Wimbledon vs Arsenal. 02/11/96

Wimbledon (1) 2 - 2 (1) Arsenal

Selhurst Pk. 2nd Nov 96

FA Carling Premiership

Teams
Arsenal: Seaman, Dixon, Keown, Bould, Adams, Winterburn, Platt, 
         Vieira, Merson, Wright, Bergkamp
         Subs: Garde (Bergkamp 76), Morrow, Linighan, Parlour, Lukic 

Wimbledon: Sullivan, Cunningham, Jones, Blackwell, Thatcher,
           Leonhardsen, Earle, Ekoku, Gayle, Perry, Ardley 
           Subs: Kimble, Holdsworth, Reeves, Harford, Murphy

Result : Wimbledon             (1) 2   Arsenal                 (1) 2
Scorers: Jones 44, Gayle 67            Wright 6, Merson 64

Bookings: Perry                        Vieira, Keown
      
Att     : 25521
Referee : P Alcock (Redhill)

A typically rumbustious game at Selhurst Park on Saturday ended with honours (of a sort) even, though Arsenal won the casualty count with 2 split heads to Wimbledon's none. In the end a draw was probably a fair result though Arsenal did play the better football and for part of the first half looked as though they might win comfortably.

It could have been a very different start though, because Wimbledon might have had a penalty inside the first 30 seconds. From the kick off the ball was hit straight back to Sullivan, he hoofed it forward and Gayle headed it on. Bould had the time to control it and make a comfortable clearance but for some reason left it to run through to Seaman. Ekoku spotted that Seaman was still lingering on his line and streaked through to knock the ball past the keeper who appeared to bring him down as he went past. Looked a fairly clear penalty but fortunately the ref didn't see it that way and waved play on. Adams was covering behind Seaman so it wasn't necessarily a red card offence.

It all contributed to a somewhat unsettled air in the Arsenal defence for the next couple of minutes. Ekoku again almost got through till Adams stopped him at the expense of a corner, and Gayle had a shot from the edge of the area which bounced wickedly in front of Seaman and required two attempts from the keeper before he held on to the ball.

Bould then had to go off for stitches to a cut in his forehead, and Vieira moved back to take his place in the back 3 which paradoxically led to Arsenal taking the lead. Adams broke up an attack and tried to break forward but Bergkamp's return pass sold him short. Ekoku picked up the loose ball and broke forward quickly but Vieira stopped him with a superbly timed tackle on the edge of the area. The young Frenchman then carried the ball all the way into the Wimbledon half, Wrighty found space brilliantly with a typical run in front of him and Vieira slotted a perfect through ball into his path. Wright's pace and cool finish did the necessary and it was 1-0 to the Arsenal.

The Gunners then dominated the next 15-20 minutes and probably should have added to their lead. Bergkamp received a quick Dixon throw and crossed from wide on the right. At the time I thought Wright should have headed it but in fact on TV it looked as though he wouldn't have reached it and fact he improvised brilliantly to leap and knock the ball goalwards with the back of his heel, and Sullivan made a great save to keep it out.

Soon after that the keeper was again in action pushing out a short cross from the right from Merson after he had played a lovely 1-2 with Bergkamp. Unfortunately no-one was on hand to capitalise on the loose ball. Adams then beat Sullivan to an inswinging Winterburn corner from the right, but his header was cleared off the line by Thatcher.

Wimbledon then gradually started battling their way back into the match. Arsenal spent another 10 minutes or so with only 10 men as Adams joined Bould in the casualty department and went off to have stitches in a cut above his eye sustained in an accidental clash of heads with Ekoku. Shortly after he'd come back on Wimbledon equalised.

A corner from the right was cleared straight back to the taker, Ardley. Merson chased out, turning his back as he leapt to try and block the attempted return cross into the area. The ball hit his hand and the ref awarded a somewhat fortuitous free kick. Ardley took it again and found the head of Jones just outside the 6-yd box. The TV replay suggested he nudged Keown in the back, and Keown may also have been somewhat unsighted by Vieira jumping in front of him, but anyway Jones' downward header beat Seaman.

