Nasri against the thick of Brown's troops.
[Photo: John Sibley/Action Images via Guardian]
After the draw in Turf Moor last Wednesday, the Gunners received one team that has been annoying their aspirations - even if just theoretically . Whether the absence of Cesc Fábregas meant something of a void, the home team were able to cope with the absence of their talismanic captain. Particularly the work of the three man in midfield was outstanding: Diaby provided one and created another as well as Denilson's beautiful comb while Song proved once again that he is the driving force for all the creation.
Palmer's verdict could not be closer to reality: "A depleted Arsenal got the job done and they will need to win plenty more games like this if they are to push Chelsea close in the second half of the season. Their lack of strength in reserve must still be a major concern."
It was of the utmost importance to see a win, for many believed that after the previous draw, Chelsea could have regained a broader lead in the table. With the current situation the Gunners stand six points behind their London counterparts with a game against Bolton in hand. The other news was the Champions League draw: the Londoners were drawn with FC Porto, a team that in the past have proved to be a rather toilsome if not annoying. Last year it was Cristiano Ronaldo's long range driver that gave Utd the edge.
[Photo: Getty Images via Daily Mail]
Most important was the question of Arsenal's midifield vacancy and Diaby did not disappoint. Where in the past he had received flak from nearly all Arsenal quarters, today he impressed in a rather industrious fashion. His shot at the 14th, as well as his fellow countryman's Nasri in the next minute, proved wrong the strange outcome of the first half. Whereas the Gunners made an effort to control the ball throughout the whole of the first half, the labour in which the physicality of Hull's game was based deprived most of the home jingle. Shots from Eduardo and Arshavin provided the necessary statistics against a pretty even match.
It was not actually just before halftime that interesting things happened. Nasri sparkled a riot in which the young Frenchman and Stephen Hunt saw yellow cards. Right after the incident, Denilson took what appeared to be a freekick in possession of the ex-Marseille midfielder. The Brazilian impressed the whole stadium by deliciously curling the ball away from both the defensive wall and the keeper. Even if the Gunners did not enjoy the usual football they deploy at the Emirates the tough force behind Arsenal's effort came to light.
Diaby sums up his performance of the day.
[Photo: Reuters via Daily Mail]
Particularly enthralling resulted to be the second half. Arshavin set Eduardo a decent pass that ended in a wide effort or as Gunnerblog sums it in his Twitter: "Bergkamp-esque turn by Eduardo but he misses the target". Ten minutes after the halftime whistle, Sylvestre "pulled" Cousin's jersey to concede a penalty. Whether the lightness of the challenge or the rigour imposed by the referee were the main factors, Almunia did save in an outstanding manner the spot kick from Giovanni.
From then on the opposition cracked and vanished to mere dregs. Eduardo opened his personal account after a strolling counter on the box by Abou Diaby. If he proves to be consistent in this trademark events, we may be seeing the force of the replacement of Song when the ANC takes place in January. After a couple of substitutions the Gunners dipped yet another strike with the same Frenchman at the tip of the spear: a devilish strike after a play that he, with Song, manufactured throughout the final third of the pitch.
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment