Blackburn 1-1 Arsenal

Blackburn 1-1 Arsenal
PA

Arsenal were left to rue a moment of carelessness by goalkeeper Jens Lehmann which gifted Blackburn a 1-1 draw at Ewood Park.


GettyImages
Blackburn 'keeper Brad Friedal keeps Eduardo Da Silva away from goal.

He allowed Blackburn to secure a point when he flapped at a shot from David Dunn and watched in disbelief as it nestled in the net.

It was the second time this season the German has been punished for a lack of concentration. On the opening day of the season he allowed Fulham's David Healy to score from close range.

Arsenal went on to secure a victory against their London neighbours but were not so fortunate in Lancashire after Robin van Persie had given them the lead.

• Wenger fury at Blackburn 'violence'

The only sour note for Blackburn was the dismissal of skipper Ryan Nelsen for two yellow cards.

Arsenal took the lead in the 18th minute when Van Persie took advantage of some sloppy defending to score.

Goalkeeper Brad Friedel failed to deal with Eduardo Da Silva's shot after Theo Walcott had headed the ball on.

Nelsen and David Dunn both had chances to clear but failed to do so and Van Persie took advantage his second goal of the season

It was just the start Arsenal wanted after their Champions League victory against Sparta Prague in midweek.

However manager Arsene Wenger was forced to make a change in the 25th minute with William Gallas limping off and replaced by Philippe Senderos.

Blackburn almost drew level in the 34th minute following a free-kick from David Bentley.

He picked out Christopher Samba at the back post and the towering defender headed the ball back across the area.

Nelsen was the first to react and powered the ball forward only to see his effort come back off the post.

Blackburn, though, were still looking vulnerable at the back and a mistake by Stephen Warnock let in Walcott with Nelsen dragged out of position.

Walcott was in two minds whether to shoot or cross and failed to trouble Friedel in the home goal.

The Arsenal youngster sent a harmless ball across the face of the area and Van Persie was unable to get a touch.

Then Senderos delivered a goal-bound header a minute before the break only to see Samba make the clearance.

Bentley then tried to curl a free-kick beyond Lehmann in the 53rd minute but his effort fail to trouble the goalkeeper.

This was a good spell by Blackburn and Roque Santa Cruz sent a header narrowly wide of the post in the 57th minute following a free-kick from Bentley.

Derbyshire then almost equalised three minutes later when he got on the end of a cross from Bentley but Toure made a vital interception.

There was controversy in the 62nd minute when Cesc Fabregas handled Samba's effort on the line but referee Alan Wiley awarded Arsenal a free-kick for an infringement.

Lehmann had to look lively in the 66th minute to push away an inswinging free-kick driven at pace from Morten Gamst Pedersen.

Then came his howler which allowed Dunn to score his first goal in his second spell for the club.

Blackburn were growing in confidence and Pedersen made space down the left only to find the side-netting with his shot.

However they were reduced to 10 men in the 83rd minute when Nelsen picked up his second yellow card of the game for a challenge on Van Persie.

Blackburn, though, kept their shape to take a point and continue their good start to the season.

• Wenger fury at Blackburn 'violence'

Arsene Wenger accused Blackburn of waging 'violence' against his Arsenal side at Ewood Park.

It was a charge dismissed by his managerial counterpart Mark Hughes after a feisty 1-1 draw.

Wenger said: 'I felt there was a desire for violence more than commitment in some of the challenges.

'We were very resilient against a team that was over-physical. We dealt well with the problem we had.

'My team showed the correct attitude and we are frustrated because we should be going home with the three points.

'We did well and had some good chances to score a second goal here.'

Skipper Ryan Nelsen was sent off after picking up two yellow cards but Hughes retorted: 'That attitude (by Wenger) surprises me. The worst challenge was by Van Persie on Stephen Warnock.'

Van Persie opened the scoring with his second goal in two league games when he took advantage of some sloppy defending after Brad Friedel failed to take the ball cleanly.

But Blackburn earned a point when goalkeeper Jens Lehmann spilled a shot from David Dunn and enabled the midfielder to score his first goal in his second spell for the club.

It is the second time this season the German has been punished for a lapse in concentration.

On the opening day he gifted a goal to Fulham's David Healy but Arsenal recovered and went on to secure a victory.

They were not so fortunate in Lancashire but Wenger, who saw defender William Gallas suffer a groin injury, refused to condemn his goalkeeper.

He said: 'Jens is really unhappy and really down in the dressing room.

'I do not need to tell him, though, he has made a mistake. We do not want to blame him. We want to keep the positives.

'While we conceded a bad goal overall we dealt well with set pieces and long balls.

