Van Persie
Barclays Premier League 29th September 2007 Kick-off: 15:00
Venue: Upton Park Attendance: 34,966 Referee:Alan Wiley
The Hammers' recent hold over the Gunners was finally broken by Robin Van
Persie's first-half winner. The Dutchman's 12th-minute header ended our
four-match unbeaten sequence against Arsene Wenger's table-toppers, who had
previously seen West Ham United historically become the last team to win at
Highbury and the first side to leave the Emirates Stadium with three points,
while also recording a draw and a victory at Upton Park. But this time
around it was not to be for Alan Curbishley's men, who just could not battle
their way back into an exciting derby that saw Robert Green also make
another string of super stops to always give Hammers hope. Both clubs had
enjoyed some Carling Cup cheer in midweek but having made eight changes for
the 2-0 victory over Newcastle United, it was back to business for Wenger,
who had only retained Philippe Senderos before dispensing with ten of
Tuesday's Young Guns, as he returned his focus to the Premiership.
Indeed, the Arsenal boss made just two switches from the side that had
confidently despatched Derby County in a five-goal rout, last Saturday to
cement their position in top spot, as Van Persie replaced Eduardo (groin)
and Aleksandr Hleb returned for the rested Theo Walcott. Following their
late, late show against Plymouth Argyle on Wednesday evening, Curbs made six
changes to his seventh-placed side as Green, Anton Ferdinand, Matthew Upson,
Mark Noble, Lee Bowyer and full debutant Henri Camara came in for James
Collins and substitutes Richard Wright, Danny Gabbidon, Hayden Mullins, Luis
Boa Morte and Carlton Cole.
And in an electrifying opening, both sets of players started justifying
their recalls as Emmanuel Adebayor drilled a low 15-yarder inches wide after
Gael Clichy and Vassiriki Diaby embarked on a first-minute raid down the
left flank. In reply, former Gunner Freddie Ljungberg forced former
team-mate Manuel Almunia to bravely race out and pluck the ball off his
studs, before the relieved Arsenal 'keeper then saw Dean Ashton turn and
send a powerful, rising 18-yard shot inches over his crossbar. The early
evidence suggested that a goal was on the cards and, sure enough, on 12
minutes Adebayor laid the ball back to Hleb and the Belarus international's
right-wing cross into the six-yard box was met by Van Persie, whose downward
header crept between the sprawling Green and the base of his right-hand
post.
Shortly afterwards, the consequently cautioned Lee Bowyer summed up the
Upton Park frustration with a feisty thrust at Mathieu Flamini and, as West
Ham looked towards the focal point of Ashton for some attacking inspiration,
they found their attempted forays upfield stifled by a string of offside
flags,
On the half-hour mark, Noble also went into referee Alan Wiley's book for
full-blooded lunge on Hleb, who was stretchered away and replaced by
Emmanuel Eboue, who quickly invited Flamini to unleash a 25-yard shot that
rattled into Green's rib-cage. And as the half drew to a close, the alert
Hammers' 'keeper then fisted Van Persie's clever, angled, byline free-kick
aside, before getting down to thwart Flamini once more, and leave the East
Enders facing just a single-goal deficit at the interval.
The limping Scott Parker (tweaked knee) was replaced by Hayden Mullins at
the break and, within just two minutes of the restart, Curbs was forced into
another reshuffle when Ferdinand hobbled away with a hamstring injury, to be
replaced by Gabbidon. And things might have got yet worse for the relieved
Hammers' boss, who had the gutsy Green to thank for tipping Van Persie's
20-yard curler onto his left-hand post with a marvellous flying save. As the
hour mark neared, Ashton met Bowyer's right-wing centre with a powerful
close-range header that thudded into Almunia's torso before disappointed
former Gunner, Ljungberg, then had an effort ruled out by a marginal offside
flag. Back in April, Green had been the Hammers' hero in the 1-0 win at the
Emirates Stadium and, once again, he produced a catalogue of top-notch stops
to deny Adebayor, Clichy and Flamini, who was also cautioned for a vengeful
lunge on Bowyer.
At the other end, Ashton went close with a 25-yard grass-cutter that
scorched just inches wide, while the striker's late downward header was also
hooked clear by Van Persie and although Arsenal old boy Boa Morte was
introduced at the expense of Bowyer for the closing minutes, West Ham just
could not muster that elusive equaliser.
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West Ham 0-1 Arsenal - BBC
By Ian Hughes
Arsenal maintained their place at the top of the Premier League with a
controlled victory over West Ham. Robin van Persie scored the only goal of
the game when he rose at the far post to nod in Alexander Hleb's centre.
Hleb was later carried off after a bad tackle by Mark Noble, but Arsenal
continued to dominate the match. Van Persie was denied a second when Robert
Green tipped his shot onto the post, while West Ham's Dean Ashton had a
goal-bound header hacked away. After the opening 45, when a shot on the turn
that went over was his most notable contribution, Ashton provided an
increasingly stern test for Arsenal's back four. Arsenal, far short of the
champagne football of recent weeks, appeared to be playing within
themselves. However, in-form striker Emmanuel Adebayor almost scored with
the Gunners' first attack when he fizzed a low shot just wide of the post.
And on 13 minutes Adebayor was heavily involved in the opening goal when he
held the ball up before laying it off for Hleb to cross and Van Persie to
finish the move. Other than that, there was little to get excited about it
the opening half. Perhaps it was frustration that led to Lee Bowyer
crunching two-footed into Matthieu Flamini and then Noble doing the same to
Hleb. Both were booked. Whereas Flamini shook off his knock, Hleb's match
was over and he was replaced by Emmanuel Eboue. West Ham lost a player, too,
with Scott Parker failing to make it out for the second half after suffering
knee damage in a challenge with Flamini. Hayden Mullins took his place.
Nine minutes after the break, Arsenal came close to doubling their advantage
when Van Persie let fly from the edge of the area but Green managed to
divert the effort onto his post.
It had the effect of waking West Ham from their slumber and Ashton should
have done better with a free header when an equaliser seemed inevitable,
allowing Manuel Almunia to save easily. Two minutes later former Gunner
Freddie Ljungberg thought he had restored parity when he slotted in but his
goal was ruled out for offside. More goalmouth action followed as Adebayor
had a low shot pushed away by Green, Ashton sent a drive skidding wide and
Adebayor shot tamely after good work by Abou Diaby. Then Diaby shot just
over from the edge of the box and Gael Clichy's low strike had Green
scrambling and at full stretch. West Ham put Arsenal under pressure for a
spell, with Ashton a threat in the air. With 10 minutes remaining, Arsenal
lost Adebayor to what looked like a hamstring injury. And the Gunners would
have lost two points as well had Van Persie not been on hand to clear
Ashton's header off the line shortly after.
West Ham manager Alan Curbishley on Freddie Ljungberg's disallowed goal: "I
think he was definitely onside when he scored. But they are tight things and
we didn't get it. Had we got it, it was all to play for. "From then we were
sailing close to the wind to get ourselves in the game. "However, I thought
Dean Ashton might have scored with a header to get us back in the game."
Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger: "We have had a problem taking points at Upton
Park recently. We had to take our chances and overall we deserved the
victory.
"It was a good test to defend a 1-0 advantage and not to make mistakes. I
believe we did that very well. "We have matured, we have more belief and
we are really hungry. The players show a pleasing solidarity."
West Ham: Green, Neill, Ferdinand (Gabbidon 48), Upson, McCartney, Bowyer
(Boa Morte 83), Parker (Mullins 46), Noble, Ljungberg, Ashton, Camara.
