Arsenal (0) 3 - 0 (0) Sheffield WednesdayHighbury. Tuesday 9th March 1999FA Carling Premiershipsee below for reports by: Rupe, DerekPreview
Arsenal (0) 3 - 0 (0) Sheffield WednesdayHighbury. Tuesday 9th March 1999FA Carling Premiership
scorers: Bergkamp 83, 89
Kanu 86
Arsenal:
Seaman
Dixon Adams Keown Vivas
Ljungberg (Diawara h-t) Vieira Parlour (Petit 70) Overmars
Bergkamp Anelka (Kanu 62)
A tense and frustrating 80 minutes, followed by a breathtaking
finish. With 10 minutes to go I had this report written in my
head and, like most people's would I expect, it included the
phrase "Arsenal concede title race". Oh me of little faith.
Wednesday, it should be noted, may be lower in the table than Derby but have been on a vein of form recently and unlike Derby, scoring goals hasn't been a problem for them recently. And although we were on top throughout, there was always the fear that they might score on one of their rare attacks. I say "raea" advisedly: according to the Jumbotron stats, Arsenal kept them to 4 shots in the whole match, of which 1 was on target. Compare this to 27 shots for Arsenal, 13 on target, and you get a fair reflection of the game and particularly the attacking potential we now have. For some reason Vivas was playing at left-back. Presumably Wenger feels Grondin isn't ready yet and Vivas's general skills and experience make him a better bet, despite the fact that so far he looks much more comfortable on the right, or in midfield. But he played well and although he made a few defensive errors and gave the ball away a few times he was well worth the appearance. Early on he made an excellent tackle on Carbone and came away with the ball but then mishit it off the pitch. But when the throw came quickly into our box it was Vivas who was alert to Carbone's run and got in to shepherd the ball out of danger. To start with Vieira looked a bit rusty. He decided to dribble the ball back into our penalty area despite the attention of some wednesday players, and brilliantly dribbled through them and out the other side of the box to safety. But then he just softly gave it away, something he did again a couple of times later in the half. But come the second half he was looking more assured. After a couple of half-chances our first clear opening was created on 13 minutes by an Adams run down the centre. He slipped the ball forward for Anelka and although the keeper got there first he fumbled the ball and Nicky was able to gather it, round him, and shoot goalwards. But Thome got to the line in time to clear it. From a corner, Keown got good contact with a diving header 10 yards out, it was blocked and although it looked like a hand from the other end of the stadium even it it was it didn't look deliberate. Our biggest scare of the night (their shot on target) came on 20 minutes when Carbone got clear on their left wing and shot from inside the area. Seaman had come out a bit and it came at him, but possibly due to the close presence of a couple of teammates he fumbled it and it came out to Ruddi. Inexplicably, he missed the target. We had a few more chances, Bergkamp forcing a save after a great run, and setting one or two half-chances up for Anelka. And the half ended with a decent Parlour effort which forced a near-post save. Ljungberg didn't have nearly as good a game as he did on Saturday. Wenger chose to stick with Parlour in the centre and bring an attacking player, Diawara, on to replace Freddie. To start with he went to the left wing with Overmars switching to the right. Generally I thought Marc was passing the ball a bit more often, but he still got in some excellently direct and "selfish" runs - a perfect compromise! In our first attack of the second half he put Anelka through on the overlap on the right, and Nicky spotted Bergkamp on the far side. Receiving the pass, Dennis tried a curler back inside the far post but it didn't quite curl enough. Just after the 50 minute mark there was some amusing shenanigans between Ruddi and Dixon. After brushing past Dixon off the ball, Ruddi fell over theatrically. The ref waved him up but if he didn't see it as a foul I don't see how it could not have been play-acting. Right after this, Ruddi chased Dixon (with the ball) down into our corner. It ended up with Ruddi appearing to simply push Dixon over the flag, conceding a free-kick. Dixon got up unscathed but the flag wasn't so lucky and the substitute flag was sent for. Speaking of substitutes, it was around this time that I noticed to my astonishment (not having got there in time for the team lists), Emmanuel Petit (who won't be back in action for two weeks) warming up on the touchline. A superb move saw the ball go from Diawara to Bergkamp and Anelka, who popped it back in for Diawara whose shot was (I think) deflected onto the post by the keeper. Then Parlour, operating on the left wing, set Diawara up again and he dragged his shot wide. We had a slight panic when Carbone got to the goal-line and cut it back. The ball was cleared powerfully by Keown and rebounded goalwards off another striker standing in front of him, but there were plenty of bodies there to cope with the ricochet. On 62 minutes Kanu came on for Anelka. Anelka had had a good game, but to be frank it's hard to think of anybody (and I include Bergkamp) who wouldn't have been upstaged by this man. I've never seen anything like him. He puts his foot on the ball and time stops still. He'll have defenders climbing all over him but he just stands his ground and drags it away from them in slow motion. Looking back on the last 15 minutes it seemed like he was everywhere, with the ball permanently stuck to his foot. When you think that Inter weren't using him, or Vieira come to that, it does make you wonder what else might be found in their reserves! Almost immediately he was involved, making a run to the bye-line for a Bergkamp pass and then cutting it back to Parlour whose sjot was deflected just wide. Diawara forced another save from Srnicek on 66 minutes after Bergkamp set him up. While he clearly has an eye for goal and doesn't mind having a crack when others set him up, Kaba did appear to be a trifle goal-shy when it comes to having a pop at those times where there's another option. A couple of times he went on a good run with the ball, with things opening up in front of him and begging for a shot, only for him to pass into a less dangerous area and the attack to fizzle out. One time, just before the shot mentioned earlier in this paragraph, both Overmars and Bergkamp were in positions to receive it and not only did he not shoot but rather than give it to one of them he passed it lamely off the pitch. Not that I'm knocking him, mind. He's been a great acquisition and I hope his impact doesn't get completely overshadowed by Kanu's. Although he hasn't scored the goals yet, Diawara is looking a much more likely prospect than, say, Wreh and Boa Morte. On 70 minutes Manu Petit made his premature return. And what a return! From the first seconds he was back at his best. What kind of mind tricks is Wenger playing? Letting everyone believe that Manu wasn't going to be back for a while is one thing but to be honest, after watching him tonight, I find it hard to believe that the man has been injured at all. Less than a minute after coming on, Petit picked up the ball on the half-way line and pinged a beautiful pass to Kanu on the edge of the area. He was impeded and Bergkamp made Srnicek work to get across for the free-kick shot. Diawara then had another chance, heading over. Things were starting to get going and Arsenal were throwing everything forward, clearly aware that one point isn't good enough at this stage. After a game that had seemed a bit experimental, with players switching positions and playing out of position in ways that you don't expect so much from Wenger, suddenly everything was right. Petit and Vieira together and imperious, Bergkamp Overmars and Kanu all absolutely tormenting the defence. Adams getting in ont he action doing his striker bit now and then.... Tone won a free-kick on the corner of the penalty area. It was floated towards Adams on the far post but a defender got a head to it first. Just before the ball hit the ground outside the box, Petit hit it first time - inches wide. Dixon tried to chip a quick clever free-kick into the box but it took Kanu a bit too wide. He tried the shot anyway but couldn't turn it back enough. Then Dixon played a kind of one-two with Seaman ( possibly a dodgy back-pass followed by a Seaman miskick which went back to Lee but let's give them the benefit of the doubt). Dixon started a break and it swiftly found Overmars who took it on and forced a save at the near post. Bergkamp crossed to Adams at the far post, and his looping header was just too far away from Keown, jumping in at the other post. Something we've been doing a lot of this season, and which I presume is a deliberate stratgey, is taking very quick free-kicks. Sometimes it's a bit annoying really, when they're taken quickly despite the fact that there doesn't appear to be any advantage to be gained, it's like Arsenal are saying "never mind doing something with the free-kick let's just get the ball in play again". Another tactic that seems to have been tried a lot by several of our players in the last few games, is the short lob over the defence for a striker to run onto. On 83 minutes, and for the second time in the match, we combined these elements, this time to great effect. Petit clipped the free-kick over, from a few yards outside the box. It fell to Bergkamp inside the area, with the defence caught cold, and he simply knocked it past the keeper for a long- awaited and richly deserved goal. Wednesday came out and tried to get the point back, but a couple of minutes later it was all over. Overmars got to the goal-line on the left and crossed low to Kanu bang in front of goal. He did his thing: slowed time down, moved sideways past the statues, and smashed it home, turning an (arguably) easy goal into something extraordinary. Another couple of minutes and it was 3, with Overmars breaking and Bergkamp joining on his right shoulder. The defence were gone and when Marc slipped the ball through for Dennis he got there just before Srnicek and clipped the ball over him. He wheeled away from the goal fists-clenched, clearly as excited about all this as the rest of us. One final thought. Consider how you felt with 10 minutes to go, and the transformation from that to your feelings at the final whistle. Then think about how Man Utd and Chelsea fans will have been feeling at those times. Got it? Good eh?