'Blackburn is a difficult place to come and it is not a bad result for us.'

Hughes was delighted at the way Blackburn went about their business and refused to grumble about failing to get what appeared to be a clear penalty.

Cesc Fabregas handled a shot from Christopher Samba on the line but referee Alan Wiley awarded a free-kick to Arsenal for a mysterious infringement.

Wiley seemed to struggle with the physical nature of the game and dished out eight yellow cards as well as the red to Nelsen.

Hughes said: 'It was very competitive and I thought we dominated the game. We were the better side.

'Arsenal's key personnel did not cause us problems and we could have snatched a victory.

'We showed great character and equipped ourselves well against a top side. It sets down a marker as far as I am concerned.

'I am really delighted by the manner of our performance as we played the better football.'<

Match Stats
Blackburn Arsenal
Shots (on Goal) 10(4) 11(3)
Fouls 19 15
Corner Kicks 5 4
Offsides 5 2
Time of Possession 49% 51%
Yellow Cards 4 4
Red Cards 1 0
Saves 3 8

Teams
Blackburn Arsenal
1 Brad Friedel Jens Lehmann 1
6 Ryan Nelsen Gael Clichy 22
4 Christopher Samba William Gallas 10
3 Stephen Warnock Bacary Sagna 3
11 David Bentley Kolo Toure 5
19 David Dunn Francesc Fabregas 4
7 Brett Emerton Mathieu Flamini 16
12 Morten Gamst Pedersen Alexander Hleb 13
8 Robbie Savage Da Silva Eduardo 9
27 Matt Derbyshire Robin Van Persie 11
9 Roque Santa Cruz Theo Walcott 32
Substitutes
32 Jason Brown Manuel Almunia 24
2 Andre Ooijer Philippe Senderos 6
5 Tugay Kerimoglu Neves Denilson 15
10 Benedict McCarthy Alexandre Song Billong 17
30 Jason Roberts Nicklas Bendtner 26
Substitutions
A Ooijer for M Derbyshire (85)
P Senderos for W Gallas (24)
B McCarthy for R Santa Cruz (88)
N Denilson for D Eduardo (65)
N Bendtner for T Walcott (73)
Yellow Cards
David Bentley (24)
Mathieu Flamini (29)
Christopher Samba (30)
Da Silva Eduardo (65)
Robbie Savage (45)
Gael Clichy (66)
Ryan Nelsen (60)
Robin Van Persie (74)
Red Cards
Ryan Nelsen (84)

· Club Squads: Blackburn | Arsenal

Liverpool 1-1 Chelsea

Liverpool 1-1 Chelsea
PA

Liverpool and Chelsea played out a 1-1 draw which suggested the Barclays Premier League season could be a war of attrition right to the end.


Empics
Fernando Torres slips the ball past Petr Cech for the first goal.

The two clubs have played each other 16 times in three seasons and familiarity clearly breeds contempt with nine bookings and Hampshire referee Rob Styles coming in for flak from both sets of players as he fought to maintain order.

Fernando Torres' excellent first goal for Liverpool was all but forgotten as the yellow cards were waved, five for Chelsea and four for Liverpool. Captains Steven Gerrard and John Terry were among the bookings.

• Benitez laments 'unbelievable' decision

Chelsea battled away after going behind and were rewarded with a controversial penalty that Frank Lampard drove past Jose Reina.

Steve Finnan was adjudged to have brought down Florent Malouda, but the incident looked more like the Frenchman jumping between Finnan and Jamie Carragher before crashing to the ground.

The incident set the tone for the rest of a fractious match in which Styles almost lost control. In the latter stages he appeared to book Michael Essien for a second time without sending off the Ghanaian only for the fourth official reveal the booking had been issued to Terry.

Broken toe or not, Gerrard was there to skipper Liverpool against a Chelsea side who had their own captain Terry back from injury.

It was never a cordial meeting between international skipper and his deputy, the pair involved in frequent verbal exchanges during an increasingly feisty clash.

Chelsea included Essien in their defence, who was pressed into service despite a groin injury because Jose Mourinho was without defenders Ricardo Carvalho and Paulo Ferreira.

Chelsea used Essien at right-back and John Obi Mikel as a holding midfielder, with Salomon Kalou trying to push on from midfield to aid Didier Drogba.

Malouda, who chose Chelsea ahead of Liverpool when he moved from Lyon in the summer, and Shaun Wright-Phillips were also quick to attack in a brave Mourinho system.

Liverpool went for a straight-forward 4-4-2 with Riise keen to exploit any unfamiliarity to right-back from Essien.

