Gunners "gunned" down by Lilywhites in dramatic London Derby - Part 1
The London derby between Tottenham and Arsenal was a classic showpiece of the Barclays Premier League. In a match that had end to end fast paced action from start to finish, the Gunners took a two goal lead but lost 3-2 in the end. Arsenal took the two goal lead into half-time but Harry Redknapp’s side put in a spirited performance after the interval to leave Arsenal shell-shocked as Spurs hit back strongly to deal the title contenders a major blow.
The game began with a bit of excitement as Arsenal midfielder refused to shake the hand of ex-Gunner William Gallas. This extra bit of spice from the beginning set up the match well for the spectators who were quite vocal in supporting their teams. A high tempo opening saw Arsenal immediately on the attack with Fabregas finding enough space to manage to split the Tottenham defence and slide a pass through to Samir Nasri, but the Frenchman was quickly dispossessed by Gallas. At the other end, Spurs managed to get a corner which failed to trouble the Arsenal goalkeeper Lukas Fabianski. Soon after, Arsenal began to settle into their one-touch passing game and began to dominate the midfield.
This pressure from Arsenal bore fruit when a cross was sent into the Spur's six-yard box that keeper Heurelho Gomes was unable to gather cleanly and was made to pay for his error. Cesc Fabregas managed an accurate pass through to Frenchman Samir Nasri who used his pace to reach the ball and slide it past Gomes from a narrow angle. Again Gomes' keeping was under scrutiny as he was hesitant in making a move towards the on-rushing Frenchman and allowed him to scurry past him and score the goal.
Arsenal nearly added another goal almost immediately when Fabregas found Moroccan Marouane Chamakh but the linesman blew the whistle for offside. Replays later showed that the decision was a harsh one and Arsenal were denied a chance to have a two goal cushion. However, Arsenal didn't have to wait long to get their two goal cushion as a brilliant passing move resulted in the second goal. Once again, Fabregas began the move and passed the ball to diminutive pacy winger Andrey Arshavin who fizzed the ball across the face of the goal. Spur's defender seemed to have things under control but Marouane Chamakh showed his desire to get the ball and poked it into the back of the net, getting in front of the defender at the last moment.
Tottenham were looking frustrated and dispirited as they began to over-run in the midfield and were unable to establish a foothold. This frustration was there for all to see when Spur's midfielder resorted to pot shots from well outside the penalty area. First, Croatian midfield wizard Luka Modric smashed a shot goal wards that Fabianski, in his bright pink attire, managed to stop. Then, Dutchman Rafael Vander Vaart struck a shot that sailed high and wide over the cross bar. Van der Vaart, who had been in sensational form since his arrival from Real Madrid, had not managed to hit his stride and get involved in the game till then and that was the major reason Spurs were unable to test the Arsenal rearguard.
Towards the end of first half, Gunners nearly had Spurs dead and buried. Cesc Fabregas once again managed to thread a pass through to Chamakh but Spur's defender Younes Kaboul was able to marshal the situation and prevent further misery for the fans. That was the final bit of action from the first half which had largely been dominated by Arsenal. At the break, experts highlighted the ineffectiveness of Spurs midfield paring of Luka Modric and Van der Vaart and the brilliant form of Arsenal captain Fabregas which has made all the difference. Another reason why Tottenham were not playing well was because Bale was being double teamed time and again and Nasri and Song both were helping Sagna out in keeping him quiet.
Almost everyone in the stands and those watching at their homes were confident of an Arsenal victory and were just waiting to see how many more goals the Gunners could score. The second half could not have been more unpredictable.
To be continued in Part 2...
Tags: