Arsenal (0) 3 - 1 (0) EvertonHighbury, Sunday 19th Januray 1997FA Carling Premiership
Arsenal: Seaman Parlour Bould Keown Adams Winterburn
Vieira Platt (Hughes) Merson
Bergkamp Wright (Dixon)
A good win in the end for the Gunners, thanks to an impressive
second half display. The first half was fairly dull, livened
up by a couple of excellent saves, one at either end. Southall
just managed to reach up to get a hand to an exquisite Merson
chip and Seaman saved diving to his right. Everton did actually
get the ball in the net at one stage, but Barmby's strike was
ruled offside. I was behind the opposite goal so can't really
comment but according to Ceefax the decision was harsh.
Wright came off at half time, apparently because of a hamstring injury (but Ceefax says he'll be fit for the next game). He'd not had a bad first half, although the chances that had come his way had mostly been skied. He was replaced for the second half by the returning Dixon, and thankfully Parlour continued his good form giving us many options down the right. Arsenal went up a gear in the second half, and were rewarded with a goal after 55 minutes. Dixon's high lobbed ball (according to Ceefax: I thoight it was Parlour) over the top looked to be a bit wayward but Bergkamp reacted first and judged it perfectly, positioning himself under the ball at the left-hand edge of the 6 yard box. His cushioned shot beyond Southall into the far bottom corner made an extermely skilful goal look extremely easy. Just a couple of minutes later we had a corner on our right. Vieira, just outside the penalty area on the left, was calling for it and was ready when the ball came out to him. He unleashed an unstoppable shot through the crowd which went just past Southall - beaten only by pace. A few minutes earlier he'd blasted just wide from almost an identical position after Bergkamo had set him up. He seems to be getting a bit happier with his shooting. Platt also pulled a hamstring trying to get to a through-ball down the middle, and was replaced by Hughes who had an excellent spell. He appears to have gained a great deal of confidence and showed some superb touches and signs of the guile and ability that we've heard about in the reserves. Platt's injury is worse than Wright's and he is expected to miss the England-Italy match. Everton had to come forward more, and came back into the game a bit. But Arsenal continued to dominate in terms of chances with some explosive play on the break. Merson and Bergkamp once again were looking very dangerous. Southall made some great saves, including one extraordinary one from a casual first-time Bergkamp shot from 20 yards. Our thrid goal came from a Bergkamp solo effort. He was quick to spot an opportunity when an Everton player gave a colleague a hospital pass just inside their half. Bergkamp took the ball off his toes and burst forward. Southall again did well to block, but the ball ricocheted (off Bergkamp I think) into the path of Merson who was just arriving in support and who made no mistake. Things got a bit relaxed after that, and everyone was having a great time in the crowd. So much so that their goal really didn't seem to matter. It came direct from a corner and the amazingly high jumping Drunken Ferguson's header gave Seaman no chance. Much to be pleased about in the second half: Bergkamp and Merson continue to play their best football in this country, and Vieira was solid if unspectacular. Having Dixon back, and Parlour on top form, is a bonus, and the fact that Winterburn seems to have grown an extra pair of lungs this season (though sadly still no right foot) means that full-back no longer looks the problem area that it did. If Hughes can continue in his current vein of form, then that will be a bonus. We were told that Wenger was an expert at getting the best out of players, and the way that the likes of Shaw and Hughes (and Parlour) have responded to their chances seems to confirm this. Tottenham completed a good day by throwing away a 1-0 lead at Forest, with "their Tony Adams" emulating the man himself by getting sent off around half time. One notable feature of Arsenal's performance today was NO CAUTIONS. But Ian Wright did go off at half time.... Everton were very disapppinting. I thought a team with the likes of Barmby Speed Stuart Kanchelskis and Ferguson were going to cause us a lot more problems. In the end it was only thanks to Southall that the scoreline wasn't doubled. Arsenal stay third in the table, one point behind Man Utd and 3 behind Liverpool (but with a game in hand).
Result : Arsenal (0) 3 Everton (0) 1
Scorers: Bergkamp 55, Viera 57, Ferguson 90
Merson 69
Arsenal: Lukic, Parlour, Adams, Keown, Bould, Winterburn,
Platt, Vieira, Merson, Bergkamp, Wright
Subs: Dixon (Wright h-t), Hughes (Platt 62),
Shaw, Linighan, Bartram
Everton: Southall, Barrett, Unsworth, Watson, Phelan, Thomsen, Stuart,
Speed, Barmby, Kanchelskis, Ferguson
Subs: Branch (Kanchelskis 62), Rideout, Grant, Gerrard, Short
Booked: Ferguson, Watson
Att: 38095
Ref: K Burge (Tonypandy)
Another game of two halves at Highbury yesterday, as Arsenal managed to
break clear after half time, and inspired by their Dutch master,
produced 30 minutes of scintillating football which had the previously
solid Everton rearguard in disarray. The visitors were unlucky not to
have been in front at the break, but afterwards were grateful to luck
and Southall that they did not concede more.