And the threat was demonstrated when Riise appeared in yards of space to take a Steve Finnan cross-field ball only for Petr Cech to come flying off his line to avert the danger.

Essien was booked for sending Alvaro Arbeloa flying on the touchline, then Chelsea's vulnerability on their right flank saw them a goal behind on 16 minutes.

Gerrard played the ball with the outside of his right foot, finding Torres heading into the area.

The Spain international took on Tal Ben-Haim, leaving the ex-Bolton man in just a couple of yards before squeezing a clever side-foot shot just inside Cech's far post.

Anfield went wild and the £20million man was an instant hero as he was mobbed by his delirious colleagues.

Chelsea responded with a Drogba free-kick that was deflected wide and Kalou saw a six-yard box chance disappear as he failed to shoot quickly.

Gerrard mopped up with a ferocious challenge on Drogba to clear.

The match got more heated and Dirk Kuyt was booked for a trip on Lampard.

The atmosphere deteriorated further after Chelsea complaints to referee Rob Styles over challenges on Malouda and Terry, the latter involved in an exchange of words with the perpetrator, Torres.

Pennant was then booked for dissent after being penalised for a foul.

Gerrard was next into the book for a foul on Mikel, the half ending with Torres limping away after a heavy challenge and plenty of exchanges between England colleagues on both sides.

Chelsea brought on Claudio Pizarro for Kalou at the break, to provide better support for Drogba. And the Peruvian made an instant impact.

First he nodded on a Lampard corner for Terry to head just over, and then he stretched at the far post to head wide himself.

Much of Liverpool's play in the opening half was geared to containment, but they were more adventurous attacking the Kop end and Gerrard and Xabi Alonso both saw chances go wide while a Riise free-kick was charged down.

But on 61 minutes, Chelsea were level from the penalty spot. It was a controversial decision by referee Styles to penalise Steve Finnan for a challenge on Malouda.

It looked as if Malouda had jumped between Finnan and Carragher before tumbling and Carragher was booked for arguing before Lampard drove the spot-kick home.

The bookings continued and Ben-Haim's for dissent soon after was the third caution in four minutes.

On 67 minutes, Ryan Babel replaced Pennant, who had just set up Riise for a power drive just wide.

Lampard was soon booked for dissent, with Terry following, Chelsea fuming at what they perceived as a Torres dive looking for a free-kick.

There was more argument involving Essien before the free-kick went Liverpool's way. The Ghanian appeared to be booked for a second time but Styles later confirmed that only Terry had been yellow-carded.

What was certain was that the game had deteriorated into a nasty, spiteful battle.

Cech did well to keep out a close-range Riise effort as Liverpool pressed again. Crouch taking over from Riise with seven minutes left.

Kuyt's flicked header just cleared the bar before Alex came on for his Chelsea debut in place of Malouda.

Chelsea were now intent on the point, which they achieved after Babel skimmed a late effort inches wide.

• Benitez laments 'unbelievable' decision

Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard accused referee Rob Styles of cracking under pressure from Chelsea players when he awarded a highly-controversial penalty which saw the visitors earn a draw at Anfield.

Fernando Torres netted with a fine side-footed effort after just 16 minutes, and Liverpool looked to be on course to repeat last season's league victory over the then-champions at Anfield.

But in the second period Frank Lampard belted home a penalty, controversially given for a challenge by Steve Finnan on Florent Malouda.

Asked if his side deserved to win, Gerrard said: 'I think so. I think a very, very unfair decision has got Chelsea a point today. But I think we proved today we are capable of challenging.

'I felt the referee didn't play well today. There was a lot of pressure from the Chelsea players and I thought he eventually cracked.'

Asked about his slim chances of overcoming a broken toe to play in England's friendly against Germany on Wednesday, Gerrard said: 'I looked fit today because I had a painkilling injection to play. I need to rest to be ready for the England qualifiers.

'I've spoken to Steve McClaren a couple of times and I'll speak to him tomorrow I suppose.

'The sensible thing is to make sure you are ready for big games.

'If the x-ray tomorrow shows the crack has healed, I'll be playing for England. But I can't see it because three days ago I had an x-ray and I'd broken a toe.'An irate Rafael Benitez described Styles' decision as 'unbelievable'. 'I think it was a mistake.

'Unbelievable. How can you change a game like this?'

Asked if he challenged Styles about the decision after the match, the Spaniard said: 'No. It is clear, he can watch the video. He may understand why we are so disappointed. Unbelievable.'

Benitez took positives from his side's performance, however.

'We had some chances against a very good team. The game was under control but this kind of decision, you cannot explain.

'Maybe he was under pressure all the time. I prefer not to say too much.'

