20 Monday, September 22, 2008 theboltonnews.co.uk/wanderers Premiership W First half 4 mins – Kevin Nolan's 25-yard 15 mins – Kevin Davies gets on 22 mins – Emmanuel Adebayor shot is tipped over by the the end of Joey O'Brien's corner runs clean through the middle action shots rapidly backtracking Almunia. Goal! to head Wanderers into the lead. and strikes a post. Wanderers (4-5-1) JUSSI JAASKELAINEN Pulled off some good saves from Song and Walcott later on, but could do little when Arsenal 6 finally breached the Wanderers’ defences in the first half. GRETAR STEINSSON Unusually poor game from WHITESBLOWN AWAY the full-back. Left wide open in the first half, he was 5 wasteful with his crossing in the second. DANNY SHITTU If his effort could be bottled, Reebok roar fails to Wanderers would be able to sell it and buy Ronaldinho. 6 Even popped up on the left wing in the second half. silence young guns ANDY O’BRIEN One world class tackle on Adebayor in the first half, but WANDERERS, and their fans in like defensive partner Shittu, 6 particular, rediscovered their WANDERERS was bound to succumb under Reebok roar but sadly it wasn’t ARSENAL waves of Arsenal attacks. enough to disarm Arsene JLLOYD SAMUEL Wenger’s young guns. There was a pleasing familiarity about Grew in confidence as the game wore on but after 70 minutes of everything barring the kick-off time graft, you had to feel sorry for 6 and the result early on Saturday him when Arsene Wenger evening. introduced Walcott. The Whites’ fans – raucous and back in top voice from start to finish; JOEY O’BRIEN goalscorer Kevin Davies at his Much-improved from dominant best; a dishevelled Wenger Kolo Toure to head his third goal of Fulham. His delivery from pacing the touchline wishing he was the season. set pieces was excellent and 7 somewhere 240 miles south of It is threatening to be a watershed he rarely wasted the ball in Horwich. possession. campaign for the combative striker But ultimately, the end result was who took until F KEVIN NOLAN exactly the same, gained from a target last season. performance of infinitely less desire, No sooner had the goal gone in than Best performance of the passion or quality seven days earlier Arsenal effortlessly shif season from the skipper. at Fulham. Almunia’s excellence prevented 8 Emmanuel Adebayor shook Jussi him from scoring but his all- Few teams in the world could have Jaaskelainen’s lef round effort was superb. coped with Arsenal when they flexed springing the offside trap and less their footballing muscles in a than a minute later FABRICE MUAMBA breathless 10-minute spell in the first headed against the right-hand upright half, riled by the fact Davies had given Perhaps trying too hard from a Fabregas cor against his old side at times. the Whites a shock lead in the 14th It was only a matter of time before the The gap between defence 6 minute. equaliser arrived. Right on time, and midfield was too big The excellent Emmanuel Eboue and when Arsenal were on top. Eboue – whose right foot seemed the Nicklas Bendtner swept them into the only part of his body to be onside – EBI SMOLAREK lead during a period in which their latched on to Bendtner movement and pace was unplayable. stabbing the ball past Jaaskelainen for Struggled to find his rhythm Cesc Fabregas orchestrating a his first-ever Premier L early on and left Steinsson midfield in which he, oddly, was the exposed in defence. Later 5 senior figure, with all the class and One became two within a minute. improved but needs to get finesse we have come to expect from Arsenal sliced through W up to Premier League pace. one of the Premier League’s finest Adebayor fed Denilson on the right imports. and his cross was bundled home at the RICARDO GARDNER far post by Bendtner Wenger had the luxury of resting A threat when he got the ball Robin van Persie and saving England The looks of genuine concer but drifted out of the game hero Theo Walcott for a late cameo but face of Wanderers’ fans soon gave way for long spells. His energy 6 to more vocal encouragement. That, it hardly affected the Gunners whose and enthusiasm were a joy as much as anything, helped prevent to watch at times, though. well-drilled brand of football is a purist’s dream. the Gunners from putting the game out of sight at that point. KEVIN DAVIES That is not to say Wanderers were the beast to their beauty. At times they And just before the break, the noise Never gave Gallas or Toure a matched the visitors stride for stride levels were raised further when, af