| [ SportsLeisure ] in KIDS 글 쓴 이(By): Param (GoSeahawks) 날 짜 (Date): 2006년 1월 22일 일요일 오후 05시 40분 49초 제 목(Title): Re: 펌/ 에버튼 v 아스날 가디언 매치 리포트 입니다. 뜬금없지만,, 내일 플레이오프에서 시애틀 시학스가 슈퍼볼에 진출하기를 기원하면서.. 같은 풋볼이니까~~ 시애틀은 광란의 분위기입니다. 잠도 안올듯.. Everton too tough for tame Arsenal Paul Wilson Sunday January 22, 2006 The Observer Who needs Theo Walcott at ￡12m when you can have Alan Stubbs back on a free? Those two bits of transfer window business said much about the contrasting states of these two clubs, yet as Everton breezed to a fourth successive Premiership victory, putting talk of a relegation struggle a long way behind them and inflicting Arsenal's seventh defeat of the season in the process, the worry for the travelling supporters was that the home side definitely boasted the most secure central defence. Article continues -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Even when Stubbs came on after half an hour when Matteo Ferrari twisted an ankle - inevitably inviting Scouse wags to observe that Everton had swapped a Ferrari for an old banger - Arsenal were unable to find any way through a solid blue line. David Weir and Stubbs in the middle were ably supported by Tony Hibbert and Nuno Valente on the flanks, with tenacious midfielders Tim Cahill and Phil Neville winning most of the battles in front of them, and Arsenal ended up in frustrated disarray. Freddie Ljungberg was playing at right-back in a last desperate reshuffle to accommodate Alexander Hleb when Cesc Fabregas received the first red card of his career in stoppage time, allowing his temper to get the better of him and seizing the admittedly irritating Cahill by the throat. 'I felt Fabregas did push Cahill so he might have deserved a red card,' Arsene Wenger said, defending the 62nd dismissal of his Arsenal tenure. 'He was lenient to Cahill though because he was pushing too, and he had just tried to catch Thierry Henry and got away with it.' Somewhat feebly Wenger blamed sunlight slanting over the Park End stand for blinding his defenders in the first half, but was prepared to accept after a sixth away defeat that he needs to find a solution to the problem of teams aggressively denying Arsenal space. 'I'm worried about our results away from home this season,' he admitted. 'We have not found a convincing response to this kind of challenge, we need to be more muscular. Credit to Everton, they are efficient at physical combat. You could not say it was real football, but that is the only kind of game we are getting at the moment. I should think it will be the same next week at Bolton.' All music to David Moyes' ears, of course. If that was physical combat, the erstwhile School of Science does not object. 'It went exactly as we planned it,' the Everton manager said. 'We didn't allow them any space at all, because if you do they can cut you open, and we kept at it the whole game. Some people on both sides were getting a bit feisty by the end and I think that's sometimes what people want to see.' The excellence of the Everton defence was in contrast to the confusion at the heart of the Arsenal rearguard, where Sol Campbell and Phillippe Senderos played like strangers. Both were culpable when Everton took the lead after just 13 minutes, something of a surprise to the Goodison crowd as Arsenal had started with their usual briskness and moments earlier had passed their way through Everton's cover in a move that saw Ljungberg's shot touched on to a post. Almost straightaway Everton came downfield, Cahill's hopeful ball forward from the halfway line producing unexpected results when James Beattie, more with persistence than pace, held off first Senderos then Campbell to flick a shot past the stranded Jens Lehmann. Arsenal still had more than an hour to rescue the situation, but failed so miserably they were lucky not to be further behind at half time. Beattie missed a glorious opportunity to extend Everton's lead on 25 minutes, swooping alertly onto an underhit back-pass from Fabregas, but then showboating with a first-time shot. He missed an open goal by a surprising distance, with plenty of time to take a touch, or even to look up and sight the target before shooting. He would have been kicking himself had Arsenal managed an equaliser. Fortunately for him there was little sign of that happening. With Henry quiet to the point of mute and Arsenal's midfield never allowed to settle, the best the visitors could come up with before the interval was a solitary chance from which Jose Reyes should have done better than shoot straight at Nigel Martyn. There was even less in the second half, unless you count tame efforts from Robert Pires and Gilberto towards the end. Beattie had the ball in the net again just before half-time, only to be denied by an offside flag that looked harsh, and was only prevented from reaching Leon Osman's cross for a second goal in the 65th minute by a terrific block from Campbell. This after Arsenal had just spent 20 minutes pressing at the other end, without getting anywhere near as close to goal. 'We were on top but we didn't create chances,' was Wenger's fair assessment. 'I don't know why that is, it would be difficult to play with more offensive players in the team.' That's offensive in the attacking sense, of course. What Arsenal really need to do, in what is turning into their worst season under Wenger, is take a leaf out of Everton's book and be more offensive in the in-your-face sense. Man of the match: Tony Hibbert Everyone impressed for Everton - James Beattie was Sky's man of the match, but he handed the award to Leon Osman. Phil Neville, Tim Cahill, even the elegant Mikel Arteta all bristled with intent, but no one epitomised Everton's commitment more than their right-back. Arsenal could not get past him. Match Facts FA Premiership Saturday January 21, 2006 FT Everton 1-0 Arsenal 14' Beattie 1-0 45' Beattie 56' Nuno Valente 70' Silva 90' Reyes 90' Hibbert 90' Fabregas 90' Cahill Everton Nigel Martyn, Matteo Ferrari (Alan Stubbs), Tony Hibbert, Phil Neville, Jorge Pereira Silva Nuno Valente, David Weir, Mikel Amatriain Arteta (Duncan Ferguson), Tim Cahill, Kevin Kilbane, Leon Osman, James Beattie Arsenal Jens Lehmann, Sol Campbell, Kerrea Gilbert (Aleksandr Hleb), Etame Mayer Lauren, Philippe Senderos, Cesc Fabregas, Fredrik Ljungberg, Robert Pires (Vassiriki Abou Diaby), Gilberto Silva, Thierry Henry, Jose Antonio Reyes Referee: Wiley, A Venue: Goodison Park Attendance: 36,920 Corners: Everton 5 Arsenal 6 Goal Attempts: Everton 9 Arsenal 15 On Target: Everton 3 Arsenal 5 That old law about "an eye for an eye" leaves everybody blind. The time is always right to do the right thing. |