Arsenal were close to full strength, with Wright returning from suspension and Dixon sitting on the bench after a lengthy injury layoff. With Everton having lost their previous 4 league games, and Wright never having failed to score for Arsenal against them (with 10 goals in 6 games) hopes were thus reasonably high. In the first half though, things didn't quite turn out as expected. The Gunners did start reasonably well and had the better of the first 20-25 minutes. Early on Vieira knocked a perceptive pass into the area for Bergkamp to run onto, but his cross from the byline was cleared for a corner. Soon afterwards Arsenal might have had a penalty when Bergkamp fell under challenge from Stuart. The Everton midfielder had a whinge to the ref, but the TV pictures later clearly showed him pushing the Dutchman in the back, so a penalty would have been justified. Wright then went on one of his characteristically tricky dribbles down the right, almost got on the end of a return pass from Adams, the ball was half cleared to Merson and Southall did well to hold on to his 20 yard shot with Platt and Bergkamp closing in. After 3 games out Wrighty was obviously anxious to get some shooting practice, and some of his attempts showed he needed it. Merson set him up with a reasonable half chance with a lovely ball from deep which picked him out in space on the left. WWW tried a typically audacious first time left foot volley which sailed high and wide. He also optimistically tried to lob Southall from 40 yards, but again cleared the bar by a few feet. He did get one on target when Platt challenged the keeper for a high ball and it spun clear to Wrighty a few yards outside the area. He tried to knock it over Southall into the unguarded net, but mishit his volley straight into the keeper's arms. The closest Arsenal came to a goal followed a good break from midfield by Bergkamp. He passed forward to Merson on his left. With Wright in space to his left but possibly straying offside, and faced by only one defender Merse checked back and from the edge of the area produced a delicate chip. It seemed to just have enough height to clear Southall, but the veteran keeper somehow managed to claw it aside for a corner. Midway through the half Everton began to get back into it, and dominated the game for the next 15-20 minutes as Ferguson seemed to drop slightly deeper and began to combine well with Barmby, which caused the Arsenal centre backs problems for a while. Indeed the Ferguson-Barmby combination had the ball in the net, only to see it ruled out for offside. Ferguson tried an acrobatic volley off a cross from the left, and mishit it but the ball ran through for Barmby to swivel equally acrobatically and volley past Seaman from 12 yards. From my seat behind the goal he did seem clearly offside but the TV pictures later showed he clearly wasn't. However, Everton were encouraged and soon afterwards were denied the lead again, this time by a superb save by Seaman. Everton broke quickly with a man over, and Bamby fed Ferguson on his right. The big Scot hit a first time left foot shot from just inside the area which seemed to be curling beyond Seaman, but the keeper plunged to his right and turned the ball round the post. Ferguson had another reasonable half chance soon after that, but this time hit his shot from the edge of the area straight at Seaman. The Gunners began to regain a grip on things and had the better of the final 5 minutes of the half, but nonetheless things didn't look too good when Ian Wright didn't appear for the start of the 2nd half. Dixon replaced him, Parlour moved into midfield and Merson went further forward in support of Bergkamp. Fortunately Arsenal started briskly and had Everton penned back from the whistle, and 2 goals in 2 minutes early in the half meant WWW's absence was forgotten. Early on Parlour and Merson combined well down the right, the latter's cross was slightly overhit for Bergkamp, but he chased it wide and stopped it going over the line. He then dribbled back towards the area before laying it off for Vieira on the edge of the area. The Frenchman's 20 yd shot was well hit but a yard or so wide of the near post. Following a corner, there was then an almighty scramble in the area which ended (I think) with Platt having a goal bound hitchkicked volley blocked. Platt then had a break down the middle and fed Bergkamp in space on his left. Bergkamp was forced slightly wide but checked back and tried to curl a shot inside the far post but mishit it somewhat. Platt was involved again just before the Gunners finally scored. His attempt to backheel a ball through the square Everton defence was blocked but Dixon picked up the rebound and lofted a chip over the defence from the right. Bergkamp was quickest to react and ghosted unmarked into the area and from an angle on the left produced the coolest of side foot volleys to guide the ball beyond Southall and just inside the far post. Barely 2 minutes later it was 2-0. Winterburn took a corner on the right, Keown challenged with two defenders at the far post and the ball broke out to Vieira in space just inside the area. From a couple of