Arsenal (1) 5 - 1 (0) WimbledonHighbury, Monday 19th AprilFA Carling Premiershipsee below for reports by: Rupe, DerekPreview
Arsenal (1) 5 - 1 (0) WimbledonHighbury, Monday 19th AprilFA Carling Premiership
scorers: Parlour 34 Cort 70
Vieira 49
Thatcher og 56
Bergkamp 57
Kanu 59
Arsenal:
Seaman
Vivas Adams Keown (Bould 89) Winterburn
Parlour Vieira Petit Overmars
Bergkamp (Diawara) Kanu
Before the game there was a minute's silence for the
Hillsborough victims (very well observed, as those for
Hillsborough always are). But before and after this
there was prolonged and pointed singing of "One Dennis
Bergkamp", the Arsenal fans clearly aware of the possibility
of Dennis's head being down after the penalty miss last
Wednesday.
Either it did the trick or we needn't have worried, for there followed a match full of powerful attacking play from Arsenal in which Bergkamp along with the rest of the midifield and attack played with skill and determination to score. As Wenger has said, Man Utd's goal difference is worth an extra point, and the team looked more than aware that their 3-0 win on Saturday had to be bettered. Vivas was in at right-back for Dixon, and showed that when we're in the ascendancy his attacking ability is well up to the job. It wasn't that he did badly in defence, just that there wasn't much defending to be done. Kanu started for Anelka, who hadn't been as effective as he would have liked in the 2 semi-final matches. And he had a storming game up front, apparently more able to obey the order to stay up there and make goals his priority. The comparison with Anelka was I'm afraid not kind on the Frenchman, as Kanu might not have Nicky's speed but nevertheless seems quicker at getting into the danger areas at the right moments. The way he linked up well with everyone else in the team ("team player" is an overused concept but there's no doubt that Kanu is the epitome of it), his extraordinary skill, and (probably) better ability in the air has to make him a more reliable option for the remaining games. It'll be interesting to see if Wenger feels able to drop him after this showing. We had many good chances in the first half, and forced save after save from Sullivan in the Wimbledon goal. Overmars and Winterburn linked up well on the left wing, the first of many times, and fed Kanu in the box, but a good tackle took the ball practically off his foot. On 10 minutes the biggest scare of the half came when a loose ball from Petit saw Gayle bring the ball down their left wing, but his cross just eluded Cort as it whizzed across the face of goal. Then came a lovely break by Arsenal, the ball going from Winterburn via Overmars and Vieira to Bergkamp, whose curving shot from the edge of the area was tipped round the post by the flying Sullivan. Keown did well to win a corner on the right, which Petit took and lofted to Adams on the far side. He headed it back across goal where Vieira blasted a shot just high and wide. Vivas was taking the corners from the left and the quality of corners (from both sides) was much better than we've seen of late. On 17 Gayle tricked his way past Adams but Keown raced back to prevent him getting a cross in, and the resulting corner was headed well wide. Another great Arsenal move saw Kanu give the ball to Petit in the middle of the Dons' half, and his pass to Bergkamp was met first-time just inside the box with a well struck low shot which Sullivan did well to get down to at the near post. Another fantastic break on the left ended with a Winterburn cross which Petit headed just high. On 22 minutes Cort beat Keown, and the offside trap, but Keown got back to prevent a shot at goal. Instead the ball went back to Gayle, and by the time he fed Cort again the offside trap had been re-enforced, and anyway Cort lost the ball, and his boot, as he tried to control the through-ball. Overmars shot through a crowd of legs, and would surely have beaten the keeper if it hadn't gone so close to him. Then moments later Overmars forced another save, this time making Sullivan dive down to his right. And within minutes the keeper was at work again, this time saving low at the near post from Bergkamp again after Kanu had flicked on a vivas pass first-time. Bergkamp had a shot from the left side of the area blocked, but hit the rebound in, and it picked up a bit of curve from a very slight deflection which Sullivan again did well to read and save. Then Vivas set up a chance for Parlour which produced another decent save. We had a free-kick just outside the area which was taken twice, Thatcher being booked in between for encroaching (I guess), although to be frank both times the kick was taken it took too long for the shot to come in (I think they were from Bergkamp and then Petit), and both times the shot was blocked on the edge of the box. Petit fired just over from 15 yards, and then did well breaking into the box with a double effort (like Bergkamp he picked up the block from his first shot) which forced another save at the second attempt. Then near the end of the half Overmars skinned his man on the left and took it to the goal-line. I'm not sure if Kanu got a touch on it as the ball went back across