Arsenal 2 Manchester City 1. Match report.

Manager Arsene Wenger has been boosted by the news that international trio Thierry Henry, Sol Campbell and Dennis Bergkamp were all fit for the game, but Ray Parlour and Lauren missed the match through injury. So we started with Sylvain wide right, Edu left Pat & Gilberto central, while Luzhny replaced Lauren at right back. That fat red-nosed bar steward was in goal for City and was given his usual warm greetings to Highbury. Bobby Pires was spotted in one of the boxes and got a massive pre-match ovation.

Wilkes was the inept green-shirted official but at least he wasn't card-happy. Anelka was booed whenever he got the ball but in all fairness he was their best player by a mile. City were patchy, fast on the break and reasonably organised at the back by Keegan's standards and it looks like they are good enough to stay in the top flight, but then that' s what I thought about Ipswich.

This was a game that threatened to be really good but never quite sparked off as it might have done. By way of a change from Vieira being the first one hacked tonight it was our form player Wiltord who was the first to be fouled in a game that never got close to being dirty but still saw Benarbia and Berkovic acting like a couple of prats. Shaun Wright-Phillips had enough pace to give it a go but his crosses were naff and he's easily pushed off the ball. Huckerby was theoretically supporting nasty Nic but was pretty inept.

Our first chance came when Henry stole the ball but chipped over. Thierry also worked hard tonight, one early example being when Pat played a poor ball and Henry chased all the way back to our area to win it back. There was a very deep far post cross that Dave tipped onto his bar; this before Dennis, Sylvain and Thierry combined beautifully but the final ball just wasn't quite there, an occurrence quite common tonight. The other repeated theme was shots from Arsenal forwards flying past the far post, no bad misses but on another day
we might have bagged a couple more goals. Netting over two a game is a reasonable start though, it's just that we're getting spoiled by quality football nowadays and City fans will probably be content that they gave us a game and were not slaughtered.

Henry won a corner when he also clattered into the advertising hordings, this was a tad worrying, but he recovered after treatment. It was fairly end to end stuff but we had the edge. Bergkamp was looking slick, winning corners and forcing Foe into a rash tackle. Does anyone know just why we get excited about corners? Because we never capitalise do we? Henry tried from long range from a Wiltord cross and one first time long range one-two-three between Henry, Edu and Wiltord was on target but not power packed. Benarbia at the other end batted one well wide. The little shit then caught Pat with a two-footed tackle from behind, Pat would have earned a red but this joker got away with a yellow. Sun, and it doesn't shine out by the way, then got away with a rather pitiful dive. We were on top but still called upon Sol to go in with a big hit, we also required Martin to clear a decent cross.

Our opening goal came when Dennis weighted a perfect ball in the right-hand channel for Sylv and he was through one on one. No problem for a French International in top form, he just slipped it low past Schmuckle to make it 1-0 with about twenty minutes to play in the half. The flood gates chose not to open and it didn't take long for Anelka of all people to head home their equaliser at the far post following a well placed cross from the right. The game opened up a bit at 1-1 and first Wiltord went close with a header from a great cross from Oleg, then Henry had one saved by Rudolf the fat boy between the sticks. Distin then got a yellow for pulling back Thierry as Wiltord broke down the left. If Sylvain's cross had been anywhere close to our number 14 Distin would have got a red card. Henry fired the free kick over, which begs the question why does Dennis no longer take free kicks?

Henry was fouled badly on the edge of the box but got nothing. Berkovic then kicked Pat's foot and Vieira got a yellow for being Vieira, due in no small way to some appalling play acting which would explain quite a lot about the way Hartson felt about this lowlife. Schmuckle needed to waddle out to beat Henry, and then Dennis did well to win a corner on the other side. Pat was also pressing and won another corner that needless to say came to nothing.

We continued to apply pressure and I think it was Wiltord who found Cole down the left on a run, it was certainly Ashley's cross that was met by Henry to make it 2-1. We deserved the lead and you always felt we'd get it, although not necessarily before the break. Wiltord shaved the post again having once more been found by Dennis who today was allowed to remain on for the full 90 minutes. Half time and given the choice between the matchday programme and the latest edition of 'The Gooner' it just had to be the very best fanzine ever that won out.

Arsenal continued where they left off with Edu firing wide after some fine work by Gilberto, this was yet another shot across the face of goal. The second half promised much and was reasonably exciting but I feel we must be getting spoiled because although we played some good stuff we never quite looked like murdering the boys in blue. Maybe it was a hangover from all those midweek Internationals. Certainly Pat appeared to tire late on. Cole had a great run down our left, as did Henry who unfortunately didn't spot Wiltord who 'd made himself loads of space. We'd moved into our slick-passing mode for a spell as the East Stand had a big shout for a handball that wasn't given.

We flowed beautifully but only in patches. To confirm what a noxious little prat Berkovic is he tried to get Pat sent off by diving when Pat wasn't within a couple of feet of catching him. Why he got a free kick at all is beyond me, it should have been a card for playacting. Pat was unruffled however and headed the free kick clear to a massive ovation. Twice in the second half Arsenal were on a break in central midfield only to be pulled back for a City offside. What are referees on? I swear they do it to catch their breath. Elleray is the only one of them who understands that there is an advantage to be had when in procession. Unfortunately he was only the 4th official tonight. Huckerby replaced by Goater who was as ineffective as the man he replaced.

Dennis hit another low drive past the far post before Cole got an accidental kick so City quite rightly put the ball into touch. Schmuckle was still being goaded by the Clock End, as Dennis forced yet another pointless corner. Our final ball was lacking at this stage. Henry hit one on the turn that was hopeful rather than dangerous. Anelka cut in from the right and fired in a shot, which probably woke Seaman up, as he'd had nothing to do since half time, as it happens he saved well. Henry then netted at the other end as he and Dennis broke from half way. It was disallowed for offside and by the crowd reactions of those in line it was close, very close. Seaman had to save at the feet of Nasty Nic before the same lino who flagged against Thierry made an appalling balls-up of an offside decision against Dennis who was inactive but given offside anyway. Edu off Toure on.

Henry tried another long range shot. Howey was replaced by Horlock. Once on Toure immediately stole the ball and set off for goal. At the other end Campbell blocked Anelka' s shot. The ref then missed an obvious foul throw, some holding on Henry and another possible handball. Oleg then did Anelka before Benarbia got his second yellow for what I was told was for throwing the ball away in a tantrum. Two yellows equals a red so he walked, well eventually he left because he's rather a lippy so-and-so. Arsenal then basically played keep-ball and as this is something we do rather well these days City didn't get a sniff until injury time when Foe headed over from a corner. Fat boy had come out
of goal for the event and it would have been great if we'd gone to his end and scored but it wasn't to be. Dennis almost chipped Schmuckle at the death but the second half highlight happened a bit earlier. Toure our new runaway train had a great run where players just appeared to bounce off him. He carried his run right into their six-yard box, lost the ball but flattened Rudolf to the ground. Delighted chants of 'She fell over' followed immediately. I love Kolo he's a delight and I reckon he's gonna be a big star. Greedy really isn't it, when you consider how many stars we've got already.