Arsenal vs. Sunderland

Mr Alan

does Wenger care that arsenal seem so so fragile at the back?

L'prof

OPENROAD wrote: »

Theo needs as much game time as possible to get his confidence back.

I suppose, he'll till be quick at this stage of the game when Sunderland are tiring!

magma69

Arsenal are threading on thin ice. I reckon there will be a goal before the final whistle. Don't know who will get it though.

magma69

Linesman should be sent off for exaggerating injury!:D

Redzer7

Mr Alan wrote: »

does Wenger care that arsenal seem so so fragile at the back?

Nope he's just putting on a right back for a right mid for the craic like.
:rolleyes:

Mr Alan

i meant in general. and i also asked that before that substitution occured.

L'prof

Eboue's had a good game but, how has he not been booked for his diving yet???

ctrl-alt-delete

Macari gives Fabregas MoM award, what ga,e has he been watching,

Very difficult to pick one though, it has been that kind of game, think Eboue deserved it more myself.

mayordenis

Macari knows so little about football, thought this was one of Fab's worse games, Eboue really should get man of the match.

OPENROAD

How the **** was that a foul :mad::mad:

mayordenis

Crazy decision? what the **** is macari on about?

stupid commentary again, clear clear foul.

everdead.ie

Fabergas mom? I would of thought edboue he's been hobling with an injury since the Cana tackle

Redzer7

:pac::pac:

mayordenis wrote: »

Crazy decision? what the **** is macari on about?

stupid commentary again, clear clear foul.

mayordenis

OPENROAD wrote: »

How the **** was that a foul :mad::mad:

I'm just going to go ahead and say this, you can't lie down on the pitch and trip someone up.

:mad::mad::mad:

oh noes.

Souless

OPENROAD wrote: »

How the **** was that a foul :mad::mad:

F*cking rediculous, here comes the equaliser! :mad:

L'prof

Definite free kick for that foul on Bendtner!!!

Mr Alan wrote: »

i meant in general. and i also asked that before that substitution occured.

I'm sure he does, we don't really have adequate cover but, our first choice back four are all very good (individually at least), even if Sagna and Clichy have been below par (when fit) this season!

How do they get a free there!!!

Thank fook for that!

mayordenis

Souless wrote: »

F*cking rediculous, here comes the equaliser! :mad:

it was a definite foul you guys make me lol some times.

I really wanted yee to win this game, but the reaction there made me really want sunderland to score that free kick, just because you're all wrong.

OPENROAD

FFS let the Eboue incident from last season go :rolleyes:

Redzer7

mayordenis wrote: »

it was a definite foul you guys make me lol some times.

I really wanted yee to win this game, but the reaction there made me really want sunderland to score that free kick, just because you're all wrong.

Ok!!!
Peno!!

mayordenis

definite penalty too.

**** off Macari, clueless again.

Souless

mayordenis wrote: »

it was a definite foul you guys make me lol some times.

I really wanted yee to win this game, but the reaction there made me really want sunderland to score that free kick, just because you're all wrong.

How is it a foul? Vermalen fell over and didn't touch Bent.

L'prof

mayordenis wrote: »

it was a definite foul you guys make me lol some times.

I really wanted yee to win this game, but the reaction there made me really want sunderland to score that free kick, just because you're all wrong.

I didn't see it to be honest but, we were clearly fouled at the other end in a similar position!

Penalty!!!

OPENROAD

Penalty!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

ctrl-alt-delete

Penalty given by the linesman, looked outsidish too.

Can't say they don't deserve a 2nd

OPENROAD

Yes!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Redzer7

All the way!

mayordenis

Souless wrote: »

How is it a foul? Vermalen fell over and didn't touch Bent.

He did touch him, he was lying behind him and tripped him like that old prank where guy crouches behind someone elses pushes them over. Classic really.

Eire-Dearg

Tucked it away nicely.

L'prof

Fairly poor performance but, I'm delighted with the three points!

