Blackburn v. Arsenal 2-1 3/May/10

It seems that the Polish will be heading home with another team in mind.
[Photo: Carl Recine/Action Images via Guardian]


In the previous edition of this clash, the Gunners enjoyed certain type of superiority but this match was a sole exception. In the visit to Ewood park the Londoners pulled out another clown performance in part of our dear and good Polish keeper as they collected another consecutive defeat and their chance for European elite football, at some time secure, hangs on a thin thread that could be cut in the last day of the season by Hodgson's boys.

The match was obliged to end with all three points. Indeed as Goal.com says the match was pivotal after some horrid handful of results: "Consecutive away defeats by Tottenham Hotspur and, inexplicably, Wigan Athletic, followed by an anaemic goalless draw at home to Manchester City finally ended their hopes of catching either Chelsea or Manchester United."



Samba's header, inside the net.
[Photo: PA via Daily Mail]


Three minutes passed when the Gunners found themselves with an unforgiving chance in front of goal, as Vela squandered a cross from Theo. What followed was a decent response from the home team in the manner of a freekick taken by Pedersen in the seventh minute. Not much followed as the visitors grabbed an early lead through captain Van Persie who scored yet another goal against the Rovers. A great header from a Nasri corner exposed the home team's terrible defending; all this in the first fifteen minutes.

The match progressed as both teams made little if no progress towards one another's goal. Arsenal's most dangerous approach was Van Persie's freekick in the 30th as well as another one by Perdersen three minutes later. Whether the attempts made by both teams were industrious, the match remained calm. A couple of Rovers supporters dozed off in the sunny warm evening and that was the image of the match: two teams with nothing to contend. Although the game was quite dull in itself David Dunn managed to poke one two minutes from time in in another deceptive performance by Arsenal's centre-halves.



Robin's tally against Rovers served little today.
[Photo: Getty Images via Daily Mail]


Again the visitors relied in their perused style to move the balance of the game into their benefit. Arsenal's dominance was reflected in possession but instead of converting this difference into the scoreboard, Blackburn worried much more their opposition with the passing of minutes as Fabianski was beginning to turn into a decisive factor. With thirty minutes to go Van Persie made some quick movements in the box; apparently he should have been awarded with a penalty.

In the 68th, Arshavin substituted Carlos Vela who played no part in the game. Immediately after the home team went up in the score, again Fabianski was a determinant factor for the loss; nearly three men were left unmarked. Nasri's weak shot could have had another take if he had put on his shooting boots correctly. As the minutes went by, the home team seemed reluctant to add more attack, and as Allardyce's teams, begun to use those dreadful tactics -harsh tackles, time wasting etc. With twelve minutes to go Wenger brought Eduardo in an effort to add strength to the physical part. Wenger's men relied on the secret late show but this time as in the previous matches there weren't rewards for the taking.