Arsenal (2) 4 - 0 (0)Highbury, Sunday 3rd May 1998FA Carling PremiershipPreview
Arsenal (2) 4 - 0 (0)Highbury, Sunday 3rd May 1998FA Carling Premiership
Seaman
Dixon Adams Keown Winterburn
Parlour Vieira Petit (Platt h-t) Overmars
Wreh (Bould 80) Anelka (Wright 72)
It doesn't get much better than this. I'm not even sure
that winning the double would be as joyous.I was one of those pessimists that expected Everton, given their plight, to come as effective party-poopers. But it soon became clear that they were the clowns. Brushed aside by Champions that looked every bit the part. The jitters weren't helped by an early Everton free-kick a few yards outside our penalty area. But it was charged down, and Winterburn set off on a run. He was played through and supported by 3 Arsenal players including Wreh who took Winterburn's fine cross and struck a shot which Myrne (sp?) in the Everton goal did well to to turn aside. After 5 minutes, Chris Wreh won a throw in on the right wing from which Parlour won a free-kick, near the touchline by the left corner. Petit swung it over to the far post where Adams rose to head in home at the near post. At least, that's what I could have sworn happened. It looked like the ref could have blown for Adams challenge on a defender, the ref for the England-Portugal game might have done for example. But Adams definitely got to the ball first. Howveer, AFCi says the replays showed clearly that it was a Slaven Bilic own goal. Can't wait to see the highlights...(ok, now I see it was Bilic's head. But surely Adams deserves credit. After all, who was it that pointed Bilic's head in the right direction?) Winterburn had a superb game, his 500th for the club, and was involved in many good moves. We nearly had a second goal when his cross was headed into the box by Wreh, and Parlour's diving header forced another save. The second was most definitely scored by Marc Overmars. Petit has apparently been carrying a groin strain, and on the few occasions he stopped moving you could see he was uncomfortable. But the rest of the time he was at his best. He went down hurt near the half-way line and play continued while he was down and in pain. But we won the ball back and when Overmars found himself with it, near the half-way line, he chose to hare towards goal rather than put it out for treatment. Good choice. He tore into the penalty area and although the keepr got his body down onto the grass-cutter, it kept enough pace to trundle over the line. Petit went down again just before the whistle, and after limping off the pitch he had to be forcibly held from going back on by GAry Lewin. Whether he wanted to get back in the game or give an Everton player a piece of his mind was unclear. (from the replay, it looks like it was Hutchinson he was after, a nasty two-footed tackle looks like it might have done more than aggravate Manu's groin injury. He appeared to have a leg strapped up when he came on at the end) We'd heard that Manu was expected to be rested for the remainder of the Premiership season if we won this match, but it looks like that rest may be enforced now. Platt came on for him , with a few minutes of the first half remaining. The third was all down to the terrifying pace of Overmars, again. A cross-field Everton pass was intercepted by Anelka's head, sending it into the path of Overmars. Again he took the ball forward from near the half-way line. This time he was forced wider, by Watson, but from a narrower angle this time put it clean in. With 20 minutes to go Anelka came off so that Wrighty could join the party he's been deserving for so many years. He didn't get into the game much though. Hopefully a couple of warm-up games in the Premiership will see him ready for the Cup-Final. I'm not knocking Anelka or Wreh who've both played a full part in this triumph, but with the possibility of not only Bergkamp but Petit missing through injury, a fully fit Wright would be a real boost. Anelka had had a good game. He strayed offside a bit too much but more than made up for it. One great run near the end of the first half should have seen anothger goal when he pulled it back from the goal-line to find Vieira well-placed in the middel of the penalty area. EAsier to score than lift it over but... Anyway, the point is that I think Anelka might have tried a shot himself in his early matches. He's getting better and better and if it continues he is going to be some superstar. Then Wreh left the field to let Bouldy in. He appeared to go straight into midfield. It was ceretainly from such a position that, th maybe 2 minutes to go, he lobbed the ball forward for striker Tony Adams to run onto, knock forward, and launch an unstoppable left-footer. This is a player who's supposed, by some, to lack skill. Yet he's a centre-back who's now scored two extraordinary half-volleys, in big matches, with his weaker foot. (I refer you to last season's great stuffing of Spurs. Any excuse to link to that page, you see...) Absolute bedlam in the Clock End and all around the ground during and after the match. The junction outside the Arsenal Tavern was a sea of crushed traffic cones and bananas, which rained down from the sky on the very ground over which a besuited Bob Wilson had just made a terrified sprint. The streets were full of Arsenal fans singing away with strangely happy yet blank faces. Too good to be true, it's too good to be true... Not only people but buses. A couple of dazed but happy No 29s somehow found their way onto Blackstock road, completely the wrong way surely? But they didn't mind, they just smiled, did a little twirl, and went on their way. What a wonderful way to win the league. Even if we win it many times in years to come, there's unlikely to be another time when it's done in such style, with such viusible enjoyment on and around the pitch, and in front us all at Highbury rather than by virtue of others results or an away result. I'm sure everyone there felt blessed today. Except the Everton fans I guess. They didn't look too happy. Other reports
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