Highbury, Saturday 2nd December 2000
FA Carling Premiership
See below for report(s) by Rupe, and list of links
to reports on other sites.
Preview
- Arsenal team news
According to reports, Arsenal have a full squad withe the
one exception of Dave Seaman.
- Southampton team news
It is being reported that Marian Pahars is set to be
dropped to the bench, with James Beattie joining
Kevin Davies in the Saints' attack. Beattie has scored
6 in his last 4 games. There are also reports that Dean Richards
could miss the game after tweaking a hamstring.
Claus Lundekvam and Tahar El Khalej
are fit to play despite injury scares during the week.
Wayne Bridge may miss the game if his flu hasn't
cleared up.
- See also
Highbury, Saturday 2nd December 2000
FA Carling Premiership
Scorers: Vieira 96
Arsenal:
Manninger
Luznhny Keown Adams Silvinho (Dixon h-t)
Ljungberg Vieira Grimandi Pires
Bergkamp Wiltord
The first few minutes were a bit worrying, with
Arsenal defending nervously in front of the even more
nervous Alex Manninger. There were looses passes and a
very dodgy clearance byt Alex, but the closest Southampton
came to goal were a couple of long-range shots, both blocked.
Arsenal broke on 5 minutes and
Ljungberg played a clever ball forward as he reached the edge of
the box. It was intended for Bergkamp, cutting across in front of
Freddie, but a defender got there first to get it out for a
corner.
Then Kachloul tried a cheeky one from 50 yards, Alex was off
his line but the goal was never in danger.
Arsenal started to take control, and Pires was involved in a
lot of our best moves down the left. Bergkamp fed him near the
half-way line on 7 minutes, and Pires raced down the line
before squaring it back to Dennis on the corner of the D.
But Dennis was surrounded and they got it our for another
corner.
Then Pires made a top tackle, and showed great skill to hang
onto the ball from the ground. He brought it forward and
tried another clever pass, lobbing to the far side of the
box but just too strong for Ljungberg to get onto.
And just before 10 minutes were up, Pires brought the ball
down the wing again. Dennis made the same run towards the
near corner of the D, and this time the pass found him
with more space and he tried a first-time shot bending inside
the near post with the outside of his foot. Didn't quite bend
enough though, and flew a foot high and wide of the top
corner,
Wiltord was making some good moves too. You can see why people
compared him with Wrighty, given the way he scurries about.
But so far he's not shown the scoring instinct of a Wrighty
(who does? to be fair). And today was one of those days where
we had 6 or 7 players playing lovely approach stuff, who looked
like they could do with just one to get on the end of it all.
Silvinho found himself ont he goal line to the left of the goal,
and though his first attempted cross was blocked, he got it back
and crossed again. Still there was no-one in the box! Minutes
later he was in the same position after a pass from Bergkamp,
but this time Silvinho made a run past him and picked it up
a few yards out only to see his shot blocked at the near
post.
At the other end of the pitch, Silvinho wasn't having a good time.
When he wasn't getting stuck upfield, Southampton were dragging
him infield, so there was lots of space for Tessem and Beattie
on that wing. But Arsenal were defending better now, and none
of the breaks produced anything too scary.
Pires and Bergkamp combined again, this time the Frenchman playing
the ball back to the Dutchman just inside the corner of the box.
His goalbound effort appeared to be saved by Lundekvam's arms as he
dropped to the ground in front of the shot, but the ref waved play on.
Southampton broke forward and won a corner, but Arsenal got the ball
straight back upfield. Pires appeared to be tripped in the box
but nothing was given and the ball looked to be running out
anyway.
Vieira got played into a good position just outside the box after
Adams surged forward. He tried a pass into space but there was
no-one near it, with the crowd begging him to shoot. Then he went on
a great run and tried a square ball which was easily intercepted
en route to Bergkamp. The shot would have been harder this
time, with the ball running away from him slightly.
Moments later, on 21 minutes, Vieira did try an egde-of-the-box
shot as it came out to him from a corner. And it was worth a go
too, flying just high of the far top corner.
Then a nice cross from Silvinho found defender Tahar El Khalej
just ahead of Wiltord on the 6 yard line, and up the other end
Manninger dropped well onto a Lundekvam cross from the left.
Southampton picked things up for a few minutes. Admas blocked a shot
from Tessem and it came to Oakley whose long-range shot rolled
tamely into Manninger's arms. And Adams made a great crucial
clearing header, as he ran backwards towards goal.
