Spurs: Walker, Austin, Mabbutt, Calderwood, Edinburgh, Howells, Anderton, Barmby, Rosenthal, Sheringham, Klinsmann Subs: Thorstvedt, Nethercott, Caskey
Result : Arsenal (0) 1 Tottenham (0) 1 Scorers: Wright 61p Klinsmann 74
Bookings: Schwarz, Bould, Winterburn Austin
Att : 39377 Referee : R Hart (Darlington)
An ultimately disappointing, though probably fair, result in a keenly contested game which was rather more open than is often the case for a local derby. Arsenal dominated the first 25 minutes, but then let Sperz back into the game for the last third of each half, and the old enemy looked likely to nick it during the last 15 minutes. The match though, was marred by the behaviour of a few Sperz "fans". I suppose it must be rather galling for them. A month ago they looked likely to be in the FA Cup Final, and Arsenal were favourites to lose to Sampdoria and were struggling to avoid relegation, and now they will end the season with nothing while we are favourites to retain the CWC.
The opening few minutes were characteristic of derby matches. Plenty of running about and strong tackling, but little goalmouth incident, and in fact it was Spurs who had the first real chance. Keown did well to dispossess Barmby and played the ball back to Adams. The great man for once dithered and allowed Klinsmann to get a foot in, and the ball broke to Rosenthal running down the left. He took in on into the area but shot straight at Seaman, with Anderton unmarked in the middle.
The next 20 minutes though were all Arsenal. Merson had a creditably attempt with a left foot volley from the edge of the area which cleared the bar by a couple of feet. Then a chip forward from Winterburn allowed Wright to beat the offside trap and leave him clear for a run on goal down the left. From an angle his right foot shot was well hit, but Walker did well to get a foot to it.
Soon afterwards a beautiful move almost resulted in a goal. Helder played the ball out of defence to Hartson on the halfway line. His first time pass out to the right wing gave Merson the chance to run at and easily beat Edinburgh, and his cross was aimed unerringly at Wrighty's head. Unfortunately Calderwood just got there in front of him and headed it up in the air. Helder went up with a couple of defenders and the ball bounced off one of them towards goal where Wright nodded it down and inside the post. Walker however made another great save, just managing to claw the ball round the post. Wrighty probably had time to have let the ball drop.
From the corner Hartson had a free header, but Mabbutt jumping in front of him blocked well. Hartson had a couple of other good attempts, once pulling down a cross from Merson and turning to fire in a snap shot which was only a couple of feet wide of the near post, and later hitting a screamer from just inside the area which just cleared the bar. Another good Arsenal break ended with Merson laying the ball off to Dixon, but his shot from just outside the area was too well hit, if anything, and the ball was always rising and finished a foot over the bar.
Towards the end of the half Tottenham began to get back into it. Rosenthal put a shot over the bar when well placed, and then Klinsmann missed their best chance of the half. Barmby set Anderton free down the right and his cut back found the German unmarked about 15 yards out. Fortunately he put his shot a foot or two wide of the near post. Sheringham then headed down from an Anderton corner, the ball bounced up and off a combination of Winterburn and the post.
Arsenal had the better of the opening 15 minutes of the second half. The best chance until the penalty I can recall was when Schwarz won a free kick on the edge of the area. Mabbutt tried tried to trip him, but I think in fact missed, so Schwarz obviously decided he didn't want to make the Sperz captain look too much of a fool and fell over anyway. He got up and hit the resultant free kick well, but Walker again did well to hold on to the ball.
The opening goal came when Wright made one of his tricky runs into the area. He played the ball outside Edinburgh and collected it the other side before the Totts fullback pulled him back by the arm. Walker went the right way for the penalty but it was superbly struck just inside the post to give him little chance. Wrighty's triumphant raising of the arm towards the Clock End was the signal for one so-called Spurs supporter to invade the pitch in an attempt to attack the Arsenal forward. Fortunately he was grabbed by a couple of stewards, and shortly afterwards by the cops, though more scuffles broke out as a few more tried to get on the pitch and one steward was apparently hit on the head by a can thrown from the crowd.
Shortly afterwards a bottle was thrown onto the pitch and apparently nearly hit Wright, who picked it up and handed it to the ref. After that we were thankfully able to concentrate on the football, though the temperature on the pitch was also rising. On Match of the day, John Motson almost wet himself when he thought first Bould, then Winterburn were about to be sent off. Bouldy had been booked in the first half for not getting out of the way when Barmby chose to run into him, and then in the 2nd Sheringham collapsed dramatically when Bould tackled him from behind. It was a fairly innocuous challenge, but as it was from behind, on another day with another ref it might have brought a booking. Winterburn pulled out of a challenge on Austin as he charged up the touchline, but the Sperz fullback dived dramatically to the ground anyway. Though there was no contact the ref gave a free kick and caused Motty to get over-excited again.
As Tottenham pushed forward in search of the equaliser, though without really looking like scoring, Arsenal almost scored with a break out of defence. Schwarz made a couple of great blocks on the edge of the area and Hartson picked up the ball inside his own half before carrying it on a superb run into the opposition's area, Barmby snapping at his heels all the while. His left foot shot from about 15 yards screamed over the bar.
Eventually however, Tottenham did equalise. Rosenthal played to the ball into Edinburgh's path as he made a run down the left. Dixon dived in but missed the ball to leave the opposing fullback free to chip the ball back from the byline onto Klinsmann's head, and his header from 8 yards was well directed inside the far post. "Is there nothing this man can't do!" cried Motson, as the BBC's campaign for the canonisation of St Jurgen continued apace.
After that it was the Totts who looked the more likely winners. Seaman had to make a great save from Rosenthal, Barmby headed straight at Spunky and then Sheringham misjudged the flight of a cross from Klinsmann, and unmarked at the far post put his header high and wide.
Pretty reasonable performances all round, though Helder did look a bit off the pace most of the time, unsurprisingly given the ferocious speed at which the game was played. I think Hartson would probably have been my pick for man of the match.