Arsenal v Lokomotiv Moscow Match Report by Jonathan Creedy aka jc8gooner
Arsenal completed their dramatic Champions League comeback by beating the hapless Lokomotiv Moscow 2-0, adnd they subsequently finished top of Group B. Robert Pires and Freddie Ljungberg provided the goals, one in each half, but the return of the French duo, Patrick Vieira and Thierry Henry, provided the inspiration to take Arsenal through.
Arsenal lined up as everyone expected, with an almost full-strength team. All Arsenal fans were delighted to see the names Vieira and Henry on the team sheet:
Lehmann
Toure Campbell Cygan Cole
Ljungberg Vieira Gilberto Pires
Bergkamp
Henry
In the first half, Arsenal were completely dominant. They knocked the ball around confidently and efficiently, keeping possession for prolonged periods of time. As Wenger himself said in his post-match interview, they showed a greater maturity; they were more patient than we have seen in the past and were willing to wait for their opportunities.
The first of these chances came very early on, when Vieira was fouled in the middle of the Lokomotiv half. Predictably, Henry lined up the free kick from at least 30yards and hit the target. However, his low shot was saved with ease by the Russian No.1, who bore a strange resemblance to David Seaman. In the sixth minute, Bergkamp broke open the Lokomotiv defence with his well-weighted pass to Ljungberg. Before the Swede could reach the ball though, he was crudely taken out by the Lokomotiv left-back, who was rightly booked. Arsenal were looking dangerous even at this early stage but, despite all their possession, had yet to make the break-through.
Fortunately, the goal soon arrived to settle the nerves of the Highbury crowd. The Lokomotiv defence, who had so far looked uneasy in possession, were caught out by the skill of Henry and Pires. Thierry made an excellent interception on the right, before turning and laying the ball into the path of the onrushing Pires. His first touch took him clear of the Lokomotiv defence, and he smashed the ball home at the near post. The crowd erupted with relief and joy, and it was not long before chants of ‘Super Rob’ echoed round the ground.
For the remainder of the first half, Arsenal worked hard to get a second goal but were unlucky not to score on a few occasions. Midway through the half, Dennis Bergkamp picked the ball up on the left, cut inside, but curled the ball wide of the keeper’s left hand post. Then, Ljungberg knocked the ball from deep into the penalty area for Bergkamp to flick on. The ball came to Henry, who, showing little sign of his muscle injury, took one touch and tried his trademark finish by curling the ball into the bottom corner. His low shot was inches wide of the post. Minutes later, Dennis Bergkamp, looking sharp, played a perfect ball to Kolo Toure down the right, whose low cross was parried by the keeper. The ball fell right to Ljungberg, but his first-time lob went just over the bar. Just before half-time, Dennis Bergkamp was fouled just outside the Lokomotiv area. Hnery’s free-kick went up and over the wall and was heading for the net, but the Russian keeper threw himself to his right to save. The danger was still not clear, as the ball had fallen right to Vieira, who rushed his shot and sliced it wildly wide. In the 45th minute, the Lokomotiv left-back was dismissed for a second yellow card after a lunging foul on Ljungberg. This too was the right decision, as he had been warned only minutes earlier.
The first half had been excellent for Arsenal and the crowd really got behind the team. Lokomotiv had been very poor and their tactics were extremely puzzling. They did not look at all motivated. I can appreciate that the Russian season finished over a month ago, but I did expect the Russians to show at least some determination this one-off game. It seemed as though they were relying on a draw in Kiev to get through, which is always a risky game to play. The referee had had a good half, despite giving a few bizarre fouls for innocuous challenges.
Arsenal started the second half looking like they could score again if they wished. Kolo Toure was the unlikely attacker, having a powerful, long distance drive tipped over. From the resulting corner, he found himself in a great position to score but shot over from close range. After both Vieira and Pires had shot wide from distance, Freddie had a low shot tipped around the post. After 61 minutes, Ashley Cole’s cross found Bergkamp unmarked in the box, but he did not get enough on his header, and it dribbled wide.
With 20 minutes gone in the second half, the Russian playmaker Loskov struck his free-kick right at Lehmann. Not long after, Arsenal were once again on the attack. Having lost the ball seconds earlier, the irrepressible Vieira won the ball back and fed Bergkamp deep in the Lokomotiv half. He turned and flicked it to Henry, who having taken it on his chest, in turn flicked it over his left shoulder. Freddie got to the ball just before the keeper and toe-poked the ball into the empty net. This goal effectively sealed the win, but Arsenal still had some defending to do.
