Arsenal vs. Tottenham: Match Review

Arsenal completed the double over arch-rivals Tottenham Hotspur as they escaped from a nervy encounter with three points. The Gunners, who were heavy favorites to win the match despite Tottenham's recent resurgence, went a goal up just after halftime when Emmanuel Adebayor scored his tenth league goal of the season, but Dimitar Berbatov levelled in the 66th. Robbie Keane then saw a penalty fabulously saved by Manuel Almunia before substitute Nicklas Bendtner headed in with his first touch of the match to give Arsenal a 2-1 victory.

Lineups:
Arsenal: Manuel Almunia; Bacary Sagna, William Gallas, Kolo Toure, Gael Clichy; Emmanuel Eboue, Cesc Fabregas, Mathieu Flamini, Alex Hleb, Tomas Rosicky; Emmanuel Adebayor

Tottenham: Paul Robinson; Young-Pyo Lee, Younes Kaboul, Pascal Chimbonda, Teemu Tainio; Kevin-Prince Boateng, Jamie O'Hara, Steed Malbranque, Aaron Lennon; Robbie Keane, Dimitar Berbatov

Arsenal rushed out of the gates, with Mathieu Flamini hooking a volley just off target in the second minute.

Spurs were trying their best to contain Arsenal and play on the break, but Kolo Toure still managed to get onto a Cesc Fabregas free kick, but the ball fell tamely to Paul Robinson.

Tottenham were playing their game well though, and chances were hard to come by for both sides.

Robinson finally made his first real save in the 33rd minute when Emmanuel Eboue took a shot at the England stopper's right goalpost.

The game began to liven up as half time approached with Almunia saving a free kick from Dimitar Berbatov and Kevin-Prince Boateng curling an effort just over the Spaniard's crossbar.

Toure once again got on the end of a Fabregas free kick just before half time, but Paul Robinson was equal to his effort again, and the half time whistle sounded with the teams level.

The second half was much more lively.

Cesc Fabregas' cheeky backheel met Emmanuel Adebayor in the penalty area only minutes after the second half started, and the tall Togo striker finished well, curling the ball past Robinson, putting him on top of the Premier League's scoring chart this season.

Robbie Keane volleyed into the crossbar after meeting a cross from Aaron Lennon in the 65th minute, as Tottenham looked to equalize.

The equalizer came only a minute later after Keane backheeled to Berbatov who finished neatly past Mathieu Flamini and Kolo Toure at the near post.

Berbatov was involved again when Kolo Toure brought the Bulgarian down in the penalty area. Keane stepped up, but Almunia dove the right way to brilliantly deny Tottenham a second goal.

Arsene Wenger then sent Nicklas Bendtner on for Emmanuel Eboue and Arsenal were immediately rewarded.

In the 74th minute Nicklas Bendtner rose unmarked in the box to head past Paul Robinson with his first touch in the game. There could be no better way to endear oneself to Arsenal fans than scoring the winner in the North London derby, and the 19 year-old Dane seems like he may have himself quite a future at the Emirates.

Bendtner nearly set up Adebayor for a third, but the striker was muscled off of the ball.

Adel Taraabt then had a penalty shout dismissed by referee Rob Styles who blew the final whistle soon after.

Let's All Laugh At Tottenham

Martin Jol, the manager who brought Arsenal's cross-town rivals Tottenham Hotspur to two consecutive fifth place finishes in the Premier League quit today, following a home defeat to Getafe in the UEFA Cup.

Straight from the start, the Dutchman's future was in danger, with Spurs allegedly contacting Sevilla boss Juande Ramos to replace Jol. Tottenham's poor performances did little to alleviate the tension between him and Chairman Daniel Levy.

The club now finds itself in eighteenth place, in the relegation zone along with newly promoted Derby and Bolton Wanderers, another team to have recently sacked a boss. The boys from White Heart Lane have collected a rather pathetic seven points from ten games, continuing a poor run of form following their opening day loss to newly promoted Sunderland.

