Highbury, Tuesday 21st August 2001
FA Carling Premiership
Scorers: Wiltord Harte
Viduka
Arsenal:
Seaman
Lauren Adams Campbell Cole
Parlour Vieira Pires Ljungberg
Henry Wiltord
After just a minute Wiltord hit a fine low shot
from distance on the right. It looked to be bending
just wide of the near post but Martyn was probably
wise to diev for it and make sure. A minute later
Pires hit a menacing cross from the same wing after
good work down that side with wiltord and Parlour.
Arsenal were looking dangerous, and Leeds' first
attack after 4 minutes turned into a more dangerouus
one for us. Kewell beat Lauren on our right but hit the
cross too long and Smith had to chase it towards the
touchline on the far side. He won the throw but we
got it straight back and before you knew it Vieira had
skipped over a challenge and was
storming upfield with the ball. To his and our
infuriation, the ref blew up for that challenge
awarding Arsenal the free kick but Leeds the first
prize of a chance to regroup.
Things started to get a bit niggly then, and
it was started by Danny Mills, who went on
the be the star of the show, in a way. Ashley Cole
went to take a throw in, clearly believing possession
to be Arsenal's (since it was he who allowed it to go
off, there's no question he thought it was our throw).
Mills just ran up and shoved Cole over. Moments later Vieira
went in with his shoulder on Viduka in the centre circle.
Harte hit a freekick from their right wing towards
Kewell at the far post, but Lauren did well to get
in front and even managed to get the ball to deflect
off Kewell's head as it went out.
Then Cole made a huge tackle on Alan Smith, sending the
striker flying - about as violent as a legal tackle can
be. Then on 8 minutes Bakke won the first booking. A bit
unlucky since so much worse had gone unpunished, but I guess
the ref decided that if the legal challenges were going
to get this aggressive he'd better start clamping down on
the illegal ones.
Fantastic interplay down the right again saw Parlour play
a 1-2 with Henry and cut into the box. He skipped past
Matteo but pushed the ball slightly too far and Ferdinand
was able to get over and clear.
Dacourt became the second Leeds player in the book after
a foul on his good mate Paddy, and then Bowyer joined
him for a two-footed lunge at Lauren.
Mills and Bowyer played a one two wide on our left
and Mills got clear to put in a cross headed for a
corner by Adams from the 6 yard line. The corner came
ove to the other side, where Wiltord picked the ball
out and ran. He spotted Henry's run in space on the
far left and it was a good idea to try the long pass.
It was slightly under hit though and Ferdinand was able to
intercept with his head.
Matteo became the next to be booked, for a barge
on Ljungberg.
Arsenal continued to dominate. Henry was unlucky that
neither of two first-time backheels came off, both
being just intercepted on the way to putting a teammate
clear on goal. Then on 20 minutes he tried to run through
2 defenders along the goal-line on the right, winning a
corner. Pires took it and foudn Adams at the far post whose
header was tipped over the bar by Martyn. Cole took the
resulting corner from our right and it came to Pires on
the far side of the box but his volley skewed high and wide.
Matteo went on a run down our left and got square with
the 6 yard line but fortunately his low cross split the two
strikers and was cleared. It went straight up the other end
and, via a nice first-time pass from Henry, to Parlour
on the right. It was a hard chance, he was stretching
for it as a defender came across to challenge, and the shot
went past the near post.
Cole and Ljungberg combined nicely on the left, and the
Swede's ball in to the edge of the area found Henry
who flicked it on to Wiltord. He blasted it low
but in the middle of the goal where Martyn was only
able to gather it at the second attempt, indicating that
aimed anywhere else it would have been a goal.
Then Henry got the ball to the goal line and cut it
back for Wiltord, he scuffed the shot a bit this
time but it was on target and Martyn had to scramble across
to stop it going inside his far post.
28 minutes gone, and outside our box the ref appeared
to play a far-too-long
advantage after a Leeds player's run was cut shoirt by a
foul from behind. Only later on it turns out the ref's said he
thought the blatant foul wasn't a foul, and he actually blew
up
for a later, relatively innocuous challenge. Arsenal
were lining up their wall when Harte took the free-kick
quickly, curling it low around the wall. Seaman simply
wasn't ready and dived across to
his far post in vain.