Subs Not Used: Wright, Cole.
Booked: Bowyer, Noble.
Arsenal: Almunia, Sagna, Toure, Senderos, Clichy, Hleb (Eboue 31), Fabregas,
Flamini, Diaby, Adebayor (Silva 79), Van Persie (Bendtner 88).
Subs Not Used: Fabianski, Denilson.
Booked: Flamini, Eboue.
Goals: Van Persie 13.
Att: 34,966.
Ref: Alan Wiley (Staffordshire).
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Competition - an audience with Tony and Frank - KUMB
Filed: Sunday, 30th September 2007
By: Matthew O'Greel
Fancy winning a pair of tickets for this Thursday's 'Audience with Tony
Cottee and Frank McAvennie'? Read on ...
The show - officially titled 'An Audience With Tony Cottee and Frank
McAvennie' - takes place at Basildon's Towngate Theatre this Thursday
evening (4th October). And show promoters 'Football For Fans' have kindly
offered a pair of tickets to one KUMB.com reader - PLUS an exclusive
personalised t-shirt signed by both Tony and Frank. To win the tickets and
t-shirt (and please make sure that you can attend the show before entering)
simply answer the following question: Frank scored a second-half hat-trick
in his final game for West Ham United, a 3-0 win over Nottingham Forest in
1992. Who feigned injury to allow (substitute) McAvennie to play the second
half? Send your answer to competitions@kumb.com along with your KUMB user
name no later than midnight on Tuesday (2nd October). The winner will be
notified the following day (Wednesday). Tickets for the two hour show are
priced at £15 and can be purchased from the Towngate's box office on 01268
465465.
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Disappointed... - KUMB
Filed: Saturday, 29th September 2007
By: Gordon Thrower
Alan Curbishley gives his view of today's derby defeat....
Should it have been 1-1? Well they're telling me that Freddie wasn't offside
but what can you do. Dean had a real chance with his header. If Arsenal get
that lead and go 1-0 up away from home they are very difficult to beat. It
was obvious that they were going to try and get us on the break and could we
get back in the game.
My half-time talk I told them we were giving Arsenal too much respect. We
were allowing them yards on the ball to take quick free-kicks and throw ins.
If you let them pass and move you're gonna be chasing.
We were disappointed by the goal. The ball's gone up to Deano and we're
coming out to support him and it looks like he's gonna retain the ball but
we lose it. Then it's flicked in. Van Persie 's got up at the far post. It
wasn't the best challenge on him but we had a problem last week where we
didn't stop the cross. This was another one we could have done a bit better
on. When you play Arsenal you need a few things to go for you.
The injuries are coming back to us again. We got another couple today so
we're doubly disappointed. The Noble challenge? Well although it was near us
I thought we'd lost the ball so I was looking to the back four to see what
was going to happen there so I've not seen any replays or anything.You might
want to have a look at the tackle on Parker as well. He's tweaked his knee
again I think. Yeah it's the same knee as he's been having trouble with.
Anton's done his hamstring. The squad's just gonna have to cope with it.
Bellamy pulled out after training yesterday – we thought he was in for the
last two days. The injuries are a bit disappointing for us at the moment.
I think they worked as hard as they could second half. They tried to get us
back in it. The two chances – well one we took but was taken away from us
and the other we didn't take. Ashton's was a great ball from Bowyer and we
saw him setting himself up to get some power on it yeah we're all
disappointed it didn't go in.
It's a tough old game. We've managed to get the goal and beat people on the
break a number of times ourselves. We're disappointed we didn't get back in
it especially as we know Freddie's goal wasn't offside. I'm not sure if it
would have stayed 1-1 but at least we would have been in with a chance.
Arsenal defended very well second half and got their bodies in the way.
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I am very proud of what the team are doing at the moment... - KUMB
Filed: Saturday, 29th September 2007
By: Gordon Thrower
Arsene Wenger gives us his view of today's events at the Boleyn. We don't
think he was referring to his teams diving habit but...
They tried to make it difficult for us by mixing the ball, by going direct.
We were a little bit apprehensive, a bit cautious because we lost last year.
We knew it was a big test for us and at the start we played with a little
bit of the handbrake. We didn't make the mistake we made at Blackburn and
continued to play to go forward. Unfortunately we didn't get the second goal
but we kept a clean sheet and won the game. In the end I think we deserved
it. There is room for improvement but I am very proud of what the team are
doing at the moment.
Green did very well – he's a good goalkeeper we know that.
Challenging for the title? – I think so I believe that. Everywhere we go we
try to grow, to improve. Today we were faced with a different problem in the
air. We had to try to keep the pace going – you naturally slow things down
when the ball is in the air. We said at half time we needed to up the pace
in the second half. It seems we are maturing tactically.
Mark Noble's challenge? I didn't see it again but to me it looked nasty. If
it was accidental it was a very bad one because to se (Hleb's) leg – it
looks unbelievable. He is bruised from the knee down to the toes. We are
quite optimistic – Noble for me is usually a fair player. I don't know if it
was an accident or not but he caught him well. Hleb looks to be out of the
European game as he cannot walk properly. Adebayor has a kick on the thigh
He has a good chance to play on Tuesday night.
Are the players less inhibited without Henry? It is difficult to measure but
we expect the team to grow. In October 2007 we are better than we were in
September 2006.
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West Ham Utd 0 Arsenal 1 - KUMB
Filed: Saturday, 29th September 2007
By: Matthew O'Greel
The Hammers suffered a second successive Premier League defeat thanks to a
first half Robin van Persie goal. Dutch forward van Persie's 13th minute
strike proved to be the only goal of a lively London derby at the Boleyn,
giving the Gunners their first win over United since 2003. The Hammers - who
had controlled the opening ten minutes of the match - were guilty of falling
asleep as Arsenal countered to score the game's only goal. Alexandr Hleb's
right-sided cross was converted by van Persie at the far post with marker
Lucas Neill apparently asleep - not for the first time in recent weeks. And
despite a spirited second half performance the Hammers failed to make the
most of the numerous chances that fell their way, resulting in a second home
defeat of the season.
Frustratingly the Hammers weren't given a great deal of help by referee Alan
Riley, who had an absolute shocker of a second half. In the space of five
minutes the match offical somehow missed a clear push on Lee Bowyer by
Philip Senderos inside the penalty box before ruling out a Freddie Ljungberg
'goal' for offside, when TV replays clearly showed the Swede level with the
last Arsenal defender. Alan Curbishley's pre-match wish to see first-choice
strike pairing Dean Ashton and Craig Bellamy up front had proved to be
something of a smokescreen, with Bellamy not even making the 16-man squad.
The on-loan Henri Camara took the Welsh international's place but failed to
offer any indication that he will prove to be anything but a reserve option
for the duration of his year in East London. Also in for his league debut
was Scott Parker, replacing Hayden Mullins, whilst Freddie Ljungberg was
drafted in to face his former club in place of the missing Matthew
Etherington. Despite the disappointing result there were still one or two
notable individual performances; Rob Green, whe clearly enjoys playing
against Arsenal was in superb form once again whilst subs Danny Gabbidon and
Hayden Mullins gave the kind of performances which suggested they should
perhaps have been in the team from the start. The defeat sees the Hammers
fall a further three places in the table to tenth, whilst the three points
for Arsenal gives them a clear three point lead at the top.
West Ham United: Green, Neill, Ferdinand (Gabbidon 48), Upson, McCartney,
Parker (Mullins 45), Noble, Bowyer (Boa Morte 83), Ljungberg, Camara,
Ashton.
