THE FOOTBALL THREAD Vol 2
- Thread starter fgl
- Start date
ShadowsDiamond
New member
yes indeed liv got so many opportunities....but they wasted it with long range range shots..80% were off targets..
sia ah van der sar, risk taker sia...i laugh so hard when he bumped into vidic and fell on the ground and twice! hahaha
fgl
Well-known member
Wenger: Returning players 'gave us technical stability'
Arsenal 1-0 Chelsea
Barclays Premier League
Emirates Stadium
Sun, Dec 16, 2007, 4pm
On a good response...
"We lost at Middlesbrough and it's always important not to have another defeat, especially at home in a big game because that means straight away the confidence drops. For us it's important today to get the three points."
On the balance of the game...
"In the first half it was a bit locked, tactically, and the goal of William Gallas opened the game up and changed the game. In the second half Chelsea have thrown everything forward and on the counter-attacks we had four, fives times the opportunity to score. As long as you didn't do that, of course, you are under the threat of Chelsea scoring, which nearly happened especially I believe with Wright-Phillips and the header from Schevchenko. But overall I still feel the three points were deserved and reflect the great spirit in the side."
On the Arsenal captain...
"I feel he pops up when you need it, when you want it, and he's the leader - that's the best definition of a leader, when you need it you show the example and he did that in the last second against Man United. It shows that he is a winner because, I'm not sure if I would have jumped behind Cech because I would have thought he takes the ball, you know? And that's a real striker, they believe if a mistake happens they are there. I believe as well that Arsenal is a special club where it takes sometimes a few months to be penetrated by the spirit of the Club. I think William this season has taken that completely on board, and he's completely the leader because he represents how we want to behave."
On the title race...
"Maybe Liverpool had the biggest disappointment of the day because they played at home, and they have already dropped points at home, but they are not out of it. Nor is Chelsea because they have shown again today they have the quality. I think the spirit in the side is absolutely amazing, not everybody was at his best today because many came back from injury, they have not played for three weeks some of them. Still, it gave us a technical stability that is completely different, you know? We are confident, the confidence is there, the belief is there, I personally prefer that it remains a four horse race because it is more interesting. It makes a day like today a lot for the Premier League and, as long as it is four teams involved in it I believe that the interest for the championship is even bigger."
On facing a physical challenge...
"I believe that is where we have improved the most, be effecient, not be dominated in the fight, today we have shown great character in the fight as well. In duels, in the one-against-one, overall we were dominant on that front - it was not the case usually."
On some close decisions...
"Some were easy ones, at the first look. I believe as well the goal of Adebayor was a soft free-kick against us because I did not see a lot wrong. "
On the injury to Eboue...
"Eboue has a knee-ligament strain and we'll see how he responds in the next forty-eight hours."
Arsenal 1-0 Chelsea
Barclays Premier League
Emirates Stadium
Sun, Dec 16, 2007, 4pm
On a good response...
"We lost at Middlesbrough and it's always important not to have another defeat, especially at home in a big game because that means straight away the confidence drops. For us it's important today to get the three points."
On the balance of the game...
"In the first half it was a bit locked, tactically, and the goal of William Gallas opened the game up and changed the game. In the second half Chelsea have thrown everything forward and on the counter-attacks we had four, fives times the opportunity to score. As long as you didn't do that, of course, you are under the threat of Chelsea scoring, which nearly happened especially I believe with Wright-Phillips and the header from Schevchenko. But overall I still feel the three points were deserved and reflect the great spirit in the side."
On the Arsenal captain...
"I feel he pops up when you need it, when you want it, and he's the leader - that's the best definition of a leader, when you need it you show the example and he did that in the last second against Man United. It shows that he is a winner because, I'm not sure if I would have jumped behind Cech because I would have thought he takes the ball, you know? And that's a real striker, they believe if a mistake happens they are there. I believe as well that Arsenal is a special club where it takes sometimes a few months to be penetrated by the spirit of the Club. I think William this season has taken that completely on board, and he's completely the leader because he represents how we want to behave."
On the title race...
"Maybe Liverpool had the biggest disappointment of the day because they played at home, and they have already dropped points at home, but they are not out of it. Nor is Chelsea because they have shown again today they have the quality. I think the spirit in the side is absolutely amazing, not everybody was at his best today because many came back from injury, they have not played for three weeks some of them. Still, it gave us a technical stability that is completely different, you know? We are confident, the confidence is there, the belief is there, I personally prefer that it remains a four horse race because it is more interesting. It makes a day like today a lot for the Premier League and, as long as it is four teams involved in it I believe that the interest for the championship is even bigger."