Benitez's Chelsea counterpart Jose Mourinho insisted Styles had 'a positive game'.

However, the Portuguese reserved judgement on the penalty decision in his side's favour. He said: 'I don't know. But so many times you are unfortunate, especially in this stadium with referees' decisions, I don't know. I think it is a difficult game for referees.

'Not every player on the pitch was trying to help the referee. A couple of them, maybe because of their different culture, didn't help the referee. But two big teams at Anfield is not easy.

'Overall Mr Styles had a positive game.'

Mourinho talked of his adventurous team selection and formation but admitted he was happy to play for a point in the last five minutes.

'I think it is difficult to play here because they are a good team and it is a positive result for us, especially because we were losing.'

Match Stats
Liverpool Chelsea
Shots (on Goal) 19(8) 8(2)
Fouls 11 16
Corner Kicks 5 2
Offsides 3 1
Time of Possession 56% 44%
Yellow Cards 4 5
Red Cards 0 0
Saves 0 5

Teams
Liverpool Chelsea
25 Jose Reina Petr Cech 1
5 Daniel Agger Tal Ben-Haim 22
17 Alvaro Arbeloa Ashley Cole 3
23 Jamie Carragher John Terry 26
3 Steve Finnan Michael Essien 5
14 Xabi Alonso Frank Lampard 8
8 Steven Gerrard Florent Malouda 15
16 Jermaine Pennant Mikel John Obi 12
6 John Arne Riise Shaun Wright-Phillips 24
18 Dirk Kuyt Didier Drogba 11
9 Fernando Torres Salomon Kalou 21
Substitutes
30 Charles Itandje Carlo Cudicini 23
4 Sami Hyypia Alex 33
20 Javier Mascherano Joe Cole 10
19 Ryan Babel Claude Makelele 4
15 Peter Crouch Claudio Pizarro 14
Substitutions
R Babel for J Pennant (68)
C Pizarro for S Kalou (46)
P Crouch for J Riise (83)
J Cole for S Wright-Phillips (77)
Alex for F Malouda (85)
Yellow Cards
Dirk Kuyt (30)
Michael Essien (12)
Jermaine Pennant (40)
Ashley Cole (59)
Steven Gerrard (43)
Tal Ben-Haim (63)
Jamie Carragher (61)
Frank Lampard (70)
John Terry (74)
· Club Squads: Liverpool | Chelsea

Gilberto shocked not to get Gunners captaincy & Blackburn v Arsenal: Preview

Gilberto shocked not to get Gunners captaincy

Arsenal midfielder Gilberto Silva has admitted he was 'surprised' to be overlooked for the Gunners captaincy this season.


The 30-year-old led Arsene Wenger's side for much of last season in the absence of the injured Thierry Henry, who has since left the club.

And the Brazilian has revealed his shock when he found out Wenger had opted to give the armband to defender William Gallas - via the internet.

'Of course I was surprised because I was captain all last season when Henry didn't play, and after his move to Barcelona I naturally thought I would be this time,' he told the Daily Star.

'Arsene is the manager and it is his decision and I have to accept that. Life goes on and I will get on with my job like I always have.

'But I was surprised he didn't speak to me about his decision. He had the time to do it because I was at the training ground before it was made public.

'He didn't say anything to me and I just found out about it that evening when I saw it on the Arsenal website.

'I wasn't upset about not being captain, but I was about the way I learnt about it.'

He added: 'I will give the same commitment to the club that I always have. This is an important season.'

Blackburn v Arsenal: Preview
PA

Blackburn manager Mark Hughes insists there is no longer any bad blood between his side and Arsenal.

The Gunners travel to Ewood Park with memories of last season's bitter FA Cup defeat at the hands of Rovers still fresh in their minds.

After a goalless draw at the Emirates Stadium, Cesc Fabregas made insulting remarks to Hughes' face and Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger was also uncomplimentary about Blackburn following their 1-0 win in the replay.

Hughes claims, however, that those events are in the past.

He said: 'We won through last season in the cup after a great strike from Benni McCarthy.

'People seem to forget a few weeks before that we had been beaten by six goals at the Emirates. We went back there with a gameplan, got the job done, Benni was available for the replay and he made the difference.'

Asked about the responses of Fabregas and Wenger, the Rovers boss added: 'In fairness to the young man he apologised afterwards in the dressing room and that was the end of it as far as I am concerned.

'When managers get beat they tend to look at the game from their point of view and I'm guilty of that as well. After you have had a painful defeat it can be difficult to give credit to the opposing team and you have to recognise that.'