The arrival of Costa Rican striker Winston Parks at half-time had caused Arsenal a few more problems than they had in the first half. First, when the scoreline was balanced at 1-0, he took the ball off Cole and one on one with Lehmann, shot tamely and unsuccessfully. He made a few more strong runs that were invariably dealt with effectively by Cygan and Campbell. On one occasion, he was fouled just outside the area. Loskov took the free kick, and had Lehmann scrambling across his line, but the ball went wide of his right-hand post. The final minutes of the game were fairly uneventful, but for the news that Dynamo had equalised late on against Inter Milan, thus knocking them out and putting Lokomotiv through.
This was an excellent result for Arsenal and they made a potentially tricky game look distinctly easy. I hope they have now turned the corner in the Champions League and will push on from here. Without doubt we had one of the tougher groups, but we qualified in first place despite having taken only one point from the first 3 games. In my opinion, the format of the Champions League (knock-out from now on) will suit us as the home team will have to try and win, thus leaving themselves open to our counter-attacking style. There are obviously now easy games in the KO stages, but out of the 7 teams that we could play in the next round, there are a few to avoid. We could play any one of the following seven teams:
Deportivo La Coruna
Celta Vigo
Real Sociedad
Bayern Munich
Sparta Prague
Stuttgart
Porto
The Spanish teams always prove tough opposition, as do Bayern Munich. Porto are a useful side, so I think we should hope to get Sparta Prague or Stuttgart.
Anyway, I look forward to getting back on track in the Premiership on Sunday against Blackburn.
Lehmann- The energetic German keeper had very little to do in the first half but in the second, he was tested by a few free-kicks and he coped well. He saved easily when Winston Parks went through on goal, and his distribution was of a good standard. 7/10
Toure- He looked comfortable throughout the game, defending well as usual and getting forward enthusiastically from time to time. He maybe should have scored early in the second half, but sliced his shot high and wide. Nevertheless, this was another solid performance from the powerful youngster, which leaves us fans with the question: will Lauren regain his place? 7.5/10
Cygan- The French centre-back enjoyed another assured game. His distribution, as I have said before, is sublime, and he is equally commanding in the air. He has now rid himself of the dangerous habit of ball-watching and seems to have adapted to the English game. Having said that, he was barely troubled by a negative performance from Lokomotiv but is likely to retain his place for Sunday’s game against Blackburn. 7/10
Campbell- This was an easy game for the England international. He was strong in the tackle, using his body-weight to his own advantage on several occasions. Fortunately, he was not called upon to pass the ball long out of defence and always had enough time to just keep it simple. 7/10
Cole- The young left-back bounced back after his nightmare on the weekend, playing with composure and flair. He got forward well down the left, crossing dangerously once or twice. However, like the whole defence, he had very little to do defensively last night. 7.5/10
Vieira- The world-class midfielder showed the Highbury faithful that he is well on the way to recovery. He did look slightly rusty as this was only his second game since a long-term injury, but he was still among our best performers on the night. He made numerous important tackles and interceptions, his passing was accurate and he looked good on the ball. He also did well to maintain his discipline having been booked in the 14th minute. He did not drive forward at pace when there was space in front of him and his work-rate was maybe not up to his usual standard, but he will surely soon be back to his very best. 8/10
Gilberto- As you might have guessed from my previous reports, I am not Gilberto’s biggest fan. In this game though, he played very well. His passing was fine and his tackling was more committed and successful than usual. I think the game suited his style as Lokomotiv hardly pressured the Arsenal midfield at all, and he had all the time in the world to pass it around. I am still yet to be convinced that he is better than either Edu or Parlour, but last night’s game was impressive. 7.5/10
Pires- This was another good game for the mercurial French midfielder, who is beginning to show more consistency in his performances. He turned and ran at the Lokomotiv defence many times and they seemed to fear his skill and pace. The defensive side of his game is certainly improving also and he made one uncharacteristic sliding tackle in front of the East Stand. His first touch to set up the goal was excellent and his near-post finish was ruthless. 7.5/10
Ljungberg- Our SuperSwede capped a brilliant performance with a well-taken goal. Freddie, as the song goes, was everywhere last night, winning back possession and setting up countless Arsenal attacks. His runs from deep are becoming more frequent nowadays, and he is definitely benefiting from Bergkamp’s presence on the team sheet. 8.5/10
Bergkamp- Dennis looked sharp last night but didn’t get the chance to punish the Lokomotiv defence. He was quite effective with his back to goal, laying the ball off well to our midfield on numerous occasions with consummate ease. He curled one long distance shot wide, and was involved in the build-up to the second goal, but, apart from that, was not all that noticeable. 7/10
Henry- Titi showed the hunger and will to win of a true Gooner last night. He was always closing down the opposition when they had possession and created the first goal because of this. When people praise Henry, his work-rate and the fact that he is a team player often gets overlooked; last night he was superb in that respect. His pass for the second goal was absolutely inspired. 8/10
Subs: Kanu- He replaced Bergkamp with 15 minutes to go but did nothing of note. He seems to have jumped ahead of Wiltord in the pecking order. 6/10
Arsenal completed their dramatic Champions League comeback by beating the hapless Lokomotiv Moscow 2-0, adnd they subsequently finished top of Group B. Robert Pires and Freddie Ljungberg provided the goals, one in each half, but the return of the French duo, Patrick Vieira and Thierry Henry, provided the inspiration to take Arsenal through.