On facing a physical challenge...
"I believe that is where we have improved the most, be effecient, not be dominated in the fight, today we have shown great character in the fight as well. In duels, in the one-against-one, overall we were dominant on that front - it was not the case usually."
On some close decisions...
"Some were easy ones, at the first look. I believe as well the goal of Adebayor was a soft free-kick against us because I did not see a lot wrong. "
On the injury to Eboue...
"Eboue has a knee-ligament strain and we'll see how he responds in the next forty-eight hours."
loldude333
New member
I have to admit, Torres was really off last nite, wat a miss ( Header in front of open goal ). But Van der Sar's 2 mistakes were freaking funny, my friends and i laughed our heads off. Ferdinand actually had to tell him off! I felt that Liverpool were playing better, although their finishing was horrible. Kewell was another off form player, cldn't even zahm Wes Brown! Shoulda played Babel from the start, as his near-miss showed. Hargreaves was more solid than Mascherano today ( a rarity ), the way he tackle almost every player. The corner was well-worked, gd goal, although Benayoun shoulda come off his line to tackle Tevez. But Rooney's miss was super bad. 1-on-1, shoots it well wide. All-in-all, a disappointing defeat for Liverpool, a lucky win for Man U.
I feel that the Arsenal Chelsea match was better tho, better quality of football, although i was surprised at the few long balls Arsenal tried. Passing suits them better. But they are seriously siao. Even in penalty box still wanna pass. Shoot lar, dun guniang lar Adebayor and Co. The only player in Arsenal who actually shoots often is Van Persie. And the goal was paradoxical, Arsenal were playing passing football, yet their goal came from a corner, a 'long ball' type goal. And why did Gallas score? Bcos Cech also got the 'Van der Sar' syndrome, so eager to come off his line. I must admit, Almunia was superb last nite. Several excellent saves. Shows why Lehmann and his overinflated ego will never reclaim the gloves. And again, another horrible miss by Wright-Phillips. 6 yards in front of goal and he slices it wide.
I feel that the Arsenal Chelsea match was better tho, better quality of football, although i was surprised at the few long balls Arsenal tried. Passing suits them better. But they are seriously siao. Even in penalty box still wanna pass. Shoot lar, dun guniang lar Adebayor and Co. The only player in Arsenal who actually shoots often is Van Persie. And the goal was paradoxical, Arsenal were playing passing football, yet their goal came from a corner, a 'long ball' type goal. And why did Gallas score? Bcos Cech also got the 'Van der Sar' syndrome, so eager to come off his line. I must admit, Almunia was superb last nite. Several excellent saves. Shows why Lehmann and his overinflated ego will never reclaim the gloves. And again, another horrible miss by Wright-Phillips. 6 yards in front of goal and he slices it wide.
ShadowsDiamond
New member
Torres was off form???? He was not but Vidic and Rio were right behind is butt all the time
Ronaldo was the one off form
fgl
Well-known member
in case u forget, AFC had two wronglly disallowd goalss which were later proven as "ok" ...
chelski were dam lucky coz the score shud have been 3-0!
Terry deserves it, like to ttarokk ppl, kena tarok back chalat chalat...kudos to Eboue...
THE GUNNERS JUGGERNAUT KEEPS ON ROLLIING!
chelski were dam lucky coz the score shud have been 3-0!
Terry deserves it, like to ttarokk ppl, kena tarok back chalat chalat...kudos to Eboue...
THE GUNNERS JUGGERNAUT KEEPS ON ROLLIING!
fgl
Well-known member
Flamini - Our self-belief just grows and grows
Arsenal 1-0 Chelsea
Barclays Premier League
Emirates Stadium
Sun, Dec 16, 2007, 4pm
By Richard Clarke
Mathieu Flamini feels Arsenal’s belief in their title-winning credentials is growing all the time.
The midfield dynamo helped Arsène Wenger’s side to a dramatic 1-0 win over Chelsea at Emirates Stadium. It was a major fillip for Arsenal after last week’s defeat at Middlesbrough, it also sent them back to the top of the table after Manchester United’s victory at Liverpool on Sunday had seen them temporarily takeover. Flamini feels they can stay there.
