Arsenal 1 Everton 1

Highbury, 14th Jan 95, FA Carling Premiership

Teams Arsenal: Seaman, Dixon, Keown, Linighan, Winterburn, Schwarz, Hillier, Jensen, Parlour, Hartson, Wright Subs: Kiwomya (Parlour 71), Morrow (Jensen 82), Bartram Result : Arsenal (1) 1 Everton (1) 1 Scorers : Wright 4 Watson 14

Bookings: Wright, Schwarz, Hartson Burrows, Horne, Parkinson Sent off: Ferguson

Att : 34743 Referee : R Hart (Darlington)

With the two new signings in the squad, I guess there was a slight air of expectancy on the way to this game, but I suppose in the end it was neither a fresh nor a false dawn. There was some improvement, but for the most part we were treated to much the same sort of uninspiring play that has characterised recent performances. However, Hartson played in place of the hapless Campbell and had quite a good game I thought. With Bould injured the central defensive pairing was the confidence inspiring Linighan and Keown.

Actually, Arsenal started quite brightly and could have had a goal in the first minute. Hartson rose at the far post to nod back a cross into the middle where Parlour failed to get on the end of it. However, not long afterwards the Gunners were ahead. Hillier picked up the ball in midfield, and with a bit of space had time to pick out Wright's run with a lovely chip over the Everton defence. Wrighty easily outpaced Watson and finished superbly, hitting the ball first time as it dropped, and past Southall into the net.

The obvious hope was that this would be the spark for the sort of performance we were all looking for. It never quite materialised, though things might have been different had Parlour scored a few minutes later. In a good, quick break it was Hillier again I think, who played a long ball out to Hartson, and he touched a lovely first time ball into the path of Parlour, making a great run down the middle. Clean through on Southall he should really have scored, but some credit must go to the keeper for a great block with his legs.

Perhaps heartened by this let off Everton began to look more threatening, with Ferguson in particular looking quite dangerous. If anything, they had slightly the better of the rest of the half, and were always a bit of a threat via Hinchcliffe's corners. From one of these, Ferguson head down into the ground, but Seaman still did well to tip the bouncing ball over the bar.

The equaliser though, came virtually out of nothing. From the edge of the area Ferguson laid a ball back to Watson, he swung his left boot at it and it swerved off the outside of his foot away from Seaman into the far top corner. Seaman started going the wrong way but I don't think he'd have reached it anyway.

At the other end Wright managed to get himself booked yet again for firing the ball towards goal in disgust after the whistle had gone for offside, while Parlour missed another golden opportunity to score. He did well to hassle Jackson? into miscontrolling the ball and nipped in to leave himself one on one with Southall again. This time he beat the keeper but hit the outside of the near post.

Southall later got away with picking up the ball just outside the area when Hartson closed him down quicker than he'd anticipated. The ref waved play on. Hartson also came close with a run and shot from a fairly acute angle which whizzed just over the bar, but I can't remember much else in the way of chances in the rest of the 1st or early part of the 2nd half.

The first notable incident after half time occurred when 'Drunken Duncan' became the 5th opposition player to be sent off at Highbury this season. Only once, against Man City, has the game not ended in a draw. Anyway, I have to admit I didn't see the incident as the ball was 20 or 30 yards away at the time. Ferguson apparently had been a little narked by an untidy Jensen challenge a few moments earlier and attempted to redress the situation by shoving both hands into JJ's face, right under the nose of the ref.

Predictably Arsenal dominated possession for the rest of the game, though Everton could still have snatched a goal on a few occasions, most notably when the ball broke to Ebbrell with time and space in the area and only Seaman to beat from about 10 yards. Spunky made a great save with his feet. Hinchcliffe also went close with a fierce shot from an angle which flew just past the far post, and Rideout put a header from a corner into Seaman's arms.

At the other end Arsenal laboured away without often looking like making the breakthrough. They came close twice in succession about midway through the half. In a nice move Hillier played the ball through to find Hartson's run wide in the right side of the area. He fired in a cross shot from an angle which Southall beat away for a corner, with Wright and Schwarz waiting in the middle. From the corner Parlour's cross found Wright at the far post just outside the 6-yard box. His downward header was well directed inside the post but Southall plunged to his left to scramble the ball round the post in a great save.

Kiwomya replaced Parlour with about 20 minutes left, but didn't really see much of the ball and I don't remember him doing much of note. Late in the game Wright came close with a run where it looked as though he'd got free of his markers, but the ball wouldn't quite run for him and his eventual shot was blocked. He also did well on another occasion, having chased a ball wide he got in a cross to the far post which was just too high for Hartson.

Overall, another somewhat disappointing performance from Arsenal. On the plus side I thought Hartson had a very promising debut. He and Wright didn't always read each other, but he showed some nice touches. Hillier was the pick of the midfield, playing some good passes, though there were one or two bad ones as well.

Schwarz was booked again for another late tackle and generally looked out of sorts playing out of position wide on the left. I'm sure the booking must take him over 21 points for the season which will mean a 2 match suspension after the 1 game out for the sending-off. Might be a good thing if he has a couple of weeks off.

Report by Derek Brownjohn