Arsenal (0) 2 - 1 (0)Highbury, Monday 17th August. kick-off 8pmFA Carling Premiership
Arsenal (0) 2 - 1 (0)Highbury, Monday 17th August. kick-off 8pmFA Carling Premiershipscorers: Petit, Overmars Thomas Arsenal: Seaman Dixon Adams Keown Winterburn Overmars Petit Vieira Parlour Bergkamp AnelkaOne of those matches where there's a huge gulf in class between the 2 teams, but it still seems to be hanging on a knife-edge. It's never dull these days. Forest were not very good, van Hoojdonk is right, although his absence hardly helps them. To start with they had a new guy (new to me anyway) up front on his own called Darceville. His first few touches were poor, pushing the ball way too far in front of himself having been put through on goal. But he improved and had a close-range shot on goal from the (his) right hand corner of the goal area which Seaman smothered. He also brought a great piece of defending out of Winterburn, when a run to the goal-line on his right wing and a square cross appeared to be setting up a goal. But Winterburn, who had run goal-side of the cross, put up a boot behind himself and just deflected it enough. There were also a few incidents involving best player Steve Stone, who gave on of the best performances I've seen by an opposition player at Highbury in their last visit a couple of years ago. But as most of his best work was wide on their right, and they had little in the centre, he didn't have the impact he might have had on the game. And he was probably a bit lucky to stay on the pitch having got involved in soem dodgy incidents after he'd already been booked. The best chances of the first half fell to Arsenal, and to Anelka. He had two headers on goal, neither of which was easy but both of which went softly to the keeper Beasant. Anelka's coming along in leaps and bounds, but if he could improve his leaping and bounding a bit he'd be so much more dangerous as a target man. He also created a great chance for himself when he pulled down a long high ball on the edge of the box and with great close control beat his man as he took the ball forward. He managed to poke the ball past the keeper but it came back off the post. He'd done really well to get that close. He ran about a lot, and was clearly knackered at the end. Forest's defensive tactics highlighted Anelka's tendency to start his runs a bit early and get caught offside. Having said that, ALL our players were just a touch off of their normal sharpness for most of the match, especially the first half. But there were flashes of great stuff. Baergkamp and Parlour had some very skilful moments and the defence was solid apart from one or two incidents (including their goal, see below). The first goal came from a Bergkamp free-kick wide on the right. It was floated over to Adams on the far side of the goal and he rose to head it against the bar. It came out towards Petit back on the right who stooped to head the goal through a few players. The Forest fans started singing "sing when you're winning" from which I can only assume they'd all been listening to their trannies for the previous hour. Forest were gifted a soft equaliser with 15 minutes to go, when our rocks at the back moved with all the speed of rocks, letting Geoff Thomas, of all people, get clear to curl a low shot past Seaman's diving right hand. Very annoying, and embarassing since there'd been a bit of "We've got Dennis Bergkamp, you've got Geoff Thomas" going on earlier. But Overmars got a great winner. He was put clear, raced towards Beasant, and seemed bound to score. I guess Beasant came out well, but surely Marc should have scored first time. The save fell behind him, but with great presence of mind Overmars hooked it first time into the goal over the stranded keeper. There were a few more chances in the second half. Bergkamp was put through similarly to Overmars, but dwelled too long and allowed a defender to get back and make a telling challenge. We should really have won by enough to take us top, but the main thing at this stage of the season is the win. Arsenal will have to improve on this, but surely will. And sometimes you can get away with being poorer and still win. I was at Hillsbrough on Saturday to see a fine example of this, Ian Wright kept up his extraordinary record of scoring in debuts with his late winner, but West Ham looked less like a potential surprise package than I'd expected. This trip was with my girlfriend, a Wednesday fan. Next week she's taking me to watch them play Spurs at WHL so fingers crossed for Wednesday to win with me watching them, for the first time in quite a few matches (mostly against Arsenal of course). Preview (and report) of our match against Liverpool that day will appear here.