Subs not used: Wright, Cole.
Booked: Bowyer (16), Noble 28).
Referee: Alan Wiley (4)
Attendance: 34,966
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Curbs praises solid Gunners - SSN
The Hammers pay for conceding early goal
By James Dall Last updated: 29th September 2007
West Ham United boss Alan Curbishley has admitted that his side struggled to
break down Arsenal's sturdy defence. Robin van Persie's 13th minute goal was
enough to secure a hard-fought 1-0 victory for The Gunners. The Hammers
battled to break down Arsenal but Arsene Wenger's men defended admirably.
Curbishley conceded that his side paid for conceding early against a top
quality team. "When a side like Arsenal get their noses in front away from
home, they're set up to be a very difficult side to play," he explained.
"But Arsenal are a top-four team and you need a few things to go for you -
and you certainly don't need to go one down after 10 minutes. "We competed
as well as we could and we're disappointed we couldn't get back in it. "If
we had, it would have been anyone's match but Arsenal defended very well and
got bodies in the way."
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Gunners grind out victory - SSN
Van Persie header secures Arsenal win
Last updated: 29th September 2007
Arsene Wenger's Arsenal earned themselves a hard-fought 1-0 victory at Upton
Park over a determined West Ham United. Robin van Persie's goal was enough
for The Gunners, but West Ham were no pushovers, in what was a thoroughly
entertaining game. Alexander Hleb found himself in a decent position on the
right, and the Belarus international bent a wonderful ball in for Van Persie
to head home on 13 minutes. The Hammers piled on the pressure in the second
half and Dean Ashton was presented with a fantastic opportunity to level,
but headed straight at Manuel Almunia. Minutes later former Arsenal man
Freddie Ljungberg made a typical diagonal run and was slotted through to
poke past Almunia. However, the strike was ruled out for offside. West Ham
continued to push for an equaliser but Wenger's men dug deep and managed to
hold on, to the delight of the travelling supporters. The Gunners are
currently in blistering form and again started brightly. Inside the opening
two minutes Arsenal broke quickly down the left, with Abou Diaby cutting the
ball back to Emmanuel Adebayor, who drilled a low shot just wide from 15
yards. West Ham, though, soon rallied and Ljungberg was unfortunate to be
flagged offside when collecting a quick backheel from Ashton on the edge of
the Arsenal box. The England hopeful was then sent clear himself, only to
again be called up by the referee's assistant on the far side. Arsenal,
though, were ahead on 13 minutes. Adebayor held the ball up well on the
right side of the area and fed a pass out to Hleb. His centre flew across
the six-yard box, where Van Persie arrived on cue at the far post to glance
a header past Green, who was at full stretch and could only push the ball
onto the post and in. The goal silenced the home crowd, and after such a
positive start the Hammers suddenly looked disjointed.
As the half-hour approached, West Ham were fortunate not to be reduced to 10
men following an X-rated challenge by Mark Noble on Hleb. The Belarus
midfielder, just back from a knee problem, had to be carried off with what
looked like a similar injury and was replaced by Emmanuel Eboue. Arsenal
were incensed but referee Alan Wiley deemed a yellow card sufficient
punishment. There were five minutes of stoppage time before the interval,
and Mathieu Flamini tried his luck with a low, 20-yard strike which the West
Ham keeper got down well to stop. The hosts replaced Scott Parker, who
looked to have picked up a knock, at the restart and were then quickly
forced into another change when Anton Ferdinand hobbled off and Danny
Gabbidon came on.
Van Persie came within inches of putting the visitors 2-0 ahead on 54
minutes. The Dutchman sidestepped marker Gabbidon on the edge of the area,
and drilled his shot towards the top left-hand corner. Green was again at
full stretch and got his fingertips to the ball, which this time bounced
back off the post and away. Moments later it should have been 1-1 after
Bowyer chipped the ball into the area from the right. Ashton had timed his
run perfectly to get a free header at the back post, only to then put it
straight at a grateful Almunia. This was a good spell for West Ham.
Ljungberg did get the ball into the net when he collected Henri Camara's
slide pass - but was flagged offside in what looked a marginal call. Van
Persie and Adebayor exchanged passes on the edge of the West Ham box, which
sent the Togo striker clear and Green came to the rescue with a fine
reaction save low to his left. Arsenal full-back Gael Clichy was the next
man to force a good save from Green, who was again at full stretch to turn
the ball behind. Van Persie booted a downward header from Ashton clear in
front of his own net as the Gunners closed out the match - including four
minutes of stoppage time - to stay ahead of the chasing pack.
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West Ham 0-1 Arsenal - Soccernet
Barclays Premier League leaders Arsenal maintained their superb start to the
season with a hard-earned 1-0 win at West Ham. West Ham, though, had their
chances - the best of which fell to England hopeful Dean Ashton - but they
also were indebted to keeper Rob Green, who made a string a fine saves. The
Hammers have performed well against Arsenal in recent meetings - winning
both games last season as they escaped the drop. However, the Gunners are
currently in blistering form and again started brightly. Inside the opening
two minutes Arsenal broke quickly down the left, with Abou Diaby cutting the
ball back to Emmanuel Adebayor, who drilled a low shot just wide from 15
yards. West Ham, though, soon rallied and former Gunner Freddie Ljungberg
was unfortunate to be flagged offside when collecting a quick backheel from
Ashton on the edge of the Arsenal box. The England hopeful was then sent
clear himself, only to again be called up by the referee's assistant on the
far side. Ashton was leading the West Ham line with plenty of aggression,
and turned to drill a 20-yard shot just over. Arsenal, though, were ahead on
13 minutes. Adebayor held the ball up well on the right side of the area and
fed a pass out to Alexander Hleb. His centre flew across the six-yard box,
where van Persie arrived on queue at the far post to glance a header past
Green, who was at full stretch and could only push the ball onto the post
and in. The goal silenced the home crowd, and after such a positive start
the Hammers suddenly looked disjointed. As the half-hour approached, West
Ham were fortunate not to be reduced to 10 men following an X-rated
challenge by Mark Noble on Hleb.
The Belarus midfielder, just back from a knee problem, had to be carried off
with what looked like a similar injury and was replaced by Emmanuel Eboue.
Arsenal were incensed, but referee Alan Wiley deemed a yellow card
sufficient punishment. West Ham continued to try to take the match to
Arsenal, but the visitors were playing with a high defensive line and used
the offside trap well. When the hosts did get in behind, they could not find
a telling cross into the danger zone. At the other end, Lee Bowyer was
penalised for handball just outside the area on the right. Van Persie struck
his effort goalwards, which Green palmed behind. Mathieu Flamini tried his
luck with a low, 20-yard strike which the West Ham keeper got down well to
stop. The hosts replaced Scott Parker, who looked to have picked up a knock,
at the restart and were then quickly forced into another change when Anton
Ferdinand hobbled off and Danny Gabbidon came on. Van Persie came within
inches of putting the visitors 2-0 ahead on 54 minutes. The Dutchman
side-stepped marker Gabbidon on the edge of the area, and drilled his shot
towards the top left-hand corner. Green was again at full stretch and got
his fingertips to the ball, which this time bounced back off the post and
away. Moments later it should have been 1-1 after Bowyer chipped the ball
into the area from the right. Ashton had timed his run perfectly to get a
free header at the back post, only to then nod it straight at a grateful
Manuel Almunia. This was a good spell for West Ham. Ljungberg did get the
ball into the net when he collected Henri Camara's slide pass - but was
flagged offside in what looked a marginal call. However, Arsenal were
dangerous on the break. Van Persie and Adebayor exchanged passes on the edge
of the West Ham box, which sent the Togo striker clear and Green came to the
rescue with a fine reaction save low to his left. Arsenal full-back Gael
Clichy was the next man to force a good save from Green, the England
international again at full stretch to turn the ball behind. The Gunners
made a change with 12 minutes left when Gilberto replaced Adebayor, who
looked to have a dead leg, before Green once more pushed a goal-bound strike
behind, this time from Flamini. Van Persie booted a downward header from
Ashton clear in front of his own net as the Gunners closed out the match -
including four minutes of stoppage time - to stay ahead of the chasing pack.
