Arsenal 2-1 Wigan – 11/02/07 – (Barclays Premiership) 12 February, 2007

Well it was a shit performance, but it’s three points and we’ll happily take it. With Liverpool losing to Newcastle we needed the win to catch up after missing out on last week’s opportunity. We did not play well but we showed great belief and determination to come back.

The game started slowly and the two strikers Henry and Baptista weren’t causing Wigan many problems; I was keen to see those two work together but neither had a good game and it’s hard to tell if they work as a partnership. There was no urgency about our play and it was again quite frustrating to watch. We were poor and after half an hour I thought fuck this and went to get some food. Just as I was buying it Wigan fucking score don’t they. Why do we every time have to go one down? I long ball was played into the box and the ball was cut back to Denny Landzaat outside the area who cannoned a shot into the top corner with Lehmann well beaten. It was a well-worked and well-finished goal but we shouldn’t have allowed them to get in that position. Djourou maybe should’ve won that long ball and Gilberto turned his back on the shot instead of doing a Kolo and diving at the ball with all of your body as if stopping that goal was to save your life. We were one down at home again, a situation we’ve been in far too often.

As the Wigan fans whistled, you assumed we’d go in one down at half time. Actually while I’m on the subject I’d like to say how shit the Wigan fans were. Ok the Gooners we not on top form today but the actions on the pitch were hardly inspiring. I swear the away section was much smaller that usual and there were still scattered empty seats. Shit team, shit fans. As I was saying, it was 1-0 coming up to half time and we were all thinking right lets sort it out in the 2nd 45. However Heskey so nearly doubled the lead just before the whistle. He was played a great through ball and was one-on-one with Lehmann, he shot low to Lehmann’s left and it looked as if it was trickling into the far corner and Heskey went off to celebrate. The ball came back off the inside of the post and Arsenal gathered it but if that fat wanker had continued his run then he would’ve been able to tap in a simple goal.

Just before half time Henry missed a sitter, his header going inches wide and in the second half Heskey was through again but the angle was too much for him and caused no threat. Once again I was sitting there thinking is this the first game lost at the Emirates? To fucking Wigan? 10 minutes from time Heskey had a decent penalty claim when Flamini pulled him down in the box but it was waved away luckily and from the break we scored. Adebayor played Flamini into the box out on the right, he crossed it low along the floor for Henry to tap in but in the end it came off Fitz Hall for an own goal. Henry offered the ball to Kirkland after all his time wasting and got yellow carded, so worth it. We nicked the win 5 minutes from the end thanks to Rosicky’s header. Tomas drove towards the box, gave the ball to Ade and continued his run into the box. Emmanuel gave the ball out to the right again for a cross and Tomas was there in the middle for a simple header to send the crowd mad. Tomas high-fived someone in the crowd and got booked which I think is a ridiculous rule but there you go.

There were 6 yellows for us in the end, I’m not sure if we’ll be in trouble for that or not but it’s not good. Lehmann got one for time wasting after Kirkland was doing it all game. Mad Jens is such a legend but I couldn’t believe he was carded for doing it once when his opposite number had been at it all game. The referee, Paul Dowd was absolute bollocks. I know it’s typical for a fan to moan about the ref but he was truly shocking. Both sets of fans, managers and players were pissed off with him. And absolute twat and had no clue what was going on in the game.

We’ve got a trip up to Bolton next on Wednesday…hurrah.