Wimbledon vs ArsenalSelhurst Park, Saturday 1st April 2000FA Carling PremiershipPreview
Report
FA Carling Premiership
Wimbledon vs Arsenal Sat Apr 1 2000
Result : Wimbledon (1) 1 Arsenal (2) 3
Scorers: Lund 12, Kanu 33,41, Henry pen 89
Arsenal: Seaman, Dixon, Silvinho, Luzhny, Keown; Grimandi,
Vieira, Parlour, Overmars; Bergkamp, Kanu
Subs: Petit (Overmars 45), Henry (Kanu 66),
Winterburn (Bergkamp 74), Suker, Manninger
Sent off: Luzhny (43, preventing goalscoring opportunity)
Wimbledon: Sullivan, Cunningham, Blackwell, Andersen, Jupp,
Hughes, Euell, Roberts, Andresen, Lund, Gayle.
Subs: Ardley (Andresen 66), Badir (Roberts 76),
Willmott, Davis, Francis
Sent Off: Euell (88)
Att: 25858
Ref: Uriah Rennie (Sheffield)
After last year's hiccup, normal service resumed at Selhurst Park on
Saturday with an away win over Wimbledon. Normal service also resumed in
a sense on the red card front, with Luhzny receiving Arsenal's 3rd in 4
matches, though once again it was distinctly undeserved. The Gunners had
started rather sluggishly, going behind to an early goal, but turned the
game round in the final 20 minutes of the first half with a brace of
goals from Kanu. However, they then had to see out the entire 2nd half
with only 10 men, which they did fairly comfortably, the scoreline being
given added gloss a couple of minutes from time by a Henry penalty,
Euell having also been sent off in the same incident.
Arsenal did start a bit slowly, and Wimbledon looked the keener in the opening 15-20 minutes, bothering the Arsenal defence particularly with high balls into the area. Arsenal did manufacture one sharp move with some quick first time passing between Grimandi, Overmars and Kanu ending with the latter laying the ball back for Bergkamp, but the Dutchman hit a 25 yarder along the ground straight at Sullivan. Soon afterwards Wimbledon were in front. Hughes was given too much room on the right and slanted a diagonal cross into the area with his left foot, where Lund climbed above the flatfooted Keown, and his well angled header left Seaman also flat footed and the ball ended up in the corner of the net. Arsenal were shaken into more concerted efforts to reply. Bergkamp cut in from the left to get in another shot which was again straight at Sullivan, and then soon afterwards the Dutch master seemed to be in on the left side of the area, but for once a heavy first touch let him down and the chance was gone. Kanu also had a chance when Dixon's long ball in from the right found him in space just inside the area, but he too uncharacteristically had a poor first touch and the ball ran away from him. He did a bit better later with a lovely turn in the area, but then slashed his shot over the bar. Meanwhile the home side could have extended their lead when Hughes again sent over a cross, from the left this time which cleared the Arsenal defence to find Euell unmarked at the far post. He brought the ball down and fired in a shot which Seaman brilliantly beat aside at the near post. Gayle also had a dangerous run in from the right, beating a couple of Arsenal players before Grimandi's desperate lunge blocked him at the last. Arsenal finally got the breakthrough at the other end just under 15 minutes from half time. Kanu slipped a pass to Bergkamp just outside the area, and the Dutchman turned and dinked the ball through a defender's legs on the edge of the area. I think he was actually trying to get through himself but it turned into a good pass which sent Kanu through clear of the defence. He held off a challenge and calmly sidestepped Sullivan before lashing the ball home from about 8 yards. Soon afterwards the Gunners almost went a goal up when Silvinho was released down the left, I think by Bergkamp's pass. He cut in towards the area and almost surprised Sullivan with a thunderous shot from the corner of the box, hit with the outside of his left foot, but the keeper reacted well to make a superb one handed block. The Brazilian was involved again when Arsenal did take the lead a few minutes before the interval. Parlour did well on the right to win a corner, and Silvinho whipped it in to the near post where Kanu was unchallenged to deflect a header, amazingly, past Sullivan and into the far corner. A couple of minutes later however, the match seemed to have turned again when Luzhny was sent off. A mistake by Keown left Lund with only Luzhny barring his route to goal and the Ukrainian slipped as the Norwegian tried to go round him. There may have been a slight