Arsenal (0) 0 - 0 (0) Leicester CityHighbury, Sunday 9th January 2000. kick-off 4pmFA Cup 4th roundPreview
Arsenal (0) 0 - 0 (0) Leicester CityHighbury, Sunday 9th January 2000. kick-off 4pmFA Cup 4th round
Arsenal:
Seaman
Dixon (c) Keown Grimandi silvinho
Ljungberg Petit Vieira Malz (Kanu 63)
Suker Henry
After all the fuss over Kanu's eligibility, he
was left on the bench in favour of Suker. Perhaps
it was just a question of the Nigerian U-turn
coming too late to change the game plan. Whatever
the reason, we could have done with him up front
as Leicester came to defend and frustrate, and until
he came on we didn't have the guile to break them down.
And when he did come on, Leicester just got even more
defensive.In case it was needed, the game served as a demonstration of how much we miss Bergkamp when he's not around (or not firing on all cylinders). We also missed our wide players. Malz played for Overmars, a strange decision I thought since he's not naturally a wide man (what about bringing Nige back and putting Silvinho in the Overmars role? Winterburn was on the bench after so presumably was fit enough). All too often when we broke Malz could be seen dallying too far infield, and his tardiness in getting over to the wing visibly slowed down several promising attacks. But Leicester's lack of ambition did at least allow Silvinho to get forward which he did to good effect, while still making some telling contributions in defence. This kid is getting better and better, but still it makes me nervous that Nutty's not getting back into the side (that's a measure of Winterburn's greatness rather than Silvinho's lack of it!). In our first attack, the Brasilian burst from the wimg, through 2 defenders and into the box. But he'd pushed the ball just too far in front and Lennon did a nice piece of defending to shoulder him away from it. Barely legal, since he was hardly making an attempt to get the ball himself, but clever. As for the right wing, I do like Ljungberg, but he also doesn't play as a winger. He pops up all over the place, and often to good effect, but it doesn't help the shape, not compared to someone like Parlour who has a bit more self-discipline in that way. On 5 minutes Henry went on a good run down the middle and slipped the ball left to Suker. But the barest of touches from a defender's boot took it away from Davor. He caught up with it on the left edge of the box near the goal line and cut back nicely. But by the time he passed it back to Henry, still on the edge of the box, the massed ranks had got back and Terry was crowded out. A coupel fo minutes later and another nice move from defence ended with Lungberg on the edge of the box on the left. He saw Suker in space on the other side of the penalty area and found him perfectly with a sharp pass. But Davor's control was poor and his first touch saw the ball bounce off him intot he middle of the box where it was pounced on by the keeper Arphexad. Heskey had a shot just inside our box on their right which Grimandi blocked. The ball rebounded towards the goal-line and Heskey chased it only to be fouled by Super-Giles from behind. The free-kick, from a position which made it virtually the same as a corner, was punched out by Seaman in none-too-convincing fashion, but it came out to Vieira on the far side of the pitch. the break was on, Henry and Suker started to make their runs forward, but Paddy over-hit the through ball and it came safely to Arphexad. We had a couple of other chances similarly lost (passes being hit too strongly - was the pitch playing a bit fast today or is that just the cue sports player in me?). Then Leicester had a rare chance with a cross from their left which cleared the man at the near post but would have found the one clear at the far post if an Arsenal head hadn't intervened. On 17 minutes Arsenal were playing the ball backwards and forwards across the pitch, frustrated by the wall of City shirts in front of them. It seemed like whenever an Arsenal player got the ball they were surrounded by 2 or 3 City players. Fair play to Leicetser, but after the events at Tranmere yesterday I couldn't help wondering if they had more than 11 players on the pitch. Later we were to have our own little bit of reffing farce, but more of that later. Anyway, Grimandi received the ball in the centre circle and decided not to keep moving it to and fro this time. he charged towards the goal and passed straight ahead to Dixon on the edge of the box. Lee tried to knock it back into Grimandi's path as he continued his charge, but took too much of the pace off the ball and a City foot got to it first. 5 minutes later and City had another chance, with an Oakes shot from distance on their left being deflected narrowly wide of the far post. Seaman looked beaten. We broke from their corner, with Henry running up the left. He put in a beautiful diagonal cross towards Suker, coming in close to goal at the far post, but Darren Eadie just managed to stretch and get to the ball first, turning it out for a corner. Then we had a series of corners, most being headed straight out for another, one being claimed by Arphexad on the goal-line where he was (harshly in my opinion) judged to have failed to have kept it in play. It finished with a corner being nodded down in the 6 yard box towards Keown. He slipped over but it probably wouldn't have made it through to him anyway as there were defenders closer to the ball than him. City were pressuring Arsenal in numbers whenever we had the ball, and their attacking tactics were very much long-ball. But more Twickenham than Wimbledon, they'd hoof it up field and chase, playing for position. On half an hour Silvinho went on a nice run, breaking through a foul in the middle of the pitch and heading to the left wing where he was fouled again, this time the ref blew for a free-kick as there was no advantage to be had. The free kick came over to Grimandi wide on the right and he hit a lovely cross into the box. Ljungberg got to it near the penalty spot but a slight contact from behind appeared to put him off enough and he onyl managed to turn it straight ahead to Arphexad. Then Henry was fouled on the edge of the box on the left. He took the kick himself but only hit it low into the wall. 5 minutes to go in the half, and Arphexad picked up a clear back-pass. Then Heskey went down holding his head half-way into our half of the pitch after a clash (I think) with Keown. Keown had already been booked for a foul on Heskey, and there was a feeling that things might boil over between the 2 of them. Heskey seemed to be going down every time Martin got near and we were worrying for the defender (the ref was already looking happy to book anyone for anything). Heskey was down for a while and possibly Arsenal should have played the ball out earlier. If it was ahead injury the responsibility is the ref's to stop play and eventually he did so. still, it was understandable that Lennon was pissed off with Silvinho and Malz for not playing the ball out. Worries that this incident might turn nasty were allayed somewhat when from the restart Leicester sportingly gave us the ball back. Meanwhiule the ref patted Keown on the head as if (possibly?) to say "don't worry, I saw what happened". Before long, but not before falling over easily a couple more times, once clutching his head although nothing had come anywhere near it, Heskey joined Keown in the ref's book. He showed his displeasure with the ref then, and again when the half-time whistle went. And of course Martin O'Neill was jumping up and down on the touchline. He was 50 yards away but i swear you could see his face getting redder... The second half started with more of the same. A sliding tackle from Keown near the left touchline which took Heskey's feet away from under him. Could have been a foul but a throw to Arsenal was given. Shortly after, Heskey jumped through the back of Grimandi and a foul was given. Vieira brought the ball out of defence, skipping through a couple of tackles before knocking the ball forward for Ljungberg who was hacked down from behind a few yards outside the box to the right of centre. Petit drove the free-kick low through the crowd but it was too central and easy for Arphexad. Malz, still not really making the grade, did pop up with a great chase from one side of the pitch to the other, ending with an important tackle. A defender put Arphexad in trouble with a dodgy back-pass. With one of our strikers closing him down he kicked it out hurriedly and it rebounded off the back of one of his dfeenders, standing just outside the penalty area. He had to scurry sideways to save it from going out for a corner, or from going to the Arsenal player. But of focurse this time when he did get there he was able to fall on the ball without conceding a free-kick. Heskey went on a good run down their left, beating Dixon and Keown to get to the side of the box, but his cross was cut out nicely by Silvinho. He gave us a scare playing the ball out of defence when a clearance might have been wise, but to be fair we got a good break out of it. Before long we'd move the ball upfield and Silvinho got it back, this tiem just outside their penalty area. but his ball forward into the box for Petit was overstruck. 18 minutes into the second half and it was no surprise at all to see Kanu come on to try to give us that bit of creativity we needed. No surprise either to see Malz come off. Henry went to the left to start with but before long he was on the right. Ljungberg might have been playing on the left then but who knows? He doesn't stay in any position for long. A last ditch tackle (on Suker) led to another Arsenal corner which was floated from the right to Ljungberg, completely clear beyond the far post. But his header was poor and the ball bounced feebly off well wide of the post. Kanu was hacked down by Savage in the centre circle. Apparently it looked pretty nasty (and Wenger has since saidd he thought it was a sending-off offence). But after a bit of treatment he got up and the Nigerians breathed again. A dangerous looking Silvinho cross from the left was cut out in the air and Leciester broke. We got the ball back but then Dixon gave it away again and they came forward with our defence looking very sparse. Fortunately we were saved by the offside flag as the ball was passed through for Heskey to run onto. Ljungberg broke through a tackle in midfield and used the chance well, pushing it forward to Kanu. He appearde to be blocked illegally on the edge of the box but the ball came to Suker to his right and his shot forced a great flying save from the City keeper, tipping the ball out for a corner as he flung himself to his right. Then Ljungberg got himself booked stupidly, having a go at the linesman by the left corner flag after a decision had gone against him. Petit ran over to get himself involved too and he had already been booked. Very disappointing. Then Suker got booked but i don't remember why. His was the most significant as it puts the Croatian out of the Man Utd game in a fortnight. With Kanu off with Nigeria and Bergkamp still (apparently) a couple of weeks at least from fitness, this leaves us with only Henry up front. A big day for Graham Barrett then? 15 minutes to go and and Leciester hoofed the ball up for Heskey. Kreown got there first but it went for a corner. From that, Seaman came out with an excellent punch clear. Then we were awareded a free-kick half way into their half, and Darren Eadie was booked apparently for not giving the ball back. The ref waved for the free-kick but then, whether because of the howls from the crowd or the waving of the linesman I don't know, realised that he'd booked Eadie already and off he went. This led to a nice chant with both sets of fans joining in with "you don't know what you're doing". Leicester went into full "hang on for the draw" mode. All their players pavcked into the last quarter of the pitch, and whenever the ball came to one of them they'd whack it as high into the air as they could. Not always worrying what direction either! One time Heskey, actually doing rather well now covering for Eadie at left back, hit it higher than the top of the stands within his own box. It came down right in front of goal with a crowd waiting for it, but the ref judged that someone had fouled the keeper as they jostled for it. A couple of pieces of play from Savage are worth apllauding here. First he did an excellent piecec of legal time-wasting when we were given a free-kick. He had the ball and, obviously wary after Eadie's red card (and having been booked already himself, you can't depend on the ref not remembering), he had to throw it to the Arsenal player. But he threw it way up in the air to waste a crucial extra second. And then there was a time when they hoofed out of defence again and it went for a throw. By this stage Leicester weren't even bothering to come out and put any sort of pressure on. But this time Savage realised that Seaman was scampering over the take the throw himself, and byt running half the length of the pitch to prevent this he managed to soak up a bit more time. Arsenal tried valiantly to break through but Leciester were defending well, as they'd done all game. Silvinho put a couple of nice crosses in; there were shots blocked from Ljungberg and Dixon; Kanu tried to trick his way through the whole Foxes team a couple of times. Ljungberg headed over the bar from a cross and then tried a chip from a few yards outside the box after being set up nicely by Kanu, but it went just over. Some people were saying that we'd have been better off if no-one had realised about Eadie. There would have been a rematch at Higbury instead of a replay at Filbert Street. But looking back at the two league matches this year it'd be daft to be scared of Filbert Street. There will be some onus on Leicester to attack at their place, and if both teams want to win we have to fancy Arsenal's chances. The replay will be on Wednesday week (the 19th). The winners face Chelsea or Forest (away) in the 5th round. report by Rupe. Other reports
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