Result : Arsenal (0) 3 Sheffield Wednesday (0) 0
Scorers: Bergkamp 83,88, Kanu 86
Arsenal: Seaman, Dixon, Vivas, Keown, Adams; Hughes, Ljungberg,
Parlour, Overmars; Bergkamp, Anelka
Subs: Diawara (Ljungberg h-t), Kanu (Anelka 63),
Petit (Parlour 69), Grimandi, Manninger
Booked: none
Sheff W: Srnicek, Atherton, Walker, Thome, Hinchcliffe, Rudi,
Alexandersson, Sonner, Jonk, Carbone, Booth
Subs: Newsome, Clarke, Humphreys, Briscoe, Stefanovic
Booked: Jonk
Att: 37792
Ref: David Elleray (Harrow-on-the-Hill)
Another storming finish at Highbury last night, as the pressure which
had gradually built up on the visitors' goal through the 2nd half
finally cracked. Three goals in the final 7 minutes provided a thrilling
finish after a frustrating previous 83, firstly through Arsenal's
strangely laid-back attitude in the first half, and then through
Srnicek's brilliance in the second.
Vieira returned from suspension to replace the luckless Hughes, and Ljungberg kept his place, but the big surprise was the appearance of Petit on the bench. The first half was a surprisingly low key affair with a seeming lack of urgency and a certain amount of sloppiness from the Gunners as passes went astray and the Owls caused problems with their quick passing in midfield. The half might have gone differently had Arsenal gone ahead as they should after about 15 minutes. Adams intercepted well on the halfway line and broke forward before playing a pass to try and pick out Anelka's run into the area. Srnicek however got to the ball first, but his fumble presented Anelka with the ball. The striker took it round the keeper and was faced with a net guarded only by the centre half Emerson Thome. Big groans from the home crowd as Anelka picked him out with a left foot shot from 15 yards, and the big Brazilian kicked it off the line. Anelka's miss was matched a few minutes later by Rudi at the other end. A sharp turn in the area by Carbone got him past Keown and Adams, but Seaman came out quickly and made a good block. The ball though rebounded off him and ricocheted via Keown to the feet of Rudi standing a couple of yards to the left of the penalty spot. He carefully took aim at the empty net and put the ball wide of the far post. Arsenal had a penalty claim soon afterwards when I think Keown's header from a corner hit a defender's outstretched arm, but it was at point blank range and there was no chance of the ref calling it deliberate. Arsenal at last began showing some determination when Bergkamp somehow dribbled and battled his way past about 3 defenders on a long run into the area which ended with a left foot shot which Srnicek had to dive to his right to push aside. Bergkamp then played a lovely ball into the area from the left which picked out Vieira's charge forward, but Srnicek made a great block as Vieira hit the ball first time from the corner of the 6yd box. Another good move on the right this time ended with Ljungberg firing in a shot from the right hand corner of the area which was well hit but straight at Srnicek as he covered the near post. The Swede was replaced at half time by Diawara who went out onto the left wing, with Overmars shifting over to the right. The Frenchman very nearly made the breakthrough early in the 2nd half. He went on a superb run from the halfway line before laying off the ball to Bergkamp on his right. The Dutch master appeared to get the ball slightly under his feet as he took it into the area, but recovered sufficiently to touch the ball back for Anelka who took it on and then laid it across the area with the outside of his foot to pick out Diawara in the middle. The striker stabbed a right foot shot goalwards which beat Srnicek but bounced agonisingly off the keeper's right hand post, and Overmars following in seemed to be put off by a defender and missed his attempt to turn the rebound home. Soon afterwards at the other end Carbone again caused panic in the Arsenal area, getting to the byline before laying the ball back. Keown hit his clearance straight at Alexandersson, the ball bounced back into the 6yd box off him, and was half cleared again this time straight to Rudi in the middle of goal just inside the area. Fortunately he hastily dragged his shot wide of the far post. With a little over 25 minutes to go, Kanu came on for Anelka and the pressure on the Wednesday goal gradually began to build as the front four swapped around and began to pull the defence here, there and