Highbury, Saturday 28th October 2000
FA Carling Premiership
see below for full report, plus our list of links to reports on other sites.
Preview
- Arsenal team news
Tony Adams is said to be ready to come back, presumably to partner
Keown. So we're reasonably full-strength. Silvinho and Ljungberg were doubts for the CL match in midweek but the Brasilian played
half the match and the Swede was at least fit enough to get on the bench.
update Friday: according to various sources, Dave Seaman is a big doubt for tomorrow's game, so John Lukic could get another game.
And Ashley Cole could be in line for a place too. He came on for
Silvinho at half-time on Wednesday, and the Brasilian is doubtful
for tomorrow.
- Manchester_City team news
City have just signed Laurent Charvet from Newcastle,
and Joe Royle has said that he'll be giving the defender his
debut against Arsenal (probably on the right of a back 4 including
Steve Howey, Paul Ritchie, and either Spencer Prior or Richard Dunne).
Royle has also confirmed that Shaun Goater will start
instead of Paolo Wanchope. The Costa Rican has played despite
having a thigh strain for a couple of games but the time has apprently
come for him to have a rest.
Former Gunner Paul Dickov has scored 3 in the last 4 games, his
form even prompting the departure of former Wenger-protege and world
player of the year
George Weah out.
Ian Wright's son Shaun Wright-Phillips is likely to be on the bench.
- See also
Highbury, Saturday 28th October 2000
FA Carling Premiership
scorers: Cole
Bergkamp
Wiltord
Henry
Arsenal:
Lukic
Luzhny (Dixon) Keown Admas Cole
Parlour (Wiltord) Vieira Grimandi Pires (Ljungberg)
Bergkamp Henry
Arsenal started brightly. Henry broke down the left wing in the first minute,
he pushed the ball past the defender and was penalised for pushing himsefl
past after it. Looked shoulder-to-shoulder to me.
And in the second minute a great ball over the top from Adams appeared to be
set to put Vieira or Henry clear. But Howey got across to clear the ball off
Vieira's foot as it landed.
And another minute later Bergkamp won the ball near our box and did well
to thwart the attentions of 3 City players and play the ball through into
space for Henry. He broke down the middle and slipped the ball wide
right for Parlour. Ray carried the ball past his man and squared for Henry
who'd continued his run into the box, but his first time shot along the
ground just missed the near post.
On 10, there was some brilliant pssession play between Vieira and Henry
in the crowded centre of the pitch, including some Vieira nifty
ball-juggling from Paddy who was eventually hacked down simultaneously
by 2 defenders as he approached the box.
Bergkamp swung the resulting free-kick to the far post where Vieira
popped up to head wide.
Then Henry and Pires combined well on the left, finishing with a great
strike from Pires which Weaver did well to save. Cole took the corner from
our right, Keown this time at the far post with the header, which lopped
harmlessly goalwards for Weaver to catch above his head.
A minute later it was Pires's turn with the header. This time Henry provided the
superb cross after a run down the right. Bob dived for it at the far post but
couldn't get enough on it and it flew wide of the far post.
Then Parlour was the provider from the right, crossing to Henry int he box.
He stepped round a couple of defenders and forced Weaver to make a very good
save with his legs.
On 20 minutes Pires had to go off, he'd been feeling his leg after a couple
of crunching tackles. For the rest of the half Arsenal went off the boil
somewhat, and perhaps it's no coincidence as Pires had been having a
particularly good game. The understanding between him and his international
teammates Henry and Vieira was superb.
It all got a bit scrappy, several Arsenal players giving the ball away far
too much. We still had the better chances though. Grimandi had a quarter-chance
from a corner, but his awkward
kind-of scissor kick went well over. Henry hit a screamer from outside the
right corner of the box which also flew high and wide.
With 3 minutes to go, Vieira headed clear from inside our half, and Henry
was onto it like a flash. He charged towards the box only to be shoved
off the ball by the Australian (?) Tiatto. He been booked ten minutes
earlier for a late tackle on Luzhny by the touchline, and couldn't
really complain when he saw yellow again, and was off.
Bergkamp rolled the free-kick ayard infield, from a couple of yards outside
the right hand corner of the box, and Cole hit a sweet low shot which just
snuck inside the near post.
City almost equalised immediately, catching Arsenal out on the break, but
Lukic made a great one-handed diving save from Goater's shot. It was
particularly immpressive because John had hardly touched the ball up
to then.
Bergkamp tried a clever chip into the box for Parlour. But the wind caught
it so Ray lost track as it dropped over him from behind. In injury time
Grimandi put Parlour in on the rigth of the box and he hit a good low
shot which whizzed a foot wide of the far post.
Sometimes a team knuckles down when they're down to ten. This time, Arsenal
just ran riot in the second half. So much so that it's hard to believe
City would have kept the score down much if it had been 11 against 11.
In fact it was only the acrobatics of Nicky Weaver in goal which
kept it down to 5.
