Arsenal vs Derby Cty. 07/12/96

Arsenal (1) 2 - 2 (0) Derby County

Highbury. Saturday 7th December 1996

FA Carling Premiership

Teams
Arsenal: Lukic, Dixon, Linighan, Bould, Adams, Winterburn, Platt, 
         Vieira, Merson, Wright, Hartson
         Subs: Shaw (Linighan 77), Parlour, Morrow, Garde, Bartram

Derby: Hoult, Rowett, C Powell, D Powell, Stimac, Sturridge, 
       Asanovic, Ward, Laursen, Flynn, McGrath
       Subs: Dailly (Asanovic 85), Carbon (Flynn 90), 
             Yates, Willems, Taylor

Result : Arsenal               (1) 2   Derby County            (0) 2
Scorers: Adams 45, Vieira 90           Sturridge 62, D Powell 71

Bookings: Vieira                       Stimac, Flynn, C Powell

Att     : 38018
Referee : M J Bodenham (East Looe, Cornwall)

Another dramatic end to the game at Highbury on Saturday saw Arsenal rescue a point which a well organised Derby side looked likely to deny them. Playing the better football for much of the game, the Rams came from behind in the 2nd half and led with only seconds of normal time remaining, before new Highbury hero Patrick Vieira lashed home a stunning equaliser from 20 yards.

With Seaman, Keown and Bergkamp still missing through injury, Arsenal started with the same team as the previous match. Derby played a similar formation, with Stimac, Rowett and McGrath forming a solid back three against which Hartson and Wright had little joy all afternoon. The game started off unremarkably with the Gunners dominating possession for the first 10-15 minutes but failing to trouble the Derby defence. The away team gradually grew in confidence and had much the better of the rest of the half.

They threatened occasionally with some long range efforts which all failed to trouble Lukic until about half an hour into the game, when Ward shook Highbury and the Arsenal crossbar with a swerving shot from 25 yards after crowding out Merson in midfield. Sturridge and Darryl Powell were flagged offside as they attempted to get the rebound but succeeded only in taking each other out. Later on Sturridge went close with a cheeky flick following Ward's knock down from a free kick, but Lukic was able to catch comfortably.

At the other end McGrath was belying his age and comfortably keeping check on Wright, and the Derby keeper didn't have a save to make until a few minutes before the break when Hartson turned (having used his hand to help control the ball it looked to me) on to a Vieira nod forward and fired in a shot which Hoult fell onto reasonably comfortably at his near post.

Finally, as the 45 minutes were up, Arsenal did call him into serious action. Wright knocked a ball square a few yards outside the area for Winterburn to run onto and produce a superb 25 yarder which Hoult was at full stretch to tip over the bar just as it appeared to be arrowing into the top corner. Merson's near post corner was headed back towards him, and he took it away from goal a bit before slanting back in a long cross to the far post where Adams was thundering in unmarked. A diving header back across the keeper crashed inside the far post and it was 1-0 to the Arsenal.

As my neighbour said, the last 30 seconds of the half were good. Arsenal did start the second half somewhat more brightly. Within seconds of the restart Hartson and Dixon combined well on the left, only for Dixon to drag his shot from an angle well wide. Hartson also went close, exchanging passes with Merson, getting a lucky break off a defender and then blazing a fierce near post shot only a couple of feet wide.

Another well worked Arsenal free kick almost produced a goal. Merson took it from the right and picked out Hartson beyond the far post. He nodded it back into the middle where Bould just failed to beat a defender to the ball, with the keeper stranded. Wright's turn and shot was then blocked, Merson picked up the rebound and again curled in a cross which Platt glanced wide.

At the other end Derby were looking more dangerous on the break, particularly when the ball was with Sturridge, and it was the Derby no 8 who scored a brilliant equaliser. Flynn picked him out on the left touchline with a superb long ball which he took it down well on his chest and then cut infield. He evaded Adams' lunge as he ran along the edge of the area and then unleashed a thunderbolt from 20 yards which cannoned off the underside of the bar, bounced down over the line and back up into the roof of the net.