No complaints, really. The ref didn't blow his whistle
but then again he'd never gone over to push the wall
back. Arsenal should have realised this, they should have
been making sure they were aware of, because it means the
whistle wasn't required. It's particularly diasppointing
because a similar thing happened at Bradford the season
before last. We should have learned. Full marks to Harte,
damn him.
If you're in any doubt over the legality of the
free-kick, read this article,
in which Nigel Martyn explains that there's a new rule
which was introduced this summer: it is now normal
procedure for the referee to ask the free-kick taker if he
wants the 10 yards rule to be enforced (and if he doesn't,
no whistle is required before he takes it).
Arsenal upped the pace looking for a quick equaliser.
Henry tried to dribble through the whole Leeds defence
and nearly made it, being unfortunate not to win a free-kick
on the edge of the box as he poked theball between 2 defenders
and then couldn't get through them to follow it.
Then on 32 minutes Pires went on yet another great run. What a game
he was having. On this form Gio's got a fight on his hands
to be Paddy's partner, although as it happens this was a long way
from being one of Paddy's best games. Pires was taunting the
Leeds players with his skill and cutting across them
inviting tackles (especially from those who'd been booked,
I noticed him doing it to Dacourt at least twice). He was
also, ahem, making sure that everyone noticed when he did go
down.
Anyway, this time he cut across from right to left and fed Cole
wide left. Cole brought it inside a bit before
hitting what was probably a shot given it's power, but which
turned into a nice cross which Wiltord stooped to deflect
inside the right hand post with his head.
Leeds almost took the lead again straight away, as
Viduka blasted high from a good position on the left of
our penalty area. Then he had an even better chance as a
Harte free-kick from the right found him unmarked beyond
the far post, but he didn't get behind his header and
it went straight out for a goal kick.
Mills got lucky after clattering clumsily into Pires,
and then again fouling Ljungberg from behind, stipdly
with the Swede running away from goal. There was more
good pressure from Arsenal, and Adams headed a corner
just over the bar, jumping from the penalty spot.
Another Harte free-kick from the right made a bee-line
to a bundle of about 5 players near the spot, but
fortunately it came out safely. Cole went on a great run
up the other end and into the box where he might have had
a penalty. It looked like he was fouled to me, at the other
end of the pitch, but he appeared to be appealing
for a handball.
A couple of minutes into the second half, Smith went off
to be replaced by Batty. It looked like Smith was injured,
but bringing on a midfielder turned out to be a master-stroke.
A midfielder, at that, with enough experience
to avoid getting sent off. Hell, Batty looks meek in this
company! Leeds were able to get hold of the ball a lot more,
and Arsenal started looking a bit less confident going forward.
Soon after though, Henry came came close. Lauren and Wiltord broke
well down the right. Lauren was dispossessed but it came straighjt back
out to Vieira who found Henry and his quick shot from the edge of the box
whizzed narrowly past the right hand upright.
8 minutes in and Leeds were ahead again. Kewell went on a run down
their left and squared it to Viduka by the near corner of the box.
He moved the ball further infield, beating Adams (let's be frank, making
Adams look a bit of a chump), and hit a powerful low shot inside Seaman's
right-hand post.
Ljungberg's good run and cross from the left was headed out
for a corner just in front of Wiltord at the far post. Adams did well
to get to the corner and nod it forward for Wiltord but he
couldn;t keep his volley down.
Lauren did ok at times but looked the weak link at others,
giving the ball away in attacking positions unnecessarily. One
time he dawdled badly just inside the Leeds half and was dispossessed
by Dacourt. To be fair though, Lauren got back to slow
Dacourt down, and when the ball was played forward for Kewell
just outside our box Parlour had been able to get back and make a
great and crucial tackle.
20 minutes into the second half and Bergkamp came on for Parlour.
All very well perhaps, in terms of personnel, but unfortunately
it saw Pires move into Parlour's place on the right where his
massive influence on the game previously petered out somewhat.
Bergkamp did trouble the keeper a couple fo times with his
shooting from distance though. The first one balloooned up off a
defender's block and fell for Henry by the corner of the 6-yard
box, He was forced away from goal and dispossessed, getting himself
booked through frustration as he chased after Mills and Matteo
trying to make amends.
Mills continued to be involved in a lot of the niggles. Cole had
been penalised for a late challenge on anogther player and Mills
ran some way to come and shove Cole (again). Moments later Pires
was booked for an off-the-ball incident involving Mills, which I
didn't see. Then Viduka was in the book for a tackel from
behind on Pires.
