Arsenal's Journey towards Glory : Huge win for Gunners

[treva]

Well the top four up in those Champ League spots as normal. Man Utd are looking good and so the others are going to have to beat them if they want the title. Stoke are doing exceptionally well!

 

[Karachi Xpress]

Thats a good looking table. Bolton and City not too far. Arsenal have to win this year Go Gunners

 

[shefellover93]

Really good story, one of the best here, well presented and well written

KUTGW!!!

 

[shantanu_rooney]

Match Report: West Brom 1 Arsenal 3

(Fabregas celebrates his opening goal of the match)

Emmanuel Adebayor scored his 14th goal of the season as Arsenal outfought to pile more pressure on leader Manchester United. Cesc Fabregas, who had a penalty appeal turned down after he was clipped by Scott Carson, broke the deadlock with a cool finish in the second half. Adebayor met Fabregas' deep cross with a precise header to make it 2-0 before Aaron Ramsey slid home a third. Ishmael Miller hooked in a late reply for West Brom, who were well beaten.

West Brom cannot be aggrieved with the final outcome but they will point to an early strike by Roman Bednar, wrongly ruled out for offside when he was level with William Gallas, as proof the result could have been very different. But Arsenal also felt key decisions went against them before the break, and Fabregas, as usual, was heavily involved. He felt he should have had a penalty when West Brom keeper Carson indisputably made contact with the Gunners talisman, who had won the race for a ball inside the area.

Referee Alan Wiley waved Arsenal's claims away, however, and also ignored Marek Cech's shove on Rosicky as they chased a bouncing ball on the edge of the box soon afterwards. Fabregas pounded his fist into the wet Hawthorns turf in frustration and that decision was probably playing on his mind seconds later when he badly miscued in front of goal after Santa Cruz had teed him up.

Adebayor and Santa Cruz also both went close with headers, while only some alert goalkeeping by Carson stopped the Togo skipper from nipping in to intercept Paul Robinson's poor backpass. But it took until the hour mark for Arsenal to make their pressure tell - and fittingly it was Fabregas who broke the deadlock.

Ishmael Miller gave the ball away and Fabregas exchanged passes with Nasri, burst past Cech into the box and coolly slotted home. West Brom, belatedly, came forward but were left frustrated by another Wiley decision, this time to only book Gallas who had hauled down Bednar as he broke clear on goal.

A red card would have given West Brom hope but instead it was Arsenal who quickly wrapped things up with two more goals which both came courtesy of some poor defending. Adebayor met Fabregas' cross at the far post to beat Carson with a superb header before substitute Ramsey got in on the act to tuck away Clichy's cross from close range.

Wiley also turned down another penalty appeal from Fabregas, who on this occasion clearly went to ground too easily under pressure from Cech. West Brom did manage to get on the scoresheet before the end, Miller firing home after Gallas failed to clear, but Arsenal's victory was not in doubt.

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*Tony Mowbray

"We are disappointed with the goals we conceded. We were victims of over-playing. Our downfall was misplaced passes in dangerous areas. Arsenal have some quality players and they were able to pick us off. The first goal was key. We should not have conceded two more but Arsenal probably deserved the win."

*Jose Mourinho

"We knew that it would be tough so we needed to keep going, keep working. At half-time we told them to keep playing football because we knew we could score but also we knew it could be difficult. The understanding between Fabregas and Adebayor was, at the end, the key."

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West Bromwich Albion: Carson ; Hoefkens, Robinson, Cech, M??t?(Ślusarski 77') ; Greening(c), Dorrans(Koren66'), Morrison, Donk ; Miller, Bednar
Unused Subs: Kiely, Do-Heon, Bernett

Goals: Miller 90'

Arsenal: Akinfeyev ; Sagna, Gallas, Silvestre, Clichy ; Rosicky(c), Nasri(Ramsey 79'), Fabregas, Barry(Walcott 71') ; Santa Cruz(V.Persie 88'), Adebayor
Unused Subs: Almunia, Toure

Booked: Gallas

Goals: Fabregas 60', Adebayor 82', Ramsey 90'.

Att: 29,991

Ref: Alan Wiley​

 

[Dr. Pepper]

Adebayor is just amazing this season. 14 goals overall and an assist today aswell! Convincing win, showing your dominance against a smaller team. May not seem like much of a win but psychologically it is . Great update Shan .

 

[treva]

A win that was needed and expected. With their only goal being in the 90th minute it shows you defended well. Need to kick on now and keep an unbeaten run going.

Great stuff Shan!

 

[shantanu_rooney]

Match Report: Galatasaray 0 Arsenal 0

(Keeper Aykut Erçetin hero of the match)

Arsenal were left to rue missed opportunities as they were forced to settle for a share of the points against a determined Galatasaray SK side in UEFA Champions League Group C dead rubber match.