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Result : Arsenal (0) 2 Nottingham Forest (0) 1
Scorers: Petit 58, Overmars 79 Thomas 76
Arsenal: Seaman, Dixon, Adams, Keown, Winterburn; Petit, Vieira,
Parlour, Overmars; Bergkamp, Anelka
Subs: Garde, Hughes, Boa Morte, Bould, Manninger
Booked:
Forest: Beasant, Rogers, Chettle, Hjelde , Stone, Johnson , Armstrong,
Thomas, Bonalaire, Darcheville, Hodges
Subs: Lyttle (Hjelde 45), Freedman (Darcheville 80),
Harewood (Armstrong 83), Crossley, Dawson
Booked: Hodges, Stone
Att: 38064
Ref: M Riley (Leeds)
A satisfactory result last night, but a slightly rusty and lethargic performance by Arsenal as they struggled to overcome a determined defensive display by supposed whipping boys Forest. After labouring unsuccessfully to break down the visitor's rearguard in the first half, the Gunners somewhat fortuitously took the lead 15 minutes into the second, but appeared to be coasting to victory until a moment of slackness in defence allowed Thomas to score an unlikely equaliser. Fortunately soon afterwards Marc Overmars continued where he left off last season and scored a typically brilliant solo goal to confirm victory for the champions. I missed the first 10 minutes or so due to a thoughtlessy overturned lorry on the M11, but post-match viewing of the video revealed I only missed a couple of minor incidents. Overmars got past Bonalaire down the left and put over a decent cross, but Anelka could only head tamely wide. The young Frenchman came closer a few minutes later when he read the spin on a flick by Parlour a bit better than a defender, but Beasant also reacted quickly to save his attempt to poke the ball home. Soon after I arrived, Petit played a great pass inside the Forest rightback Bonalaire for Overmars to run onto, but the centre half Hjelde came across to make a superb block as Overmars ran onto the pass. Forest still hadn't properly cleared from that attack when Bonalaire tried to play a pass back to his keeper from the touchline. Anelka almost latched onto it but Beasant did well again to block, the ball bounced out to Overmars who momentarily had a sight of an open goal, but with the ball bouncing awkwardly and a defender closing him down quickly he declined to shoot and the chance was eventually lost. At the other end with Forest playing only one up, their main outlet was the speed of their new French striker Darcheville and he showed alarming pace on occasion. Not often you see Keown completely outpaced, but that was what happened when the visitors showed their first real threat of the game. Darcheville streaked away from Keown, running down the left from the halfway line before putting over a cross with the outside of his right foot which Winterburn brilliantly touched away from the otherwise unmarked Thomas? at the far post. It was Arsenal's French striker who came closest to scoring midway through the first half though. Vieira played a superb long crossfield pass from the right which Anelka brilliantly controlled on his chest before knocking it on the volley past his marker Hjelde. Beasant dashed out to meet him but Anelka slipped a left foot shot under the keeper's dive only to see the ball bounce back out off the foot of the post. Forest then came slightly more into the game and on a couple of occasions caused Seaman more than passing concern. First after Darcheville had a shot blocked Stone hit a snap shot from the rebound which curled only a foot or two wide of the angle of post and crossbar. Then Bonalaire broke quickly down the right and slipped a pass behind the defence for Darcheville to beat the offside trap. He had only Seaman to beat from a tight angle but the keeper got his angles right and spread himself to make a superb block. The final significant action of the half apart from Hjelde limping off with a hamstring injury was a 25 yard shot from Overmars which Beasant seemed to have reasonably well covered. The ball though swerved more than he expected and he couldn't hold on, but there was no-one following up to take advantage. Arsenal started the second half with a brief flurry but didn't create anything clear-cut, and it was Forest who the first good chance. The Arsenal defence stood and watched as a ball down the Forest right appeared to be drifting out of play, but Bonalaire didn't give it up and retrieved it before pulling back a cross from the touchline. It picked out Geoff Thomas running in unmarked in the middle, but he completely mistimed an attempted sidefoot volley with his favoured left foot and the ball went out of play on the far touchline. Arsenal almost immediately had an equally good chance at the other end. Anelka took a pass from Parlour beautifully into his stride and outpaced Chettle into the area, before hitting a right foot shot across the keeper. It looked from the other end as though it was in, but rolled inches wide of the far post. Forest then had a spell of pressure when they forced a series of corners which the home defence didn't deal with entirely comfortably, but Arsenal got back on top