everywhere. Bergkamp played a lovely pass down the middle for Diawara to run onto and hit first time shot which Srnicek saved brilliantly. The game however really turned with the introduction of Petit with 20 minutes to go. His arrival got both the crowd (which had been curiously muted) and the Gunners going, and the remainder of the half was a catalogue of Arsenal chances, near misses and Srnicek saves, and finally goals. Bergkamp brought a flying save from the keeper with a 20 yard free kick, then chipped in a short cross from the right to pick out Diawara whose firm downward header seemed netbound until Srnicek produced another briliant reaction save. Following a corner Petit then hit a volley from the edge of the area which missed Diawara's attempt to deflect it in and then the far post by inches. Another Bergkamp cross from the left this time picked out Adams in space at the far post. He headed firmly back towards the opposite top corner but it drifted just wide and just too high for Keown as he stretched to get his head to the ball. It was Overmars' turn next, cutting in from the right to fire in a trademark near post shot from the edge of the area which looked a goal all the way, but once again Srnicek brilliantly got fingertips to the ball and tipped it round the post. Just when we thought it was going to be one of those games, Srnicek was finally beaten, and it was Petit who engineered the breakthrough. Jonk brought down Vieira in the middle of the Wednesday half, and Petit took a quick free kick. His chip down the middle picked out Bergkamp unmarked, the Dutchman brought it down superbly with his first touch and knocked it past the onrushing keeper and into the net with his second. A sheer explosion of relief on the pitch and in the stands as the North Bank bounced again, in rythmn to "We got Dennis Bergkamp". Anxiety crept in soon afterwards though as Wednesday put in an appearance in the Arsenal half for the first time in 30 minutes, and Vieira gave away a free kick near the right hand corner flag. The free kick was cleared though and shortly afterwards the game was safe as Kanu scored a brilliant second. Diawara chipped down the left to find Overmars in the clear and he took the ball on into the area before laying it across to pick out Kanu in the middle. The Nigerian calmly sold a superb dummy to a defender and then lashed a left foot shot into the roof of the net from 8 yards. The icing was added to the cake 2 minutes later when Overmars picked up a clearance just outside his own area and set off on a scintillating 80 yard run with Diawara in support on his left and Bergkamp on his right. The flying Dutchman chose his non-flying compatriot and laid the ball off perfectly, and Bergkamp finished calmly, lifting the ball over Srnicek as the keeper rushed out, and into the the corner of the net. The half time report was "could do a lot better", but in the 2nd half Arsenal did exactly that, particularly after Kanu and Petit came on. It was an amazing finish to the match, and one that will hopefully keep the momentum going for the rest of the season.
Seaman 7.5 Very little to do, but made a couple of alert dashes
from his line to.
Vivas 7.0 Had a reasonably game overall, but made sloppy passes
in the 1st half, and is not as comfortable on the left.
Dixon 7.5 As competent and energetic as ever.
Adams 7.5 He and Keown were both somewhat bothered by Carbone on
the ground and Booth in the air in the 1st half, but
otherwise as solid as normal.
Keown 7.5 Ditto.
Vieira 7.5 Had a competent rather than spectacular game, and also
played a few sloppy passes in the 1st half.
Parlour 7.5 Did pretty well in the middle again I thought, in
particular with some good defensive tackling.
Petit 8.5 The man continues to amaze. Off injured for a month and
he comes back to play like he's never been away.
Ljungberg 6.5 Not a bad game overall, but struggled rather against
an experienced left back in Hinchcliffe.
Overmars 8.0 A pretty lively game again, and seemed notably less
selfish as well.
Bergkamp 8.5 His touch at times in the 1st half seemed strangely
poor, but in the 2nd he was back to his best.
Anelka 7.0 Fairly quiet game again, but apart from that open
goal miss didn't do too badly.
Kanu 8.0 Again an unorthodox handful.
Diawara 7.5 Did pretty well again, and unlucky not to score, & hit
the post for the 3rd time in his short Highbury career.
Derek
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