Arsenal 1-1 West Bromwich Albion
Goalscorers:
Arsenal: Pires 54
WBA: Earnshaw 79
Welsh international Robert Earnshaw came off the bench to deny Arsenal a deserved victory on Saturday.
In a day to forget for the Gunners, who incidentally had a chance to regain top spot after Chelsea's draw, Earnshaw came on for Cosmin Contra and within 5 minutes scored the goal which condemned Arsenal's first team to their third draw since the Old Trafford debacle.
The home side were in control for most of the match and were on the back foot in one or two spells in the second half. Despite all this dominance there were very few clear cut chances for Arsenal. The goal arrived on 54 minutes after Robert Pires curled a shot which Russell Hoult somehow managed to fumble into the goal.
Arsenal showed glimpses of their early season form but could not take their chances when they came. Ultimately they were punished when the away team scored from virtually their only chance in the whole match. And what a time to do it! With just over ten minutes remaining it would have been a tough task to regroup and score what should have been the winning goal. It wasn't to be. The visitors held on.
Arsène Wenger's side ad been decimated by injuries prior to kick-off. Mathieu Flamini (knee) joined Edu (foot) and Gilberto (vertebrae) on the injury table and this forced Cesc Fabregas into his 3rd game in a week. He also looks set to play in midweek and next week with the recent injury to Flamini. Sol Campbell (Achilles) is still out so Cygan continued next to Toure in the heart of the defence.
Arsenal started the game at a fast pace and had their fair share of possession but created little of note in the first half. A few blocked shots were all they had to show for their endeavours.
West Brom looked to attack on every chance they could get but were being pinned back in their own half as Arsenal asserted their dominance onto the game. Darren Purse cleared Dennis Bergkamp's telling cross, and Fabregas inadvertently flicked the ball away from Kolo Toure at the far post.
On 28 minutes West Brom had a clear sight of goal but somehow managed not to score. Andy Johnson performed a diving header but he failed to make a connection with the ball. The ball tricked through the box to Zoltan Gera who hit his shot into the side-netting.
This was a let off for the Gunners. They tried to improve their game but did little to worry the opposition. Minutes before the end Arsenal upped the tempo and the first half finished just like it had started.
On 38 minutes Pires' freekick was headed goal bound by Pascal Cygan but a defender blocked it. Yet again the chance came and went with a flash. Four minutes later Pires was brought down on the edge of the area and the referee blew for the freekick. The whole of Highbury stood up in anticipation as Henry stepped up to take. He curled it around the wall and the ball was destined to squeeze in but the keeper somehow managed to palm the ball around the post.
Arsenal started the second half just where they left off. After only 3 minutes Henry's freekick was hit first time by Pires whose shot was blocked. The ball fell to Bergkamp who uncharacteristically skewed over from a matter a few yards.
Chances just seemed to come and go and fans were starting to worry that this game might end in yet another draw but 7 minutes later they got the stroke of luck that all their attacking play deserved.
The play started deep inside the home team's half. With Jens Lehmann in fact. He kicked the ball up the field but Purse was first to the header. Unfortunately for him he directed it straight to Pires who cut in from the left and hit one of his trademark curlers to the far post. After diving full stretch and spectacularly saving, the ball slipped through his fingers and rolled into the net. A bad mistake highlighted by the fact that the ball didn't even hit the back of the net.
You would have been blown away by the air given off as the whole of Highbury breathed a collective sigh of relief. The whole of Highbury erupted into life.
Arsenal, with past results at the back of their minds, went for the jugular. Ljungberg and Lauren kept at it from the right wing and sent in numerous telling crosses. Alas no one managed to take advantage. From a corner Cygan had yet another chance at a header but this time hit it way over the bar.
West Brom were not really creating any real chances and with a quarter of an hour left, replaced Kanu (a former gooner) and Cosmin Contra with Geoff Horsfield and Earnshaw. This injected pace into their attack. With all due respect to Kanu, he was really struggling and could not even manage to get to headers. This was now Horsfield's job and almost immediately you could see the difference these two made to the flow of the game. The two strikers were giving Cygan all sorts of problems and with 11 minutes to go Arsenal were hit with the sucker punch.
Jonathon Greening controlled a high ball on the right and raced down to the by-line. His low cross evaded everyone but somehow fell to the feet of Earnshaw who tapped in from close range.
Highbury was in a state of shock. The home side went on the attack in a bid to please their suffering fans but never really looked like they would score. The closest they came was when Vieira missed a glorious opportunity at the death from Henry's corner which left most of Highbury in disarray.