Tottenham also started off its UEFA Cup campaign on the wrong foot after losing 2-1 to Getafe at White Heart Lane.

However, of all of Tottenham's losses this season (and there have been a fair many) the one which would be most appreciated by Arsenal fans is the 3-1 loss suffered at the hands of our very own London-based team.

For those of you who don't remember the game, I'll give you a quick recap: Gareth Bale scored an early free kick goal after a nasty foul from Gilberto on the edge of the box, bringing the White Heart Lane faithful to their feet. Arsene Wenger's Arsenal side refused to give up of course, and after half time, a Fabregas double and a goal from Emmanuel Adebayor sealed an Arsenal victory.

And here's how the two teams stand now:

Arsenal: 1st in the league, 25 points from 9 games, 12 straight wins
Tottenham: 18th in the league, 7 points from 10 games, winless for 7 games

I'd have to say that the irony in the situation is bordering on hysterical. So-called football pundits proclaimed the downfall of the big four in British football, claiming that Tottenham would take the final Champions League spot out from the noses of last season's underachieving Gunners. Arsene Wenger was supposed to be the first coach to leave a club in the Premier League.

Nope. Arsene Wenger is firmly at the helm of an Arsenal team that is first in both the Premier League and the Champions League group. Spurs on the other hand are manager-less and in the relegation zone.

So, if you're having a bad day, have a little laugh at the expense of Tottenham.

Arsenal vs. Derby: Match Review

Well, I thought that I was perhaps being too harsh on Derby by predicting a 4-0 Arsenal win, but the young guns proved me wrong, emphatically winning the game 5-0. Arsenal remain at the top of the table thanks to a hat-trick from Emmanuel Adebayor and goals from Cesc Fabregas and Abou Diaby.

Lineups:
Arsenal: Manuel Almunia; Bacary Sagna, Kolo Toure, Philippe Senderos, Gael Clichy; Abou Diaby, Cesc Fabregas, Mathieu Flamini; Theo Walcott, Eduardo da Silva, Emmanuel Adebayor

Derby: Stephen Bywater; Claude Davis, Andy Griffin, Dean Leacock, Tyrone Mears; Eddie Lewis, Matt Oakley, Stephen Pearson, Gary Teale; Steve Howard, Kenny Miller

Arsenal started strongly and should have been ahead in the 4th minute after an interception from Gael Clichy in the attacking third was followed up by an immaculate pass to Emmanuel Adebayor who failed to make contact with the ball, allowing the danger to pass.

The chance was a warning to the Derby defense, and it wasn't too long before it was followed up by a goal. Abou Diaby (who had a brilliant match today) ran past two challenges before unleashing a rising shot into the top right corner of the net. Diaby's 10th minute goal was a reminder of Arsenal's potent goalscoring midfielders, and all but doomed Derby right from the beginning.

Diaby almost netted a second only minutes later from a similar position, but this time his low shot was pushed away by Bywater. Adebayor also had a great chance on 23 minutes, but the Togolese striker once again failed to make significant contact with a pass (this time from Kolo Toure) and the ball was picked up by Bywater.

The lanky forward couldn't be held off for too long though, as he finally latched on to a fabulous pass from Cesc Fabregas and rounded Bywater to slot home in the 25th minute. At 2-0, and with Arsenal still pressuring Derby, the last 65 minutes of the game seemed a mere formality - but Arsenal continued to play attacking football.

Around the half hour mark, Theo Walcott tried a shot from 20 yards out, but missed well wide. Walcott wasted a chance when Fabregas threaded a ball through to him in the 32nd. The shot went straight at Bywater who picked it up after fumbling. Walcott made some dazzling runs throughout the game, but his final ball (and his shot) left something to desire. Still, he's quite a talent, and I can't wait for him to live up to his potential.

