A
Anonymous
Guest
After last years results against Blackburn, and with Chelsea winning earlier in the day this was a must win game for Arsenal, and they would make hard work of it.
With the surprise of no Freddie, Gilberto came into the team. Although we lost the threat of goals from Freddie, we gained the more solid approach Gilberto brings, which is especially good in away games. Reyes in for Bergkamp was the only other change.
Arsenal started the game the better with slick passing through the midfield. It was obvious that Vieira was singled out by them for so rough treatment and took a few hard tackles early on. But after a quite spell in the game Vieira took control with his trademark flick over a defenders head, a powerfull drive at the defence and slipped the ball to Pires on the left. He had time and space, but his touch, for the second time in the week let him down. Everyone was still expecting him to shoot, but instead he choose to cut it back to Reyes, who was surrounded by defenders, and the chance past. Great play by Pat though, should have been 1-0.
Arsenal were in full control of the game at this point. Reyes won a free kick which Henry lined up. And a la Villa took it early with the keeper lining up the wall. If it was on target it was 1-0, but went inches past the post.
Soon after, Friedel had to routine kick out of his hands. Henry was hanging around behind him, and as Freidel threw the ball up to kick, Henry nipped in and rolled the ball into the empty net. However the ref disallowed it - could have gone either way.
Our dominance continued, and with good short passing by Pires and Viera, Pires hit the roof of the net with a great shoot from about 20 yards. As the net rippled, many in the away end thought it was in.
Reyes, who looked very lively with many good passes and flicks took up the ball. Henrys run took away the defender and Reyes kept on going, and then hit a great shoot from the left of the area, that looked in all the way, but drifted wide at the last minute.
After this we started to fade, and Blackburn came into the game more. They hit many crosses into our area which we dealt with well on the whole. Their best chance fell to Cole, who after a mistake from Kolo hit in a low hard shot which Jens saved well.
Both sides soon ran out of ideas, and the half ended 0-0.
Second half Blackburn were a much better team. They kept hold of the ball well, and continued putting crosses into our box. Emerton was looking dangerous.
Arsenal continued passing the ball well, drawing ole's from the away support after a good spell of possession, which at 0-0 was risky. However attacks were starting to break down, and Dennis was being missed.
The game started to turn into a midfeild battle, with many sloppy passes and hard tackels from both teams. However when the ball fell to Kolo, he hit a brilliant cross field pass to Cole, whos control was excellent. The ball fell to Henry, who had a 'coming together' with a defender and fell over. It did look like a free kick from where I was sat. And what a free kick it was. To the left of the area, right footed whipped over the wall with pace and dip. As soon as I saw it go over the wall I was up. 1-0 to the Arsenal and huge celebrations from us gooners.
After the goal as expected they stepped up the pressure. Yorke was brought on, and in the hole looked dangerous. Chants of "your not as good as Andre" lifted some of the tension. For a spell we couldnt get the ball off them and they won many free kicks in and around our area. But to our credit they only created one half chance. Yorke slipped in Cole (it could have been the other way around - they look identical) in space on the right in the box, he opted to roll the ball across our goal. Any touch from a player from either team and it was 1-1, but thankfully it missed everyone. Dogged defending from Pat, Sol and Kolo in particular kept us 1 up.
As they pressured us an Arsenal chance on the break was inevitable, and as of this point we hadnt had a chance second half. But again as we won he ball, Vieira drove us forward again. In this form there is no one better, and as he cut in from the left I expected him to shoot, but he showed great vision and slipped in Gilberto on the right who was unmarked. He hit it first time passed the keeper. I was up celebrating, but the ball came back of the post - can this guy strike a ball cleanly?! The ball fell to Pires and as he struck the ball, for one horrible second it seemed that Friedel had got back to save it. But thankfully the ball went under his body and the net rippled. 2-0 to the Arsenal and huge relief all round. The whole team gathered around Pires in the far corner - even Jens got a bit carried away and ran to the half way line fists clenched in the air.
It was now game over and the final few minutes were played out without any incident, whilst the away fans, who had been in great voice throughout thankfully mocked the mancs.
In spells we played some great stuff today, but in others we looked like we ran out of ideas. Most of the game was played in the midfeild and the free kick was in a crucial time of the game. It showed today how important Bergkamp is to this team. We defended well, and the reaction of the players at the end, especailly Kolo and Lauren shows just what it all means to them. A good sign.
9 ahead of Chelsea, 12 of the mancs. It is ours to lose.
Jens 7/10 - didnt really have a lot to do, but what he did he did well - the save from Cole and a couple of catches from crosses to relive pressure. Looked commanding and confident throughout.
Lauren 8/10 - one of, if not perhaps his best game of the season. The stick this guy gets is so unfair. He is 100% commited to our team, and was excellent in both attack and defence. Looked dangerous running forward with the ball, and is a great crosser of it. Also put in a couple of great tackles in defence.
