Arsenal 1 Everton 0 Bendtner 77
After 24 minutes the Sky TV camera showed Cesc Fabregas, 21 today, sitting with Hleb and Flamini either side of him.
Cesc was watching his team intently while the other two were larking about. It looked as if they’ve gone.
Arsenal can’t play without Fabregas, so I knew it would be a struggle and a yawn. No balance, no partnerships, no verve. Walcott was a fish up a tree on the left wing and could not control the ball, while Eboue had a nightmare on the right. Song had his best game for the club.
Sub Traore crossed the ball once and overhit it and when it came back across the field to him from Bendtner, he crossed beautifully and Bendtner headed in powerfully from seven yards.
1-0 after 77 minutes.
That was Bendtner’s 9th goal of the season. The Dane is 20 and this was his sixth Prem start and his 16th start in all comps. Nicklas Bendtner is a player. If he’s sold he should go for £8 million with a 25% sell-on clause.
Jens Lehman came on for ten minutes and got the biggest cheer on the lap of honour. Deservedly so.
In 2003 Arsene needed a goalkeeper to replace Dave Seaman, who had been embarrassing for three years. The manager only had £1.5 million to spend. He needed to find a goalkeeper who cost £1.5 million or less. And he found Lehmann, who was an instant success and brilliant in the Invincibles and superb in the Champions League in 2006 until the final, when his wrist caught Eto’o’s ankle in 18 minutes. He got a red card and a loser’s medal. But he played well in the World Cup for Germany.
Arsene said, “It was a farewell and I wanted him to have a chance to say goodbye to the fans, that we respect him for what he has done for us. Jens was 100% professional, if not always an easy character.
“In all his time here, I have not know Jens to not be fully committed for a single minute. That deserves a lot of respect. He was the best keeper in the Premier League. He reads the game well, he is brave and had all the assets to come into the Premier League, because he is not frightened of anybody. Jens has became better and better, because at the start he was a bit upset easily sometimes, when people walked on his toes at corners. But he got more controlled through his career.”
I was offered a free ticket for today. But meaningless games don’t do it for me, so I didn’t bother. In the light of what we saw on TV, that was the right decision.
Verdict : Arsenal were awful but they won.
Unbeaten at home this season.
David Moyes does OK with what he has. Everton have workmanlike players and play dungaree football.