Arsenal vs Bolton. 05/05/96

Arsenal (0) 2 - 1 (0) Bolton Wanderers

Highbury, Sunday 5th May 1996

FA Carling Premiership

Teams
Arsenal: Seaman, Dixon, Keown, Linighan, Marshall, Winterburn, Platt, 
         Parlour, Merson, Bergkamp, Wright
         Subs: Hartson (Wright 57), Shaw (Marshal 78), Bartram 

Bolton: Branagan, Bergsson, Small, McAnespie, Coleman, McGinlay, 
        Stubbs, Sellars, Paatelainen, Curcic, Todd
        Subs: Blake (Coleman 86), Thompson (Curcic 70), Green
          
Result : Arsenal               (0) 2   Bolton                  (0) 1
Scorers: Platt 82, Bergkamp 84         Todd 76

Bookings: Parlour, Bergkamp
      
Att     : 38104
Referee : G Willard (Worthing)

Afraid the following may be rather less detailed and even more inaccurate than normal as I can't remember much detail about individual incidents, due to an over-indulgent attempt to pickle my few remaining memory cells, subsequent to the game. My brain's physical well-being couldn't have been helped by the emotional stress induced by my beloved Arse on Sunday either.

Anyway, the first indication that it might not be an entirely stress free afternoon appeared when Ian Wright ran out sporting a ludicrous blonde rinse. Otherwise Arsenal were unchanged while Bolton played with Stubbs at centre half.

The first half, and most of the 2nd, was characterised by plenty of Arsenal possession but few chances, with any that were made being wasted. Bolton meanwhile only occasionally threatened, usually when Curcic was running with the ball, so while the first half was somewhat frustrating, there was no hint of the drama to come late in the game.

I can't really remember much in the way of notable incident in the first half. The closest we came to a goal was when Platt hit the top of the bar with a remarkable volleyed backheel. Bergkamp (the only player who looked seriously like creating anything) teased a defender just outside the left of the area and then crossed to the far post. Wright jumped with 2 defenders, one of whom headed back across goal. The ball was dropping behind Platt so he flicked at it with his heel and the ball looped back over his head, over the keeper and onto the top of the bar.

There was almost an early goal which would have settled the nerves, when a good break down the right ended with, I think, Bergkamp whipping in a near post cross which Wrighty reached at the same time as a defender, a corner resulting. Another good chance I can recall came when a defender misjudged a high ball down the middle to leave Bergkamp running onto it. He had to hit it first time on the volley from about 20 yards, and struck it well but shaved Branagan's right hand post.

I have a vague memory of several other half chances, but there was a lamentable failure to get anything on target. Merson, Dixon and Bergkamp all had efforts which failed to trouble the keeper. The half time stats on ArseTV had something like 12 attempts on goal with only 2 on target, and I'm struggling to remember those two.

The second half continued in much the same way early on, though Arsenal did seem to be making an effort to pick things up, and the chances seemed to arrive somewhat more regularly. The most notable that I can remember was when Bergkamp again did brilliantly on the left and pulled the ball back into the middle where Merson was running in. Unfortunately it fell to his left foot and from about 10 yards he blasted it high and wide of the near post.

Rioch then took the brave and controversial decision to replace Wright with Hartson, which as others have noted Wright did not react well to. However, I wasn't too displeased because Wrighty seemed to me to be not completely fit. He certainly didn't seem to be making the sort of runs he normally does and once or twice he was caught standing and watching when a pass was made into the space he normally would have been running into.

Anyhow it had the effect of getting the Gunners pressing forward with more urgency and Hartson at least put himself about a bit. He had a great chance taken away from him by Merson when they were both unmarked at the far post and a cross (from Dixon I think) reached them. However, there was a lack of communication somewhere because Merson was stretching and could only head over the bar when Hartson looked much better placed just behind him. Other opportunities came and went - Parlour, Merson, Hartson and Bergkamp all put half chances wide.

So the frustration and tension were really beginning to bite, especially when the news came in that Sperz had gone in front at Newcastle. And not long after that Bolton scored, which caused me to go into such a such a shocked spasm that I gave myself cramp down the back of one thigh. Physical as well as mental anguish - I was not in a happy state.

The Bolton goal came when Sellars broke down the middle, with the Arsenal defence a little stretched. I think he actually tried to pass it out to someone on the right, but misdirected it which turned it into a perfect short pass to Todd who was running through on his right. The Bolton manager's son controlled it well which left him with a clear run on Seaman and he finished cooly, sidestepping the keeper and sidefooting home.

With all out attack now desperately needed Rioch took off Marshall and threw on Paul Shaw, who I thought did pretty well during the short time he was on. Arsenal's desperate and incessant attacking eventually paid off 8 minutes from time. Bergkamp took a short pass into the area with his back to goal, shielded the ball while looking for a chance to turn, with Stubbs up his arse. Stubbs certainly pulled the Dutchman over but as he was falling he still managed to touch the ball back, and Platt was in the right place at the right time and lashed it home through a defender's legs.

Huge relief, but with Everton leading we still needed another goal, and two minutes later it came courtesy once again of Bergkamp. He drifted into space about 10 yards outside the Bolton area and Platt found him with a short pass forward. The Dutch master turned and took a couple of touches forward before unleashing an absolute bullet of a shot into the top right hand corner. Highbury completely erupted with relief, and five minutes later, after one brief scare when Keown and Linighan dithered and allowed Paatelainen to get in a shot from the edge of the area which Seaman gathered with some difficulty, Arsenal were back in Europe.

For the complete contrast in emotion between one point when we looked likely to end the season with nothing, and another little more than two minutes later, it was one of the most exciting finishes to a game in recent years. Overall though, I'd have to say it wasn't a terribly good performance from the Gunners. I wouldn't say anyone played badly or that as a team they played badly, more that things weren't quite working collectively. Chances were being created, but until the last few minutes, the finishing was as bad as anything I've seen this season.

The one shining exception was Dennis Bergkamp. If there was one game this season which justified his fee it was this one. Throughout the game he was the one who looked most likely to make the breakthrough, and as the minutes ticked away he was obviously trying desperately hard to win. And when the chips were down in the final ten minutes he delivered spectacularly.

Not quite sure what to make of Wrighty's behaviour on the day. On the pitch he seemed curiously listless and then he threw that minor tantrum after being substituted. After the match though, he seemed have completely recovered his good humour and was conspicuously enjoying the lap of honour, striking poses and generally showing off as only he can. Several kids also ran on the pitch with the main aim of the ritual being to give Wrighty a hug before running off again, and he topped it off by giving Rioch a hug in front of the Clock end. It was also nice to see the Bolton fans who had stayed behind applauding the Gunners, and giving a special cheer to Rioch.

report by Derek Brownjohn

See also the comments on this game in Ian Grant's news round-up.

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