Arsenal were undone yet again and this was the 4th time in the last 5 games Arsenal have let a lead slip. Grim reading for the players and supporters alike. Arsène Wenger needs to address the alarming rate at which his side keep conceding.
Player Ratings:
Jens Lehmann: Never really troubled and had little to do the whole match. He had no chance with the goal. 6.
Ashley Cole: Got down the wing on occasions and defended efficiently but not one of his best games. Looks like he is still being troubled by that knee injury. 6.
Kolo Toure: Had little to do and got forward for set pieces. Unlucky not to get to the ball after Fabregas inadvertently directed the ball away from him. 6.
Pascal Cygan: Some may wish to blame him for this draw but did little wrong defensively. If anything his only mistake was not to score from the two chances he had from set pieces. 7.
Lauren: A constant threat down the right wing with Ljungberg. Their partnership overshadowed their counterparts on the left. Defensively sound and never really in any trouble 7.
Robert Pires: Looks to be back on form and scored in his second consecutive game. Looked lively early on but disappeared after West Brom's goal. 7.
Francesc Fabregas: Looks tired lately and is unlucky to be playing so many games in such a short period of time. This was reflected in his performance. It was very indifferent. Sublime at times and at others wasteful. 6.
Patrick Vieira: Just like Fabregas, he looked very indifferent. Unlucky to have a number of chances blocked and had a chance to level at the death but couldn’t direct his header goal bound. 7.
Freddie Ljungberg: Another tireless performance by the little warrior. Worked extremely hard and put in numerous dangerous crosses that were unlucky not to reach any player. Took on the opposition and succeeded most of the time. Great performance and my Man of the Match. 8.
Dennis Bergkamp: A performance to forget by the Dutchman. Recent performances have served to fuel rumours that age may be taking his toll, but from the man himself he says he has never felt better. 6.
Thierry Henry: Looks like he is still being troubled by his Achilles injury.Hasn't looked like himself recently but still manages to keep scoring. Made a few good crosses but he didn't get any chances. 7.
Jose Antonio Reyes (on for Fabregas on 81 min.): Got into a few good positions and won a few freekicks but did little of note. 6.
Robin van Persie (on for Bergkamp on 88 min.): Had no time to make an impact.
Goalscorers:
Arsenal: Pires 54
WBA: Earnshaw 79
Welsh international Robert Earnshaw came off the bench to deny Arsenal a deserved victory on Saturday.
In a day to forget for the Gunners, who incidentally had a chance to regain top spot after Chelsea's draw, Earnshaw came on for Cosmin Contra and within 5 minutes scored the goal which condemned Arsenal's first team to their third draw since the Old Trafford debacle.
The home side were in control for most of the match and were on the back foot in one or two spells in the second half. Despite all this dominance there were very few clear cut chances for Arsenal. The goal arrived on 54 minutes after Robert Pires curled a shot which Russell Hoult somehow managed to fumble into the goal.
Arsenal showed glimpses of their early season form but could not take their chances when they came. Ultimately they were punished when the away team scored from virtually their only chance in the whole match. And what a time to do it! With just over ten minutes remaining it would have been a tough task to regroup and score what should have been the winning goal. It wasn't to be. The visitors held on.
Arsène Wenger's side ad been decimated by injuries prior to kick-off. Mathieu Flamini (knee) joined Edu (foot) and Gilberto (vertebrae) on the injury table and this forced Cesc Fabregas into his 3rd game in a week. He also looks set to play in midweek and next week with the recent injury to Flamini. Sol Campbell (Achilles) is still out so Cygan continued next to Toure in the heart of the defence.
Arsenal started the game at a fast pace and had their fair share of possession but created little of note in the first half. A few blocked shots were all they had to show for their endeavours.
West Brom looked to attack on every chance they could get but were being pinned back in their own half as Arsenal asserted their dominance onto the game. Darren Purse cleared Dennis Bergkamp's telling cross, and Fabregas inadvertently flicked the ball away from Kolo Toure at the far post.
On 28 minutes West Brom had a clear sight of goal but somehow managed not to score. Andy Johnson performed a diving header but he failed to make a connection with the ball. The ball tricked through the box to Zoltan Gera who hit his shot into the side-netting.
This was a let off for the Gunners. They tried to improve their game but did little to worry the opposition. Minutes before the end Arsenal upped the tempo and the first half finished just like it had started.