“Since the start [of the season] we have believed we can do it,” he said. “And we get more belief all the time. This win over Chelsea showed we can beat the big teams in England.
“It was a very difficult game, but we knew that before. We needed to be strong and we knew we would have a chance to score. We controlled the game even if, at the end, they had a few chances.
“Chelsea are a strong team and defend well. We were trying to play our game, but had to be very strong first. If you do not win the fight in this kind of game, you cannot play your football. We scored just before half-time and after that tried to control the game.”
The win means Arsenal have now been top of the Premier League for three months. In Flamini’s eyes, they have the strength and spirit to cope with the rigours of a title-winning campaign.
“Man United had won again, so we had to win,” he said. “It was important to stay in the title race. We’d lost against Boro because maybe we were a bit tired. Everybody else thought we could not do it today, but we did it because we were strong.
“We had proven against Villa and in other games away [that we could fight], and we did it again today. We won the battles and at the end we played our own game. The team spirit was fantastic again and when you see that on the pitch, you believe we can win every game.”
Arsenal 1-0 Chelsea
Barclays Premier League
Emirates Stadium
Sun, Dec 16, 2007, 4pm
By Richard Clarke
Mathieu Flamini feels Arsenal’s belief in their title-winning credentials is growing all the time.
The midfield dynamo helped Arsène Wenger’s side to a dramatic 1-0 win over Chelsea at Emirates Stadium. It was a major fillip for Arsenal after last week’s defeat at Middlesbrough, it also sent them back to the top of the table after Manchester United’s victory at Liverpool on Sunday had seen them temporarily takeover. Flamini feels they can stay there.
“Since the start [of the season] we have believed we can do it,” he said. “And we get more belief all the time. This win over Chelsea showed we can beat the big teams in England.
“It was a very difficult game, but we knew that before. We needed to be strong and we knew we would have a chance to score. We controlled the game even if, at the end, they had a few chances.
“Chelsea are a strong team and defend well. We were trying to play our game, but had to be very strong first. If you do not win the fight in this kind of game, you cannot play your football. We scored just before half-time and after that tried to control the game.”
The win means Arsenal have now been top of the Premier League for three months. In Flamini’s eyes, they have the strength and spirit to cope with the rigours of a title-winning campaign.
“Man United had won again, so we had to win,” he said. “It was important to stay in the title race. We’d lost against Boro because maybe we were a bit tired. Everybody else thought we could not do it today, but we did it because we were strong.
“We had proven against Villa and in other games away [that we could fight], and we did it again today. We won the battles and at the end we played our own game. The team spirit was fantastic again and when you see that on the pitch, you believe we can win every game.”
matt-muser
New member
it should be a well deserved draw.
fgl
Well-known member
'His signing looks like a good bit of business'
Blackburn Rovers v Arsenal
Carling Cup Q/F
Ewood Park
Tue, Dec 18, 2007, 8pm
By Chris Harris
From seven wins in a row to one win in seven - what's gone wrong at Blackburn? Mark Hughes' side have a well-deserved reputation for being hard to beat but something must be up when you're shipping five goals at Wigan and four at home to Aston Villa.
Never mind. If anything can fire up this faltering Blackburn side, it's the visit of Arsenal. Rovers always make life tough for the Gunners at Ewood Park and tonight they will entertain the Premier League pacesetters for the fourth time in this calendar year. Three tight, tense encounters have spawned a win apiece plus a draw - expect another close call when the sides lock horns in the Carling Cup.
We spoke to Andy Neild of the Lancashire Evening Telegraph to get a Blackburn perspective ahead of the Quarter-Final tie. Read on for his explanation of Blackburn's recent problems, the impact of new boy Roque Santa Cruz, the need to freshen up the squad in January and the three previous meetings at Ewood Park in 2007.
THE STORY SO FAR
"They ran into a tough run of fixtures against Liverpool and Manchester United. They picked up a few draws and lost their winning sequence. Since then they have struggled a little bit. They had a run of games in which you'd expect them to pick up points but they lost four, including two at home. One or two key players have lost a little bit of form, the likes of Ryan Nelsen, Chris Samba and Stephen Warnock, who were all very influential earlier in the season. That has disrupted the team a little bit and Blackburn have lost the fluency they had a couple of months ago.
