QPR vs Arsenal. 2/3/96

QPR (1) 1 - 1 (0) Arsenal

Loftus Road, Sat 2nd March 1996

Carling Premiership

Teams
Arsenal: Seaman, Dixon, Keown, Linighan, Morrow, Winterburn, Platt, 
         Parlour, Merson, Bergkamp, Hartson
         Subs: Rose (Morrow h-t), Hillier, Hughes 

QPR:     Sommer, Bardsley, Challis, Ready, Yates, Barker, Holloway, 
         Quashie, Impey, Gallen, Sinclair
         Subs: Dichio (Impey 59), Goodridge, Plummer

Result : Queens Park Rangers   (1) 1   Arsenal                  1 (0)
Scorers: Gallen 20                     Bergkamp 49

Bookings:                              Dixon, Parlour
      
Att     : 17970
Referee : P E Alcock (Redhill, Surrey)

A reasonably entertaining game on Saturday, with the draw being the least Arsenal deserved after putting an indifferent opening half hour behind them to dominate a 2nd half in which enough chances were created to have won comfortably. Rioch stuck with the same 3-5-2 formation which had kept clean sheets in the previous two games, and the team was unchanged apart from Platt starting in place of Hillier. QPR had a makeshift central defence where Ready and Challis stood in for McDonald and Maddix.

Arsenal started promisingly with a good early attack down the right which ended in Hartson having his shot blocked. Thereafter for the next 30 minutes though, it was Rangers who did most of the attacking, with Sinclair and Impey in particular causing Morrow and Winterburn problems down the right flank.

Early on Impey headed wide from a Sinclair cross and Quashie had a good effort from 25 yards which Seaman did well to hold on to, before 20 minutes into the game QPR deservedly took the lead. Sinclair played a lovely little ball to put Impey through down the right. He cut along the byline and into the area but then played a cross towards the 6 yard area which was only populated by red shirts. Fortunately for him the ball deflected off Morrow's heel directly to Gallen, and he instinctively hit it first time into the far corner from about 12 yards. This was while QPR were down to 10 men with Bardsley off getting treatment for an accidental Bergkamp boot in the face.

Gallen then missed another reasonable chance before after about half an hour Arsenal at last began to get back into it. The comeback was sparked by a typical piece of Bergkamp skill. Picking a pass out of defence he turned a defender inside his own half, and then outpaced him on a strong run towards the QPR goal. His shot from just outside the area was well directed and would have flashed inside the near post had Sommer not got down well to turn it aside for a corner.

Arsenal then began to push forward with more conviction and almost equalised when Andy Linighan, of all people, hit the bar with an astonishing left foot attempt from 30 yards. Bergkamp set up another good chance, with a good run down the left, and then a check back and right foot cross which picked out David Platt's run at the far post. He was always stretching a bit though, and couldn't quite get high enough to keep his header on target.

Morrow had picked up a leg injury towards the end of the 1st half, and was replaced at half time by Matthew Rose, making his senior debut for Arsenal. The Gunners then proceeded to dominate the 2nd half, though early on Rangers could have gone two up when Gallen was left unmarked in the area and turned to volley in a shot from 15 yards. Fortunately it was straight at Seaman.

Five minutes into the half Arsenal were level, equalising with a stunning goal from the Dutch master. Hartson nodded on a Seaman punt to find Dixon's run into space down the right. The old boy showed good pace to stay clear of Impey and charged on before whipping in a cross to the near post where Bergkamp, anticipating correctly, had made his run. He hit it on the run, and connected with a volley of such power and timing that it had streaked into the near top corner and hit the back of the net before Sommer had even thought about moving.

After that Arsenal pressed forward in waves, prompted and inspired mainly by Bergkamp, and only some indifferent finishing and good goalkeeping by Sommer prevented them scoring again. One lovely move down the left between Bergkamp, Winterburn and Parlour ended with the latter charging through the middle, but he snatched at his shot from just outside the area and it flew wildly wide.

Following a Hartson nod back from a corner, Platt went close with an overhead kick which somehow must have gone wide of the far post, though from the upper tier at the away end (from where you can't see the bottom of the goal posts - good bit of architectural design that) it looked as though it must go in. Hartson also had a good chance well saved by the keeper, as he just managed to turn the shot from an angle on the left round the post.

QPR occasionally threatened on the odd breakaway, but the only other time I can recall Seaman being called into serious action was when Quashie had another good effort from outside the box. A few minutes from time another long range shot had Seaman scrambling across his goal but it went a few feet wide.

Meanwhile the Gunners were still pushing for the winner and might have got it twice in the last 5 minutes or so. First Bergkamp again put Winterburn clear down the left and his cross to the far post was nodded down by Hartson, only to see it bounce against the upright and off the diving keeper to be safely gathered by him. Sommer was again earning his money a minute or two later, stretching superbly to get his fingertips to a shot from Platt to deflect it for another corner.

Hard to judge Arsenal's performance in a game they could, and probably should, have won. They were pretty woeful in the first half hour, with the left side of defence particularly, being torn apart at times. However, some credit must go to Rangers with Sinclair and the teenager Quashie impressing. And for the last hour of the game Arsenal played pretty well, particularly at times in the second half, albeit against a team that now look almost certainties for relegation.

The second half domination was mainly due to Dennis Bergkamp as he took over and virtually ran the game, with some lovely touches and passes as he dropped deep to receive possession and set things up. He was though, pretty well anonymous during the first 30 minutes. Hartson looked a bit more ponderous and predictable than he did against West Ham, though he did have a hand in the goal and was unlucky not to score with that header near the end.

In midfield Platt and Parlour were completely outplayed for most of the first half, but got more of a grip in the second and both got forward quite well. Merson didn't do much that was eycatching apart from a couple of good runs down the right in the second half but he generally did a good job of keeping things going in midfield.

Linighan had another reasonable game, but it was Keown, captain again, who was the outstanding defender. Morrow was given a bit of a torrid time in the 1st half, and Rose had less to do in the second, but looked reasonably competent. Dixon did pretty well pushing forward down the right, as did Winterburn on the left, though there were times when his lack of pace and confidence on the ball showed.

report by Derek Brownjohn

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