the area, but if not there's no doubt that his presence helped it get through, and Parlour was on hand to get his left foot in front of the defender and smack an excellent shot past Sullivan. We thought we'd been dominant in the first half, but the second started with an extraordinary spell of pressure (perhaps wenger showed them the goals columns in the league table again at half time) which this time resulted in the goals they so richly deserved. On 50 mintes Winterburn broke from defence and brought the ball right up into their half. He slipped it to his left where the defence was backing off and Paddy (unusually) accepted the invitation gladly and fired low to Sullivan's right for 2-0. Then Parlour played a nice 1-2 with Kanu, through close marking, to get into position in the box on the right, but his shot was blocked for a corner. When the corner came over from our right Adams ducked it to allow Vivas's fine effort with a powerful standing header which went narrowly wide of the left-hand post. Parlour and Vivas combined well on the right, with the Argentinian skipping over a tackle to bring the ball goalwards along the goal-line. He cut it back and Bergkmap tried a scissor kick but a defender's back got in the way. The ball came back to Overmars whose shot wasn't held by Sullivan but as Kanu closed down on him the whistle went for offside. This was all in the 5 minutes after Vieira's goal. On 55 minutes Kanu rose to make perfect contact with his head, as a Bergkamp cross came over from the left. It came back off the far post and Thatcher couldn't prevent it rebounding off him into the net. Within moments we had the 4th, this time Bergkamp collected a long high ball from the left wing and calmly fooled the defender into falling over then whipped it under Sullivan's dive. And before we had time to draw breath it was 5. Kanu and Vieira linked up in the box, and as the defence came out to stop Vieira he poked it across goal where Kanu was first to react and got there first for the tap-in. In the next few minutes we had a couple of penalty shouts which perhaps weren't given out of sympathy. The second looked the best chance, when Overmars did some tricky stuff in the box and was clipped behind just as he'd pushed the ball into space for himself. Then Bergkamp whipped in a shot from outside the box which Sullivan, being unsighted, did well to save. Then on 70 Bergkamp went off for Diawara as Wimbledon prepared to take a free-kick from their left wing. It was interesting to see him Kanu and Overmars playing together, as the 3 of them switched places continuously and continued to cause many problems for the Dons' defence. But the goal-difference was dented slightly before we saw this, as Cort was gifted a free header from the free-kick which pulled it back to 5-1. A good Parlour cross from the right just missed Kanu and Diawara, both making good runs into the box. The Overmars shot just wide again. Hartson came on for the Dons, but didn't get much of a chance to do anything as the Arsenal domination continued. A lovely Kanu turn on the edge of the area saw him brought down just outside it, and Overmars curled the free-kick onto the roof of the net. With 5 minutes to go Sullivan made an excellent double save from Overmars and Diawara, and then with the ball coming down over his head from a nice flick forward by Petit, Diawara skied a last Arsenal shot. There was some nice singing, with poor Neil Sullivan (who actually had a decent game and prevented it being 10 or more) the undeserved recipient of some Clock End wit. He acknowledged the chant of "Scotland's number 1", which was then followed up with "If Sullivan can play for Scotland so can I", "We all agree, Sullivan's better than Walker", and "Sullivan for Tottenham". The Wimbledon fans weren't in too bad spirits, with their "you're not singing any more" which they slipped into the quiet moments after their goal, followed by "we want 2" and "we're gonna win 6-5". I think their "it's just like watching Brasil" was aimed in irony at their own team, but the Wimbledon fans could just as easily have been making a straightforward comment on the flair and power shown all night by the Arsenal. We still need Man Utd to slip up, but it'd only take a couple more performances like this to take away their goals advantage. It's still on.
Result : Arsenal (1) 5 Wimbledon (0) 1
Scorers: Parlour 34, Vieira 49, Cort 70
Thatcher og 56, Bergkamp 57,
Kanu 59
Arsenal: Seaman, Vivas, Winterburn, Keown, Adams; Vieira, Petit,
Parlour, Overmars; Bergkamp, Kanu
Subs: Diawara (Bergkamp 69), Bould (Keown 89),
Anelka, Grimandi, Lukic
Wimbledon: Sullivan, Cunningham, Blackwell, Thatcher, Kimble; Earle,
C Hughes, Castledine, Euell, Gayle, Cort
Subs: Hartson (Castledine 74), Ainsworth (Euell 90),
Jupp, Leaburn, Heald
Booked: C Hughes, Thatcher
Att: 37982
Ref: Steven Lodge (Barnsley)
The questions about how Arsenal would react to the shock of the
semi-final defeat last week were answered in emphatically positive style
at Highbury last night. An admittedly weak Wimbledon side was simply
overpowered and overrun as the Gunners rattled in 4 goals in 10 minutes
during a thrilling 2nd half blitz.