"Mark Hughes prides himself on keeping things nice and tight at the back and they were achieving that earlier in the season - Nelsen and Samba looked a good combination. But for whatever reason both players are struggling and Rovers have shipped some soft goals, especially from set pieces."
MAN OF THE MOMENT
"Roque Santa Cruz. He came in during the summer, a bargain signing from Bayern Munich at £3.8 million which is looking like good business at the minute. He had a bit of a spell when he stopped scoring but he returned to form on Saturday with a hat-trick, albeit in a losing cause at Wigan."
NEW FACES
"I think someone will come in when the transfer window opens. Hughes will probably want to freshen the squad up a bit with one or two new faces but he will have to scour for bargains unless he was to cash in on one of his star players. I do expect a bit of movement in the window just to keep everyone on their toes and freshen things up.
"They possibly need a bit more creativity in midfield. Tugay has performed well again this season but he is 37 now and is coming towards the end of his career. This might be his last season. If there was one area where they are looking to invest some money it would be probably be a creative midfielder to play in the middle of the park."
TALKING TACTICS
"I think Hughes will have them fired up because he was desperately disappointed with their performance on Saturday, particularly in the first half when Rovers were 3-0 down after 37 minutes. He came out afterwards and said the first half was 'unacceptable', which is strong language from Hughes - he doesn't use those terms lightly. I think he'll make a couple of changes, try to shake things up a little and maybe give one or two of the fringe players a chance to show what they could do.
"They have an excellent record in the cup competitions since Hughes came to the club. He always tends to pick a fairly strong team, he doesn't make wholesale changes generally speaking. I think they've reached three semi-finals in his time at the club, in the FA Cup twice and the Carling Cup once. Hughes will be determined to make progress in this competition if he possibly can."
IMPRESSIONS OF ARSENAL
"I suppose the one game Rovers fans will pick out is the FA Cup replay at the start of the year when Benni McCarthy came off the bench and scored a wonderful goal in injury time to give Blackburn a 1-0 win. That was probably the highlight of the calendar year so far. They were comfortably beaten in the League, a cracking goal from Thierry Henry that day. And then in the League earlier this season Blackburn were the first team to take points off Arsenal. That was quite a feisty encounter, a few words were exchanged afterwards. They always tend to be incident-packed games between these two clubs, there is quite a bit of passion on view, and I'm sure Tuesday will be the same.
"I think Arsenal have surprised everyone. I don't think many people were tipping them to be title contenders at the start of the season having lost Henry. But their young players have matured very quickly, they have really found their feet at Premier League level and they deservedly sit at the top of the table. Arsenal play some exceptional stuff, they are good to watch and they play the game the right way. I think they have had a cracking season so far."
Blackburn Rovers v Arsenal
Carling Cup Q/F
Ewood Park
Tue, Dec 18, 2007, 8pm
By Chris Harris
From seven wins in a row to one win in seven - what's gone wrong at Blackburn? Mark Hughes' side have a well-deserved reputation for being hard to beat but something must be up when you're shipping five goals at Wigan and four at home to Aston Villa.
Never mind. If anything can fire up this faltering Blackburn side, it's the visit of Arsenal. Rovers always make life tough for the Gunners at Ewood Park and tonight they will entertain the Premier League pacesetters for the fourth time in this calendar year. Three tight, tense encounters have spawned a win apiece plus a draw - expect another close call when the sides lock horns in the Carling Cup.
We spoke to Andy Neild of the Lancashire Evening Telegraph to get a Blackburn perspective ahead of the Quarter-Final tie. Read on for his explanation of Blackburn's recent problems, the impact of new boy Roque Santa Cruz, the need to freshen up the squad in January and the three previous meetings at Ewood Park in 2007.
THE STORY SO FAR
"They ran into a tough run of fixtures against Liverpool and Manchester United. They picked up a few draws and lost their winning sequence. Since then they have struggled a little bit. They had a run of games in which you'd expect them to pick up points but they lost four, including two at home. One or two key players have lost a little bit of form, the likes of Ryan Nelsen, Chris Samba and Stephen Warnock, who were all very influential earlier in the season. That has disrupted the team a little bit and Blackburn have lost the fluency they had a couple of months ago.
