Arsenal (0) 1 - 1 (1) WimbledonHighbury, Saturday 18th December 1999FA Carling PremiershipPreview
Arsenal (0) 1 - 1 (1) WimbledonHighbury, Saturday 18th December 1999FA Carling Premiership
scorers: Henry 61 Cort 7
Arsenal:
Manninger
Dixon Lunzhny Grimandi Winterburn (c) (Suker 72)
Overmars Ljungberg Petit Silvinho
Henry Kanu
There was a warning after 5 minutes when Manninger had to
pounce on a through-ball which had caught the defence
square. 2 minutes later Arsenal were behind, Marcus Gayle
drilled a low shot in from wide on the left towards Carl
Cort who was completely clear in the middle of the box.
Manninger stayed rooted to his line as Cort deflected the ball
goalwards, and it went through Manninger's legs on the
way in. Alex looked the fool, but you just knew that with
Adams and Keown on the field Cort would never have had
the chance. To be fair, they both did alright after this,
Grimandi in particular having another excellent game. But
the damage was done and once again we found ourselves having
to claw our way back against a patently inferior opposition.
On 10 minutes a nice move out of defence ended with Overmars in the centre, and he passed wide right to Dixon. He put in a low cross which was cleared to Petit a few yards outside the box. He did well to control it and get a shot off but couldn't keep it down. Kanu turned on the edge of the box on 13 minutes, and rode a couple of tackles. But they'd pushed him wide to the right of the penalty area. He turned back and chipped it to the far side of the box, but it was behind Henry and although he made contact with his ambitious overhead kick it bounced wide of the far post. A minute later a low shot from Ljungberg zipped off the turf as it headed for the near corner, but Sullivan got down to it. Around this point the trouble between Petit and Hartson appeared to start. Manu was clearly accusing the Welsh Arsenal reject of elbowing him. They both got a ticking off at this point, but later they'd both be booked after an incident in which Petit was penalised for a foul then threw the ball at Hartson's back. John's reaction was over-the-top but Manu had asked for it, really. Halfway through the half we got a fre-kick 5 yards outside the box on the right, after Henry had been pulled back. He and Silvinho stood over the ball, and Henry fired it straight at the middle of the wall. I can only assume it was a mis-kick. Either that or he had some idea that the Dons' defenders would kindly get out of the way for him. It came straight back to Silvinho who tried a shot which balloned up in the air, fortunately coming through on the left for Winterburn to run onto. From the goal-line he cut it back across the goalmouth, where it came to Dixon who skied it from point-blank range. One of those where it would have been much easier to hit the target. Half an hour gone, and Silvinho over-played the ball bringing it into the box from the left. He managed to stretch and get a toe to the ball as he lost it, enough to prevent a good clearance. The ball came out to Winterburn who drove it high but slightly too close to the keeper. Still, Sullivan did well to palm Nutty's fierce shot up and out. The Dons got another chance then, I think it was either Cort or Euell who beat the offside trap and found himself in plenty of space behind a square back-line. He could have tried for goal himself but seeing Michael Hughes (who'd come on for Gayle) on the left, and sensing that Manninger could be taken out of the quation completely, he slipped it left. But it was overstruck. Hughes had to run wide to gather and the chance was thankfully lost. Arsenal broke well but Petit's shot from out side the box hit Kanu on the back as the striker made a run across the edge of the box in front of him, and it ballooned out for a goal kick. Hughes had a shot which was hit high and wide from distance, and the half finished with another nice Arsenal move. Silvinho ran down the left with the ball, gave it to Overmars on the edge of the box and continued his run into the area. Overmars played it nicely into the space near the penalty spot but Silvinho ran further right and Sullivan was able to come out and gather it, jumping into Silvinho rather unnecessarily as he did so. Early in the second half Kanu chipped just over from the edge of the box. Then Overmars chipped forward for Henry to run onto. He did well to keep possession under challenge but poked the ball slightly too far forward and with Sullivan coming across to make things hard all Henry could do was run it out for a goalkick. 8 minutes into the half and Henry crossed from the left but there was no-one in the box. Overmars chased the ball as it went out of the box on the right hand side and was clearly tripped from behind. Nothing whatsoever was given. It would have been a stupid penalty to give away, with te ball running away from goal towards the wing, but still it looked a clear foul. Ljungberg put Dixon clear ont he right hand side of the penalty area and he drove it towards the near post. Sullivan had it covered so you can't blame Silvinho for running in front of him and trying to do something with it. But it just bounced off him for a goal-kick. Half and hour to go and at last we got the equaliser. Winterburn slipped the ball forward from the edge of the box on the left. Silvinho ran onto it and pulled it across goal where Henry was on hand to turn it in. It looked pretty uncontroversial from where I was standing, but Sullivan found something to complain about as he was hassling the ref upfield for a while afterwards. Surprisingly he managed not to get booked for