Arsenal lined up as everyone expected, with an almost full-strength team. All Arsenal fans were delighted to see the names Vieira and Henry on the team sheet:
Lehmann
Toure Campbell Cygan Cole
Ljungberg Vieira Gilberto Pires
Bergkamp
Henry
In the first half, Arsenal were completely dominant. They knocked the ball around confidently and efficiently, keeping possession for prolonged periods of time. As Wenger himself said in his post-match interview, they showed a greater maturity; they were more patient than we have seen in the past and were willing to wait for their opportunities.
The first of these chances came very early on, when Vieira was fouled in the middle of the Lokomotiv half. Predictably, Henry lined up the free kick from at least 30yards and hit the target. However, his low shot was saved with ease by the Russian No.1, who bore a strange resemblance to David Seaman. In the sixth minute, Bergkamp broke open the Lokomotiv defence with his well-weighted pass to Ljungberg. Before the Swede could reach the ball though, he was crudely taken out by the Lokomotiv left-back, who was rightly booked. Arsenal were looking dangerous even at this early stage but, despite all their possession, had yet to make the break-through.
Fortunately, the goal soon arrived to settle the nerves of the Highbury crowd. The Lokomotiv defence, who had so far looked uneasy in possession, were caught out by the skill of Henry and Pires. Thierry made an excellent interception on the right, before turning and laying the ball into the path of the onrushing Pires. His first touch took him clear of the Lokomotiv defence, and he smashed the ball home at the near post. The crowd erupted with relief and joy, and it was not long before chants of ‘Super Rob’ echoed round the ground.
For the remainder of the first half, Arsenal worked hard to get a second goal but were unlucky not to score on a few occasions. Midway through the half, Dennis Bergkamp picked the ball up on the left, cut inside, but curled the ball wide of the keeper’s left hand post. Then, Ljungberg knocked the ball from deep into the penalty area for Bergkamp to flick on. The ball came to Henry, who, showing little sign of his muscle injury, took one touch and tried his trademark finish by curling the ball into the bottom corner. His low shot was inches wide of the post. Minutes later, Dennis Bergkamp, looking sharp, played a perfect ball to Kolo Toure down the right, whose low cross was parried by the keeper. The ball fell right to Ljungberg, but his first-time lob went just over the bar. Just before half-time, Dennis Bergkamp was fouled just outside the Lokomotiv area. Hnery’s free-kick went up and over the wall and was heading for the net, but the Russian keeper threw himself to his right to save. The danger was still not clear, as the ball had fallen right to Vieira, who rushed his shot and sliced it wildly wide. In the 45th minute, the Lokomotiv left-back was dismissed for a second yellow card after a lunging foul on Ljungberg. This too was the right decision, as he had been warned only minutes earlier.
The first half had been excellent for Arsenal and the crowd really got behind the team. Lokomotiv had been very poor and their tactics were extremely puzzling. They did not look at all motivated. I can appreciate that the Russian season finished over a month ago, but I did expect the Russians to show at least some determination this one-off game. It seemed as though they were relying on a draw in Kiev to get through, which is always a risky game to play. The referee had had a good half, despite giving a few bizarre fouls for innocuous challenges.
Arsenal started the second half looking like they could score again if they wished. Kolo Toure was the unlikely attacker, having a powerful, long distance drive tipped over. From the resulting corner, he found himself in a great position to score but shot over from close range. After both Vieira and Pires had shot wide from distance, Freddie had a low shot tipped around the post. After 61 minutes, Ashley Cole’s cross found Bergkamp unmarked in the box, but he did not get enough on his header, and it dribbled wide.
With 20 minutes gone in the second half, the Russian playmaker Loskov struck his free-kick right at Lehmann. Not long after, Arsenal were once again on the attack. Having lost the ball seconds earlier, the irrepressible Vieira won the ball back and fed Bergkamp deep in the Lokomotiv half. He turned and flicked it to Henry, who having taken it on his chest, in turn flicked it over his left shoulder. Freddie got to the ball just before the keeper and toe-poked the ball into the empty net. This goal effectively sealed the win, but Arsenal still had some defending to do.
The arrival of Costa Rican striker Winston Parks at half-time had caused Arsenal a few more problems than they had in the first half. First, when the scoreline was balanced at 1-0, he took the ball off Cole and one on one with Lehmann, shot tamely and unsuccessfully. He made a few more strong runs that were invariably dealt with effectively by Cygan and Campbell. On one occasion, he was fouled just outside the area. Loskov took the free kick, and had Lehmann scrambling across his line, but the ball went wide of his right-hand post. The final minutes of the game were fairly uneventful, but for the news that Dynamo had equalised late on against Inter Milan, thus knocking them out and putting Lokomotiv through.