"Mark Hughes prides himself on keeping things nice and tight at the back and they were achieving that earlier in the season - Nelsen and Samba looked a good combination. But for whatever reason both players are struggling and Rovers have shipped some soft goals, especially from set pieces."
MAN OF THE MOMENT
"Roque Santa Cruz. He came in during the summer, a bargain signing from Bayern Munich at £3.8 million which is looking like good business at the minute. He had a bit of a spell when he stopped scoring but he returned to form on Saturday with a hat-trick, albeit in a losing cause at Wigan."
NEW FACES
"I think someone will come in when the transfer window opens. Hughes will probably want to freshen the squad up a bit with one or two new faces but he will have to scour for bargains unless he was to cash in on one of his star players. I do expect a bit of movement in the window just to keep everyone on their toes and freshen things up.
"They possibly need a bit more creativity in midfield. Tugay has performed well again this season but he is 37 now and is coming towards the end of his career. This might be his last season. If there was one area where they are looking to invest some money it would be probably be a creative midfielder to play in the middle of the park."
TALKING TACTICS
"I think Hughes will have them fired up because he was desperately disappointed with their performance on Saturday, particularly in the first half when Rovers were 3-0 down after 37 minutes. He came out afterwards and said the first half was 'unacceptable', which is strong language from Hughes - he doesn't use those terms lightly. I think he'll make a couple of changes, try to shake things up a little and maybe give one or two of the fringe players a chance to show what they could do.
"They have an excellent record in the cup competitions since Hughes came to the club. He always tends to pick a fairly strong team, he doesn't make wholesale changes generally speaking. I think they've reached three semi-finals in his time at the club, in the FA Cup twice and the Carling Cup once. Hughes will be determined to make progress in this competition if he possibly can."
IMPRESSIONS OF ARSENAL
"I suppose the one game Rovers fans will pick out is the FA Cup replay at the start of the year when Benni McCarthy came off the bench and scored a wonderful goal in injury time to give Blackburn a 1-0 win. That was probably the highlight of the calendar year so far. They were comfortably beaten in the League, a cracking goal from Thierry Henry that day. And then in the League earlier this season Blackburn were the first team to take points off Arsenal. That was quite a feisty encounter, a few words were exchanged afterwards. They always tend to be incident-packed games between these two clubs, there is quite a bit of passion on view, and I'm sure Tuesday will be the same.
"I think Arsenal have surprised everyone. I don't think many people were tipping them to be title contenders at the start of the season having lost Henry. But their young players have matured very quickly, they have really found their feet at Premier League level and they deservedly sit at the top of the table. Arsenal play some exceptional stuff, they are good to watch and they play the game the right way. I think they have had a cracking season so far."
fgl
Well-known member
Match Report
Carling Cup Q/F
Ewood Park
Tuesday, December 18, 2007, 8pm
Blackburn Rovers2Santa Cruz 41, 59
Arsenal3Diaby 6, Eduardo 29, 105
By Chris Harris
Eduardo scored a dramatic extra-time winner as 10-man Arsenal won a Carling Cup thriller at Ewood Park.
The young Gunners led Blackburn by two goals after a first-half masterclass, Abou Diaby firing them ahead after six minutes and Eduardo doubling the advantage just before the half-hour mark. Indeed, had Nicklas Bendtner's shot dipped just below the crossbar, Arsenal could have been out of sight.
Instead, Blackburn were thrown a lifeline when Roque Santa Cruz poked a low cross past Lukasz Fabianski four minutes before the break. The same man headed an equaliser after an hour and, when Denilson was sent off after an altercation with Robbie Savage, the odds seemed stacked against Arsenal.
But yet again, Arsene Wenger's young players showed their character as well as their class. They resisted everything Rovers threw at them and then snatched a winner in the first half of extra time, Eduardo scoring his second with a low finish after Alex Song's driving run.
This incredible win, Arsenal's ninth Carling Cup triumph against Premier League opposition in five seasons, takes the Gunners into the Semi-Finals for the third successive season. After their gutsy display on a freezing Lancashire night, no one will fancy facing Arsenal in the last four.
Wenger would probably have changed his entire starting line-up even if tonight's fixture had not fallen two days after the visit of Chelsea. In the event, the big team news was the presence of Mark Randall. The 18-year-old Englishman was handed his first senior start on the right of midfield after Theo Walcott's late withdrawal from the squad through illness. The starting XI had an average age of just over 20; five teenagers occupied the bench.
Blackburn manager Mark Hughes dropped Benni McCarthy to the bench after their 5-3 weekend defeat at Wigan but Rovers were virtually at full strength. On paper it looked a stern test for Arsenal against a side whose 'blood and thunder' approach had ruffled their feathers in the past. In reality Arsenal gave their hosts a first-half football lesson.
The visitors were instantly into their groove and made the breakthrough after just six minutes. Randall picked out Bendtner with a clever pass in the right-hand channel and the Dane's precise cross picked out Diaby's run into the box. The Frenchman stubbed his shot into the ground and the ball looped over Brad Friedel and into the net. First blood to Arsenal.
The goal stunned Rovers and they were almost knocked cold three minutes later. Bendtner collected the ball 25 yards out and raced unchallenged into the left-hand side of the area. As a defender came across the Dane opened up his body and curled a sumptuous effort over Friedel and against the crossbar. So unlucky.
The masterclass continued. With Lassana Diarra and Denilson bossing midfield, Diaby orchestrating play from the left and Eduardo linking up well with Bendtner, Arsenal kept Rovers at arm's length. A second goal looked on the cards and it so nearly came after 19 minutes. Diaby played a cute pass into the box with the outside of his foot but Samba slid in to divert the ball behind for a corner as Eduardo lurked with intent.
Slowly, Rovers edged their way into the game. Bentley, probably the best player on the pitch who isn't currently on Arsenal's books, had a sighter with a long-range free-kick. Then David Dunn was first to a half-cleared cross, stepped inside a tackle and shot low towards the corner. Fabianski plunged to his left to push the ball aside impressively. Then Fabianski got across well to hold Bentley's effort down by his near post.
It augured well for the home side but seconds after belatedly joining the game, they went two behind. Bendtner found space 25 yards from goal on the right and slid a pass through towards Eduardo. Samba should really have dealt with it but the Rovers defender missed his clearance and Eduardo placed the ball past Friedel.
You sensed that a two-goal half-time lead would leave Rovers with too much to do, particularly given how well Arsenal were passing and moving. But the hosts were thrown a lifeline four minutes before the break. Dunn found Matt Derbyshire on the right and he curled in a fine low cross. Santa Cruz did the rest, poking the ball past Fabianksi from close range.
It was the perfect filip for Blackburn and they maintained their momentum after the break. Denilson and Diarra, afforded so much space to strut their stuff in the first half-hour, were closed down quicker. Traore and Justin Hoyte, supplementing the Arsenal attack before the break, were pushed back. Rovers were in the ascendancy.
They nearly equalised two minutes into the half when Robbie Savage, a passenger until then, lifted a pass over the visitors' defence and into Santa Cruz's path. Fabianski was already at the edge of his area and decided to stay put. It was the right decision - he got a hand on the striker's shot and, although the ball bounced off Fabianski and back towards Santa Cruz, Alex Song was now on hand to hoik the ball clear.
But the danger had not passed. Song glanced a defensive header just wide from a right-wing cross and then Bendtner headed just over his own crossbar after a wicked delivery from Bentley, 30 yards out and slightly in from the left-hand touchline. The former Arsenal man created the equaliser from an identical position just before the hour mark. This time Santa Cruz was first to the curling free-kick and Fabianski was given no chance.
The momentum was with the home side but Arsenal still had their chances, particularly on the counter-attack. Eduardo broke on the right and picked out Denilson's' run through the centre. He didn't have the pace to get beyond Ryan Nelsen but checked back and found Bendtner racing towards the box on the left. The Dane cut inside and shot low, but his effort was blocked.
With 14 minutes left Denilson turned provider again, swinging in a left-wing free-kick at pace. Senderos just failed to connect at the near post and Friedel gathered gratefully. Then Traore got forward to fire in a cross from the same flank; Eduardo could not get his head on it and the danger passed.
Santa Cruz, scorer of a hat-trick at the weekend, almost completed another treble with three minutes of normal time remaining but missed his kick as the ball span loose across the box. Then Arsenal's chances receded when Denilson, already booked, was sent off after clashing with Savage.
A nasty injury to substitute Nacer Barazite - making only his second appearance for Arsenal - took up much of the first half of extra time. It also sent the game into a lull and the visitors used up a number of uneventful minutes before a clinical attack gave them an unlikely lead.
