Sunderland 1-1 Arsenal - 04/10/08 - (Premier League) 5 October, 2008
Posted by lasagnechef in Arsenal News.trackback

Praise the Lord for he has blessed us with Cesc.
A stoppage time header from Cesc Fabregas rescues us a point at Sunderland but that makes it 5 points dropped from two games against Hull and Sunderland. Shocking.
It was almost the team I expected however Alex Song started giving Nasri a rest on the bench. Song came in as part of a defensive 5-man midfield with van Persie out on the left.
Why on earth why we playing 4-5-1, it was incredible defensive especially for a game where the opposition had 10 men behind the ball at all times.
I spoke before the game about how we should have no problem beating Sunderland if we put in the same performance as against Porto. Well personally I didn’t think we played that badly. Sunderland had 10 players defending when we were in possession and it made it incredibly difficult for us to find an opening. We passed and passed and sometimes managed to create something but Gordon was hardly tested.
The first half was fairly open. Both sides had attacks but the home side probably had the better of them. They caught us on the break a few times and Almunia was called to make a couple of saves.
Half time came and it was still 0-0. I wasn’t too worried at this point. I thought that with Sunderland charging forward then hurrying back behind the ball would eventually tire them out and we’d get a late goal.
I was very patient but gradually I started to get worried. We had so much of the ball but were hardly working their goalie.
We did score what to me looked like a perfectly legitimate goal only for it to be ruled. Walcott made a darting run down the right and cut inside just managing to put the ball into the box before it crossed the byline. Robin van Persie came charging in and stuck it in the back of the net. It looked close whether Walcott kept it in or not but the linesman thought the whole ball had crossed the line. From Theo’s body language you could tell that he’d stretched to meet it before it crossed the line and he was not too happy about the decision after it was given.
It looked like it wasn’t going to be our day. Something needed to be changed and the manager opted to substitute Walcott for Bendtner. I just don’t get it. Theo wasn’t having the greatest game ever but at least he was trying and getting forward. He was one of our most dangerous players out there.
Sunderland were still getting forward but we were totally dominating, however those two lines of midfield and defense behind the ball were still making it difficult for us to get through.
With 15 minutes to go Nasri was finally brought on for Denilson and he looked lively. The other substitute Bendtner was doing well too, he was getting involved and played some nice passes.
With 9 minutes to go Bendtner gifted a chance to van Persie when he chipped a little ball over the defense which Robin ran on to perfectly. All he had to do was slot it past Gordon but somehow the Scottish ‘keeper managed to get something on it from such close range. I couldn’t believe it. What did we have to score?!
Sunderland made their first change of the game after 83 minutes bringing on Grant Leadbitter for Dwight Yorke. Two minutes later he found himself with the ball outside the bo after Alex Song lost it. He thought why not and blasted it towards goal. It was an unstoppable shot beating Almunia and rocketing off the under-side of the bar and into the back of the net.
I couldn’t fucking believe it. I was furious. An incredible goal, but we should’ve been 2-0 up by this point. I was lucky there was no one in the sitting room with me as I had to take my rage out on the sofa. For the rest of the game I sat there with my head in my hands wondering how this had happened.
As soon as the goal went in Wenger threw Vela on for Song for the final 4 minutes of normal time. We were attacking the Sunderland goal like mad but the home sie were doing their best to hold on.
The 4th official held up 4 minutes of added time, a life-line for Arsenal. We got what seemed like our last chance of the game when we got a corner deep into injury time. van Persie stepped up to take it and everyone but Almunia was thrown in and around the box. It had to be a good delivery and Robin whipped it right into the busy area; Gordon came out to try clear the danger but he got nowhere near it. Cesc showed his pure determination and made the run to find the header.
We’d salvaged a point, and you just knew it was going to be that boy Cesc Fabregas. Not a typical goal from him, a header from a corner but typical of his spirit. He never stopped fighting right to the end and that’s what you need. I love Cesc.
After the equalizer we had very little time for another goal but we were pushing for it. In the end the final whistle beat us to it and it finished up 1-1.
A draw was probably a fair result but we should’ve won that. So one point from our last two league games. Not good. This must be sorted out once we get back from the international break and next up it’s Everton.
Still, we can always just laugh at Tottenham. Ha!
Thanks for reading.






1 point from Fulham, Hull and Sunderland, will any of the other big 3 drop as many points against these teams? No way. Now we have the job of getting the better of results from the big 3 and that’s just not going to happen. Take last year, 1 win from the big 6 and I recall even that (1-0 to Chelski) was a huge effort to hold on and avoid conceding an equaliser.
The bottom line is that Manures and Chelski have a winning mentality drilled into the players heads. DRAWING IS NOT AN OPTION. DEFEAT IS UNTHINKABLE. We seem to take defeats with a pinch of salt as if we can afford the odd one here and there. In this day and age, you can barely afford any slip ups. Last season it was only 3 defeats and still we only came 3rd. This season, only for Fabs late strike we almost chalked up 3 defeats in 7 but his goal wasn’t exactly a life saver it was still only worth a consolation point. We should be sorting out these weak sides period. Take Liverpool, they don’t seem to switch off until they have scored their winning goal. I count that the 4th time this season they have saved themselves at the death. I never predict a Liverpool success in the League but I admit, they have the spirit of champs and that is where we are sadly lacking. I do get it that on our day we can slaughter teams and we can play exciting football but this is not enough when consistancy is what is required to win things.
Roy Keane said we aren’t the same team as when he was playing and he mentioned Viera, Keown, Henry - he’s right, we do not have these vital powerhorses now. I still think Wenger should have tried harder to strengthen and added another world class CB and DM to the squad.
I do sometimes see us as the Greg Rusedski of football. When things are going our way, we’re a match for anyone and blow opponents away with ease. But when we come up against teams who surprise us (or don’t play a way that makes it easy for us to do what we do best) we sulk because we don’t have a plan B, so our plan A falls flat and come a cropper.
Chelski and Manures (and now Liverfools) don’t sulk when others slow them down, they just find the resources to deal with it and they still grind out results from tough matches.
we were shit on saturday, we havent got a cat in hells chance of winning anything this season, our team has no steel about it, we seem to drift through games assuming that teams\will just roll over, well we arent good enough to play that way and teams are now discovering that if they attack us and put us under pressure they can beat us or at worse get a draw. Its been too long without a trophy and its time for arsene to go!
Too many people on this and every other arsenal blog are too misty eyed and blinkered when it comes to Arsene Wenger, the bloke has been by far the best manager at the Arsenal since herbert chapman but he has now become a liability and run out of ideas, his tactics are confusing to say the least and team selections now have a strong whiff of “jobs for the boys”, i agree, its time for a change, everybody knew we needed strengthening at the back but wenger stuck with gallas, toure and djourou and off loaded senderos, he then signed silvestre, this lightweight bunch wont win us anything.
well said Andy B
wenger complaining about teams playing defensive……………………… He put out a 4-5-1 formation on saturday knowing keane would play the same. Wenger has lost it!
how can a team with - a week defense lead by a captin who seems to care about other players doing their jobs instead of focusing on his, a very young and inconsistent midfield lead by a grand muskateer who lost his 2 loyal friends for a better pay and (yes, sad but true) better clubs, an attacking force composed of a crystal glass player (RvP), an - I’m so important now I wanna be payed like henry - player (Ade), a mediocore player with a hint of potential (bendtner) - win anything????
occasional spectacular displays, but alas .. that it for the disappointed gooners
Face it, Arsene is going knowhere, we are just going to have to hope he can work the oracle with the team he has got. Get behind the team and hope for the best.
COME ON YOU GUNNERS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!