Arsene Wenger praised his battling Arsenal side following the hard-fought
1-0 win at West Ham which kept them top - but was less than impressed by the
x-rated tackle from Mark Noble which saw Alexander Hleb stretchered off.
Robin van Persie's close-range header after 13 minutes proved enough for an
eighth straight victory, as the Gunners consolidated their position ahead of
the chasing pack. West Ham keeper Robert Green produced a string of fine
saves to deny the visitors a further advantage and indeed the home side
could have earned a point had England hopeful Dean Ashton not spurned a
great chance with his close-range header. Large spells of the match were
played out in a competitive manner, with little quarter given - particularly
in midfield where Arsenal pair Cesc Fabregas and Mathieu Flamini were in the
thick of the action. Wenger was, though, unhappy with the lunging challenge
from Noble, which was punished only by a yellow card but which left Hleb -
just back from injury - with a badly bruised knee and out of next week's
Champions League trip to Steaua Bucharest. The Arsenal manager said: 'To me
it looked very nasty, although I haven't seen it again. 'If it was an
accident, it is a very bad accident, because if you see his leg it is
unbelievable. 'It is red and bruised from the knee down to the toes. 'We are
quite optimistic because Noble is usually a fair player. I don't know if it
was an accident or not, but he caught him very well.' Wenger revealed: 'I
don't think Hleb will play on Tuesday because he cannot walk properly at the
moment. '[Emmanuel] Adebayor had a kick on the thigh, and he looks like he
has a good chance to play on Tuesday night.' The Gunners boss, celebrating
11 years in charge of Arsenal, was pleased to see his table-toppers come
through a tough test which they have often failed in recent seasons to
record a first win at West Ham since 2000. Wenger said: 'We had a bit of
apprehension because we lost here last season and this was a big test. 'We
started with the handbrake on but the goal helped. We didn't make the same
mistake we made at Blackburn. We continued to play and move forward and try
and score the second goal. 'Unfortunately we didn't get that but we deserved
it.' Wenger added: 'There's room for improvement but I am very proud of what
the team is achieving at the moment. 'I believe we can challenge. We are
very young, but we have to show we can eke out results. 'Everywhere we go we
try and play and improve - today was a bit different because West Ham made
it hard for us to do that. 'We had a lot to deal with in the air and with
the second ball, so it was important for us to keep the pace of the game
high. 'We did that in the second half and I think that shows the team is
maturing tactically.'
West Ham could consider themselves somewhat unfortunate not to come away
with a point, rather than a second successive league defeat. Former Gunner
Freddie Ljungberg had a goal chalked out for a marginal offside call, and
Ashton also went close more than once. However, by the same token, without
Green's performance, they could have been beaten by a much bigger margin.
Manager Alan Curbishley, who lost key midfielder Scott Parker to injury at
half-time, said: 'When a side like Arsenal get their noses in front away
from home, they're set up to be a very difficult side to play. 'But Arsenal
are a top four team and you need a few things to go for you - and you
certainly don't need to go one down after 10 minutes.' Curbishley added: 'We
competed as well as we could and we're disappointed we couldn't get back in
it. 'If we had, it would have been anyone's match but Arsenal defended very
well and got bodies in the way.'
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Vinny's Arsenal Report - West Ham Online
Vinny - Sun Sep 30 2007
West Ham United 0 Arsenal 1
Despite a spirited second half display, West Ham were beaten by a solitary
Robin Van Persie goal early in the first half.
In a stop start game (not helped at all by the referee) Arsenal showed their
class throughout and we had little response as we failed to create enough
chances. Of course we did have a few opportunities and one in particular
from Dean Ashton should have been converted. But we didn't lay down and die
in this one, and we kept going right to the end. I think it is fair to say
that if we were going to lose this was the best manner to do so.
The side was changed from that who started against Plymouth. Robert Green
returned in goal in place of Richard Wright, Anton Ferdinand and Matthew
Upson replaced Collins & Gabbidon, and in midfield Luis Boa Morte was
replaced by Mark Noble and Hayden Mullins was (somewhat unlucklily) replaced
by Lee Bowyer.
This saw Freddie Ljungberg on the left hand side, Bowyer on the right with
Mark Noble and Scott Parker (who was making his league debut) in the middle.
Up front, Carlton Cole was dropped to the bench in favour of Henri Camera
who was making his full league debut for the club.
There was still no Craig Bellamy who we had been told would return against
Newcastle last week. And then Plymouth on Wednesday night, and then this
game. It seems that Bellamy's injury is just like many others – they say
it's a minor one which will see the player out for about a week – yet here
we are two weeks later, three games on with no return date in sight.
Whilst Arsenal found their feet, we took the game to them in the opening ten
minutes trying to force the play by getting the ball into the strikers as
quickly as possible. But Arsenal soaked up any early pressure and did what
they do better than anyone else –counter attack.
In fact their first counter attack nearly resulted in the opening goal as
Adebayor hit a 15 yard shot inches wide after good work down the left from
Diaby.
Ashton showed a bit of class as he brilliantly played in Freddie Ljungberg
with a pass with the out side of his boot. Ljungberg went in on goal but was
closed down by the keeper. The offside flag had gone up regardless – this
would not be the first time the flag would go up against Ljungberg.
Ashton again showed another glimpse of his ability and he received the ball,
brought it down, got it on to his left foot and hit a power shot at goal
which went over.
But the wind was knocked well out of our sails as Arsenal countered and
opened the scoring out of nothing.
It actually came from Ashton losing the ball in the Arsenal half, but the
current league leaders broke with lightening speed and Adebayor showed good
skill and played the ball to Helb who clipped the ball into the box for Van
Persie to steal in with a header past Green to make it 1-0.
It was a disappointing goal to concede as Arsenal are notorious for being a
side who like to walk the ball into the net and are not renowned for their
heading ability. So when one of two Arsenal players who are in the area
actually get to the ball first I can't say I was too pleased. Looking at
replays it does seems that Lucas Neill was caught ball watching when if he
had kept his eye on Van Persie he would have been able to block his run and
nullify the danger.
Every attack we seemed to conjure up would be thwarted by the offside flag
and the game became a melee of free kicks. One of these saw Bowyer booked
for a poor tackle on Flamini.
Another poor tackle was made by Mark Noble on Alexander Helb. The youngster
was no where near the ball and it was clear for all to see that it was a
nasty challenge. It resulted in Helb being taken off and replaced by Eboue.
Noble saw himself go into the book for that challenge.
I thought that incident was a key moment in the game as every 50/50
thereafter was awarded to Arsenal. The referee Alan Wiley seemed to have
been made aware before the game that teams like to go in hard against
Arsenal and that he should watch out for it. This must have been on his mind
as there were times that the referee was blowing his whistle before anything
actually happened. This infuriated the West Ham crowd throughout the
remainder of the game.