Song was the instigator, collecting the ball on the halfway line and jinking past two challenges before opting to drive forward instead of playing the obvious square pass. Song picked out Eduardo's run with a precise through-ball and the Croatian did the rest, firing wide of Friedel. Arsenal had just under 20 minutes to hold on.
Another Song-led break saw Bendtner try and sneak in but he was denied by Friedel, racing out to gather the ball as it was played into the box by Eduardo. But Rovers cranked up the pressure again and went close when Morten Gamst Pedersen's free kick flew just wide.
Benni McCarthy fired just wide after finding space in the area and Rovers continued to threaten from set-pieces, whilePedersen lashed high and wide when well placed. Then Samba headed against the post with a minute to go. It was heart-stopping stuff, but Arsenal defended heroically to make their manager proud and take a huge step towards a first Wembley final.
Carling Cup Q/F
Ewood Park
Tuesday, December 18, 2007, 8pm
Blackburn Rovers2Santa Cruz 41, 59
Arsenal3Diaby 6, Eduardo 29, 105
By Chris Harris
Eduardo scored a dramatic extra-time winner as 10-man Arsenal won a Carling Cup thriller at Ewood Park.
The young Gunners led Blackburn by two goals after a first-half masterclass, Abou Diaby firing them ahead after six minutes and Eduardo doubling the advantage just before the half-hour mark. Indeed, had Nicklas Bendtner's shot dipped just below the crossbar, Arsenal could have been out of sight.
Instead, Blackburn were thrown a lifeline when Roque Santa Cruz poked a low cross past Lukasz Fabianski four minutes before the break. The same man headed an equaliser after an hour and, when Denilson was sent off after an altercation with Robbie Savage, the odds seemed stacked against Arsenal.
But yet again, Arsene Wenger's young players showed their character as well as their class. They resisted everything Rovers threw at them and then snatched a winner in the first half of extra time, Eduardo scoring his second with a low finish after Alex Song's driving run.
This incredible win, Arsenal's ninth Carling Cup triumph against Premier League opposition in five seasons, takes the Gunners into the Semi-Finals for the third successive season. After their gutsy display on a freezing Lancashire night, no one will fancy facing Arsenal in the last four.
Wenger would probably have changed his entire starting line-up even if tonight's fixture had not fallen two days after the visit of Chelsea. In the event, the big team news was the presence of Mark Randall. The 18-year-old Englishman was handed his first senior start on the right of midfield after Theo Walcott's late withdrawal from the squad through illness. The starting XI had an average age of just over 20; five teenagers occupied the bench.
Blackburn manager Mark Hughes dropped Benni McCarthy to the bench after their 5-3 weekend defeat at Wigan but Rovers were virtually at full strength. On paper it looked a stern test for Arsenal against a side whose 'blood and thunder' approach had ruffled their feathers in the past. In reality Arsenal gave their hosts a first-half football lesson.
The visitors were instantly into their groove and made the breakthrough after just six minutes. Randall picked out Bendtner with a clever pass in the right-hand channel and the Dane's precise cross picked out Diaby's run into the box. The Frenchman stubbed his shot into the ground and the ball looped over Brad Friedel and into the net. First blood to Arsenal.
The goal stunned Rovers and they were almost knocked cold three minutes later. Bendtner collected the ball 25 yards out and raced unchallenged into the left-hand side of the area. As a defender came across the Dane opened up his body and curled a sumptuous effort over Friedel and against the crossbar. So unlucky.
The masterclass continued. With Lassana Diarra and Denilson bossing midfield, Diaby orchestrating play from the left and Eduardo linking up well with Bendtner, Arsenal kept Rovers at arm's length. A second goal looked on the cards and it so nearly came after 19 minutes. Diaby played a cute pass into the box with the outside of his foot but Samba slid in to divert the ball behind for a corner as Eduardo lurked with intent.
Slowly, Rovers edged their way into the game. Bentley, probably the best player on the pitch who isn't currently on Arsenal's books, had a sighter with a long-range free-kick. Then David Dunn was first to a half-cleared cross, stepped inside a tackle and shot low towards the corner. Fabianski plunged to his left to push the ball aside impressively. Then Fabianski got across well to hold Bentley's effort down by his near post.