soon afterwards when Vieira won a scrappy battle for possession midway into the Forest half and then found Overmars in space on the left. The flying Dutchman took it on into the area before hitting a rasping left foot shot which cleared the bar by a few feet. Soon afterwards Arsenal did finally score. Parlour chased a ball down the right and was shoulder charged by Rogers and the linesman flagged for a foul. The initial challenge looked fair but Rogers then naively used his arm to push Parlour aside. Anyhow, Bergkamp floated the freekick from just outside the area to the far post, where Adams rose imperiously to smack a header against the bar. The ball rebounded back out right onto Petit's head and he nodded it into the net. I think Adams and Keown were both in offside positions, and though the latter wasn't interfering with play, the former probably was so Arsenal were slightly fortunate the goal was allowed to stand. Arsenal enjoyed a good spell just after the goal and for a while looked likely to add more. A couple of breaks promised much but delivered little, the most notable when Anelka broke quickly with Petit and Bergkamp in support. He passed to Petit on his right who in turn tried to find Bergkamp who was completely unmarked on the left, but his attempted first time pass with the outside of his left foot was mishit and Beasant collected. There was then a quiet spell when Arsenal seemed content to sit on their lead, and apart from a 20 yard left footer from Dixon which Beasant again couldn't hold, the keeper wasn't troubled. And the Gunners paid for their lethargy. Thomas broke from the halfway line, exchanged passes with Darcheville and ran through a mistimed tackle from Adams to leave himself with only Seaman to beat, which he did with uncharacteristic aplomb, placing a careful left foot shot round the keeper and inside the post from the edge of the area. Highbury was stunned for a moment but Arsenal almost hit back immediately when Anelka was given time a few yards outside the area and he slipped a pass to his left to find Bergkamp curiously unmarked. The Dutch master hit a first time right foot shot which bounced awkwardly just in front of Beasant as he plunged to his left, and he could only deflect it wide for a corner. A minute or two later Arsenal were back in front. Overmars picked up a headed clearance from Keown inside his own half, and with the Forest defence square and almost on the half way line, and distracted by Anelka, the Dutchman cleverly played the ball through for himself to run onto. He easily outpaced Chettle but with only Beasant to beat he hit his shot too close to the keeper, though it was nonetheless a good save. Overmars though reacted brilliantly as the ball bounced up off the keeper's block he hooked a left foot volley over his right shoulder and over Beasant into the empty net. Forest made a couple of substitions in the final few minutes to try and force an equaliser, bringing on two forwards for a forward and a midfield/defender, but were a little lucky to end the match with 10 men on the pitch when in quick succession, Stone and Hodges committed fouls which would probably have brought them yellow cards had they not already been booked. And in fact in injury time Arsenal missed two great chances to extend their lead. First an Overmars pass sent Bergkamp clear but he dithered too long over his shot and Bonalaire got back well to dispossess him. Then Overmars again played a short pass into the area to pick out Petit's run, and the Frenchman thumped a shot goalwards but Beasant made another great block. Overall, as a first competitive game of the season and considering Forest's determined defence, not a bad performance and the 3 points were the important thing. There was a certain amount of luck with the first goal though, and with the significant loss of Hjelde at half time so plenty of room for improvement.
Seaman 7.0 One great save but otherwise underemployed.
Dixon 7.0 Solid and reliable as usual, and got through quite a
lot of work going forward.
Adams 7.5 As commanding as normal apart from the mistake which
led to the goal.
Keown 7.0 Also reasonably solid and reliable as usual, though
he'll be relieved he doesn't have to face someone of
Darchville's pace every game.
Winterburn 7.5 Took up pretty well where he left off. Another great
all round game.
Parlour 8.0 Full of running again, playing as well as he did last
season.
Vieira 7.0 Looked a bit rusty and uncharacteristically hesitant
once or twice. Otherwise a good game and played a
couple of glorious long passes.
Petit 8.0 Another all action game, and so far seems unaffected
by the World cup.
Overmars 7.5 Fairly quiet for a lot of the game, and things weren't
quite coming off for much of it, but came alive in the
last 15 minutes.
Anelka 7.5 Had a pretty good game, and produced some moments of
brilliance. He got caught offside rather often, though
the TV replays showed it wasn't always fairly.
Bergkamp 6.5 Relatively subdued and somewhat off his best.
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