Arsenal attacked with purpose with Flamini seeing a shot saved comfortable
by Green, and I was pleased that at half time we were still well in this
game and a little bit more purpose about our own attacking play might see us
get back into the game.
The first half had seen Scott Parker go down with an injury after a heavy
challenge and although he remained on the pitch he was taken off at half
time to be replaced by Hayden Mullins.
I thought we should have made another change at half time which would have
seen the removal of one of the other midfielders with Luis Boa Morte coming
on. The reason I would have done this is that it was clear to see that we
were really lacking width, and with Bowyer and Ljungberg arguably playing
out of position we could not get the ball into Ashton from the wide areas.
Boa Morte would have given us this option.
Nevertheless we gave it a good go in the second half and were unlucky not to
have equalised.
Another change was made a few minutes into the second half after Ferdinand
pulled up with what looked like a hamstring injury. This had came after he
had defended well to deny Adebayor. He was replaced by Danny Gabbidon who
received quite a good welcome from the home crowd.
Arsenal came close to doubling their advantage when Van Persie found half a
yard to get his shot away and it crashed off the post. Looking at the
replays on the big screens you could see that in fact Robert Green had got a
touch which pushed it onto the post making it a very good save. But this is
what we have come to expect from Robert Green who continues to prove his
class.
Our best chance of the game came just before the hour mark and it was one
which you would have banked on Ashton scoring. An excellent cross from
Bowyer found the unmarked Ashton who got enough power on his header but not
the direction and it went straight at Almunia who should have been picking
the ball out of the net.
The crowd were starting to sense that something may be on the horizon as
Upton Park erupted in a chorus of Bubbles. The atmosphere was electric at
this moment and it so nearly had its reward.
Ashton laid the ball off to Camera who played a nice pass through to
Ljungberg who took a nice first touch and slotted the ball past Almunia only
for the linesman's flag to deny us the equaliser. Replays suggest that he
was onside when the ball was played and we could count ourselves a little
unlucky. I believe that if we had have got a goal at that moment we would
have gone on to win the game.
Shortly after, Mullins won the ball and got it to Ashton who hit a well
struck shot at goal which went inches wide.
Arsenal did well to diffuse the atmosphere by playing some good possession
football and preventing us from getting any tempo going. In fact it was them
who nearly scored as Van Persie brilliantly played in Adebayor who was
denied by another great save from Green.
One more great chance fell our way in the last ten minutes and it was Ashton
yet again who was involved. His downward header was cleared off the line by
the busy Van Persie.
Boa Morte did finally replace Bowyer with under ten minutes remaining but we
could not get anything going as Arsenal showed resilience and determination
to see out the game and collect the three points.
Player Reviews
Robert Green
I can only look on in amazement to how this man is not in the England set
up. Consistent brilliant performances should make people sit up and take
notice. Today he was not only a fantastic shot stopper but also fantastic in
the air. He claimed at least four corners with ease to show his all round
game is as good as anyone's.
Lucas Neill
Another consistent performer at the moment – but consistently bad. The
player we saw at the back end of last season has disappeared with this one
looking nervy and casual. Continues to lose the ball far to easily by making
some terrible passes. Another worrying this is his proneness to leaving his
position and going walkabout. He did that last week against Newcastle and
did it today leaving Bowyer exposed and with Bowyers lack of pace this
really caused us problems. Get your act together Lucas.
Matthew Upson
Always going to be a tough game up against the quality Arsenal possess.
Didn't look too bad , which is what I anticipated after realising how slow
he is and how quick Arsenal were. What our defence did today was play deep
so not to give Arsenal any space and Upson was a catalyst in this by keeping
the line deep and tight – I can't remember any instances when Arsenal
actually got in behind Upson. Won his fair share of headers and put in a
decent all round performance.
Anton Ferdinand
Seemed to be given the job of dealing with Adebayor which is no easy task.
Stood up well in the first half but got injured in the second which looks as
though he will be out for a little while.
George McCartney
West Ham's new Mr Dependable put in another good display. It is lucky for us
that our most consistent player is McCartney as we only have Jonathan
Spector to replace him! Defending wise, McCartney is sound, but he is very
uncomfortable getting forward. He doesn't seem to like to go too far and
with Ljungberg offering little width on the left he needed to get forward
more.
Lee Bowyer
Can't fault his effort and the man can still pass a football – on many
occasions he was the only player looking to play that cross field pass to
spread the play. Give him some space and time and he can punish any team but
he just doesn't get enough space and time. His lack of speed is worrying and
I just cannot see how he can continue to start.
Mark Noble
Did what we needed him to do which is to get stuck in. His tackle on Helb
wasn't pretty but there were many other tackles which he made which were
tough but fair. Didn't get the opportunity to show his passing ability and
vision but his ability to be a creative and a holding midfielder shows great
versatility and the continued development of Mark Noble.
Scott Parker
Injury prone players tend to get injuries.
Freddie Ljungberg
A much better performance from the former Arsenal man. Got himself involved
in the game and was unlucky not have chalked up his first goal for the club.
Didn't understand why Curbishley needed to play him as a left winger though.
Henri Camera
I don't think you can totally judge him on this performance and I believe
there is more to come from him. Didn't link up very well with Ashton as his
headers would often find Camera too far away from the ball. Has obvious pace
and this is a benefit when Bellamy is injured. Did well to set up Ljungberg
for the disallowed goal. Might prove to be a good squad player.
Dean Ashton
Once again he was very involved in everything we did. This is both a benefit
and a hindrance as our play becomes predictable. Don't get me wrong I think
Ashton is a very good player, but we need more to our game than just playing
the ball high to him, and hoping he makes something happen. The return of
Bellamy will help Ashton no end. He should have scored today in the second
half but his performance was still good and he is getting better.
Subs Used
Hayden Mullins (on for Parker 45 mins)
Thought he did quite well when he came on for the second half. Was unlucky
to have been dropped in the first place but showed lots of effort when he
came on making interceptions and tackles throughout.
Danny Gabbidon (on for Ferdinand 48 mins)
Don't know if I was the only one, but I thought we looked better defensively
when he came on. Showed a calmness on the ball which was lacking with
Ferdinand. I think is time for the return of Hammer of the Year 2006.
Luis Boa Morte (on for Bowyer 83 mins)
Was waiting to come on about 10-15 mins before he actually did. Needed to be
on much earlier as he had no time to make any impact. Would have given us
width – its something we need to play with.
Overall
Thought we responded to last week's defeat against Newcastle pretty well and
gave a good account of ourselves against probably the best footballing team
in the country. A creative player might have given us that little extra to
get a goal and is something hopefully Bellamy will give us when he returns.
Thought it was a little foolish of Curbishley to set his stall out to try
and contain Arsenal by playing with no natural width especially as it all
went out the window when Arsenal scored early. It was no surprise that
Curbishley brought up the fact that we conceded early in his post match
interview as his game plan had disappeared for the second game running.
This is one of those games where you can't really judge how good or bad the
side is as it is against a side a class above most in the league.
Next week's game at Aston Villa is a big test and one which we need to get a
result at. If we can get Bellamy back, and also Matthew Etherington we can
hurt them and I really hope we go there to attack and not contain.
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Arsenal combine graft with craft - Telegraph
By John Ley
Last Updated: 1:25am BST 01/10/2007
West Ham United (0) 0 Arsenal (1) 1
If Arsenal win the Premier League they will turn their minds back to the
late September day when graft rubbed shoulders with craft and stole a win
that, a year earlier, would have been improbable. West Ham gave Arsenal the
sternest test yet of their title aspirations and, with more luck, might have
sneaked a point. Instead, Arsenal left with their eighth straight win and a
reminder that they have added resilience to their growing armoury of
attributes.
