Derby 2 Arsenal 6
In some respects this was a microcosm of Arsenal’s season – Van Persie showing early promise and going off injured; a lack of defensive concentration; failing to keep the lead after going ahead; missing a host a chances; four offsides given that clearly weren’t; scoring some fabulous goals; and winning neutrals over by entertaining football.
In some ways too this was experience v youth – with Moore, Todd and Stubbs up against Walcott, van Persie and Bedntner.
Arsenal started with an end-of-season mood. It gave Derby a sense of seizing the initiative. And in the first twenty the home side just about shaved it.
Song and Fabianski hesitated; Eboue took the wrong decision volleying instead of heading a Bendtner cross.
Mears set up a chance for Villa who shot wide. And Sterjovski thought he’d scored as the ball deflected dangerously off Song for a corner. Mears and Villa combined well again forcing a corner.
On 24 Darren Moore sent a sloppy pass, Bendtner picked it up, send it to Van Persie who returned it for the Dane to hit it low past Carroll. It changed the mood of the game.
Walcott on the left set up an open goal for Van Persie, but he curled it wide.
Song gave away an uneccessary free kick on the left. From the cross, he failed to pick up Moore and Freddie Flintoff look-alike, McEverley, poked it in.
After some more missed chances, Toure put a great ball into the area, Van Persie peeled off Moore and chested it down and half-volleyed into Carroll’s net. The Dutchman seems to score classy goals, and not easy goals.
At the start of the second, Toure looked like he wanted a goal with two forward runs and shots. Adeybayor, on for the thigh strained van Persie, should have scored when clear on the left but Carroll saved with his feet.
Denilson tackled well, passed to Walcott and his cross, via Eboue‘s two footed lunge found Adebayor who poked in the loose ball.
Bendtner set up Walcott with a straight ball down the middle, but the English forward rushed it and sent it wide.
Feilhaber and Lewis had a couple of shots in quick succession. But then a simple pass to Earnshaw saw the Welshman send a good right footed finish past Fabianski.
A minute later Gilberto (on for Denilson) sent a long diagonal to Walcott on left, and the Englishman cut in on to his right and fired into the corner.
Then a three-touch goal. Bendtner to Clichy to Adebayor – two long one touches and a short stabbed goal.
In injury time, Fabregas sent a straight ball onto Adebayor‘s run. The Togolese ran round Carroll and netted his hat-trick. The first time a striker has scored two hat-tricks against the same team in the Premiership, and his 30th goal of the season.
Arsene Wenger said: “it was typical performance. We were mobile, clean, and technically always dangerous. We had moments where we lacked concentration and were punished. Derby gave everything. But the longer it went on the more it looked like we’d score more goals.
“Derby didn’t look like a team lacking confidence. They were dangerous on set pieces and closed us down but our technical superiority took over.
“Everyone impressed. Overall the young players did well. Denilson, Bendtner….
“Fabianski did well. His reading and decision making was good. He was sound, clean and quick going to the ground.
“It is always a problem not to win trophies. We were unlucky this year. I love this team, the way they play and behave and they have a great future.”
Paul Jewell said: “In the first half we were terrific. They took a lot of energy out of us. We gave a lot of silly goals away. We are in the same league but we were a million miles apart.”
Derby County: Roy Carroll, Alan Stubbs, Andy Todd, Darren Moore, Tyrone Mears, James McEveley, Robbie Savage, Hossam Ghaly (Benny Feilhaber 60) Eddie Lewis Mile Sterjovski (Robert Earnshaw 69) Emanuel Villa. Subs not used: Lewis Price, Marc Edworthy, Jason Beardsley
Arsenal: Lukasz Fabianski, William Gallas, Gael Clichy, Kolo Toure (Johan Djourou 78), Cesc Fabregas, Alexandre Song, Emmanuel Eboue, Denilson (Gilberto 64) Theo Walcott, Robin Van Persie (Emmanuel Adebayor 46), Nicklas Bendtner. Subs not used: Manuel Almunia, Philippe Senderos