Blackburn will give McCarthy a full check-up to ensure he has recovered from concussion before including him in the squad.

The South African striker suffered a head injury at Middlesbrough last weekend and was taken to hospital following the game.

If he is passed fit, Hughes may select him to partner Roque Santa Cruz for the first time.

Hughes said: 'All my strikers can play together in different combinations and Roque and Benni certainly have that capacity.

'Benni likes to come off and get involved in the build-up and Roque goes long and gives us an aerial threat.'

Wenger hopes Arsenal can build up some early-season momentum with another victory - but knows there is still plenty of football to be played in the race for the Barclays Premier League title.

The Gunners were in European action earlier this week and so have now played a league match less than rivals Manchester United and Chelsea.

With Liverpool - also entered in the Champions League qualifiers - hosting the Blues on Sunday and United looking for their first win of the campaign in the Manchester derby at Eastlands, it could be just the opportunity for Wenger's men to strike an early psychological blow.

The Arsenal manager, however, knows there is a long road ahead between now and May next year.

'We will try - but you will have to play Chelsea and Liverpool as well at some stage,' he said. 'We want to have a good run and get good momentum.

'We had a good tournament at the Emirates and in Ajax, a good start against Fulham and it is a big relief to have got the result in the Champions League.

'We are not in yet, but we have made a good first step.'

Wenger rejected suggestions defending champions United were now lagging behind in this season's race for top spot.

'I do not think you can read much into that already,' he said.

'Manchester United had a difficult start against Reading, but 1-1 at Portsmouth is not a bad performance. Everybody can drop points at Portsmouth.'

Wenger accepts the pundits have given his young side little chance to regain the title last won in such style four seasons ago.

However, the French coach is confident they can prove the doubters wrong.

'Everybody has written us off before the championship started and we want to show everybody we have a good chance to do it - but we have only played one game. We will learn more in 20 games,' the Arsenal boss said.

'I believe we are mature enough to be title winners, but the competition is very high.'

Togo striker Emmanuel Adebayor could return to the squad in time for the visit of Manchester City next weekend.

Summer signing Eduardo da Silva could make his debut at Ewood Park if the Croatian shakes off his ankle problem and passes a fitness test.

Wenger said: 'I am not sure if he will start. At the moment I am tempted to say no, but he will be in the squad.

'If he is okay physically that means there's no big pain in his ankle, but I will see. He is a brave player.'

Wenger - Sparta will be stronger this time around

Wenger - Sparta will be stronger this time around
By Richard Clarke

Arsène Wenger believes Sparta Prague will be a stronger proposition in the Champions League this year than when Arsenal played them in 2005/06.

This morning’s draw for the Third Qualification Round threw up a repeat of the group games from two years ago. Back then, Arsenal won easily on both occasions and, famously, the away tie saw Thierry Henry break Ian Wright’s goal-scoring record for the Club.

However, speaking exclusively to Arsenal TV Online in Amsterdam this afternoon, Wenger argued it will be a tougher task this time around.

“I feel they will be different,” said the Frenchman. “They have rebuilt their squad now and they seem to be stronger.

“I watched the draw live on television and you could see every tie is difficult now. But I feel Sparta Prague has two advantages for us. Firstly it is not too far. Secondly we are likely to play [the first leg] on the Wednesday and it could have caught us to play on the Tuesday.

“Overall we know that the rest is just about putting in a good performance. Sparta have a good knowledge of the competition. When there is an experience in the opposition club it is always a difficult game but we still feel we have enough quality to have a good chance to go through.

Arsenal TV Online subscribers can hear the full audio interview now where Arsène Wenger talks about his side’s chances in the Champions League this season, comparisons between the 2006 qualification and his recollections of Henry’s night in Prague back in 2005.

Wenger - Eduardo relieved to get work permit

By Richard Clarke

If you look in the record books it will say Eduardo started his Arsenal career on July 3, 2007. In fact it began yesterday.

Arsène Wenger was at Soho Square in the afternoon putting forward the Croatian’s case over his work permit application. The Arsenal manager then flew to the Netherlands to guide his team through their opening game of the Amsterdam Tournament.

An hour or so before kick-off news filtered through that Eduardo had been granted his papers. An hour or so after kick-off the 24-year-old nodded home his first strike for his new club.

“Yes, Eduardo got his work permit today and celebrated with his first goal,” said Wenger after the 2-1 win over Lazio.

“When we got the news you could see it was important to him because there was relief on his face.

“He could have scored two or three in the game tonight. He is good in the air for a small guy and could have got another header too.

“I am pleased because it is always good that this period [without a goal] does not last too long. Otherwise people start to question your capability to score.”