Last season they were beaten home and away by West Ham, losing the battle
before relinquishing the points. Similar defeats at Bolton, Fulham and
Sheffield United followed yet, at Upton Park, Arsenal matched West Ham's
steel and offered some of their own. Now they are two points clear of
Manchester United and seven ahead of Chelsea, with a game in hand.
West Ham manager Alan Curbishley bemoaned some of Arsenal's play, yet really
he should be concerned with the challenge by his own player, Mark Noble, on
Hleb which left the Belarussian hobbling out of the ground and ruled out of
tomorrow's Champions League game in Romania against Steaua Bucharest.
"One of their characteristics is they put their foot in so it's very
competitive out there," said Curbishley. "They've got that pace on the break
and they exploit the situation if you have to push on to them.
"I think if you ask Arsene [Wenger] they probably came here knowing they
were going to have a difficult game, a derby. We may have tested them a bit
more but [Kolo] Toure and [Philippe] Senderos are strong and attacked Dean
Ashton very well.
"[Mathieu] Flamini and [Cesc] Fabregas are very strong in the middle of the
park and I think, until he got injured, Hleb was fantastic and probably
epitomises Arsenal: quick feet, quick brain, quick movement, simple things
like throw-ins and quick free kicks. That enabled them to get the ball down,
get it to feet and shift it somewhere else and there's always a danger."
That Noble received only a yellow card for his lunge on Hleb means that the
West Ham midfielder will escape further punishment, but Curbishley had a
legitimate reason for complaint, after former Arsenal winger Freddie
Ljungberg had an equaliser turned down for offside. Replays suggested the
goal should have stood.
And it left Curbishley knowing just how Jose Mourinho feels. Not that
Curbishley is heading for the door at Upton Park, but having been denied by
assistant referee Peter Kirkup, the West Ham manager will have sympathy with
Mourinho.
Mourinho was full of rage after Kirkup disallowed a goal in what proved to
be his final Chelsea game, the 0-0 draw against Blackburn. Now, having seen
Ljungberg's 'goal' cancelled by Kirkup's flag, Curbishley rued being
deprived of what might have been a rare chance to halt Arsenal's march.
"There's no clear daylight between Freddie and the defender. Some you get,
some you don't, but it's not offside. We needed it, obviously, to go in for
us."
West Ham, who now have Scott Parker and Anton Ferdinand on a growing injury
list, also needed Ashton to take greater advantage of his chances. He
directed a header into the grateful arms of Manuel Almunia when he should
have scored.
The last word belongs to one of Arsenal's more impressive performers. Gael
Clichy was outstanding in defence and he admitted: "This is definitely the
type of win we didn't get last season. It was the same at Tottenham. If we'd
gone a goal down there last season we might not have come back.
"For a few years we didn't win at West Ham. I think we have shown everyone
that Arsenal are up for it this year."
Man of the match
Robert Green (West Ham)
An impressive eight saves for the Hammers keeper
Three of the saves were from close range, inside the area
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Dean Ashton the alternative to Michael Owen - telegraph
By Patrick Barclay
Last Updated: 1:38am BST 30/09/2007Page 1 of 3
It is time for England to stop pinning their hopes on Michael Owen and start
planning for a future without him. Such things can be said only with a heavy
heart, for a monotonous succession of injuries, ranging from the severe to
the simply frustrating, must induce a sympathy for the player himself that
is far greater than any tendered to Newcastle United or the national team.
But there he is: back under the knife and best left out of the European
Championship qualifiers against Estonia on Saturday week and Russia four
days later, whatever the surgeons and Sam Allardyce may say about the speed
with which they can repair groin and thigh muscles.
Owen is, of course, a familiar subject of an optimism industry. What was it
we heard from Sven-Goran Eriksson a couple of weeks before the World Cup?
''Michael is in physically fantastic condition," the then England manager
purred, even though Owen had been out for several months with a foot injury
sustained in a collision with his national team colleague Paul Robinson at
Tottenham.
The papers dutifully published this as good news (as if we had not heard it
all before, in the context of not only Owen but other England stalwarts,
going all the way back to Bryan Robson) and accordingly the Newcastle
striker was picked to begin the tournament. He lasted 56 minutes as England
luckily beat Paraguay and 58 as they struggled to overcome Trinidad and
Tobago. Despite this Owen also started against Sweden but, after four
minutes, had to crawl off with a cruciate ligament rupture. No other player
was involved; he just twisted and went down in agony.
That was to cost him a year's action and it seemed England would never again
expect too much of Owen's fitness, even if a shirt would always be kept for
him. But when he made such an impression on the double-header earlier this
month, scoring one goal against Israel and two against Russia, he was once
more hailed as a messiah amid over-excited speculation that he might one day
break Sir Bobby Charlton's national scoring record (of all the curses of
today's journalism, impatience is among the most irritating). Even Steve
McClaren said too much when he declared that Owen had been badly missed on
the grounds that his goals turned draws into wins and defeats into draws.
Even if that is true, it is a truth that dare not speak its name, for Owen
will have to fly in the face of his own history in order to become a
regular. He has never scored 20 goals in a league season, mainly because he
has never played enough matches, and, in the past four seasons with
Liverpool, Real Madrid and Newcastle, he has averaged just nine, for the
same reason. In his case, goals per match do not really matter. If he plays,
he will score —but you know the rest.
So one of McClaren's priorities, in preparing for a European Champion-ship
which it now looks likely England will experience, is to find a Plan B up
front. Since he also has to find an alternative to Emile Heskey as the
target man for the Estonia match, the obvious choice would be Dean Ashton,
whose return to fitness and form at West Ham would appear to entitle him to
resume an international career snatched away by injury more than a year ago.
True, this would mean promoting him above the unselfish, intelligent and
deft Peter Crouch, but Ashton may prove a special player and this, I
suspect, may be the match for him.
You could even have Ashton and Crouch together with Wayne Rooney, who most
would expect to make his comeback up front, switching to Joe Cole's role on
the left.
The more we note of McClaren's style of management, the more it impresses
and it was instructive to hear he had been in regular touch with Owen
throughout his absence. Teamwork works both ways and Owen's recent
contribution was an apt reward for the manager's solicitousness. But
McClaren also has to be ruthless in contingency planning.
Owen (let us cross fingers) should be fully fit for the friendly in Austria
in mid-November but, when the time comes to pick the team, the process
should be all about England's future. Owen's chances of breaking the scoring
record are a matter for gossip; that is all.
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Robin Van Persie keeps Arsenal on top - Telegraph
By Patrick Barclay
Last Updated: 1:39am BST 30/09/2007
West Ham United (0) 0 Arsenal (1) 1
It will be of scant consolation to West Ham, but holding Arsenal to a
single-goal deficit at present is not bad — almost the equivalent of a clean
sheet — even if your goalkeeper is largely responsible. Robert Green
thwarted Robin van Persie, Emmanuel Adebayor and Gael Clichy, so Arsene
Wenger's men had to wait until the final whistle to be sure they would stay
top of the Premier League on more than an already impressive goal difference
of 12.
The winner came from Van Persie, whose contribution subsequently featured a
clearance from Dean Ashton, always the main threat to their intention of
overcoming a club who had beaten them on each of the three most recent
meetings. Once again Wenger expressed delight. "I'm very proud," he said,
"because we're very young yet maturing tactically. We were good in the air
and didn't make the mistake we did against Blackburn — we continued to go
forward in search of a second goal and kept the pace in our game."
