(0) 1 - 4 (4) ArsenalEwood Park, Monday 13th April 1998FA Carling Premiership
scorers:
Gallacher 51 Bergkamp 2 Parlour 7,14
Anelka 42
Arsenal:
Seaman
Garde Bould Adams Winterburn
Parlour Petit Vieira Overmars (Hughes 86)
Bergkamp Anelka (Platt 69)
subs not used: Manninger Wreh Crowe
booked: Vieira Petit Garde
Arsenal blew Blackburn away in the first quarter of an hour of this
match.
It started after about a minutes when Garde took a throw on the right, just inside their half. Colin Hendry, who had been marking Bergkamp, went to join Henchoz challenging Anelka for the ball. But between them they failed to beat him to it and Anelka flicked it goalwards for Bergkamp to run onto. He took it into the box and fired it under the keeper for one-nil, timed at 75 seconds. As if he had been worrying, after our last 3 results, that we didn't need him any more, Dennis proceed to create the next 2. 5 minutes later he received the ball a few yards inside their half, and as he looked around for options Parlour made a charge for the box. Bergkamp found the perfect pass, slotting it between the defenders leaving Parlour clear in the penalty area. This time the goalie got his body to it, but the force of Parlour's drive took it in anyway. On 14, Petit took a corner on our right and pulled it back for a Bergkamp shot from just outside the area. It went through the crowd but too close to the keeper Fettis. It bounced out for Parlour who drove it into the roof of the net (without a deflection, for once!). The fourth came just before half-time when, following a Blackburn attack (such as it was), Winterburn lobbed the ball forward for Anelka who raced onto it, nodded it forward, steamed towards the keeper then at the last second dummied him, rounded him, and slipped the ball in. After the break Blackburn looked a little better. They pulled one back when Gallcher was inexplicably left unmarked in the middle of the penalty area. He took the goal well with a first-time volley from a right-wing cross, but should have had someone on him. After that things died down a bit. Not least because of the blizzard that started. We had a few chances but overall the second half was a much more even affair. But with the weather how it was, and 3 goals up, it was definitely right not to do anything silly. Good performances all round, in particular a match-winning contribution from the returning Bergkamp and the still improving Parlour. Vieira and Petit were majestic in midfield as ever. Remi Garde did a good job at right-back and has shown himself to be a useful player who could be missed when the squad gets stretched next season. As a 3rd choice he's not at all bad, and certainly more steady than Crowe who was on the bench and nearly got the place after Garde had been rated doubtful for the match. It's just a shame that low-life Chris Sutton wasn't on the pitch to share the humiliation. We're now 1 point behind Man Utd, with 2 games in hand (see table). Some of them could be quite tricky games, but surely it's no longer the case that anyone would rather be in Man Utd's position. 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 |