Mr Alan

never a penalty to be honest. shoulder to shoulder and fabregas just flopped to the ground.

Chardee MacDennis

bruce out :pac:

Redzer7

Tomorrows papers

"Revenge of the linesman" .

OPENROAD

mayordenis wrote: »

He did touch him, he was lying behind him and tripped him like that old prank where guy crouches behind someone elses pushes them over. Classic really.

Have to see it again but certainly didn't see it like that, will wastch MOTD later.

Souless

mayordenis wrote: »

He did touch him, he was lying behind him and tripped him like that old prank where guy crouches behind someone elses pushes them over. Classic really.

it was hardly intentional though

mayordenis

Mr Alan wrote: »

never a penalty to be honest. shoulder to shoulder and fabregas just flopped to the ground.

Stone wall penalty alan, whoever it was stuck a leg in between fabregas' legs and tripped him.

ctrl-alt-delete

mayordenis wrote: »

He did touch him, he was lying behind him and tripped him like that old prank where guy crouches behind someone elses pushes them over. Classic really.

I thought the same too. It is not a foul in the classic sense of the word, but i would have given the free too.


Game Over.

OPENROAD

Happy days that will do me

Souless

jasonorr wrote: »

Fairly poor performance but, I'm delighted with the three points!

Exactly 3 points was the main thing

mayordenis

Souless wrote: »

it was hardly intentional though

I agree fully, doesn't matter though, intent only matters for the card, the foul is still a foul.

Mr Alan

mayordenis wrote: »

Stone wall penalty alan, whoever it was stuck a leg in between fabregas' legs and tripped him.

Are we talking about the same incident?!

ctrl-alt-delete

Souless wrote: »

it was hardly intentional though

No it wasn't, but i don't think it's fair to punish Bent in that regard, given that Vermaelen made the "mistake" in falling over.

DenMan

Job well done. Happy Days. Great work ethic by Eboue, very impressed with him.

2-0

Redzer7

2 nil to the Arsenal, 2 nil to the Arsenal....

mayordenis

Mr Alan wrote: »

Are we talking about the same incident?!

Yep I could be wrong of course, fairly sure I saw a leg stuck in that knocked Fab, you can normally tell by the way his leg shunts.

leninbenjamin

mayordenis wrote: »

it was a definite foul you guys make me lol some times.

I really wanted yee to win this game, but the reaction there made me really want sunderland to score that free kick, just because you're all wrong.

mayordenis wrote: »

He did touch him, he was lying behind him and tripped him like that old prank where guy crouches behind someone elses pushes them over. Classic really.

WTF? You're giving out to Arsenal fans here for not thinking it was a foul? Where were you in the first half when turner pulled the same stunt on Fabregas on the edge of the box? Sounds more like you want an excuse to have a go at Arsenal fans tbh.

mayordenis

leninbenjamin wrote: »

WTF? You're giving out to Arsenal fans here for not thinking it was a foul? Where were you in the first half when turner pulled the same stunt on Fabregas on the edge of the box? Sounds more like you want an excuse to have a go at Arsenal fans tbh.

what you couldn't be more wrong, I've been shouting for Arsenal all game, I honestly didn't see the 1st half incident as I only saw about the half the first half,
I only said it because Macari was spouting out about it, and several other people seemed angry, about what is a definite if unintentional foul.

So come on give it a break. I was just pointing out wrongness.

Galvasean

re:the penalty. It was a definate foul, but I honestly think the incidint started outside the box so probably should have been a free kick on the edge.

Deserved win for the Gunners overall when you stack up teh respective teams' chances.

Bit of a laugh Setanta giving Cesc man of the match. Both Song and Eboué (:eek:) played much better than he did.

MementoMori

Came across this piece of comedy gold.

Didn't realise Walcott had been quite so inspiring today:D:D:D

Walcott inspires Arsenal to win over Sunderland

By Frank Malley, PA
Saturday, 20 February 2010

Theo Walcott may not yet have secured his seat on England's World Cup plane to South Africa.