The Gunners' best chance came from the penalty spot on the half-hour, but Galatasaray goalkeeper Aykut Erçetin saved Robin van Persie's effort. The 26-year-old custodian produced further heroics late in the second half, pulling off a flying save to tip over an expertly dispatched Gareth Barry's free-kick. While this was Galatasaray's first ever home point in European football's elite club competition this season, the draw signaled the end of Mourinho's 100 per cent away record in Europe stretching with Arsenal.

The visitors dictated the early exchanges, with Galatasaray content to sit deep and absorb considerable pressure. However, it took Arsenal fully twelve minutes to engineer their first serious attempt on the visitors' goal. Mexican international Carlos vela spun past Uğur Uçar on the right wing and curled a left-footed, 22-meter shot a fraction over the crossbar. Galatasaray, unshaken in the cauldron-like atmosphere of their home ground Ali Sami Yen Stadium, withstood the initial onslaught and were soon to counter.

On 13 minutes, Ümit Karan drove a powerful free-kick a meter wide from the fringe of Arsenal's penalty area and, 60 seconds later, the Turkish runner ups should have taken the lead. Hasan Şaş, released by a wonderfully accurate long pass by Ümit Karan, burst through on goal and shot low under the hulking frame of Arsenal keeper Manuel Almunia, only for the ball to squirm wide of the target. With 30 minutes played, though, Galatasaray's's good work looked set to be undone when Arsenal winger Aaron Ramsey turned Semih Kaya in the box and was tripped by the defender's trailing leg. Referee Matteo Trefoloni pointed to the spot, yet Galatasaray survived as Erçetin dived to block Persie's penalty kick.

Arsenal began the second period showing the same intent with which they started the first, but still the breakthrough eluded them. As in the opening half, Vela was the visitors' chief source of inspiration and his sorties into the right and left channels stretched the Galatasaray defense to bursting point. Time after time, though, the disciplined Turkish rearguard doused the Arsenal threat before it materialized – hunting in packs, Michael Skibbe's men closed down every ball. The frustrated away support chanted for the introduction of Cesc Fabregas and, on 63 minutes, manager Jose Mourinho granted their wish, bringing on the flamboyant Spanish midfielder to replace skipper Tomasc Rosicky.

Vela appeared poised to finally give Arsenal the lead their possession warranted 13 minutes from time when he charged through on goal, only to be brought down in a clear goalscoring position – a challenge which earned defender Hakan Balta a red card. However, Erçetin brilliantly kept out the resulting free-kick from Fabregas, and it was the closest the London club would come to winning the game despite being willed to victory by their traveling fans.

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*Michael Skibbe

"We had only a couple of chances which we could have used and scored. But our poor form this season again affected us and we missed them. But at the end it was good to take one point from the game. Talking about the dismissal it was a poor tackle but it didnt deserved a red card."

*Jose Mourinho

"We completely dominated the game yet we were unable to score. I am happy with the result. I had rested many players keeping in mind the next very importanat game against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge. Well no blame to van persie for missing the penalty as sometimes it happens."

------------------------------------

Galatasaray: Erçetin ; Güngör, Uçar, Balta, Aşık ; Şaş, Karan(c), Kewell, Sabri(Baroš 77') ; Nonda, Çalık
Unused Subs: Lincoln, Meira, Linderoth, Akman, Topal, De Sanctis

Sent Off: Balta

Arsenal: Almunia ; Sagna, Song, Djourou, Clichy ; Barry, Ramsey, Rosicky(c)(Fabregas 63'), van Persie ; Vela, Bendtner(Walcott 65')
Unsued Subs: Akinfeyev, Silvestre, Nasri, Adebayor, Toure

Booked: Sagna, Barry, Ramsey

Att: 42,129

Ref: Matteo Trefoloni​

 

[Karachi Xpress]

Ouch! How did Arsenal not win this?? Oh well...they have to get their form back!

Nice work! KUTGW!

 

[matty_boy08]

Great story so far, Walcotts a gun!

 

[shantanu_rooney]

Mourinho ready for the Kill

(Mourinho ready to kill Chelsea)

Jose Mourinho has revealed plans to "kill" Chelsea when his Arsenal faces Chelsea
on this Sunday at Stamford Bridge.The former Blues boss is eager to meet the club
in the Premier League on this Sunday and break their unbeaten home record.

"When we play them in the Premier League on this Sunday, I wanted to go there and
kill them - thats's my message."former Chelsea boss said.

Despite expressing his desire to beat Chelsea in Europe next season, he admitted
he still felt a close connection with the club.

"I still feel Chelsea is a part of me, I'll have Chelsea in my heart forever," added
the Portuguese. "I left you couldn't get a bad word from me in relation to the club
and you cannot do it in the future too."

And Mourinho said his relationship with the club's owner Roman Abramovich was good
after reports at the time of his departure in September 2007 suggested he left
Stamford Bridge because of a rift between himself and the Russian billionaire.