On hakf an hour Arsena had by far the best chance. The ball was played
high down the middle and Bergkamp rose to head it down for Wiltord
to his right. Sylvain was clear in the box but appeared to wait
for Jones to commit himself, before placing his shot right at the
keeper.
Silvinho had a corner come out off the far post, Grimandi got hold
of it and kept his head but the drive was cleared off the line
by Tessem.
Then Silvinho made a break down the left and crossed
the ball
behind Ljungberg to Bergkamp on the far side, whose shot
came out off the foot of the post (possibly touched onto it
by a superb save).
Grimandi was tackled on the goal-line by El Khalej, who was
lucky not to concede a penalty. He did get the ball first
but with both legs sliding in, the second one caught Gilles
badly in the back of the leg.
We had more chances in injury time. The ball came fast to Wiltord near the
penalty spot after good work from Bergkamp and Pires on the right, but
he couldn't take the pace off the ball as he tried to lay it off
first time for Ljungberg, and it popped out too far for Freddie.
Then Ljungberg tried a shot from 20 yards which fizzed low
along the turf but too close to Jones who just fell on it.
Then Bergkamp pulled a high cross out of the air with his
boot as he ran diagonally across the box. He got in under
control in an instant and cut the ball back for Pires
on the edge of the box, but he failed to connect. Vieira got
hold of it and fed Wiltord on the right of the box, he turned
well but fired into the side netting.
Silvinho was replaced at half-time, with a calf problem which
is likely to keep him out of the Bayern match on Tuesday.
Dixon came on and took his normal place at right-back, with
Luzhny moving over to fill in for Silvinho.
The second half started dodgily, like the first. Manninger came out
for a cross or corner and missed the punch completely. Luckily
the ball fell to Keown in space behind Alex, and he was able to clear.
Not for long though, Dixon had to clear from goalmouth too before
Alex had got back into position.
Pires got the ball deep on the left after a lovely passing
move from Arsenal. But Bergkamp couldn't quite reach the
cut-back. Then Vieira made a great tackle deep in our half
He brought the ball out and gave it to Ljungberg. He passed
left to Pires into the box, but his finish was poor and he
only found the side-netting.
15 minutes into the half, Wiltord came off for Henry. And with Pires
not having gotten into the game much since half-time (anything
to do with Luzhny being behind him rather than Silvinho?) it
was no surprise when it was the Frenchman who came off 5 minutes
later, Kanu coming off the bench. Ljungberg moved to the left
wing.
The 2 subs combined well on the left of the box. Kanu ended up
carrying the ball to the goal-line before being tackled just before he
could play the telling cut-back for Bergkamp, clear on the
6 yard line.
Vieira was tripped 5 yards outside the box and Bergkamp tried
to curl one over the wall but it never came down. Then Luzhny tried
a first-time shot from distance which almost made it into the
upper tier of the North Bank. Ljungberg had a pop too and got
closer, maybe a couple of yards wide from 25 yards out.
In a symptomatic Arsenal attack, Vieira broke down the
middle and Henry and Bergkamp peeled off ineffectively to
either side. If there'd been someone else in the middle it
might have been easier for Paddy.
Dixon made a great tackle and took a clever quick throw up the
line for Bergkamp, but he didn't read Henry's movement on the
edge of the box, and playe the pass to where Thierry had just
come from.
Keown had a header from a corner which just missed the bar.
10 minutes to go and Ljungberg got into a position for a shot on the
left, he cut it back and again there was no-one there. But a
ricochet saw the ball come to Henry and Jones did well to touch his
shot onto the near post.
Arsenal had been stepping up the pressure, and it culminated in a
succession of shots and chances involving Bergkamp Vieira and
Ljungberg among others, it all coming much too quickly for me to
remember any of it.
In the end, with 6 minutes to go, it was a simple and slightly
fortunate goal which finally rewarded Arsenal's dominance and
attacking play. Vieira's header, from a Luzhny corner, looked
like it should have been saved as Jones was behind it on the
goal-line, but somehow squeezed past both Jones and a defender.
Southampton had a go at us for a bit, and it was some relief when
an excellent Davies effort from wide on their right came out off
the foot of the far post, and was cleared. Then Manninger punched a
corner straight up in the air but Vieira was able to head over the bar
for another corner. Abd Admas had to make a great cheaded interception
as a cross came over bound for Davies.
A well-deserved win. Arsenal have to start taking more
advantage of the many chances they're making, but at least
we can start to hope we're back to winning ways. Let's hope
Seaman is back soon, and that in the meantime the defence stays
strong in front of Manninger.
Arsenal stay 8 points behind,
with Tottenham rolling over at Old Trafford today.
report
by Rupe.
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