Arsenal nearly went into the second half 3-0, but a 44th minute header from Eduardo was equaled by a brilliant save from Stephen Bywater who had otherwise looked fairly average so far.

A 2-0 lead was enough to give Arsenal some confidence coming into the second half though, and in the 50th minute Eduardo was pulled by Matt Oakley in the 18 yard box, resulting in an Arsenal penalty. Bywater guessed right, but could do nothing to stop Adebayor from slotting home his second of the match.

6 minutes later Kolo Toure nearly netted his first of the season after he headed a cross from Fabregas just wide.

Derby then countered with their first real chance of the game, as Steve Howard shot just right of Almunia's upright.

A few minutes later a nice run from Theo Walcott saw him speed past two defenders only to once again lack the final touch, seeing his shot blocked. Arsenal looked sure to score a fourth though, and it came when Fabregas once again unleashed a fierce drive from 20 yards. Bywater got a hand to the ball, but couldn't prevent it from reaching the net, making it 6 goals in as many games for the midfield maestro.

Adebayor added another fabulous goal in the 80th minute to finish the rout, as he showed amazing control in chesting down a ball before slotting home from about 8 yards.

Arsenal have secured their spot at the top of the table, and Thierry Henry must be ruing his decision to move to Barca. Could this be another invincible year?

Arsenal vs. Derby: Match Preview

Match Review (5-0 Arsenal)

So here we have it. League leaders Arsenal are ready to take on Derby, a team that has been labeled as the worst ever to play in the Premiership. They have been living up to this label, losing 4-0 to Tottenham and 6-0 to Liverpool and 1-0 to Manchester City in their first three away games this season. They were admittedly given a tough opening schedule, and a visit to the Emirates will not do much to help.

Arsenal, who lost only one home game last season, are currently lossless, after having taken the full three points from 4 games, and having drawn with Blackburn after a Jens Lehmann error. The on form leaders may choose to rest some key players, but Arsene Wenger will be sure not to take any opponent too lightly, and is likely to play many of Arsenal's big names.

However, Jens Lehmann, William Gallas, Tomas Rosicky, and Emmanuel Eboue will not be among the big names present. All four are out with injuries (Tomas Rosicky having been knocked during the midweek Sevilla game) and are not going to feature on Saturday. Alex Hleb and Philippe Senderos are doubts, after having both picked up slight injuries, also in the 3-0 thrashing of Sevilla.

I expect that Wenger will start with something similar to our regular lineup with the exception of the injured players. Gale Clichy, Kolo Toure and Bacary Sagna are sure starters. If Senderos is out, Gilberto is likely to start in his place, despite the defensive midfielder looking rather shaky against Tottenham. I would rather see Bacary Sagna played as a central defender with Justin Hoyte, Lassana Diarra, or even Mathieu Flamini taking over at right back. Either way that we do it, it's hard to envision us conceding to a Derby attack that has only scored 4 goals this season.

In the midfield Cesc Fabregas is the only sure starter. If Gilberto is deployed in the defense, I would expect to see Cesc play alongside Flamini and Diaby. Theo Walcott is the most probable deputy for Rosicky, and it would be nice to see him start another game. Another possibility for the left wing spot is Eduardo, who Wenger has stated he would like to see play as a winger. Saturday's match would be a good time to test this out against a lower opponent, since Hleb and Rosicky are out.

Up front, I have to unfortunately guess that Wenger will start Robin van Persie and Emmanuel Adebayor. The pair are quite good and should ensure us a win, but I would rather see one of the two rested, with Nicklas Bendtner being given a starting berth. The big Dane could do wonders for Arsenal and this is a perfect opportunity to introduce him as a starter.

With Wenger likely to play a nearly full strength lineup, I expect us to beat Derby 4-0. I can't believe that I'm predicting such high numbers, but I can't help it. We've just beaten Tottenham 3-1 and Sevilla 3-0, so we should do some damage when we play the bottom feeders at home. This game should significantly improve our goal differential...