The second half was somewhat more even, though Arsenal still possibly had the better of the few chances there were. Early on Wright chested a ball forward down to Merson and turned to run onto the return which Merson knocked forward. WWW had to volley the ball awkwardly on the turn from just outside the area but still forced Sullivan into a sprawling save.

Vieira then did some good work in his own half to release Merson for a run towards the Wimbledon box. He had Dixon storming up completely unmarked on his right but chose to shoot just outside the box, but again the keeper was placed and did well to hold on to the shot.

At the other end Wimbledon were persisting with chucking the ball up for Ekoku and Gayle to contest in the air with Adams & co. Seaman caught a cross from the left under challenge from Earle, which Keown for some reason took exception to. The result was a bit of a mass scuffle in the Arsenal goal, though I think most of those involved were trying to act as peacemakers.

The Gunners took the lead midway through the half. Bergkamp flicked a ball on towards Wright. Thatcher climbed all over him but the ball still broke for Wrighty to challenge another defender with his foot rather high. Most refs would have awarded a free kick but Wright was allowed to carry on and play a swift pass into Merson's path as he made a run into the area on WWW's left. Amazingly Merse used his left foot to hook the ball past Sullivan's despairing dive and inside the far post.

I didn't see anything at the time, but the TV pictures later showed Jones knocking Wrighty over as he ran across to help Merse celebrate the goal. Luckily for Jones, WWW was obviously in a good mood and apparently persuaded the ref not to take any action against the Wimbledon hard man.

Celebrations were short lived however because 3 minutes later Wimbledon were again level. There was a break in play while the ref took the linesman's advice and booked Keown, presumably for some off the ball incident. This appeared to disrupt Arsenal's concentration because though Jones' subsequent long throw was cleared by a towering Adams header, the ball was crossed back in and reached Earle beyond the far post. He instantly knocked it back in towards the opposite post where Gayle was running in unmarked. He completely mistimed his header but the ball bounced down, up against his hand and then ricocheted backwards and forwards between various parts of his body, and both he and the ball somehow ended up in the back of the net.

After that there was much fluster and bluster and the odd scare at either end, but I can't recall another clear cut chance. Overall I was slightly disappointed at not having won the match, after twice being in front. That said, it was a very tough and physical encounter and an away point against the team in 4th place can't be too bad. There have been rumours this season about Wimbledon playing some decent football, but there wasn't a great deal of evidence of that on Saturday, so the Gunners did well to match them physically.

Seaman     6.5  I can only recall him needing to make one save apart 
                from the goals, but did make some good punches and 
                catches from crosses. Perhaps a little slow coming out 
                for the penalty incident?

Dixon      7.0  Reasonable game, though one sloppy bit of ball control
                might have cost a goal.

Winterburn 7.5  Another pretty good game overall from Nutty. His 
                inswinging corners from the right are at the moment 
                proving more dangerous than Merson's.

Adams      7.5  Looks pretty much back to his best to me, did his 
                expected job coping with the Wimbledon aerial assault.

Bould      7.0  At fault for the penalty incident, but thereafter fairly 
                solid, though he did allow himself to become a bit 
                unsettled by the number of times Ekoku got away with 
                pushing him.

Keown      7.5  Typically combative performance, possibly too much so. 
                Now only one booking away from a suspension.

Platt      5.5  Pretty much ineffective as far as I could see.  

Vieira     8.0  Man of the match again I reckon. Looked easily the most
                composed player on the pitch.

Merson     7.0  Again not quite up to his early season standards, but it
                was good to see him score with his left foot.

Wright     7.5  Typical Wright goal, made Merson's, played pretty well
                otherwise and foraged tirelessly as usual.

Bergkamp   5.5  Probably the least effective game I've seen him play.

Garde      6.0  Not really much chance to get into the match.

report by Derek Brownjohn

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