It augured well for the home side but seconds after belatedly joining the game, they went two behind. Bendtner found space 25 yards from goal on the right and slid a pass through towards Eduardo. Samba should really have dealt with it but the Rovers defender missed his clearance and Eduardo placed the ball past Friedel.
You sensed that a two-goal half-time lead would leave Rovers with too much to do, particularly given how well Arsenal were passing and moving. But the hosts were thrown a lifeline four minutes before the break. Dunn found Matt Derbyshire on the right and he curled in a fine low cross. Santa Cruz did the rest, poking the ball past Fabianksi from close range.
It was the perfect filip for Blackburn and they maintained their momentum after the break. Denilson and Diarra, afforded so much space to strut their stuff in the first half-hour, were closed down quicker. Traore and Justin Hoyte, supplementing the Arsenal attack before the break, were pushed back. Rovers were in the ascendancy.
They nearly equalised two minutes into the half when Robbie Savage, a passenger until then, lifted a pass over the visitors' defence and into Santa Cruz's path. Fabianski was already at the edge of his area and decided to stay put. It was the right decision - he got a hand on the striker's shot and, although the ball bounced off Fabianski and back towards Santa Cruz, Alex Song was now on hand to hoik the ball clear.
But the danger had not passed. Song glanced a defensive header just wide from a right-wing cross and then Bendtner headed just over his own crossbar after a wicked delivery from Bentley, 30 yards out and slightly in from the left-hand touchline. The former Arsenal man created the equaliser from an identical position just before the hour mark. This time Santa Cruz was first to the curling free-kick and Fabianski was given no chance.
The momentum was with the home side but Arsenal still had their chances, particularly on the counter-attack. Eduardo broke on the right and picked out Denilson's' run through the centre. He didn't have the pace to get beyond Ryan Nelsen but checked back and found Bendtner racing towards the box on the left. The Dane cut inside and shot low, but his effort was blocked.
With 14 minutes left Denilson turned provider again, swinging in a left-wing free-kick at pace. Senderos just failed to connect at the near post and Friedel gathered gratefully. Then Traore got forward to fire in a cross from the same flank; Eduardo could not get his head on it and the danger passed.
Santa Cruz, scorer of a hat-trick at the weekend, almost completed another treble with three minutes of normal time remaining but missed his kick as the ball span loose across the box. Then Arsenal's chances receded when Denilson, already booked, was sent off after clashing with Savage.
A nasty injury to substitute Nacer Barazite - making only his second appearance for Arsenal - took up much of the first half of extra time. It also sent the game into a lull and the visitors used up a number of uneventful minutes before a clinical attack gave them an unlikely lead.
Song was the instigator, collecting the ball on the halfway line and jinking past two challenges before opting to drive forward instead of playing the obvious square pass. Song picked out Eduardo's run with a precise through-ball and the Croatian did the rest, firing wide of Friedel. Arsenal had just under 20 minutes to hold on.
Another Song-led break saw Bendtner try and sneak in but he was denied by Friedel, racing out to gather the ball as it was played into the box by Eduardo. But Rovers cranked up the pressure again and went close when Morten Gamst Pedersen's free kick flew just wide.
Benni McCarthy fired just wide after finding space in the area and Rovers continued to threaten from set-pieces, whilePedersen lashed high and wide when well placed. Then Samba headed against the post with a minute to go. It was heart-stopping stuff, but Arsenal defended heroically to make their manager proud and take a huge step towards a first Wembley final.
Dime
New member
eduardo seems a quiet dude at arsenal.which club is he from btw?not really into arsenal but i admire the players as individuals.can any chelsea fan explain to me what has shevchenko been doing at stmford bridge.he doesn't seem to proof he is worthy of his price tag.there was a rumour that any chelsea player to ever wear no. 7 will have a bad career.thats a jinx no.
JaarVis.
New member
heyy. im a chelsea fan. yeaaaa. about the shevchenko thing , yeaa. his performance isnt up to standard since the time he came to chelsea. there were times during matches where he'd be subbed out for poor performances. its realli quite saddening to see him deprove like that. he was such an asset when he was in A.C . i prefer drogba and kalou though. hmm. about the number 7 thing. hahaha. i dun believe in that kinda stuffs. maybe its jus bad luck or smth luh. as in , hahaha. y'know wad i mean. but still , i have faith in chelsea , in shevv and the other players. i know they can still do it. still lookin at the performance of the team after mourinho left. dunno if its better or not. ha.
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