yards in from the left hand corner of the box he smacked a left foot shot back through the crowded area which beat Southall for sheer pace. A minute or so after that it could have been 3-0. Nutty produced a glorious long ball forward down the left which dropped over Barrett and into Bergkamp's path. The flying Dutchman took it brilliantly into his stride and bore down on Southall, but the keeper was equal to Bergkamp's attempt to place a right foot shot inside the far post and saved brilliantly with his legs. Arsenal were rampant and were barely interrupted five minutes later when Platt was stretchered off with a pulled hamstring and replaced by Stephen Hughes who was immediately involved, with nice bit of close control and dribbling down the left which won a corner. The 3rd goal duly came courtesy of a slack pass on the halfway line from Unsworth which Bergkamp nipped in to nick off Watson's toe and break clear through on goal down the right. He took it fairly wide, feinted a shot which didn't fool Southall, before eventually whipping in a shot which Southall again blocked well. The rebound cannoned back off Bergkamp and fortunately into Merson's path as he followed up and he knocked the ball into the net from 8 yards. The Gunners then enjoyed themselves and were denied further goals only by Southall's reflexes and some wayward finishing. Merson should have scored again when Southall blocked another Bergkamp? effort on the edge of his area, but he worked the ball onto his right foot before putting it well wide when a first time left foot shot would surely have guided the ball into the empty net. Vieira also had an ambitious attempt on another occasion when Southall had to dash off his line, but his volleyed lob from just inside the halfway line was well wide. Bergkamp then seemed to have made it four when Parlour again played the ball in from the right, Merson helped it on to Bergkamp and his careful sidefoot shot from the edge of the area was curling into the top corner before Southall somehow got a fingertip to turn it over for a corner. Soon afterwards another Parlour cross was knocked square for Merson by Hughes, but this time his shot went straight at Southall. In the final 5 or 10 minutes Arsenal seemed content to sit back and let Everton back into it. Bould denied Phelan what looked a certain goal with a superbly sliding block, and in the final minute from a corner Ferguson scored with a towering header while the Arsenal defence watched in admiration. Don't think any of them can jump that high anyway. Once again, after a tight first half, Arsenal produced a superb spell of football after the break with Merson and Bergkamp in particular in irresistible form. Wenger implied in post match interviews that he took Wrighty off as a precaution, bearing in mind that Bergkamp will miss the next 3 games. Platt is expected to be out for at least 3 weeks which may be no bad thing, with both Parlour and Hughes in good enough form to replace him. I'd quite like to see both of them with Vieira in midfield, and Merson supporting Wright up front while Bergkamp is out. We'd find out then if such a young midfield can cope without Platt's experience and Hughes does provide a bit more balance on the left. Arsenal recently have lacked left footers - only Winterburn normally cf Liverpool with at least 5 most of the time this season. The next few league matches will be tough - 3 consecutive away games followed by home games against Wimbledon and Man United. If we're in a similar position after that I might start feeling optimistic about the championship.
Seaman 7.5 One slightly dodgy moment from a 1st half corner but
otherwise faultless.
Parlour 7.5 Did pretty well I thought, particularly from midfield
during Arsenal's purple patch.
Winterburn 7.5 More like his earlier season self - dealt so well with
Kanchelskis that he was subbed in the 2nd half.
Adams 7.5 Another typical Adams performance in his 500th senior
game for Arsenal. Dealt reasonably well with Ferguson
apart from a spell in the 1st half.
Bould 7.5 Another good game, his 299th for Arsenal.
Keown 7.0 Perhaps slightly less sure on the ball than earlier in
the season. Customary set to with Ferguson late on.
Platt 7.0 I thought he had quite a good game.
Vieira 8.0 Another commanding performance in the middle, capped by
a beautifully struck goal.
Merson 8.5 Maintained his recent brilliant form. Always looked
likely to do something and looked like he enjoyed doing
it. His 99th goal for the Gunners.
Bergkamp 8.5 Most people's man of the match though I though Merse ran
him pretty close. Some sublime touches again including a
lovely finish for his goal. Could have had a hattrick
and suggested himself that he should have by implying
afterwards that he would be working on his finishing
during his enforced lay-off.
Wright 7.0 A few typical Wright moments, most of which didn't quite
come off.
Dixon 7.5 Set up the important first goal and showed plenty of the
usual overlapping charges down the right.
Hughes 7.0 Another promising display - looking more confident than
in his brief appearances in previous seasons.
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