(2) 2 - 4 (1) ArsenalDeepdale. Monday 4th January 1999FA Cup 3rd round
scorers: Nogan 2 Boa Morte
Petit 2
Overmars
Arsenal:
Manninger
Dixon Bould Keown Vivas
Parlour Vieira Petit Overmars (Garde 89)
Boa Morte Mendez (Caballero 75)
A bit of a scare in the first half, but Arsenal came back
well in the second. Despite looking lightweight up front,
we came away with a 4-2 win, albeit against 10 men for
the last half hour.
Preston started much the brightest, forcing some crucial clearances (including one off the line by Dixon) in the first few minutes. Nogan and Gregan were particularly dangerous, but the latter less so after he got booked early on. Nogan opened the scoring after 18, following a period of desperate Arsenal defending from sustained pressure by Preston. It was virtually a tap-in, as was the second just a few minutes later. Manninger had just had to fist an inswinging corner over the bar, and missed the ball when the subsequent one came swinging in too. Nogan was on hand again to nod the ball home from close range. We had a few openings, Parlour had a good longe-range shot saved, and Boa Morte should have been awarded a penalty. But Preston had their chances too, and Nogan could have had a hattrick after Parlour let him in. Right at the end of the half, Boa Morte found himsefl closely marked in the box, but pushed the ball to his left and spun after it making room to hit a sweet left foot shot low into the corner. In the first moments of the second half, Manninger nearly gifted Nogan the hattrick again, hitting a clearance at him only to see the rebound go wide into the side-netting. But we came out looking much more like the Premiership side than in the first half, and dominated the half well enough to deserve the win overall. Mendez had a shot blocked. Overmars forced a save from a 20-yard effort and looked dangerous every time he got the ball. On about 55 minutes he made another good break, and was felled just outside the area by David Ayers. As the last man, he had to be sent off. Overmars had looked a good bet to score, but the dispppintment was short lived as the free-kick proved as good as a penalty, Petit floating it round the wall and into the corner. Petit scored the 3rd too, a tap-in from a Boa Morte cross, and the much maligned Portuguese set Overmars up for the 4th too. Caballero had a good chance for the 5th, he should perhaps have done better, but it was a good save nonetheless. Away to Wolves in the next round, just like the semi last year. We didn't need our strikers for that one either. Other reports
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