But he could hardly have turned in a better audition than the performance he produced in front of England manager Fabio Capello at the Emirates stadium today.

Nicklas Bendtner scored the first-half goal and Cesc Fabregas the injury-time penalty which defeated a sterile Sunderland side but it was Walcott who produced the pace and the menace.

At times it had shades of Zagreb 2008, the night Walcott scored a hat-trick against Croatia which set England on the right course in their World Cup qualifying campaign.

There were no goals this time but if you want a winger to terrorise defenders, then Walcott in this mood does it better than most.

But if Walcott was Arsenal's most lethal attacker, the other man who made the difference was Manuel Almunia.

Arsene Wenger had been anxious to stress his support for Lukasz Fabianski after the young Polish goalkeeper's two howlers had sunk the Gunners in their Champions League defeat against Porto in midweek, but it did not stretch to keeping him in the side.

He went for the experience of 34-year-old Almunia, who was back after passing a fitness test on an injured finger. Sol Campbell, whose backpass also contributed to the Gunners' downfall, started on the bench.

But if the disappointment of Portugal lingered then it did not show. Arsenal were quicker to the ball, Fabregas and Aaron Ramsey seizing control in midfield with their slide-rule passing and pretty patterns.

Walcott announced his desire as early as the fourth minute, sprinting past Sunderland full-back George McCartney like an Olympic finalist - which is not that far-fetched, considering he has been timed at a hand-held 10.2 seconds for 100m.

McCartney must have wondered then if it had been a good idea to get out of bed this particular Saturday.

The answer came time and again over the next hour or so as Walcott tempted him in and then left him in his wake in a straight foot race.

Quite how Sunderland went in only one goal down in that first-half is one of life's little mysteries.

McCartney was part of the reason, deflecting one Samir Nasri shot over the crossbar and then somehow diverting a Bendtner left-foot blast on to the bar only to see it bounce to safety.

The opening goal, however, came courtesy of a slaloming run from Emmanuel Eboue which would not have been out of place on the slopes in Vancouver.

At the end of it he found a precision pass across the box which found Bendtner loitering in cavernous space at the far post. Bendtner may have scored easier goals but it is doubtful.

True, Fraizer Campbell did bring one fine save from Almunia - and how Kenwyne Jones did not score when clean through with only Almunia to beat, only he knows. But for the most part Steve Bruce's side were out-thought, out-manoeuvred and out-played.

They were also somewhat fortunate to finish with a full complement after Sunderland captain Lorik Cana launched a two-footed tackle which felled Eboue. Referee Steve Bennett produced a yellow card, which could easily have been red.

The second half was more of the same, Arsenal flooding forward, full of spark. Walcott brought a fine save from Gordon, Thomas Vermaelen almost decapitated the Sunderland goalkeeper with a free-kick pile-driver and chances were made and squandered in equal measure.

Arsenal almost paid the price - and would have done if it was not for the quick thinking of Almunia, who raced out to smother a Darren Bent shot when the striker was clean through.

There were a few nervy moments for the Gunners as they failed to cash in on their superior possession.

But in injury time Fabregas was brought down by Campbell on the edge of the area and the Spaniard, forever Arsenal's orchestrator, got up to rap home Arsenal's second from the spot.

It was no more than Wenger's men deserved.

http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/premier-league/walcott-inspires-arsenal-to-win-over-sunderland-1905760.html

L'prof

MementoMori wrote: »

Came across this piece of comedy gold.

Didn't realise Walcott had been quite so inspiring today:D:D:D

http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/premier-league/walcott-inspires-arsenal-to-win-over-sunderland-1905760.html

Did he watch the game or just see highlights somewhere?

greendom

jasonorr wrote: »

Did he watch the game or just see highlights somewhere?

He probably just watched the game on ceefax