moment’s peace and Nolan had put a difficult volley inches deserved his goal. The 7 in the creativity stakes and, especially challenge on Clichy, however, after the introduction of Riga in the wide, Davies slid in for a 50-50 ball was not a pretty sight at all. second half, looked genuinely capable with Gael Clichy which lef of snatching at least a point when man in a heap. SUBSTITUTES Arsenal’s torch began to flicker. Steve Bennett produced a yellow card Ebi Smolarek was handed a debut on advice from his linesman, yet Cohen; Al-Habsi; Riga 7, 56 (for Smolarek); Hunt; Vaz replays showed the W Te 82 (for Muamba); Helguson; McCann 6, 60 (for when Johan Elmander failed to come Joey O’Brien). through a pre-match fitness test, and got to the ball first before his although the Pole did little to protect momentum car his full-back on the right flank, he did the young Frenchman – who was show neat touches toward the end of substituted at half time with what Arsenal his 56-minute stint which suggest, like turned out to be a badly br Riga, he can be brushed up. It was the kind of tackle most players (4-4-2) After the tedium of Craven Cottage, would shirk from. But Davies is no Wanderers came out with a point to “Jessie” as BBC pundit Mark MANUEL ALMUNIA . .8 prove. Nowhere was that more evident Lawrenson would later describe some BACARY SAGNA . .6 than in skipper Kevin Nolan, who took of the opposing players lining up to condemn him on Match of the Day CESC FABREGAS . .8 less than four minutes to show he meant business, testing Alumnia with KOLO TOURE . .7 The incident shook Arsenal again. Y a cheeky 25-yard lob. sensed Wanderers needed only to find WILLIAM GALLAS . .6 Arsenal were rattled and when Nolan an equaliser and yet another famous DENILSON . .7 forced a mistake out of the Spanish victory, coupled by an inevitable ALEX SONG . .7 keeper 10 minutes later for a corner, Wenger rant, could be on the cards. GAEL CLICHY . .6 SPEED MERCHANT: Theo Walcott leaves Kevin Nolan in his wake at the Reebok Davies took advantage by out-jumping Alas, not this time. EMMANUEL ADEBAYOR . .8 NICKLAS BENDTNER . .7 EMMAUNEL EBOUE . .8 Second half 47 mins – Song blasts a shot 50 mins – Gardner tries a shot 70 mins – Nolan gets his head to Subs: Van Persie; Vela; Walcott 73 (for which is curling in, but from the edge of the box but a Davies cross to reveal growing Bendtner); Ramsey 84 (for Eboue); Djourou 6, action shots Jaaskelainen makes a flying save. it’s straight at Almunia. cracks in the Arsenal defence. 45 (for Clichy); Fabianski; Gibbs. hip Wanderer theboltonnews.co.uk/wanderers Monday, September 22, 2008 21 anuel Adebayor 24 mins – Bendtner’s shot is 26 mins – Bendtner releases Emmanuel Eboue, 27 mins – Adebayor puts Denilson gh the middle blocked by Muamba, Alex Song Goal! in an offside position in the box, and he slots Goal! away down the left and his low BLst. headsOWagainst the post. NAinside Jaaskelainen's the near post. WAcross is convertedY by Bendtner. fails to g guns ERERS . .1 AL . .3 FABREGAS V MUAMBA MUAMBA chased gamely, but Fabregas was in a league of his head his third goal of own at times. Content to orchestrate from a deeper role than ng to be a watershed the one which brought him so the combative striker, many goals last season, the young l February to hit that Spaniard’s pass selection was ason. worthy of a player many years his d the goal gone in than senior. lessly shifted up a gear. debayor shook Jussi s left-hand post after offside trap and less e later, Alex Song had st the right-hand upright gas corner. matter of time before the ved. Right on time, se right foot seemed the s body to be onside – Bendtner’s pass before ball past Jaaskelainen for Premier League goal. DAVIES V wo within a minute. TOURE d through Wanderers as ARSENAL FINALE: Denilson slots home Arsenal’s third goal to end Wanderers’ hopes of a comeback LEFTcompletely unmarked for the Denilson on the right opening goal, Davies had the was bundled home at the Nolan, Joey O’Brien and impressive upper hand on Toure for the whole endtner. sub Riga all tested Almunia, who evening after notching his third genuine concern on the showed why his manager has kept strike of the season. The Arsenal rers’ fans soon gave way faith with him since the departure of man was left appealing to referee encouragement. That, Jens Lehmann in the summer. Steve Bennett after being muscled nything, helped prevent The best chance, however, fell to sub rom putting the game off the ball one too many times for Ricardo Vaz Te.