29/12/2007 20:06
Goal.com
Arsenal Prevail In Bad-Tempered Goodison ClashEverton 1-4 Arsenal
Tempers boiled over at Goodison Park, but 10-man Arsenal took all three points thanks to a second-half comeback against 10-man Everton. Eduardo was the Gunners' star.
The scoreline doesn't tell the true story, but Arsenal brilliantly came back from a goal down at half time to claim all three points from this heated game with Everton.
Truly a game of two halves, Arsenal were poor and deservedly went in behind at the break to a superb and faultless home side thanks to Cahill's strike.
But Arsenal's class shone through as Everton's mistakes were punished twice by Eduardo and then by Adebayor.
As the game turned ugly, five Gunners were booked and Bendtner dismissed before Everton's Arteta saw red for an elbow and Rosicky wrapped up the points for Arsenal.
First Half
Arsenal switched back to 4-4-2 after the goalless draw at Portsmouth, but Arsène Wenger elected to leave Adebayor on the bench in favour of Bendtner and Eduardo.
There was a tremendous pace to the game early on, with Everton defending deep to counteract the threat of Arsenal’s roving midfielders.
Both sides cancelled each other out in the first 20 minutes, with plenty of fancy flicks but no shooting chances, until Everton netted with their first effort.
A real scrappy goal, it followed Arteta’s tremendous corner that skipped off the head of Arsenal’s Sagna. In the mêlée that followed, Yakubu and Cahill beat Bendtner to the loose ball, scrambling it home at the far post. After several replays, the Aussie was awarded the goal.
Arsenal’s frustration became apparent as heavy tackles flew in. The Gunners’ slick passing was not evident as over-hit balls were lapped up by the Toffees’ back four. Everton, by contrast were bright and spurred on by the home crowd.
Cahill and Yakubu linked well once more as the Nigerian dragged his 30th minute shot wide, while Phil Neville struck a sweet shot just over the bar from 20 yards. Arsenal had a further scare in the 41st minute as Touré’s lapse put Yakubu through, but the Ivorian recovered well to take the ball without conceding the foul.
It wasn’t working out for the Gunners at the other end of the pitch, however: Eduardo’s angled header and Touré’s deflected shot were all they mustered before the break. Cahill’s run and shot forced Almunia to save low as the rain and even hailstones bucketed down on Goodison Park, but the home side had to make do with a one goal advantage at half time.
Second Half
Arsenal took just 80 seconds to wipe out all Everton’s good work. A long, high ball from the Gunners’ defence looped over Jagielka’s head and into the path of Eduardo, who prodded past the helpless Howard to make it 1-1.
Everton were shell-shocked and within 10 minutes they’d gone behind, again to Eduardo. The Croat didn’t get a single touch in the Everton box before the break, but he latched onto Bendtner’s pass before skilfully turning Jagielka inside out and slotting the ball left-footed, low and to the right of the advancing Howard. A classy goal, and confirmation of a shocking performance transforming into a vintage turnaround.
Jagielka’s nightmare continued as his header back to the keeper was again intercepted by Eduardo in the box. But this time round the Croatian international received nothing more than a yellow card for deliberate handball. Everton did have chances at the other end: Yakubu headed wide, Cahill tried one of his specialty overhead kicks and the Gunners hooked clear Arteta’s menacing in-swingers.
The buoyant atmosphere had now evaporated from the game but the action on the field remained hot, not least when Bendtner’s horror lunge on substitute Johnson earned him his second yellow of the night. So bad was the challenge that it merited a straight red.
The home side sought to exploit the man advantage. Carsley’s long-range drive was too tame to beat Almunia, however, and another crazy Everton error gifted the visitors all three points. Yobo and Howard left a bouncing Arsenal goal kick to each other and substitute Adebayor nipped past the pair of them to walk the ball into the net.
Lescott’s header came close to reducing the deficit, but then the game turned ugly. Arteta’s elbow brushed Fabregas, who rolled on the floor and sparked a mass brawl. The challenge warranted the red card it received, but Fabregas’ reaction was frankly pathetic. The less glamorous side of football had emerged, with Fabregas then booked for a silly foul, Flamini for failing to retreat, and Everton’s Cahill noticeably boiling with rage.
As the flames died down, Arsenal rubbed salt into the wounds as Rosicky drilled a low shot into the corner of the Toffees’ net, rounding out a 4-1 victory that re-establishes Wenger's side as league leaders heading into 2008.
Line-ups:
Everton (4-5-1): Howard – Hibbert (Johnson 71), Yobo, Jagielka, Lescott – Arteta, Carsley, Neville, Pienaar, Cahill – Yakubu
Subs not used – Wessels, Vaughan, Nuno Valente, Anichebe
Arsenal (4-4-2): Almunia – Sagna, Touré, Gallas, Clichy – Hleb (Diarra 82), Fabregas (Rosicky 88), Flamini, Diaby – Bendtner, Eduardo (Adebayor 74)
Subs not used – Lehmann, Senderos
Goals:
1-0 Cahill, 19 (unassisted)
1-1 Eduardo, 47 (Clichy)
1-2 Eduardo, 58 (Bendtner)
1-3 Adebayor, 78 (unassisted)
1-4 Rosicky, 90 (Diaby)
Cards:
Yellow: Bendtner, Eduardo, Clichy, Fabregas, Flamini
Red: Arteta (violent conduct, 84) / Bendtner (two yellows, 74)
Attendance: 39,443
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