Adams was now beginning to push forward more and more as Arsenal looked for another goal, and on one occasion combined delightfully with Hartson and then Platt in the area. The latter's final pass almost set up Merson for a tap in at the far post but Hoult was out quickly to save at Merse's feet.

Arsenal were thus leaving larger spaces at the back, and with just under 20 minutes of the game left Derby went in front. Ward collected the ball wide on the left, gave it to Chris Powell who wrong footed Linighan and crossed. Sturridge was unmarked in the middle but Lukic made a great save from his header only to see Darryl Powell get to the rebound first and hook it high into the net from about 8 yards.

The Gunners now began to press forward even more desperately, and Wenger threw on Paul Shaw in place of Linighan. A couple of times Derby probably should have increased their lead as Arsenal left themselves undermanned at the back. Most notable was when Sturridge sent Ward through to leave two on one. Fortunately Winterburn saved Arsenal, diving in to block Ward's attempt to pass to a free colleague in the middle.

However, at the other end the pressure began to turn into a siege. It seemed to have paid off a couple of minutes from time. Shaw chipped a ball forward over the Derby defence to find both Wright and Platt running clear. As Hoult rushed out Wrighty lunged to knock the ball sideways, and following up Platt stabbed it into the empty net only for the assistant ref's flag to interrupt the celebrations. The TV replay showed the flag stayed down for the initial pass by Shaw, so presumably only went up when WWW played the ball on for Platt. A bad decision as Platt was clearly behind Wright when the ball was played.

Undeterred, Arsenal kept up the pressure with a series of corners in the final minutes. It was from one of these that the equaliser eventually stemmed. With seconds left on the clock, Winterburn took it on the right, it was headed clear to Merson. He crossed it back in and the ball flicked off the heads of a knot of players in the area. It seemed to be going over the goal line, but Adams wasn't giving up and slid in to pull the ball back into the middle. It was deflected out to the edge of the area where Vieira ran in and dispatched a screaming half volley into the far corner from 20 yards.

Amid the relieved pandemonium Arsenal almost snatched the winner. Merson broke from midfield and chipped a cross forward which picked out Wrighty for once unmarked in the area. He had to take it on his chest and was overbalancing as he hooked a volley goalwards from the penalty spot. It was mistimed though and bounced into the ground and harmlessly into the keeper's arms.

Overall a draw was probably a fair result, though Derby were very impressive and it wouldn't have been overly unfair if they had taken all 3 points. For the whole of the first half and parts of the second Arsenal struggled to break down a well organised defence and did look rather jaded again. However, in typical fashion the Gunners refused to give up and the equaliser was just reward for their never say die spirit. Hopefully the 2 week break will refresh them enough so that Vieira and Adams aren't missed too much.

Lukic      7.0  Not much he could have done with either goal.

Dixon      6.5  Another consistent game.

Winterburn 7.0  Typically enthusiastic performace again, a lot of 
                chasing in particular.

Adams      7.0  Will have blamed himself for the 1st Derby goal, but 
                scored one and made the other of Arsenal's so I'd pick 
                him as man of the match.

Bould      6.5  Not a lot wrong, though made to look a bit slow at times
                by Sturridge.

Linighan   6.5  Also not a lot wrong, but was made to look treelike as 
                normal by Chris Powell for the 2nd Derby goal.

Platt      6.5  Seemed slightly more involved than of late, possibly
                because he and Merson seemed to have swapped sides, so 
                he was more often seen on the right side.

Vieira     6.5  Not the best game of his Arsenal career and he again 
                picked up another needless booking. Brilliant goal to
                rescue a point though.

Merson     6.5  Also not quite at his best, though still came up with
                some creative moments and the superb cross for Adams' 
                goal.

Wright     6.0  Well policed by the Derby defence, usually the 
                unflappable McGrath. Again was a bit lucky to get away 
                without a booking after a bit of argy bargy with Rowett.

Hartson    6.5  Also didn't get much change out of the Rams defenders 
                but had some good moments in the 2nd half. 

Shaw       6.5  Helped make a difference in the final 10 minutes and 
                created what should have been an equaliser.

report by Derek Brownjohn

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