it. 20 minutes left and Winterburn was taken off to bring on some more firepower. Suker came on up front and the team shuffled around. Silvinho dropped back to left back, Overmars came across to the left, and Henry went to the right. The captain's armband passed from Nige to Dixon. Ljungberg won a free-kick yards otsude the box. It was played wide to Henry who lobbed it in preceisely onto Kanu's head but, from the penalty spot, he could only nod it over the bar. Some classic Kanu trickery in the box created a chance for himself but the low drive from a narrow angle was cleared and then when a diving header put it straight back in Sullivan was on hand with the save. Ten minutes to go and things were getting a bit desperate. More Kanu brilliance as he rode tackles and shot from the edge of the box but again Sullivan go down for a low save. The Wimbledon keeper just always seemd to be in the right place. well, either that or we kept shooting straight at him. Silvinho put Overmars through on the left but his cut-back went too close to goal and Sullivan claimed it Then Silvoinho had a shot himself, from distance and again Sullivan hardly had to move to make the stop. Petit stretched to get to a ball that had been poorly played to him. He managed to poke it wide to Silvinho who put it back in, square just insdie the box. Suker hit it first-time and it fizzed low past the post. With injury time approaching Suker picked the ball up to the left of the box and went on a confusing run. He came back away from goal up the wing, then cut inside and across field before playing it forward to the edge of the box where it was played through for Overmars. Only the keeper to beat, and he hit it at a nice height for Sullivan to parry. It was hooked back in dangerously from outside the box but the again too close to the keeper. In injury time Henry latched onto a hoof forward and brought it down nicely but he went for an early long-range shot and pulled it wide of the far post.
Result : Arsenal (0) 1 Wimbledon (1) 1
Scorers: Henry 61 Cort 7
Arsenal: Manninger, Dixon, Winterburn, Luzhny, Grimandi; Petit,
Ljungberg, Silvinho, Overmars; Kanu, Henry
Subs: Suker (Winterburn 73), Keown, Hughes, Vernazza, Lukic
Booked: Petit
Wimbledon: Sullivan, Cunningham, Andersen, Hreidarsson, Kimble,
Earle, Roberts, Euell, Gayle, Hartson, Cort
Subs: Hughes (Gayle 27), Andresen (Cort 67), Ardley, Heald, Badir
Booked: Hartson
Att: 38052
Ref: Graham Barber (Tring, Herts)
Another of those frustrating games at Highbury, where Arsenal once again
failed to find the finishing touch necessary to finish off a Wimbledon
side which has reverted to type under Egil Olsen. After a first half in
which they seemed to think the festive holiday had already started, the
Gunners did manage to shake off their lethargy in the second and in the
end were somewhat unlucky not to have won, the old problem off poor
finishing and good goalkeeping denying them the winner.
With 6 first choices missing, it was perhaps not too surprising that Arsenal spent the first 30 minutes of the match playing as though they weren't entirely sure what they were doing. In the opening minutes with their 3 big men up front Wimbledon took the game to Arsenal and unsettled the makeshift defence with the old Wimbledon tactic of getting the ball forward early, high and long. Luzhny struggled to cope with Hartson and his flailing elbows and Winterburn was in a total mismatch with Cort who towered over him by a foot. Early on Manninger had to be sharp to dash out and smother the ball at Gayle's feet, but a couple of minutes later was left red-faced and bemused as Wimbledon did take the lead with a rather bizarre goal. Gayle was left unmarked on the left and a pass found him running down the wing. He whipped in a low hard cross which Cort, completely unmarked in the middle, flung himself at and just made contact with his studs. The deflection totally flummoxed Manninger who was caught flat-footed as the ball hit him on the left ankle and rolled between his legs towards the line, with the keeper unaware of its whereabouts. Early pantomime season as the North Bank shouted "it's behind you!", but by the time he'd located the ball it was trickling slowly over the line. Arsenal continued to labour away rather uninspiringly, though Henry almost raised the spirits with an audacious attempt at an overhead kick from Kanu's cross, and Ljungberg at last forced a save out of Sullivan with a well hit shot from the edge of the area which the keeper did well to drop onto down at the foot of his near post. Wimbledon were still causing a nuisance at the other end, though their attacks were more sporadic as they started to sit back more. Hartson brought a good save from Manninger with a 20 yarder, and then a few minutes later the visitors should probably have gone 2 up when Euell I think broke clear down the right, but as he went into the area, instead of going for goal himself he chose to try and find Hughes who was running up in support at the far post, and Euell overhit the pass and the danger was eventually cleared. With about 15 minutes of the half left Arsenal gradually started shaking off their torpor. A cute backheel by Henry as he ran into the area on the left set up Winterburn for a viciously struck shot which Sullivan did well to beat away from above his head. It was Nutty's opposite number who had the best chance of the half though. Henry hit a free kick into the wall, Silvinho's attempt from the rebound was half charged down, but Winterburn chased the ball as it spun back towards the goal line and cut it back into the middle where