleashed an unstoppable drive from inside the area which flew into the top corner of the net. The Wolves fans celebrated rather exuberantly considering they were still 4-1 down, so the Arsenal fans responded with sarcastic applause. The Arsenal players were unperturbed and with 2 minutes remaining, Wiltord was once again one on one with the unfortunate Wolves keeper. On this occasion, he rolled the ball square and Cesc was there to tap the ball into the gaping net from less than a yard out and to become Arsenal’s youngest ever scorer.
On this showing, Wolves have no hope of staying in England’s top division. The loyal Midland fans left the ground demoralised having been beaten by a mixture of Arsenal’s first team, reserves and Under-19’s. It was great to see the return of Patrick Vieira after 2 months on the sidelines but this was somewhat overshadowed by the performances of Cesc and Jeremie Aliadiere, who earn my vote for joint Man of the Match. Both played with such panache and confidence that Wenger will surely realise that Arsenal’s future is bright, even without the unlimited financial resources of our closest domestic rivals.
The atmosphere at Highbury was electric in the North Lower last night, and chants of, “Are You Tottenham in disguise?”, “Who are ya?” and even, at the end, “Are You Inter in disguise?” were particularly popular. “5-1 in the San Siro,” was also a nice surprise and it was fun to taunt Paul Ince with, “Incey, what’s the score?”
We now look forward to a game at Leicester on Saturday before the huge Champions League encounter with Lokomotiv next Wednesday. After last night’s performance, it seems that Arsenal long-term future is secure.
PLAYER REVIEWS AND RATINGS
Stack– The rookie goalkeeper had a relatively easy game. He only had one or two saves to make and couldn’t be blamed for the Wolves goal. He made one worrying flap in the first half which resulted in a corner, but other than that, looked comfortable. 6.5/10
Hoyte– The Engalnd Under-20 full back played well in the first half, putting in some good crosses from the right flank and defending competently. However, his evening ended prematurely when he was stretchered off early in the second half. Lets hope it wasn’t too serious. 7/10
Tavlaridis– An excellent evening for the Greek central defender. He was strong and composed on the ball throughout, helping the debutant alongside him, Frankie Simek, through the game. He had one rash moment when he squared up to Nathan Blake in the second half, but the fans enjoyed it. 7.5/10
Simek– A pretty good debut for the young American. He looked slightly nervy in the first half and was rightly booked for a late lunge after losing possession. Nevertheless, he enjoyed a quiet second half as Arsenal tore Wolves to shreds. 6.5/10
Clichy– After his Premiership debut against Birmingham, Gael reappeared and put in another sound performance. The strong and pacey Frenchman worked hard on the left, and didn’t put a foot wrong, apart from an extremely wayward shot in the first half. 7/10
Wiltord– Setting up two goals and scoring one himself, the return of the French international from injury was a resounding success. At times he looked uninterested, but he generally worked hard and this paid off in the end. Let’s hope that his finish restores some of his confidence in front of goal and that he soon returns to his best. 7.5/10
Cesc– For me, one of the stars of last night’s performance. His passing was accurate and penetrative and he found himself in space on several occasions. I read in the Arsenal magazine that he had been working on the defensive side of his game, and this certainly showed as he put in a few crunching tackles. He manages to hold his own against tough and experienced opposition and deserved his goal at the end. 8/10
Vieira– It was great to have our captain’s imposing presence back in central midfield after 2 months out, and, despite playing at only half his capability, he shone. His passing was crisp and incisive, especially in setting up Wiltord’s goal. Young players like Cesc will no doubt learn a lot from him. 7.5/10
Bentley– A promising appearance from the creative youngster, dubbed the next Bergkamp. He showed some good touches, was always willing to try things and carried and air of confidence about him. He delivered corners from the left better than any of our first-teamers do and was graciously applauded off the pitch by the appreciative Highbury fans. 7/10
Kanu– Another solid performance from the tall Nigerian. He took his goal very well and gave the fans a rendition of the “Kanu Shimmy” on two occasions, completely flummoxing the Wolves defence. His finishing is not yet up to scratch, but I am confident that the more he plays, the quicker he will return to his form of the past. 7/10
Aliadiere– This youngster clearly has bags of potential and I would not be all that surprised if he started against Leicester on Saturday. The Frenchman, who has been on the fringes of the first-team for more than a year now, scored two excellent goals last night. Moreover, he showed real desire and commitment in closing down the Wolves defenders and giving them no time on the ball. His first touch was great and he was willing to run at defenders. He is already twice the player Jeffers will ever be. 8.5/10
Subs: Skulason– Having replaced Justin Hoyte at right-back, the Icelandic international showed that he is a capable player. He made some fine tackles, but was rarely troubled by Wolves’ attack. 6.5/10
Smith– He had not time to make an impression on this occasion, but is a nippy and skilful attacker who, although only 17, is playing regularly for the reserves. 6/10
Papadopulos– Still an unknown quantity as he too had little time to make an impact. He looks very developed physically though and could be a good target-man in the future. 6/10