Lauren got himsefl into a good position coming into the box
but tried to beat his man by pushing the ball past him and
running for it (something which had repeatedly failed for him
up to then). When he realised it had gone too far ahead of him
to catch up he fell over rather stupidly looking for a foul.
Nothing was given and from my angle I thought he was lucky
to escape a booking. Maybe the lead was running out in
the ref's pencil.
15 minutes to go and Wenger made his move, bringing on Jeffers
and van Bronckhorst for Wiltord and Ljungberg. With hindsight
Jeffers for Ljungberg was probably the right move, as Gio didn't
really get into things (and was never going to be as much of
a goal threat as Sylvain). His principle contribution was to
slice a free-kick high and wide. The set-piece looked pretty amateur
compared to Harte's, with Gio winding himself up and running
at the ball from miles away as Vieira tapped the ball sideways for him,
it was easy for a defender to get close before he hit the shot.
13 minutes to go and the law of averages saw Bowyer sent off.
With all these yellow cards flying around someone was bound to go,
but perhaps Bowyer was a little unlucky, as so many worse fouls had
gone unpunished compared to his trip on Cole as the left-bacl
skipped past him.
Jeffers made himself quite useful in the box, but soon found
himself in the book too with a blatant shirt-pull.
A nice move ended with Pires chipping into the box, where Jeffers
laid it off for Bergkamp. But it was too crowded and he couldn't
break through a wall of defenders in front of him.
Then a fantastic Bergkamp effort from 30 yards dipped just over
the bar. 5 minutes to go and van Bronckhorst found himself wide
and deep on the left (after a move started by good vision from
Campbell), he hit a low hard cross across the face of goal
which was deflected out for a corner.
Cole went down near after a challenge with Mills near their right
hand corner flag. Nothing was given but when Mills turned up field,
with Cole lying huddled on the ground in front of him, he
deliberately played it at Ashley's arse and the ref appeared to
blow up and book him for this. He didn't kick it hard
at Ashley, and perhaps could claim he was just trying to win a
throw-in, but his previous behaviour clearly prompted the ref to
see it as ungentlemanly conduct. A kid of reverse "crying wolf"
situation. He'd been begging to get sent off all night and now
the one time he wasn't asking for it, he got it.
Henry and Jeffers combined really well to create a chance for Bergkamp
but as the ball fell for him near the spot his first touch let him
down and the horder of defenders was on him to clear.
Towards the end Arsenal looked panicky. Leeds, understandably, didn't
bother to come out much. We resorted to long hopeful punts forward,
a little early perhaps given the 5 minutes of added time, and
often not bothering to bring it forward even when there was
plenty of space available.
A disappointing but highly entertaining match, which we deserved
more from and may well ahve earned it if not for a moment of
carelessness. Losing to Leeds is no disgrace, and those who
would write us off already simply can't have been following
English football for long. Let's hope we can learn to defend
free-kicks as well as an Arsenal side should, and to take them as
well as Leeds and Man Utd do.
Interestingly, in Man Utd's draw
at Ewood Park the following night, Beckham scored their equaliser
in similar fashion. The Blackburn keeper had come way out of his goal
to talk to his defenders, and the England skipper took it
quick and simply chipped him. Still, 2 points dropped for Man Utd,
and to Blackburn Rovers not Leeds. Should we write them off too?
report by Rupe.
Other reports
Highbury, Tuesday 21st August 2001
FA Carling Premiership
Preview
- Arsenal team news
Keown is probably still out. No news on Dixon, presumably
Lauren will start again.
Wenger has
hinted that Bergkamp may start the game, following his excellent contribution coming off the
bench on Saturday. "He is sharp and keen and knows he's an important player at the club. "
Another possible change from Saturday's team is Gio van Bronckhorst for
Ray Parlour. With Ray's suspension coming up Wenger may want to bed in the
Paddy-Gio partnership. But he may feel that this is too big a game to leave
out Parlour's battling qualities, so Ray could switch to the right in place
of Freddie.
- Leeds_United team news
Alans Smith was rested for the first 65 minutes on Saturday, but
was influential when he came on (scoring a real beaut) and
is expected to start against Arsenal.
Lucas Radebe is definitely out with a toe injury.
- UK TV/Radio coverage
Live on Sky sports 1.
- non-UK TV coverage
- See also
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