He was less happy about the loss of Alexander Hleb for Tuesday's match
against Steaua in Bucharest. Mark Noble seemed fortunate not to be sent off
for a foul that, as Wenger said, "looked very nasty". Noble, he added, was
usually a fair player. "But, if that was an accident, it was a very bad
accident, because, from the knee to the toes, our player is very red and
bruised."
Alan Curbishley plucked a leaf from the Wenger textbook in claiming not to
have seen it, though the West Ham manager did urge us to have another look
at the tackle by Mathieu Flamini that forced Scott Parker off at half-time
with an aggravated knee injury and observed: "It's a tough old game." Given
that it is also supposed to be a beautiful one, the treatment being suffered
by entertainers at present — the memory of Joe Cole's hideous foul on
Cristiano Ronaldo at Old Trafford is all too fresh — does raise the question
of whether our referees, sidetracked by campaigns against diving and so on,
have become too lenient on dangerous tackles.
At any rate, it was odd to hear Curbishley say his players had shown Arsenal
too much respect; the odd physical excess apart, they worked hard and
defended well. "Against a team like that you need a break or two,"
Curbishley said, "and it didn't happen to us because Freddie Ljungberg had a
goal ruled out for offside." It had also been crucial that West Ham fell
behind. "When Arsenal get a goal up away from home, they're very difficult
to play — quick and able to hit you hard on the break."
Excellent though Arsenal were — above all Cesc Fabregas, as usual — West Ham
kept striving for equality until the closing stages, when Ashton, having
failed with one header, had another hooked away by Van Persie. Ashton's
strength and awareness, aerial and terrestrial, did much to keep West Ham in
the game.
Yet it was the bleached striker who inadvertently set Arsenal on the path to
their goal. After Ashton had stumbled deep in the Arsenal half (what is it
they say about making errors, if at all, in the right areas?), Kolo Toure
took the ball and, with a careful 50-yard pass down the inside-right
channel, found Adebayor, who waited patiently for Hleb to show outside him.
Hleb's cross was early and perfectly placed for Van Persie to head; Green
got a hand to the ball but could not keep it out.
Hard though it proved, inevitably, to match the quality of that move, there
was no shortage of brisk, accurate football, the majority from Arsenal.
Hleb, back in for Theo Walcott, who had taken part in the midweek Carling
Cup victory over Newcastle, constantly made his presence count. For only
half an hour, alas; Lee Bowyer had already been cautioned for chopping down
the Belarussian when Noble kicked him out of the contest with a high tackle
out of nowhere. Emmanuel Eboue took over but was, of course, nowhere near as
creative.
The first half was otherwise notable for a headed near-post flick-on (by
Abou Diaby) from a corner (by Fabregas); Arsenal fans had not seen one of
those since Steve Bould retired. It just went to show that all fashions come
back in the end. But Arsenal did need a second goal, from some source, for
comfort. Despite the midfield control exerted by Fabregas and his admirable
lieutenant Flamini, their lead remained vulnerable — a point emphasised when
Bowyer's cross found Ashton, who escaped Toure only to steer his free header
into Manuel Almunia's arms.
Arsenal made more chances. Van Persie, dropping a shoulder to wrong-foot the
substitute Danny Gabbidon, hit a rising drive to which Green applied a
diversionary fingertip or two just before it thumped against a post. The
West Ham goalkeeper fell to deny Adebayor and then Clichy and, when the
announcement came that at least four additional minutes would be played, the
Arsenal players still had to be on their toes.
The Telegraph verdict: Patrick Barclay
Moment of the match: Robert Green's save from Robin van Persie. It was a
superb drive, but the goalkeeper took off to touch it against the woodwork:
thrilling stuff all round.
Match rating: 7/10
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West Ham 0 Arsenal 1 - The Sun
By MARK IRWIN
October 01, 2007
INVINCIBLE? Not yet. But they are getting there. Ten wins and a draw from
their opening 11 games . . . Arsenal are on a roll and clear at the top of
the table.
Right now it is hard to see where their first defeat is coming from.
Liverpool away at the end of next month? Possibly. But you wouldn't bet on
it. In the not too distant past, the short trip to Upton Park would have
been cause for concern for Arsene Wenger. Not any more. The Gunners boss
watched with pride as his youngsters showed they are ready to stand up and
be counted for the cause. For it is one thing to beat Fulham and Derby at
home. Quite another to grind out three points in hostile enemy territory.
Yet Arsenal seized this game by the throat right from their start and never
loosened their grip until they had squeezed the life out of a determined
West Ham. Robin van Persie's 13th-minute header was enough to settle the
match, although the margin of victory would have been wider but for Hammers
keeper Robert Green. True, Freddie Ljungberg's second-half effort was
incorrectly ruled out for offside. Yet for all West Ham's possession they
could never really hurt resolute Arsenal. Full-back Gael Clichy summed up
the mood in the camp when he revealed: "If we carry on like this it gives us
hope that anything is possible for the club. "I don't know if we're going to
be unbeatable but I'm sure we're going to be up there at the end of the
season. "Nobody gave us a chance at the start of the season and that was
fair enough because the last couple of years have been difficult for Arsenal
and we didn't win anything. "But now we have what was missing in the last
two years. The spirit and desire to fight for each other is back. "We were
really looking forward to this game because every year we struggle here and
this time we wanted to come here and do something positive. "This is
definitely the type of result we didn't get last season. The same as the 3-1
win at Tottenham in our last away game. "Last season we lost only once at
home but were let down by our away form. This time we are showing everyone
Arsenal are up for it. "If we can keep getting away results like this we can
do something special because we will always be solid at home."
Even Hammers defender Anton Ferdinand noticed the difference about Arsenal
as he hobbled away from Upton Park after pulling a hamstring early in the
second half. He said: "We did the double over them last season and they know
that when they come here they're always going to be in a tough game.
"They always play the same way, whether they're winning or losing. Their
movement off the ball is unbelievable, second to none. "But they were also
prepared to put a foot in today, which is not something they've been known
for in the past. "You've got to do that in English football and Arsenal have
added that to their game this season. They didn't pass us to death because
we got about them and made life difficult for them. But players like Flamini
have come in and is doing the job Patrick Vieira used to do. "They're
looking very sharp and they are definitely title contenders."
Arsenal went ahead when Alex Hleb crossed to the six-yard box where Van
Persie arrived at the far post to glance a header goalwards. Green, at full
stretch, could only push the ball on to the post and in. West Ham's cause
was hardly helped when Ferdinand limped off just two minutes after Scott
Parker's Hammers debut ended with another knee injury. Ferdinand added: "Our
problem this season is that we haven't been able to get our strongest team
out every week because we keep picking up fresh injuries." But West Ham were
not the only ones to suffer. Wenger was furious with Mark Noble's horrendous
first-half challenge on Hleb. The Hammers midfielder was booked but Wenger
reckons he should have seen red and wants the FA's video panel to look at it
again. Wenger said: "I hope nothing is broken but Hleb does not have a
chance of playing in Bucharest on Tuesday. "The problem with the system is
that if a referee has made an incorrect decision to only book a player, he
cannot go back and increase his punishment later on. "But if the referee
looks at the foul again and admits he was wrong he should still be allowed
to take action against the player."
Hammers boss Alan Curbishley was just as unhappy with the performance of
referee Alan Wiley and complained: "He had a poor game. "I don't want to
criticise him too much but he lost me with some of his decisions and I
wasn't happy with his performance. Fabregas and Flamini persistently fouled
today and were involved in five or six challenges that they got away with."