"I think it was last week that I spoke with people from the club," he said."I was
speaking with Mr Abramovich and chief executive Peter Kenyon because we keep in
touch. I was telling them I wish them always good, I wish them always to succeed,
I wish them always to win."​

 

[Karachi Xpress]

WOW! Lol...he really is pumped up! Go Gunners

 

[Dr. Pepper]

No one does controversial interviews like me . Only joking mate. Nice pressy, should be fun seeing Chelsea die .

 

[shantanu_rooney]

Match Report: Chelsea 0-1 Arsenal

(Arsenal celebrate a huge win against Chelsea)

Emmanuel Adebayor's goal gave Arsenal a priceless win - but they had keeper Igor Akinfeyev and Chelsea's profligacy to thank for an unlikely victory. Chelsea dominated the entire match but found themselves a goal down at half-time after Adebayor stayed just onside to chip over Petr Cech. Akinfeyev somehow palmed away Deco's fierce volley then flicked out an arm to save Didier Drogba's header. But the Gunners held on to become the first side to win at the Stamford Bridge for four and a half seasons.

The three points were enough to lift Jose Mourinho's side to second place three points behind Champions Manchester United and two points ahead of Liverpool. Meanwhile, Chelsea's second defeat on the bounce leaves them looking nervously over their shoulders after Bolton closed to within two points of fourth and the final Champions League place. It was a quite extraordinary match in which Chelsea launched attack after attack only to find Arsenal's goal leading a charmed life.

The Blues hit the woodwork twice and had a total of 30 efforts on goal without finding the net. Frank Lampard squandered a glorious chance after only two minutes, shooting too close to Akinfeyev from Ballack's flick-on, and it set the tone for a wasteful afternoon from his side. Drogba had a shot saved and then blazed over, while Ballack sliced horribly high and wide from Salmon Kalou's cutback.

Arsenal were little more than spectators as the Blues attacked at will. Akinfeyev did well to parry Ballack's fierce snapshot and he then had to backpedal to collect Lampard's cheeky chip. But the Blues were guilty of over-elaboration when Drogba overhit a pass to Joe Cole instead of taking on the shot himself - and they paid dearly.

In first-half added time, Kolo Toure lofted over a hopeful ball, which evaded John Terry, and Adebayor stuck out a leg to lob it over the stranded Cech. It was the ultimate sucker punch. Chelsea's claims of offside against Adebayor fell on deaf ears and manager Luis Felipe Scolari made his feelings known to referee Graham Poll at half-time.

The goal, though, did nothing to change the pattern of the match in the second half as Akinfeyev stepped up to make himself the Arsenal hero of the hour. The keeper produced an astonishing save to keep out Deco's well-struck volley then stuck out an arm to stop Drogba's close-range header. And as Lampard thundered a shot against the bar and Deco somehow headed wide from six yards out, it looked like luck might be on Arsenal's side.

That was certainly the case when Essien hit Akinfeyev's left-hand post and Arsenal could have made their win more comfortable had substitute Theo Walcott not stabbed his shot wide in a one-on-one with Cech. Chelsea looked understandably stunned when the final whistle confirmed their first defeat in four and a half seasons, while Arsenal revelled in their fourth straight win.

------------------------------------------

* Luis Felipe Scolari

"It's difficult to say we had a bad game because we should have scored 10 and yet we lost the game. As long no one scores then there is equal chance for any team to win the match and also there is more pressure on the next person who gets the chance. That's what happened. I felt it (defeat at the Stamford Bridge) could happen one day but I didn't expect it to happen in a game like today."

* Jose Mourinho

"The way Chelsea came out in the first half, it was fantastic, but Green stood firm. People say they missed chances but I tend to say Akinfeyev saved them. When you come to a top four team you need your keeper to put in a 10/10 performance. The last four results have given us a massive lift and we are surely in the title race now."

------------------------------------------

Chelsea: Cech ; Bosingwa(Essien 56'), Carvalho, Terry(c), A.Cole ; Deco, Lampard, Ballack, Kalou(Anelka 81'), J.Cole(Malouda 77'); Drogba
Unused subs: Cudicini, Alex

Booked: Cech, Terry, Ballack, Drogba

Arsenal: Akinfeyev ; Eboue, Toure, Gallas, Silvestre ; Rosicky(c)(Sagna 71'), Nasri, Fabregas, Barry(Walcott 65') ; Santa Cruz, Adebayor
Unused Subs: Almunia, Clichy, Ramsey

Booked: Fabregas, Gallas, Rosicky

Goals: Adebayor 45'

Att: 45,212

Ref: Graham Poll​

 

[Dr. Pepper]

Chelsea had one of those days where you dominate the whole game but can't score. The keeper was in top form for you. Well done to Adebayor, he's a clinical finisher. Really good win for you in the title chase.

 

[Karachi Xpress]

YAY Gunners have done it again Good win. Almunia rocks

KUTGW! Nice stuff...