Key Incidents
Goal (PSV) (8) – The set piece curse strikes again! A near post corner caught us all napping, and with Lehman coming but not getting, it left Ooijer with a free header, which he had no trouble tucking it away.
Goal (Arsenal) (31) – A goal from nothing. Henry held the ball up and the right hand side, and despite stumbling, managed to beat his defender. He then slipped a ball into Freddie, who returned it with a neat back heel for Thierry to side foot us back on terms.
Red Card (Lauren) – The first booking was needless, we had the free kick after all! I agree that this sort of behavior should result in a card, but I still felt angry at this booking, as the ref showed no consistency what-so-ever. The second was slightly more deserved, and we were down to ten.
Red Card (Vieira) – To sum it up in one word – FOOLISH! The first booking was a deserved in my view, but knowing that he was walking a tightrope, he took the option to throw himself over the edge. You just can't slide in like that, and worse than that, they were going nowhere, and there was just no need to put in that challenge.
Goal (PSV) (8) – The set piece curse strikes again! A near post corner caught us all napping, and with Lehman coming but not getting, it left Ooijer with a free header, which he had no trouble tucking it away.
Goal (Arsenal) (31) – A goal from nothing. Henry held the ball up and the right hand side, and despite stumbling, managed to beat his defender. He then slipped a ball into Freddie, who returned it with a neat back heel for Thierry to side foot us back on terms.
Red Card (Lauren) – The first booking was needless, we had the free kick after all! I agree that this sort of behavior should result in a card, but I still felt angry at this booking, as the ref showed no consistency what-so-ever. The second was slightly more deserved, and we were down to ten.
Red Card (Vieira) – To sum it up in one word – FOOLISH! The first booking was a deserved in my view, but knowing that he was walking a tightrope, he took the option to throw himself over the edge. You just can't slide in like that, and worse than that, they were going nowhere, and there was just no need to put in that challenge.
Player Ratings
Jens Lehmann - 6 - Didn't organize the box to a high standard, and was partly at fault for their goal.
Ashley Cole - 7 - Stuck to his task, and never strayed. Coped with whatever came at him, and worked very hard when we went down to 9 men.
Kolo Toure - 7 - A much improved performance, mainly due to Sol being back. Got stuck in, and seemed to have shaken the wobbles he has experienced over previous games.
Sol Campbell - 7 - Brilliant to see our main defensive man back in action. A solid performance, although his communication with Lehmann still worries me. Hopefully he'll be fit for Sunday.
Lauren - 4 - A stupid red card which ended any hope of us nicking a win. Was average before the sending off.
Robert Pires - 5 - Was non-existent throughout, and his passing was not of his normal high standard. A really disappointing performance.
Patrick Vieira - 4 - Before the game he promised a “Captains performance” Nothing could have been further from the truth. He did little to rally the lads when we conceded, and all the graft came from Freddie and Thierry. The red card was foolish, poor judgment on his part, and he will now miss he crucial final game.
Cesc Fabregas - 7 - Carried the load in midfield, both when Vieira was on and off the pitch. Really was our most imposing midfielder.
Freddie Ljungberg - 7 - Another great performance. Rallied around and worked hard for the 90 minutes in attack and defence.
Thierry Henry - 8 - MOTM. Despite playing with an injury, he was still our best player. He really led us, and worked hard, grafting, to win the ball back. Fully deserved his goal. The pace of our attacks were mainly down to him, as we rediscovered our quick passing game.
Jose Reyes - 5 - Yet again he failed to break his poor spell. But with him, I feel that it will only take a goal to get him back on track.
Subs:
Robin Van Persie - 6 - Was doing well until he put in a clumsy challenge from which he came out the worse. No news yet, but the fact that he was led straight down the tunnel does not inspire me with confidence.
Justin Hoyte – 6 - Dealt with the late pressure well, and seemed to be confident in his own ability.
Mathieu Flamini – 6 - Got stuck into the midfield and saw us through till the final whistle.