This was an excellent result for Arsenal and they made a potentially tricky game look distinctly easy. I hope they have now turned the corner in the Champions League and will push on from here. Without doubt we had one of the tougher groups, but we qualified in first place despite having taken only one point from the first 3 games. In my opinion, the format of the Champions League (knock-out from now on) will suit us as the home team will have to try and win, thus leaving themselves open to our counter-attacking style. There are obviously now easy games in the KO stages, but out of the 7 teams that we could play in the next round, there are a few to avoid. We could play any one of the following seven teams:
Deportivo La Coruna
Celta Vigo
Real Sociedad
Bayern Munich
Sparta Prague
Stuttgart
Porto
The Spanish teams always prove tough opposition, as do Bayern Munich. Porto are a useful side, so I think we should hope to get Sparta Prague or Stuttgart.
Anyway, I look forward to getting back on track in the Premiership on Sunday against Blackburn.
Lehmann- The energetic German keeper had very little to do in the first half but in the second, he was tested by a few free-kicks and he coped well. He saved easily when Winston Parks went through on goal, and his distribution was of a good standard. 7/10
Toure- He looked comfortable throughout the game, defending well as usual and getting forward enthusiastically from time to time. He maybe should have scored early in the second half, but sliced his shot high and wide. Nevertheless, this was another solid performance from the powerful youngster, which leaves us fans with the question: will Lauren regain his place? 7.5/10
Cygan- The French centre-back enjoyed another assured game. His distribution, as I have said before, is sublime, and he is equally commanding in the air. He has now rid himself of the dangerous habit of ball-watching and seems to have adapted to the English game. Having said that, he was barely troubled by a negative performance from Lokomotiv but is likely to retain his place for Sunday’s game against Blackburn. 7/10
Campbell- This was an easy game for the England international. He was strong in the tackle, using his body-weight to his own advantage on several occasions. Fortunately, he was not called upon to pass the ball long out of defence and always had enough time to just keep it simple. 7/10
Cole- The young left-back bounced back after his nightmare on the weekend, playing with composure and flair. He got forward well down the left, crossing dangerously once or twice. However, like the whole defence, he had very little to do defensively last night. 7.5/10
Vieira- The world-class midfielder showed the Highbury faithful that he is well on the way to recovery. He did look slightly rusty as this was only his second game since a long-term injury, but he was still among our best performers on the night. He made numerous important tackles and interceptions, his passing was accurate and he looked good on the ball. He also did well to maintain his discipline having been booked in the 14th minute. He did not drive forward at pace when there was space in front of him and his work-rate was maybe not up to his usual standard, but he will surely soon be back to his very best. 8/10
Gilberto- As you might have guessed from my previous reports, I am not Gilberto’s biggest fan. In this game though, he played very well. His passing was fine and his tackling was more committed and successful than usual. I think the game suited his style as Lokomotiv hardly pressured the Arsenal midfield at all, and he had all the time in the world to pass it around. I am still yet to be convinced that he is better than either Edu or Parlour, but last night’s game was impressive. 7.5/10
Pires- This was another good game for the mercurial French midfielder, who is beginning to show more consistency in his performances. He turned and ran at the Lokomotiv defence many times and they seemed to fear his skill and pace. The defensive side of his game is certainly improving also and he made one uncharacteristic sliding tackle in front of the East Stand. His first touch to set up the goal was excellent and his near-post finish was ruthless. 7.5/10
Ljungberg- Our SuperSwede capped a brilliant performance with a well-taken goal. Freddie, as the song goes, was everywhere last night, winning back possession and setting up countless Arsenal attacks. His runs from deep are becoming more frequent nowadays, and he is definitely benefiting from Bergkamp’s presence on the team sheet. 8.5/10
Bergkamp- Dennis looked sharp last night but didn’t get the chance to punish the Lokomotiv defence. He was quite effective with his back to goal, laying the ball off well to our midfield on numerous occasions with consummate ease. He curled one long distance shot wide, and was involved in the build-up to the second goal, but, apart from that, was not all that noticeable. 7/10
Henry- Titi showed the hunger and will to win of a true Gooner last night. He was always closing down the opposition when they had possession and created the first goal because of this. When people praise Henry, his work-rate and the fact that he is a team player often gets overlooked; last night he was superb in that respect. His pass for the second goal was absolutely inspired. 8/10
Subs: Kanu- He replaced Bergkamp with 15 minutes to go but did nothing of note. He seems to have jumped ahead of Wiltord in the pecking order. 6/10
