Sunday, November 14, 2010

Everton 1-2 Arsenal...

For almost eighty minutes, it is just about the best performance of the season from Arsenal. Difficult venue. Tough opposition. Arsenal solid at the back (!) and looking fairly sparky in the final third, too. An unlikely scorer gives the Gunners the lead. After Nasri's shot is parried by Howard, Arshavin retrieves and lays it off to Sagna inside the area. Everton stand off, maybe thinking he can't score. Wrong, 1-0.

Second half kicks off with a lovely finish from an otherwise still below-par Fabregas. Denilson looks to have over played things on the edge of the box. Finds Fabregas. Fabregas- Chamakh- dinky pass- Fabregas- goal. Job done?

Nasri and Chamakh should seal it. First the Frenchman threatens another classic solo goal. Howard saves well. He plays in Fabregas, whose driven cross finds Chamakh. Spooned over the bar from point blank. Will it be punished?

Probably would have been but for the erratic Fabianski. Today, as against Wolves, is one of his good days. Arsenal slacken in the final 15 (complacency? fatigue?), and Everton find the reserves for a stirring finale. Should be on the scoresheet before Cahill scores, but Fabianski denies Beckford, Pienaar, Saha. Wenger responds to the goal by replacing Chamakh with not Bendtner, but Eboue. Invites late onslaught, but little trouble materialises.

A GREAT WIN, the weekend that's in it. Chelsea lose. United draw again. City in turmoil. A strange season so far, as unpredictable as any in memory.

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