Sol 7/10 - solid a per. Won most things in the air and looked comfortable. Not much else to say, a typical sol game.
Kolo 8/10 - superstar. Fast, stong, quick, clever. Has it all. Again great in the air, put in a couple of great tackles when he was second favourite to win the ball, and looked dangerous and composed when going on his forwars runs. Has probably just about let Cole out of his pocket.
Cole 7/10 - does this guy ever have a bad game? defended well, and coped with the dangerous Emerton, which is not easy. Linked up well with Reyes and Henry in the first half when he got forward a lot, winning us a couple of corners. Also looked very easy on the ball
Gilberto 6/10 - did a job in a positon that is obviously not his favourite. Lost the ball a couple of time poorly, but when it got heated in midfeild he was there. Played a key role in the goal and did ok overall.
Edu 7/10 - Again a good game for Edu. Not as good as in previous weeks - lost the ball badly a couple of times. But on the whole his passing was good and kept our moves flowing from left to right.
Vieira 9/10 - This guy is just immense. He is getting better and better. He is so strong it is untrue, and must be such an inspiration to play with. When he goes on these driving forward runs there is just no stopping him. He got forward a lot more today which is a good sign and the amount of headers he wins when defending corners/crosses/free kicks takes so much pressure off the team.
Pires 7/10 - A lot of our creativity had to come from bobby today and he did ok, although seemed to run out of ideas at one stage. Played very well in the frist half but faded in the second. Scored the vital second goal that ended the game.
Reyes 8/10 - Is getting better with every game. Some of his touches today were out of this world. He looks so much more confident and at home in an Arsenal shirt. Looks great with the ball at his feet and in full flow- is going to be a star. Does though need to beef up - was nearly sent out of the gound when going shoulder to shoulder for a ball.
Henry 6.5/10 - Not his best game today - but he scored which is his job. He was in one of his strange 'moods' today where he seems to be having a sulk and as a result didnt really do a lot. Spent most of the game shouting at other players on both teams and walking back from offside with his hands on his hips. But on another day his quick thinking would have got him a hat trick. Watch his free kick tonight - one of his best.
Clichy 8/10 - was only on for a short time, but I dont think he stopped running - and boy is he quick. Played left mid at first and was then moved upfront, and his non stop running got him a couple of great tackles in that stopped them launching long balls.
Cygan 6/10 - lost the ball with his first two touches, which at that stage in the game was not what we wanted. Looked like a man who has not played in ages. But won a couple of late headers, so ill let him off.
With the surprise of no Freddie, Gilberto came into the team. Although we lost the threat of goals from Freddie, we gained the more solid approach Gilberto brings, which is especially good in away games. Reyes in for Bergkamp was the only other change.
Arsenal started the game the better with slick passing through the midfield. It was obvious that Vieira was singled out by them for so rough treatment and took a few hard tackles early on. But after a quite spell in the game Vieira took control with his trademark flick over a defenders head, a powerfull drive at the defence and slipped the ball to Pires on the left. He had time and space, but his touch, for the second time in the week let him down. Everyone was still expecting him to shoot, but instead he choose to cut it back to Reyes, who was surrounded by defenders, and the chance past. Great play by Pat though, should have been 1-0.
Arsenal were in full control of the game at this point. Reyes won a free kick which Henry lined up. And a la Villa took it early with the keeper lining up the wall. If it was on target it was 1-0, but went inches past the post.
Soon after, Friedel had to routine kick out of his hands. Henry was hanging around behind him, and as Freidel threw the ball up to kick, Henry nipped in and rolled the ball into the empty net. However the ref disallowed it - could have gone either way.
Our dominance continued, and with good short passing by Pires and Viera, Pires hit the roof of the net with a great shoot from about 20 yards. As the net rippled, many in the away end thought it was in.
Reyes, who looked very lively with many good passes and flicks took up the ball. Henrys run took away the defender and Reyes kept on going, and then hit a great shoot from the left of the area, that looked in all the way, but drifted wide at the last minute.
After this we started to fade, and Blackburn came into the game more. They hit many crosses into our area which we dealt with well on the whole. Their best chance fell to Cole, who after a mistake from Kolo hit in a low hard shot which Jens saved well.
Both sides soon ran out of ideas, and the half ended 0-0.
Second half Blackburn were a much better team. They kept hold of the ball well, and continued putting crosses into our box. Emerton was looking dangerous.
Arsenal continued passing the ball well, drawing ole's from the away support after a good spell of possession, which at 0-0 was risky. However attacks were starting to break down, and Dennis was being missed.
The game started to turn into a midfeild battle, with many sloppy passes and hard tackels from both teams. However when the ball fell to Kolo, he hit a brilliant cross field pass to Cole, whos control was excellent. The ball fell to Henry, who had a 'coming together' with a defender and fell over. It did look like a free kick from where I was sat. And what a free kick it was. To the left of the area, right footed whipped over the wall with pace and dip. As soon as I saw it go over the wall I was up. 1-0 to the Arsenal and huge celebrations from us gooners.