Arsenal had Vivas at right back in place of the injured Dixon, and Anelka was dropped/rested to allow Kanu and Bergkamp to start a match together for the first time while Wimbledon were notably missing Perry in defence, and Michael Hughes in attack. The first half started off fairly slowly, though Kanu had an early shot from the edge of the box which flashed a few feet wide of the near post. In fact it was Wimbledon who created the first really dangerous break when Gayle outpaced Vivas onto a long ball down the left and whipped over a cross which was only just too far in front of Cort who lunged in unmarked at the far post. A few minutes later though the siege at the other end began. Petit touched a pass forward for Bergkamp just outside the area to the right of goal, and with barely any backlift the Dutch master hit a superb snap shot which was curling into the top corner before Sullivan brilliantly tipped it round the post. A series of corners followed, Petit swung one of them in from the right to pick out Adams beyond the far post, Adams headed back across goal to find Vieira unmarked on the opposite corner of the 6yd box, but the Frenchman snatched at his volley and sent it sailing over the bar. Petit then found Bergkamp again with a lovely pass sent in diagonally from the left, and Bergkamp hit a first time volley which he caught reasonably well but sent straight at Sullivan. Winterburn was then sent in down the left and he chipped a cross over to the far post where Parlour was charging in, but he got under the header and sent it over the bar. Overmars then had a couple of long range efforts which Sullivan saved fairly comfortably, and Bergkamp reacted quickly when his shot from the left hand corner of the area was blocked to fire in another. It took a slight deflection and seemed to be curling inside the far post until Sullivan took off to make another flying save. We were then treated to the unusual sight of Parlour peppering the goal with shots, perhaps celebrating his 200th league game for Arsenal. First Vivas played Kanu in on the right and the Nigerian brilliantly flicked the ball inside to pick out Parlour's run into the box. He hit a low hard shot from an angle, but Sullivan was equal to it, falling to his right to save well. Soon afterwards Parlour ran onto another ball into the box from the right, I think by Vivas and hit a tremendous shot which screamed inches over the bar. 10 minutes from half time Arsenal and Parlour finally made the breakthrough. Overmars dribbled his way into the box on the left, got the byline and pulled the ball back into the middle. It was just behind Kanu at the near post and he took out a defender, and Parlour was charging in in the middle and got in front of a defender to whip a left foot shot just inside Sullivan's right hand post. Arsenal kept up the pressure at the beginning of the 2nd half, but their 2nd goal stemmed from a Wimbledon break following a corner. Euell who did well to dispossess Parlour on the Arsenal right, but was in turn dispossessed by Winterburn who then rampaged forward before checking and playing a pass square to his left. I think in fact it was intended for Overmars who was breaking in space down the wing, but Vieira intercepted it in the middle. He found himself with space in front of him, took a couple of steps forward before firing in a terrific daisycutter with his left foot which zipped inside Sullivan's near post from 25 yards, leaving the keeper little chance. The Gunners now poured forward, and Vivas should have put Arsenal further in front with a free header at the far post from a corner, but possibly put off by Adams ducking in front of him put it over the bar. Not long afterwards Vivas got past Kimble on the right, and chipped over a cross from the byline which Bergkamp shaped to volley with a spectacular scissors kick at the far post. Blackwell got in the way though, but the ball broke to Overmars who hit a shot which Sullivan couldn't hold. Kanu just failed to turn the rebound home, though the flag was up for offside. However moments later, Arsenal did score the 3rd goal. Bergkamp bent in a cross from the left which found Kanu's head in the middle. The Nigerian glanced a header which cannoned back off the far post onto Thatcher's legs and back into the net. Less than a minute later it was 4. Petit made a break down the middle, Winterburn tried to find him with a long ball which went just behind the Frenchman, but Bergkamp was running in behind. He controlled the ball with his first touch, his second was a delicious flick which wrongfooted Kimble to leave the defender on his backside and Bergkamp had only Sullivan to beat, which he did with a shot across the keeper. Sullivan got a hand to it but couldn't stop the shot rolling just inside the post. Another minute had barely passed before the 5th goal went in. Vieira and Kanu indulged in some fancy flicks on the edge of the box which ended with the Nigerian blocking the ball through for Vieira to run onto. I think it was Thatcher who made a last desperate lunge to take the ball away from the Frenchman, but succeeded only in diverting it towards the far post where Kanu chased it and touched into the net ahead of the desperately scrambling keeper. 3 goals in under 3 minutes, and Highbury was in ecstatic tumult. Bergkamp then had another couple of shots from the edge of the area, one of which forced another good save out of Sullivan, before going off to a standing ovation, Diawara coming on as replacement. The substitution took place just before Wimbledon took a free kick, needlessly conceded by Vivas wide of the Arsenal area on the right hand touchline. Hughes I think curled it in to pick out Cort who had a free header at the far post and he sent a simple downward header into the net. Arsenal eased off somewhat in the final 15-20 minutes, and in fact Wimbledon might have had another from a corner. This time Gayle's header was chested away by Winterburn as he guarded the far post, though I think it was probably going just wide anyway. The Gunners did rouse a final flurry in the last few minutes. A lovely forward pass from Diawara picked out Overmars as he ran into the area on the left. A brilliant first touch set the ball up for a rasping shot which Sullivan superbly blocked at his near post. Diawara and a defender reached the rebound at the same time and the French striker's shot had the sting taken out of it, though Sullivan still had to make another good save. All in all a thoroughly entertaining evening, and a superb team performance. The whole 11 played well, and I'd find it hard to pick anyone out so I've given a uniform score to them all. If I had to mention anyone, Winterburn gave another brilliantly dedicated display, Adams too charged forward at any opportunity, Bergkamp looked in top form again, Kanu linked things together superbly, Overmars was in lively form, Vieira was close to his best again, ...
Seaman 8.5
Winterburn 8.5
Vivas 8.5
Adams 8.5
Keown 8.5
Vieira 8.5
Petit 8.5
Parlour 8.5
Overmars 8.5
Bergkamp 8.5
Kanu 8.5
Derek
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 |