Just as I said 5-0 to Arsenal summed up the Derby game, the 1-0 score line you read above pretty much tells the story here too. It wasn’t really a snatch and grab job but it was very tense and in the end 1-0 was a deserved score. Bother teams had good chances but no real sitters.

We opened the scoring early, in the 13th minute. Ade took the ball forward but was on his own so had to hold up play. Hleb joined behind him and he took possession and played a nice cross into the box. Van Persie did really well to get his head to the ball and the finish was perfect, right into the bottom corner. Green got a touch but it was so far in the corner he couldn’t quite get enough on it. 1-0 and you thought there were goals in this game.

After half an hour there was a cringe-worthy moment when Mark Noble committed a terrible challenge on Hleb. The replay showed how he went in high with his trailing leg to bend Alex’s leg sideways and it did look like he could’ve broken it. After the game Arsene said his leg does look bad but it doesn’t appear to be broken. He’s not walking properly yet so should miss Tuesday’s game but there’s no news yet of how bad this is. Eboue replaced the Belarusian.

Half time came and we were still in the lead. My only thought at half time was that there were more goals in this game, there was no doubt in my mind.

10 minutes into the second half Van Persie came so close to scoring a second by hitting the post. He picked up the ball just outside the box and shot with a bit of curl but the ball struck the woodwork. Green may have got a touch but if it’d gone in it would’ve been a great goal and possibly game over for the home side.

Not long after though, Dean Ashton reminded us all how fragile our one goal lead was by meeting a long cross for an unmarked header yards from goal. So, so luckily his finish went straight at Almunia. However you have to give Manuel credit for, 1. Seeing the ball so late coming straight at him, and 2. Holding the shot as he would’ve surely converted and rebound.

Freddie Ljungberg was really getting stuck into this game and he was getting a few kicks just to remind him his place. He nearly repaid us for those 9 years here with an equaliser half way through the second half. However the linesman flagged for offside and we were saved. The replay shows he timed the run perfectly and when the ball was played he was exactly level with the last man. Unlucky to Freddie but thank God that goal was disallowed.

We had a few more chances before the end. RVP played a nice ball to Adebayor who had a one-on-one but Green made a good stop. Diaby picked up the ball outside the area and got into a shooting position, he let fly and luckily it didn’t go in because it might’ve broken the goal. Also late on Ade kept the ball in on the left wing and Clichy continued his run centrally. Emmanuel took the ball forward and then squared it to Gael for a shot. His strike wasn’t bad, he could’ve hit it a bit harder but in the end it was a decent save and Clichy was denied his first Arsenal goal.

1-0 at Upton Park is a good result and I think we’ll be pleased with that. We go to Bucharest on Tuesday night so build up to that to come. Hleb looks to be out and possibly Ade who limped off late in yesterday’s game. We should hear news on our injuries soon. Thanks for reading.