Yet Curbishley's complaints will only be music to Wenger's ears. For when
was the last time you heard a rival manager complaining about Arsenal being
too physical? Spread the word. The Gunners are no longer a soft touch.
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West Ham United 0 Arsenal 1: Wenger confident his youngsters will not
shrivel in spotlight - The Independent
By Glenn Moore
Published: 01 October 2007
Arsenal, generally written off pre-season, sit two points clear with a game
in hand as the Premier League approaches the quarter-way mark. They have
played 11 matches, at home and abroad, won 10 and drawn one, at Blackburn
Rovers.
Such a start, especially in the context of Thierry Henry's departure in the
summer, might be expected to attract a fanfare. Instead the boardroom
shenanigans at Tottenham Hotspur initially distracted attention; now the
implosion at Chelsea hogs the headlines. Even at Arsenal the focus is on the
ownership issue. The latest on this, according to managing director Keith
Edelman yesterday, is that Alisher Usmanov's advisers have assured the board
the Russian is simply a smart investor with no desire to take over the club.
Meanwhile, quietly, and stylishly, the team carry on winning.
"We like it like that," said Arsène Wenger after Robin van Persie's header
had secured their first win at Upton Park in seven years. Such relative
obscurity cannot last, not if Arsenal keep winning, but Wenger is confident
that his young team will not shrivel under the spotlight.
"They are at an age, mostly 22 to 24, when you become a football player who
can cope with all kind of situations," said the Arsenal manager. "I think
they are experienced enough to cope as the pressure grows. They like to play
and I will encourage them to continue to do that; but let's see."
Wenger said the same maturity applied to those occasions, such as Saturday,
when they had to show steel as well as silk. "In the last couple of seasons
maybe that toughness was missing, but you expect that," he said. "We
couldn't always face the physical side. Before, when we were less
experienced, when teams played like that against us we forgot to put them
under pressure with our own game. We did that much better here, we did not
forget to play."
A skilful side with muscle, which keeps its collective head under pressure,
is a potent combination.
"They're looking very strong, definitely title contenders," said West Ham
United's Anton Ferdinand. "They were putting a foot in today, which is not
something they've been known for in the past. You've got to do that in
English football and they've added that to their game this season.
His manager, Alan Curbishley, concurred. "One of their characteristics is
they put their foot in, especially [Mathieu] Flamini and [Cesc] Fabregas, so
it's very competitive out there."
Too much at times. Alexander Hleb was carried off after Mark Noble ploughed
into him with a challenge that could have drawn a red card rather than
yellow. Scott Parker limped out of his Hammers League debut after Flamini
caught him with a foul.
Not that it was an ugly match. Both sides play passing football and there
was much to admire, especially from Arsenal who perhaps illustrate the
former Stoke City manager Tony Waddington's description of football as the
"working man's ballet" better than any team has.
"Hleb epitomises Arsenal," said Curbishley. "He was fantastic: quick feet,
quick brain, quick movement. Simple things like quick throw-ins and
free-kicks. That enabled them to get the ball down, get it to feet and shift
it somewhere else. There's always a danger."
That also applied when West Ham were attacking, as they were after 12
minutes. Then Dean Ashton lost possession. Seconds later Van Persie was
rising above Lucas Neill to head in Hleb's cross.
It could have been more, for Rob Green in the home goal made three
exceptional saves. Yet the Hammers might have taken a point. Shortly before
the hour Freddie Ljungberg, making one of those runs he perfected at
Arsenal, drifted between defenders and on to Henri Camara's pass before
converting. The linesman wrongly flagged offside.
West Ham continued to push but after Ashton, who generally looked a
contender for England's forthcoming trip to Moscow, missed a free header,
Arsenal went to 4-5-1 and closed the game down. It was evidence of another
aspect of their developing game.
At the final whistle Fabregas and Flamini went to the away end and threw
their shirts into the crowd. Bacary Sagna, Van Persie, Emmanuel Eboué and
Kolo Touré followed, the latter having to toss in a West Ham shirt he had
swapped. It was reminiscent of the way Chelsea's players had acted after
winning a battle of a match at Blackburn in Jose Mourinho's first season.
That night Chelsea began to believe they would be champions. Arsenal look on
a similar wavelength.
Curbishley, meanwhile, said West Ham "have to get to the bottom" of Craig
Bellamy's injury problems, the Welshman pulling out of Saturday's game with
a groin strain following training on Friday.
Goal: Van Persie (13) 0-1.
West Ham United (4-4-2): Green; Neill, Ferdinand (Gabbidon, 48), Upson,
McCartney; Bowyer (Boa Morte, 83), Parker (Mullins, h-t), Noble, Ljungberg;
Ashton, Camara. Substitutes not used: Wright (gk), Cole.
Arsenal (4-4-2): Almunia; Sagna, Touré, Senderos, Clichy; Hleb (Eboué, 31),
Fabregas, Flamini, Diaby; Adebayor (Gilberto, 79), Van Persie (Bendtner,
88). Substitutes not used: Fabianski (gk), Denilson.
Referee: A Wiley (Staffordshire).
Booked: West Ham Bowyer, Noble; Arsenal: Flamini, Eboué.
Man of the match: Green.
Attendance: 34,966.
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Ferdinand: Arsenal title contenders
tribalfooball.com - September 30, 2007
West Ham defender Anton Ferdinand admits Arsenal are title contenders after
their defeat on Saturday. He said: "We did the double over them last season
and they know that when they come here they're always going to be in a tough
game. They always play the same way, whether they're winning or losing.
Their movement off the ball is unbelievable, second to none. "But they were
also prepared to put a foot in today, which is not something they've been
known for in the past. You've got to do that in English football and Arsenal
have added that to their game this season. They didn't pass us to death
because we got about them and made life difficult for them. But players like
Flamini have come in and is doing the job Patrick Vieira used to do. They're
looking very sharp and they are definitely title contenders."
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West Ham boss Curbishley hails Arsenal midfield
tribalfooball.com - September 30, 2007
West Ham boss Alan Curbishley hailed Arsenal's midfield after their 1-0
defeat on Saturday. He said: "Flamini and Fabregas are very strong in the
middle and until Hleb got injured he was fantastic. "Hleb probably
epitomises Arsenal: quick feet, quick brain and quick movement."
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Bring on the HammersOct 1 2007 - Coventry Telegraph
by Andy Turner
IAIN DOWIE is relishing Coventry City's Carling Cup home draw against West
Ham - the club he supported as a boy. And the fourth round fixture -
pencilled in for Wednesday, October 31 - will have added spice with the
return of Craig Bellamy, the City old boy so many fans love to hate
following his criticism of the club after his one-season stay in 2000-01.
"West Ham were my team as a kid when I used to stand on the North Bank,"
confirmed Dowie. "I was very lucky to play for the team I supported as a
boy and I have some great memories there and it is a great draw for us. "I
understand they are moving on to a new ground in a couple of years time and
they are a big, big supported club. "We are looking forward to that, but
that is for a few weeks time and we need to digest Saturday's game and push
on against Blackpool tomorrow." Goalkeeper Andy Marshall believes that City
have a great chance of pro gressing to the quarter finals. He said: "When
you pull a team like West Ham I think it is good to get them at home. "If
there is a Liverpool or Chelsea we would have wanted them away, but the fact
that we have got a team of that calibre and bring them here is great.
"Hopefully we will pack the stadium out. "We are all looking forward to it,
and, you never know what could happen!"
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