On 38 minutes Pires' freekick was headed goal bound by Pascal Cygan but a defender blocked it. Yet again the chance came and went with a flash. Four minutes later Pires was brought down on the edge of the area and the referee blew for the freekick. The whole of Highbury stood up in anticipation as Henry stepped up to take. He curled it around the wall and the ball was destined to squeeze in but the keeper somehow managed to palm the ball around the post.
Arsenal started the second half just where they left off. After only 3 minutes Henry's freekick was hit first time by Pires whose shot was blocked. The ball fell to Bergkamp who uncharacteristically skewed over from a matter a few yards.
Chances just seemed to come and go and fans were starting to worry that this game might end in yet another draw but 7 minutes later they got the stroke of luck that all their attacking play deserved.
The play started deep inside the home team's half. With Jens Lehmann in fact. He kicked the ball up the field but Purse was first to the header. Unfortunately for him he directed it straight to Pires who cut in from the left and hit one of his trademark curlers to the far post. After diving full stretch and spectacularly saving, the ball slipped through his fingers and rolled into the net. A bad mistake highlighted by the fact that the ball didn't even hit the back of the net.
You would have been blown away by the air given off as the whole of Highbury breathed a collective sigh of relief. The whole of Highbury erupted into life.
Arsenal, with past results at the back of their minds, went for the jugular. Ljungberg and Lauren kept at it from the right wing and sent in numerous telling crosses. Alas no one managed to take advantage. From a corner Cygan had yet another chance at a header but this time hit it way over the bar.
West Brom were not really creating any real chances and with a quarter of an hour left, replaced Kanu (a former gooner) and Cosmin Contra with Geoff Horsfield and Earnshaw. This injected pace into their attack. With all due respect to Kanu, he was really struggling and could not even manage to get to headers. This was now Horsfield's job and almost immediately you could see the difference these two made to the flow of the game. The two strikers were giving Cygan all sorts of problems and with 11 minutes to go Arsenal were hit with the sucker punch.
Jonathon Greening controlled a high ball on the right and raced down to the by-line. His low cross evaded everyone but somehow fell to the feet of Earnshaw who tapped in from close range.
Highbury was in a state of shock. The home side went on the attack in a bid to please their suffering fans but never really looked like they would score. The closest they came was when Vieira missed a glorious opportunity at the death from Henry's corner which left most of Highbury in disarray.
Arsenal were undone yet again and this was the 4th time in the last 5 games Arsenal have let a lead slip. Grim reading for the players and supporters alike. Arsène Wenger needs to address the alarming rate at which his side keep conceding.
Player Ratings:
Jens Lehmann: Never really troubled and had little to do the whole match. He had no chance with the goal. 6.
Ashley Cole: Got down the wing on occasions and defended efficiently but not one of his best games. Looks like he is still being troubled by that knee injury. 6.
Kolo Toure: Had little to do and got forward for set pieces. Unlucky not to get to the ball after Fabregas inadvertently directed the ball away from him. 6.
Pascal Cygan: Some may wish to blame him for this draw but did little wrong defensively. If anything his only mistake was not to score from the two chances he had from set pieces. 7.
Lauren: A constant threat down the right wing with Ljungberg. Their partnership overshadowed their counterparts on the left. Defensively sound and never really in any trouble 7.
Robert Pires: Looks to be back on form and scored in his second consecutive game. Looked lively early on but disappeared after West Brom's goal. 7.
Francesc Fabregas: Looks tired lately and is unlucky to be playing so many games in such a short period of time. This was reflected in his performance. It was very indifferent. Sublime at times and at others wasteful. 6.
Patrick Vieira: Just like Fabregas, he looked very indifferent. Unlucky to have a number of chances blocked and had a chance to level at the death but couldn’t direct his header goal bound. 7.
Freddie Ljungberg: Another tireless performance by the little warrior. Worked extremely hard and put in numerous dangerous crosses that were unlucky not to reach any player. Took on the opposition and succeeded most of the time. Great performance and my Man of the Match. 8.
Dennis Bergkamp: A performance to forget by the Dutchman. Recent performances have served to fuel rumours that age may be taking his toll, but from the man himself he says he has never felt better. 6.
Thierry Henry: Looks like he is still being troubled by his Achilles injury.Hasn't looked like himself recently but still manages to keep scoring. Made a few good crosses but he didn't get any chances. 7.
Jose Antonio Reyes (on for Fabregas on 81 min.): Got into a few good positions and won a few freekicks but did little of note. 6.
Robin van Persie (on for Bergkamp on 88 min.): Had no time to make an impact.