Dixon was running in unmarked. But from the six yard line he skied a left foot shot high over the bar. Arsenal began the second half with more purpose. Overmars jinked in from the right and slipped a pass inside to Kanu, who checked back and hit almost a toepoked shot from the edge of the box which just cleared the bar. Then Henry almost broke through running onto a chip forward, but the ball ran slightly away from him and as Sullivan slid out to block Henry took it past him but couldn't stop the ball running over the goal line. Soon afterwards Overmars chased a ball into the other side of the box, on the right this time, and the defender marking him seemed to clearly clip his heels for what looked a definite penalty, but the ref predictably saw nothing wrong. Dixon then combined well with Kanu I think down the right and pulled a ball into the middle, but Silvinho running in at pace couldn't control his effort and the ball went wide of the near post. A few minutes later Arsenal did finally make the breakthrough. Overmars cut in from the right again and dribbled towards the middle a few yards outside the area before slipping another pass wide to Winterburn who cleverly turned the ball on into the area for Silvinho running through to break clear onto. The Brazilian laid the ball back across the area and Henry in the middle finished clinically from around the penalty spot, slotting the ball past Sullivan and inside the far post. With Wimbledon now barely venturing over the half way line the seige of their goal now began in earnest. 10 minutes after the goal Winterburn gave way for Suker, with Silvinho moving back to left back, Henry moving onto the right wing and Overmars switching to the left. Following a quickly taken free kick, Henry got free in the right side of the area and chipped a ball to the far post with the outside of his right foot, finding Kanu unmarked about 8 yards out, but he horribly mistimed his header and put it over the bar. Kanu also slashed a shot wide when put in at an acute angle on the right, but did rather better soon afterwards with a typically briliant mazy run into the area past 3 or 4 tackles, but his final shot was blocked. Dixon threw himself at the rebound but could only head it into Sullivan's arms. Kanu and Silvinho also had shots which were too close to Sullivan though the keeper did well to hold onto them. As the minutes began to run out, Arsenal wasted two glorious chances to win the match. Petit did well to push a pass wide on the left for Silvinho to pick up on the overlap. He got to the byline and cut it back into the middle for Suker running in. It was on his right foot though and he dragged it a yard or so wide of the near post from 13-14 yards. Finally as the 90 minutes were virtually up, Suker went on a somewhat circuitous route from left to right before cutting back towards the middle and playing a pass which Kanu I think flicked on into the path of Overmars as he ran into the box from the left to leave him clean through on the keeper. He lashed in an angled shot but Sullivan was equal to it and he brilliantly beat it out. Suker hooked the rebound back goalwards but didn't quite get enough on it, and Sullivan was up in time to make another save as Kanu just in front of him failed to get a touch which might have diverted it into the net. In injury time Arsenal's last chance fell to Overmars who hit a tremendous angled drive from the edge of the box on the left, which just faded away and whistled inches past the far post. Overall rather disappointing from Arsenal, particularly in the first half, though in the second they didn't play at all badly and were only really let down by the finishing. After a rather nervous start the makeshift central defence did reasonably well though they were helped to some extent by Wimbledon's lack of ambition once they'd taken the lead.
Manninger 7.0 To be fair I don't think there was a great deal he
could do about the goal, though he did seem to be
strangely taken by surprise. Otherwise made a couple
of competent saves and a couple of good catches.
Dixon 7.5 Reasonably good game, though he was missing for the
Wimbledon goal, and got forward consistently.
Winterburn 6.5 Had a fairly dreadful opening 20-30 minutes I thought
though he was apparently suffering from flu, and in
the final half hour he was on, was trying as hard as
ever.
Grimandi 7.5 Another pretty good game overall, looked solid.
Luzhny 7.0 Took a while to come to terms with Hartson but did
reasonably well after the first 20 minutes.
Petit 7.5 Pretty good game overall, when he wasn't distracting
himself by bickering with Hartson.
Ljungberg 7.0 Didn't do too badly and worked hard enough all game,
but I don't think he's a real central midfielder.
Overmars 7.0 Looked in quite good form, but didn't really do much
which really threatened while he was on the right.
More dangerous when he moved to the left.
Silvinho 7.5 Had a pretty good game I thought, looks to have
recovered some of the touch and confidence he had
earlier in the season.
Henry 7.5 Again consistently made the runs and worked hard
though not much really went for him until the goal
went in.
Kanu 7.0 Still not quite back to his old self, though there
were signs he was getting there.
Suker Missed that good late chance and I think is lacking
a bit of confidence in front of goal, perhaps not
surprising given the amount of time he's had on the
pitch recently.
Derek
Other reports
copyright belongs to original author where credited. otherwise © Rupert Ward, ArseWeb MMV ArseWeb is NOT the official Arsenal site. The (excellent) official site is here |