Riverside stadium, Saturday 18th August
FA Carling Premiership
scorers:
Henry 43
Pires 87 (pen)
Bergkamp 88, 90
Arsenal:
Seaman
Lauren Adams Campbell Cole
Ljungberg (Grimandi 65) Parlour Vieira Pires
Henry (Bergkamp 72) Wiltord (Van Bronckhorst 83)
subs not used: Jeffers, Wright
booked: Adams Grimandi Parlour
sent off: APrlour (second yellow card)
Arsenal started with only one new face, and Campbell
might not have been playing if it weren't for the injury
to Keown. Van Bronckhorst was the most expected one, but
there's no question that the 4 midfielder's the started
the game deserved it after their efforts last season.
Gio did come on as a second-half sub (as did
Bergkamp and Grimandi)
Lauren started at right-back. So, is Dixon going to be a
clear second choice this season?
Adams had a half-chance form a free-kick on
our right wing. It wasn't clear if it was his head it
hit or the defender's, but it was heading for goal
when Ehiogu cleared it.
Boksic beat Lauren
and Campbell had to foul him outside the box, but the
Croatian blasted the free-kick well over the bar.
More good play from Boro, and a missed offside, created
a chance for Windass, but a defender (Sol?) got across
superbly to put him off and again the shot went high.
Schwarzer did well at the other end,, denying Pires
after a neat 1-2 with Wiltord on the edge of the box
saw Bob chasing a ball that was always going just a
touch too close to goal.
Then Parlour got his first booking for a foul from behind
on Windass, hard to argue with.
Henry got into a promising position on the left but
sliced a left-foot shot way wide from the
edge of the box.
As the half came to an end, Campbell hit a nice long pass
down the right for Wiltord, who chipped it into the box
from the goal-line. It hit a defender and the richochet fell
to Henry. He chested it down and struck a beautiful whot inside
the left hand post as it fell.
Boro started strongly in the second half, forcing errors
from Vieira and others. Parlour fouled Ince (a highly
debatable call) just inside the D, but Cooper blasted
the free-kick low and straight at the wall.
Then Parlour got his second yellow card. Hard to argue with
again, as his challenge on Ehiogu was very late. What you
have to wonder though, is why he went for the tackle. Deep
in Boro territory, the very best he could have won was a throw-in.
So, ahead through a slightly fortuitous goal, down to 10 men,
it all seemed scripted for a classic first day reversal.
Things looked to be going that way, as Boro initially
took advantage of the numerical imbalance.
Ince hit a low shot from the D forcing a great save from
Seaman, who dived low to his right and tip the ball
round the post.
Adams got booked for clattering into Boksic, then fouled
Ince and escaped a second booking. Ince hit this free-kick
over the bar.
With 3 minutes to go, we got a big break. Cole chased
Ehiogu for a
Pires ball forward, and went down in the box. There may
have been slight contact, but it was hardly a foul and
definitely outside the box. Ehiogu was unlucky to be sent off
and (with Henry off for Bergkamp) Pires stepped up to
take the penalty.
With Boro pushing forward, there was time for Arsenal to
snatch 2 more goals. First Cole created one for Bergkamp after
greeat possession play down the left (Dennis, Ashley, Paddy,
& Gio). Cole picked the ball up from Vieira's chip on the half way
line, and brought it forward before clipping it past
2 defenders in front of him for Bergkamp. Dennis held his run n
to beat offside, and as he approached the goal from the
left he opened up his body and sided-footed it with his right,
low past the keeper's left hand. A classic Bergkamp finish.
A minute later, Pires spotted that Dennis had pulled away from his
marker just outside the box, and hit a perfect pass forward onto
the Dutchman's toe. From a similar position to hsi first goal,
Dennis poked this one more firmly with his left, same result.
Ince finished the game getting himself booked, and being lucky
that that was the extent of it as the ref spotted him kicking
out at Grimandi.
We'd be top, if it weren't for a freak 5-0 win for Bolton
at Leicester. Enjoy it while it lasts.
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