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Tottenham Hotspur (0) 0 - 0 (0) Arsenal

White Hart Lane. Saturday 15th February 1997

FA Carling Premiership

Arsenal: Lukic, Dixon, Adams, Keown, Bould, Winterburn, Parlour,
         Vieira, Merson, Bergkamp, Wright
         Subs: Hughes (Merson 88), Marshall, Morrow, Shaw, Harper
         Booked: Parlour, Bould

Spurs:  Walker, Austin, Edinburgh, Howells, Calderwood, Iversen,
        Campbell, Carr, Sinton, Anderton, Rosenthal
        Subs: Baardsen, Nielsen, Allen, Fox, Wilson

Att: 33039
Ref: G Poll (Tring)
Another disappointing draw at White Hart Lane on Saturday, as Arsenal struggled to find the sort of cohesion in attack which would have been needed to overcome a well organised Spurs defence and significantly close the gap at the top of the league. The Gunners stuttered defensively too during a relatively entertaining 2nd half (as far as 0-0 draws and N London derbies go), during which Lukic was the busier of the two keepers, and in the end they were the more grateful for a point.

It was the home side who started the quickest and caused a scare in the Arsenal penalty area in the 1st minute. Keown did some tidy defensive work but then spoiled it by playing a sloppy pass which allowed Edinburgh to nip in, exchange passes with Iversen and carry on to whip in a cross which only just eluded Rosenthal at the near post. Soon afterwards Iversen put a looping header from Rosenthal's cross tamely into Lukic's arms.

However, Arsenal gradually got things together and for the next 15-20 minutes looked the better team, and overall probably had slightly the better of the half. Their best early chance came when Parlour broke down the middle before eventually spotting Bergkamp in yards of space to his right. The Dutchman had to check slightly to take the pass, hurried his shot from the edge of the area and it went a few feet high and wide.

Parlour had another couple of promising runs down the right which were eventually stopped by Campbell. He did get free to the byline on one occasion, running on to a Dixon throw, but his cut back was headed clear. In between times, Spurs had probably the best chance of the half. Rosenthal fastened on to a hopeful clearance from Austin which Bould or Adams should have dealt with but got in each other's way, and Rosenthal ran on to toe poke a shot which Lukic did well to drop onto.

At the other end Howells gave away a free kick with a two footed lunge on Vieira. Merson bent in the free kick from the left and, on the 6 yd line Bould's glancing header looked goal bound, but Iversen behind him deflected the ball just over the crossbar more by luck than judgement.

The 2nd half was somewhat more lively than the first. Early on there could have been a goal at either end but for a pair of good saves from the keepers. First Anderton broke down the middle and fired in a dipping 25 yd shot which bounced just in front of Lukic as he plunged to his right, so he did well to parry and then grab the rebound.

Arsenal then broke up the other end and Bergkamp volleyed in a 20 yd shot with his left foot which was arrowing just inside the far post before Walker just got his fingers to it and tipped it round the post. The keeper flapped at the resulting corner and the ball dropped to Parlour on the edge of the area. His snap volley fizzed agonisingly a few inches wide of the post.

Tottenham then nearly took the lead. Bould stopped another Anderton break but the ball broke to Carr about 25 yards out and he hit a superb angled volley which Lukic dived full length to palm it aside. Iversen was first to the loose ball and touched it back to Edinburgh who crossed back into the 6yd box. Lukic again did well to get a hand to it, diverting it away from the inrushing Anderton and Adams. Anderton did stick out a foot which sent the ball bobbling back towards goal, and Lukic again did well to recover and drop on it before it crossed the line.

Soon after that it was Walker's turn to save his side. A Merson corner from the left cleared the Spurs defence to find Keown stealing in at the far post, but Walker somehow found the reactions to stick out a hand and block the header on the line.

At the other end Keown turned villain. He tried to let the ball run out of play midway inside his own half on the left, but allowed Rosenthal to stick a foot in and bustle past, to leave himself with a clear run on goal. Fortunately Lukic was out quickly and plunged at Rosenthal's feet to make a great block.

Towards the end of the game Arsenal had a good spell. Vieira had a header from the edge of the box off a Dixon cross, which had Walker scrambling across his goal but it drifted wide. Then Bergkamp received the ball following a nice touch by Wright, but fired his 20 yard shot a foot or two over the bar.

But it was Tottenham who finished the stronger, having most of the pressure in the final few minutes, and coming uncomfortably close once or twice. Iversen found Rosenthal in yards of space on the left and he fizzed a ball across the face of goal which somehow eluded everybody. Finally, from a corner Calderwood lifted a shot high and wide after the ball had dropped to him on the 18 yard line.

A somewhat disappointing performance from Arsenal with a virtually a full strength outfield team. They did look the better team for periods of the match, but never really clicked offensively and there was enough loose defending to allow Spurs to give Lukic the chance to shine. I can't help feeling that if our title aspirations are to retain any conviction we have to do better against moderate mid-table opposition like this. A win against Man United on Wednesday and my mood will no doubt improve, but the chances of that won't have been improved by Adams appearing to aggravate his ankle injury in a challenge with Edinburgh.

As it was a generally below par display, I've saved myself some thinking and given everybody the same mark, apart from Lukic who had his best game since returning to Arsenal, and Wrighty who seemed strangely subdued. The rest were all not very good, but not that bad. Parlour's booking takes him over the 21 point barrier so he will miss the games against Everton and Forest. 

Lukic      8.0
Dixon      6.5
Winterburn 6.5              
Adams      6.5
Bould      6.5
Keown      6.5
Parlour    6.5
Vieira     6.5
Merson     6.5
Bergkamp   6.5
Wright     6.0
report by Derek Brownjohn

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