City did have a couple of attacks at the start of the half. Adams got in a
huge tackle as a striker entered the box. The ball went out for a throw on our
left and the throw into the box bounced across the crowde 6-yard box.
Goater got closest to it, but that was with a hand.
7 minutes into the half, Henry chased a defender into his own right hand
corner, and force him to rush a clearance straight to Ljungberg.
Freddie ran square across the edge of the box, then back-heeled the ball
into the space he'd created behind him, for Bergkamp to curl crisply inside the
far post.
Parlour put in a cross which Henry just couldn;t get onto in the 6 yard box,
then Goater broke up our enbd and looked a bit unlucky to be given offside.
20 minutes after the break, Goater missed probably the easiest chance of
his career. Arsenal appeared to be claiming offside when the ball was
played
wide to the left of our box, but it wasn't given and as Lukic came to cover
his near post the cross found Goater about a yard and a half from the centre fo
the goal. He cleared the crossbar, harder than scoring, surely?
Halfway through the second half, and Dixon came on for Luzhny who'd been
limping for a while after a clash. At the same time, Wiltord came on for
Parlour, and Goater went off to be replaced by Mark Kennedy.
Wiltord nearly got on the scoresheet straight away. Ljungberg made a good run
down the left and Henry just missed the ball at the near post. Wiltord did
really well to stretch for it at the far post though, but it was blocked en
route to goal.
Then Kennedy was gifted a chance when Lukic was rather casual with
Keown's back-pass. He had plenty of time to clear but not as much
as he thought, and when he rolled it forward Kennedy got onto it. But
he had his back to goal and by the time he'd reoriented himself there
were several more red shirts around to get in the way.
15 minutes to go and City were torn apart by a superb move from one
end of the pitch to the other. Cole started it, then Bergkamp's
forward pass found Henry, and he slipped it diagonally left into the
box for Wiltord, who cooly nutmegged Weaver from 12 yards out.
Vieira was starting to look like he was having problems. But the rest of
the
team were enjoying themselves immensely.
Henry hit a peach of a cross-field pass to Dixon, who whipped a cross in
for Bergkamp on the right of the box. He stopped to direct a great
header towards the near post but Weaver was up to it. The resulting corner
came out to Wiltord outside the box on the left and he hit a first-time
half-volley which was blocked low inside the near post.
8 minutes to go, and Wiltord's trickery got him clear on the goal-line on
the right. He played it into the box for Henry who controlled it with
back to goal near the spot, and turned and fired home in one movement.
At this point the injured Vieira was finally brought off to make it
10 vs 10 (Arsenal having used all 3 subs).
And a couple of minutes later we broke again, Henry's square ball to the right for
Wiltord was a bit behind him, but Wiltord did well to drag it forward
anyway, and slip the ball back across for Henry's continued run. Thierry
stroked it home for 5.
There was still time for a couple more chances. Ljungberg showed great strength
and determination but his shot went over under challenge. And Henry forced
another good save with a low drive from the right hand corner of the box.
A couple of comments: anyone know why Adams's hand was strapped up? And
anyone know anywhere else that you'll see a fund-raising film for the
NSPCC roundly booed? (at half-time that was, it just had a few too many
Man Utd people in it, I guess).
Arsenal stay second in the
table, level with Man Utd. Unfortunately the goal haul doesn't
bring us any closer, as they got the exact same result at home to
Southampton. Still, 5 goals is as many as one can reasonably expect (!),
and they were all classy goals too.
Well done Arsenal, now go have a rest for a week. Good thing it's the
League Cup and not a crucial Champs League game this midweek, as
Vieira Luzhny and Pires won't be required.
report by Rupe.
Other reports
Your reports
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Useful links for armchair fans
Useful links for swivel-chair fans
- Arsenal Live. getting commentary
on your computer, IRC, Real Audio, etc.
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from the opposition's website (most probably their official site).
Useful links for travelling fans
- ArseWeb's highbury pages, including ticket info, getting to the ground, etc.
- AwayFans.co.uk. Stadium reviews and info. Maps, traffic reports, pub lists, info on disabled/wheelchair provisions, etc. Conference teams as well as Premiership and Nationwide.
- London football Arsenal page from
a site focussing on info for fans from abroad wanting to get to matches (tickets,
travel, accomodation, etc).
- From the Terrace. Each team's section includes a page on their ground, with directions. Premiership, Nationwide, and Scottish.
- AwayGuide.net. Directions, maps, pub guides. All Premiership and Nationwide league teams.
- Football Ground Guide. Lovely site, loads of info, pics, diagrams, etc
- Football Grounds of England. With capacities, record gates, and pictures.
- Football Grounds frenzy. Wonderful photos of football grounds, with a little info too. Everything apart from
glitzy new grounds, and no Premiership ones. Might be handy for Cup games, and
certainly nice to look at!
- FanZone.
Information for travelling sports fans. directions, car parks, eateries,
pubs, blah-de-blah....
- Our own Highbury pages for useful info for Arsenal's home games.
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