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Arsenal (2) 2 - 0 (0) Middlesbrough

Highbury, 1st January 1997

Sorry, but |I'm having some trouble uploading today (Wednesday) so the full report will have to wait till tomorrow. Hopefully the League table is up to date though.

In brief: the same team as Saturday, with Platt out and Parlour deputising well for Dixon. Boro were a 3 man team again, if that. Ravenelli and Juninho did some good approach work but most oif their (and Boro's) efforts were speculative and well clear of Lukic's net.

Bergkamp was superb again, as was Vieira, and with them and Merson on form we might come through Wright's suspension (starying on Saturday with the Fa Cup tie with Sunderland) without too much egg on our faces.

The goals were scored by Bergkamp: a superb volley from outside the box after a poor defensive clearance; and Wright - his 200th League goal (89 for Palace) being a 6-yarder after being put clear on goal by another poor defensive header.

The black mark goes to Hartson, who in his spell as a replacement for Bergkamp, practice for his deputisation for Wright, proved more than capable of living up to Wright's repuitation, getting himself sent off for throwing the ball away and continued mouthing off at the ref.

With Chelsea beating Liverpool and ManU drawing with Villa, we go up a place to second, 2 points behind with a game in hand.

report by Rupe 

Result : Arsenal               (2) 2  Middlesborough           (0) 0
Scorers: Bergkamp 15, Wright 44

Arsenal: Lukic, Parlour, Keown, Adams, Bould, Winterburn, Vieira, 
         Garde, Merson, Bergkamp, Wright 
         Subs: Hartson (Bergkamp 64), Morrow (Garde 75), 
               Shaw (Merson 79), Linighan, Bartram 
         Booked: Parlour, Garde, Hartson
         Sent off: Hartson (89th min, foul and abusive language)
                
M'boro': Walsh, Cox, Blackmore, Vickers, Robson, Emerson, Mustoe, 
         Beck, Juninho, Ravanelli, Liddle
         Subs: Hignett (Juninho 79), Freestone, Fjortoft, 
               Roberts, Morris
         Booked: Cox, Vickers, Emerson


Att: 37573
Ref: M Reed (Birmingham)
The expected and requisite victory against a poor Middleborough side was achieved without too much trouble and without ever really hitting top form. There was a cost though, as Hartson brainlessly got himself sent off for verbally abusing the ref just before time, and will thus miss two matches, the first coinciding with the last of Wright's 3 game ban. Arsenal also finished the match with Garde joining Seaman, Platt and Dixon on the injury list, and Bergkamp, Merson, Adams and Parlour also all sustaining minor knocks.

Boro had injury problems of their own and Bryan Robson started the match as the middle of 3 centre backs, though their 15m pounds worth of foreign imports were all playing, or at least on the field.

The first goal was another Bergkamp classic. Keown lofted the ball forward for Wright to chase, Vickers headed it weakly out, Vieira and Emerson challenged for the loose ball on the edge of the area. It broke to Bergkamp and, from the edge of the D, he produced a superb waist high volley which flew just inside the near post leaving Walsh no chance.

Can't actually remember a great deal of other incident in the 1st half as Arsenal only fitfully spluttered into life, and Middlesborough's only threat came from a couple of 25 yard free kicks which Ravanelli blasted high or wide. Wrighty had one nice little run in the area when he got past Cox? and pulled the ball back from the byline, and Merson just failed to get a telling touch, Robson clearing.

The second goal came just before half time courtesy of another defensive error. Merson curled in a cross from the left to the far post where Parlour challenged Beck (playing at left wingback). The out of position striker produced a woefully misdirected header which went across the area and set up Wright with what for him was an open goal. WWW calmly knocked the ball over Walsh and into the net from about 8 yards, his 200th league goal.

Inspired by Bergkamp and Merson, Arsenal improved slightly after the break and should have increased their lead on several occasions. Most notably when Merson knocked a first time pass, off a Wrighty knock back, through to Bergkamp to leave the Dutchman clear in the area. Somehow, from about 12 yards, he lashed the ball just over the bar. It was on his left foot and might have bounced up slightly as he hit it though.

Merson went close with a header following a Bergkamp cross, and Walsh saved well from Wrighty (I think - can't remember any detail), before Hartson came on for Bergkamp with 25 minutes left. And a fairly eventful 25 minutes the Welshman had. First he carefully guided a header from a Merson cross just the wrong side of the post. Then he went even closer, doing well on a break down the right and finishing with a stinging shot from an angle which beat Walsh but grazed the wrong side of the far post.

A few minutes from time he appeared to be impeded by Robson in the area as he attempted to gather a pass. The ref awarded a free kick the other way and booked Hartson, for dissent as far as I could tell. For some reason hothead Hartson continued his complaints and a couple of minutes later the ref waved the red card, and Hartson became Arsenal's 4th sending off in 8 games.

In between times Ravanelli tripped over a white feather in the Arsenal area, the ref fell for it, and the Italian blasted the penalty against the top of Lukic's bar, to huge roars of approval from the North Bank.

Overall a somewhat disappointing performance from the Gunners, but perhaps understandable given the circumstances and the biting cold. It was a much needed victory though, and fairly comfortably achieved though that may not have been the case had Ravanelli scored the penalty. Concerns about the depth of the squad appear to be hitting home now though, with the catalogue of injuries mounting and suspensions also a big worry. Also given Arsenal's recent record in the FA Cup I don't think we can be too confident about Saturday, though Sunderland apparently have similar injury problems. 

Lukic      6.5  Very little to do, though he did fumble one cross in the
                1st half.

Parlour    7.0  Another reasonable match, though perhaps lucky not to 
                get a 2nd yellow following one late tackle in 2nd half.
  
Winterburn 6.5  Again slightly below his early season standards I 
                thought.

Adams      7.0  

Bould      7.0  

Keown      7.0  

Garde      6.5  Another fairly tidy though unspectacular game.

Vieira     7.0  Composed performance again though a couple of untypical 
                misplaced passes.

Merson     7.5  Maintained recent good form.

Wright     7.0  Played pretty well, though sailed uncomfortably close to
                picking up that dreaded next yellow card once or twice.

Bergkamp   7.5  Again looked sharp on occasion and Arsenal's most 
                creative force.

Hartson    6.5  Apart from getting himself sent off did quite well.
report by Derek Brownjohn

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