Wenger's men the masters in leaving it late
Arsenal 2-1 Manchester Utd
Barclays Premiership
Emirates Stadium
Sun, Jan 21, 2007, 4pm
By Chris Harris
Do you leave Arsenal home games before the final whistle to beat the crowds or catch the early train? If you do, you might want to reconsider.
Sunday's dramatic comeback against Manchester United was the latest in a long line of frantic finales at Emirates Stadium. Goals from Robin van Persie and Thierry Henry snatched victory from the jaws of defeat but the statistics suggest that Arsenal's late flurry should not have been a surprise.
Arsène Wenger's side have an outstanding record in the final 10 minutes* of their Premiership home games since the start of last season. During that time Arsenal have outscored their opponents 20-0. This represents nearly a quarter of their goals scored in that entire 17-month period.
To put Arsenal's prolific late scoring rate in perspective, their closest challengers over the same time frame is Liverpool with nine goals. And while the Merseysiders have shipped goals in the final 10 minutes of home games, Arsenal's defence has not been breached.
Since moving to Emirates Stadium, Arsenal have scored 10 goals in the last 10 minutes of home games in all competitions. Gilberto salvaged a draw with a late equaliser on the opening day of this season against Aston Villa and Mathieu Flamini grabbed a last-minute winner against Dinamo Zagreb four days later.
Hamburg were humbled by late goals from Emmanuel Eboue and Julio Baptista, Robin van Persie's double - and another for Flamini - turned a narrow lead over Blackburn into a thumping victory last month and Van Persie netted just before the final whistle against Charlton three weeks ago.
Of course, the Dutchman was at it again on Sunday before Henry broke United's hearts. In fact, of the 20 Premiership goals scored in the last 10 minutes of Arsenal's home games since the start of last season, Van Persie and Henry lead the way with six apiece.
So, if a game at the Emirates seems to be petering out or meandering towards a predictable conclusion, don't be tempted to make an early exit. Arsenal often leave it late, but it's always worth the wait.
Better late than never - Arsenal's last-gasp goals Date Fixture Scorers in last 10 mins
14-08-2005 2-0 v Newcastle Henry, Van Persie
24-08-2005 4-1 v Fulham Henry, Cygan
02-10-2005 1-0 v Birmingham Clemence
05-11-2005 3-1 v Sunderland Henry
26-11-2005 3-0 v Blackburn Van Persie
14-01-2006 7-0 v Middlesbrough Hleb
01-02-2006 2-3 v West Ham Pires
11-02-2006 1-1 v Bolton Gilberto
12-03-2006 2-1 v Liverpool Henry
15-04-2006 3-1 v West Brom Bergkamp
22-04-2006 1-1 v Tottenham Henry
19-08-2006 1-1 v Aston Villa Gilberto
23-12-2006 6-2 v Blackburn Van Persie (2), Flamini
02-01-2007 4-0 v Charlton Van Persie
21-01-2007 2-1 v Manchester United Van Persie, Henry
* Goals timed at 81 minutes or later.