After the goal as expected they stepped up the pressure. Yorke was brought on, and in the hole looked dangerous. Chants of "your not as good as Andre" lifted some of the tension. For a spell we couldnt get the ball off them and they won many free kicks in and around our area. But to our credit they only created one half chance. Yorke slipped in Cole (it could have been the other way around - they look identical) in space on the right in the box, he opted to roll the ball across our goal. Any touch from a player from either team and it was 1-1, but thankfully it missed everyone. Dogged defending from Pat, Sol and Kolo in particular kept us 1 up.
As they pressured us an Arsenal chance on the break was inevitable, and as of this point we hadnt had a chance second half. But again as we won he ball, Vieira drove us forward again. In this form there is no one better, and as he cut in from the left I expected him to shoot, but he showed great vision and slipped in Gilberto on the right who was unmarked. He hit it first time passed the keeper. I was up celebrating, but the ball came back of the post - can this guy strike a ball cleanly?! The ball fell to Pires and as he struck the ball, for one horrible second it seemed that Friedel had got back to save it. But thankfully the ball went under his body and the net rippled. 2-0 to the Arsenal and huge relief all round. The whole team gathered around Pires in the far corner - even Jens got a bit carried away and ran to the half way line fists clenched in the air.
It was now game over and the final few minutes were played out without any incident, whilst the away fans, who had been in great voice throughout thankfully mocked the mancs.
In spells we played some great stuff today, but in others we looked like we ran out of ideas. Most of the game was played in the midfeild and the free kick was in a crucial time of the game. It showed today how important Bergkamp is to this team. We defended well, and the reaction of the players at the end, especailly Kolo and Lauren shows just what it all means to them. A good sign.
9 ahead of Chelsea, 12 of the mancs. It is ours to lose.
Jens 7/10 - didnt really have a lot to do, but what he did he did well - the save from Cole and a couple of catches from crosses to relive pressure. Looked commanding and confident throughout.
Lauren 8/10 - one of, if not perhaps his best game of the season. The stick this guy gets is so unfair. He is 100% commited to our team, and was excellent in both attack and defence. Looked dangerous running forward with the ball, and is a great crosser of it. Also put in a couple of great tackles in defence.
Sol 7/10 - solid a per. Won most things in the air and looked comfortable. Not much else to say, a typical sol game.
Kolo 8/10 - superstar. Fast, stong, quick, clever. Has it all. Again great in the air, put in a couple of great tackles when he was second favourite to win the ball, and looked dangerous and composed when going on his forwars runs. Has probably just about let Cole out of his pocket.
Cole 7/10 - does this guy ever have a bad game? defended well, and coped with the dangerous Emerton, which is not easy. Linked up well with Reyes and Henry in the first half when he got forward a lot, winning us a couple of corners. Also looked very easy on the ball
Gilberto 6/10 - did a job in a positon that is obviously not his favourite. Lost the ball a couple of time poorly, but when it got heated in midfeild he was there. Played a key role in the goal and did ok overall.
Edu 7/10 - Again a good game for Edu. Not as good as in previous weeks - lost the ball badly a couple of times. But on the whole his passing was good and kept our moves flowing from left to right.
Vieira 9/10 - This guy is just immense. He is getting better and better. He is so strong it is untrue, and must be such an inspiration to play with. When he goes on these driving forward runs there is just no stopping him. He got forward a lot more today which is a good sign and the amount of headers he wins when defending corners/crosses/free kicks takes so much pressure off the team.
Pires 7/10 - A lot of our creativity had to come from bobby today and he did ok, although seemed to run out of ideas at one stage. Played very well in the frist half but faded in the second. Scored the vital second goal that ended the game.
Reyes 8/10 - Is getting better with every game. Some of his touches today were out of this world. He looks so much more confident and at home in an Arsenal shirt. Looks great with the ball at his feet and in full flow- is going to be a star. Does though need to beef up - was nearly sent out of the gound when going shoulder to shoulder for a ball.
Henry 6.5/10 - Not his best game today - but he scored which is his job. He was in one of his strange 'moods' today where he seems to be having a sulk and as a result didnt really do a lot. Spent most of the game shouting at other players on both teams and walking back from offside with his hands on his hips. But on another day his quick thinking would have got him a hat trick. Watch his free kick tonight - one of his best.
Clichy 8/10 - was only on for a short time, but I dont think he stopped running - and boy is he quick. Played left mid at first and was then moved upfront, and his non stop running got him a couple of great tackles in that stopped them launching long balls.
Cygan 6/10 - lost the ball with his first two touches, which at that stage in the game was not what we wanted. Looked like a man who has not played in ages. But won a couple of late headers, so ill let him off.
