Key Incidents:
Goal (Arsenal) (45+1) – The goal that we deserved on the basis of our first half performance. We were having little luck in breaking the Newcastle team down, as they sat deep in their own half, so it was no surprise to see our goal come from a lucky break. The ball just sat up at the right height for Paddy to hit after a small scramble just outside the box. He duly took his chance and smacked the ball with enough power to catch Given off guard with the aide of a slight deflection.
Man Of The Match – Ashley Cole
Player Ratings
Manuel Almunia - 7 - The stats speak for themselves. In his five premiership starts we have kept four clean sheets, and only conceded two goals. That is not to say that Lehmann may not have done exactly the same, but my point is that he has proved his critics wrong and is coming on in leaps and bounds. Another good display today, with two good saves, and many a fine catch in the air.
Ashley Cole - 7.5 - My MOTM. He showed the best of his game, with tackles flying in, and making sure that nobody would get past him. He had some ridiculous decisions going against him, but still went about the game in the same way, not allowing himself to be brought down. He didn't stop working and lead the back line. Very impressive, and I was also proud to see him standing up to the intimidation that he received on numerous occasions.
Kolo Toure - 7 - Another display based on his pure physical ability. He restricted Ameobi any sight of goal, and was strong in his challenges. Made a few good clearances late on to see us through to full time.
Sol Campbell - 6.5 - A slight dip for him. His composure escaped him for brief spells, where he forgot the golden rules of defending such as not letting the ball bounce. Overall, he came out on top, but those dodgy moments could have cost us.
Lauren - 6 - Was beaten far too easily for my liking. Allowed Robert to get past him on many occasions, and had Robert's crossing not be so dismal, we could have been in real trouble, especially with the aerial threat posed by Ameobi.
Robert Pires - 7 - Well played Bobby. He has had many up`s and down's just recently, and has been very unpredictable with his performances. Tonight however, he made sure that Ash had the cover he needed after he was booked, and got back to help out. He covered a lot of ground and linked up the play.
Patrick Vieira - 7 - The leader in him shone through again tonight. He led the team on throughout, and his tackling was excellent. He showed his great passing and scored a brilliant goal. Let's see more of these performances in the future.
Mathieu Flamini - 7 - Recalled to the side after his boxing day rest. His freshness helped, as he took on much of the midfield workload, and organised us well when defending set pieces. Good to see such maturity amongst our younger players, and he is looking like a real rival for Gilberto.
Freddie Ljungberg - 7 - He just gives us that something extra in away games. He turns players, causes them problems, and gets himself about, always covers his tracks and mucks in with the defending. This was another typical Freddie away day!
Thierry Henry - 6.5 - Visibly tired for most of the second half. He started the game brightly and helped to see us have 75% of the possession early on. However, as the game progressed he drifted out of it, and was clearly not at his best.
Robin Van Persie - 5.5 - Things just didn't click for him. His passing was sporadic at bets, and his first touch deserted him. Really was just “one of those nights” for him. One redeeming point for him though was his reading of the game. He was making the right runs and operated a shoot on site policy when we couldn't break them down. Overall quite disappointing.
Subs:
Gael Clichy - 7 - Brought in to sure us up for the crucial final moments. He gave us an outlet going forward that we so dearly needed, and flew in with the tackles. Provided us with some of the resolve we needed late on.