Rosicky battles with Henry.
[Photo: Tony O'Brien/Action Images via Guardian]
As with so many matches this season -as the Barcelona one- the Gunners left it late to kill a brave visiting team. Nicklas Bendtner scored the one and only goal in in the very last minute of the contest to extend the Gunner's lifelike in the pursuit of the league title. With Chelsea grabbing all three points at Old Trafford the Gunners needed the win to keep the hope alive in the verge of a historical visit to Camp Nou. Certainly the first team selection was nearly of second-string players as all sights were in Barcelona. Ahead of the clash at Catalonia Seaman's words hit the point as well as the shocking declarations by Aaron Ramsey.
The boss on the sidelines.
[Photo: Getty Images via Daily Mail]
If there was a familiar feeling in any viewer it was that of a typical Arsenal late-show match: the players able to scrap a well load of chances before putting in to some trouble the opposition. While there were nearly no interesting and attractive bursts of football, the first half was largely quiet in its final third. In the first fifteen minutes the Gunners produced at least four clear chances; the most obvious taken by Eduardo as he kicked the ball with this right foot wide off the mark.
As the minutes passed and Walcott, with Rosicky, tried all the possible to grab the lead, the aspect of a long and tiresome season was beginning to show. As the Londoners enjoyed nearly all possession, their attack slowly diminished and by the 30th minute, the game was on a more regular state rather than an actual competition. Hahnemann spared the visitors at least in seven occasions. What appeared to be more dramatical was not the fact McCarthy's men never tried to approach Almunia's goal, but that the Arsenal players were completely complacent, leaving to the next half what could have been resolved in the first.
Bendtner, cathartic.
[Photo: Mirror Football]
Arsene Wenger looked annoyed by the previous half. As the Gunners looked for the desperate lead some attempts came in the form of crosses from Rosicky and Sylvestre. For at least fifteen minutes the amount of possession paired with the efforts made at the oppositions goal were immensely miscued. Eduardo missed a acrobatic strike after a deflection in Hahnemann's box, in the 54th. In the other side of the pitch Doyle's heroics were neutralised by the imperious Campbell; in that end, there was no worry for the home team. The first real threat to the American keeper's goal was given by Rosicky in the 59th minute.
As the Londoners dropped their pace, McCarthy's men pushed deeper and managed to grab some deflected corners as well as a dangerous freekick. It was time for substitutions: Eboué for Bendtner. But in the 65th minute, the despicable attitude of Henry tainted the match: another dangerous tackle was committed. As Rosicky rolled in the ground the entire stadium watched Henry going off as yet another career-threatening injury appeared in hand. Later repetitions showed the unscrupulous attempt of the midfielder; fortunately the Czech suffered superficial injuries.
With Nasri's introduction, the last twenty minutes were hellish for the home team. Bendtner tried luck with Hahnemann as well as Campbell and Rosicky. As Carlos Vela entered for the erratic Eduardo, there was not even a single clear chance created, as the match was fading away. Even Rosicky prevented a goal as he came in the wrong post defending Hahnemann's. Additions by Walcott and Nasri made the suffering longer. It was time for the special late delivery which was on part of the Danish striker: in the 94th minute a strong header from the striker buried all hopes of the visitors.
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