tug as Luzhny desperately scrambled back up, but thereafter he didn't appear to touch Lund, so when the striker went down it was either a dive or an accidental trip. Uriah Rennie however had other ideas and eventually pulled out the red card, presumably ruling it a clear goal-scoring chance, despite the fact that Silvinho & Keown were arguably in a position to cover. Strangely enough, I thought the ref had a reasonably good game otherwise... However, Hughes put the free kick a foot or so over the bar so Arsenal weren't punished twice, and soon afterwards Arsenal reorganised. Grimandi moved back to partner Keown, and Petit came on for Overmars to form a tighter midfield trio with Vieira and Parlour. The second half was predictably a somewhat attritional affair, Arsenal sitting back and trying to hit Wimbledon on the break while the home side toiled away attempting to break through for the equaliser. And it was always the visitors who looked the more likely to be successful. Early on Bergkamp stretched Sullivan with another shot from range, while the Dons struggled to create anything worthwhile at the other end. With Henry replacing Kanu midway through the half, Arsenal looked even more likely to nick a goal on the break. Soon after the Frenchman came on, Parlour should have presented him with a chance to seal the game, when he broke clear down the left. Henry was unmarked in the middle, but on his left foot Parlour didn't get the pass right and, when a defender's desperate clearance came straight back at him, he couldn't control the ball to set himself up for what would have been a good chance. At the other end Wimbledon did eventually make a clear chance, when Arsenal's defence were for once caught short as the ball was passed along the edge of the area from right to left to find Hughes unmarked beyond the back post. He slashed in a shot from about 12 yards which Seaman again was equal to at his near post, reacting superbly to beat it aside for a corner. Meanwhile as the match ground towards full time, Henry set off on a solo break from half way, cutting in on a diagonal run from out near the right hand touchline to the area, jinking past a couple of defenders on the way. As he got a brief site of goal though, he slashed a right foot shot wildly wide from an angle about 15 yards out. Soon afterwards though he had a much better chance. He held his run inside his own half until Vieira's astute pass released him and he raced clear of the pursuing Wimbledon defence. As he went into the area and prepared to shoot, Euell slid in from behind and took his legs away. Definite penalty and definite sending off, though strangely Rennie only produced the red card after consulting a linesman. Henry got up to send Sullivan the wrong way and slotted the spot kick comfortably home. Overall, the sending-off apart, a satisfactory result. If the red card was for preventing a goal-scoring opportunity, Luzhny only misses one game, though worryingly that is Arsenal's next one against Leeds, which Grimandi is also suspended for. A reasonable performance too once Arsenal got going midway through the first half, firstly with the comeback, and then the way they dug in during the second half. It was though against a team which is obviously lacking a bit of confidence and form.
Seaman 7.5 A couple of great saves, though the harsh may judge
him a bit leaden-footed for the goal.
Dixon 8.0 Chugged away well again, was in the right place to
rescue dodgy situations more than once.
Silvinho 7.5 Had a purple attacking patch in the first half, and
did well defensively too.
Keown 8.0 Looked a bit rusty and uncertain in the 1st half,
but got better and better in the 2nd.
Luzhny 7.0 Looked pretty solid in the middle again.
Grimandi 7.5 Looked more comfortable at the back.
Vieira 8.0 Hard working game, here, there and everywhere in the
second half.
Petit 8.0 Back to the fully committed Petit of old again.
Parlour 7.5 Worked hard and tirelessly as ever.
Overmars 6.5 Never really had much impact during the 45 mins he
was on.
Bergkamp 7.0 A couple of nice touches and worked hard enough, but
not quite at his best yet.
Kanu 7.5 The usual mix of brilliance and ...
Henry Still looking lively and confident, his pace gave
Arsenal an extra outlet.
Winterburn As enthusiastic as ever, perhaps too much so on a
couple of occasions when he dived in for a ball he had
little chance of getting to leave those behind him a
bit exposed.
Derek
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