The passionate support produced by Hammers fans was the main feature of Arsenal’s 1-0 victory at the Emirates.
They cheered, shouted, made up songs, got behind their struggling team.
Let’s be honest : Denilson, Arshavin and Fabregas played badly enough to be taken off. Sagna and Clichy were shocking.
Fabregas said the first 45 was the worst half he has ever played in his life, because of his hamstring. Second half, his leg was strapped up and he played through the pain. Let’s hope it’s not a chronic condition.
It wasn’t as if West Ham did anything tactically clever to contain Arsenal, who played narrow until the final third, then passed it wide. The crosses were of very poor standard. They don’t practice crosses in training. If they did, the crosses would be more accurate. If the crosses were good in the Colney Creche, they’d be good in the stadium. That’s obvious to anybody with an IQ higher than Bendtner’s shirt number.
How is this team second? Well, Fabianski is keeping clean sheets right now. That helps.
As usual, Arsenal kept playing the same way and eventually got a late goal and took three points.
Ultimately, the game is about goals. Early goals are good, late goals can be even better.
Ivanovic scored Chelsea’s winner in 84 minutes.
Song scored in 88 minutes to keep Arsenal second.
Both goals were headers.
The score was Blackburn 1 Chelsea 1 when Zhirkov hooked in a perfect early ball from the left and the unmarked Serb headed down onto the line and just inside the post. The zippy Russian Yuri Zhirkov is a player I rated the first time I saw him
Remarkably, Arsenal’s goal came from a right-footed cross by Clichy. Song dived forward and headed in. Can anybody remember Arsenal scoring from a right-footed cross by Clichy? I thought not. A collectors’s item.
Don’t say : Arsenal took 88 minutes to score against the bottom team.
Also don’t say : Avram Grant will be sacked next Saturday after West Ham lose to Birmingham.
Wolves deserved to beat Man City 2-1.
Bolton’s Gary Cahill bottled up Fernando Torres until Torres backheeled the ball through Cahill’s legs to Maxi Rodriguez, who toepoked in off the keeper’s arm in 86. He could have left the winning goal till later. But not much later.
The other notable result was Newcastle 5 Sunderland 1.
Let’s not mention the Nani goal that made it 2-0 against Spurs.
Blackpool v West Brom is tonight on Sky at 8pm.
If West Brom win they go above Man City !
Following Sunday, West Brom play City.
The league table shows that three teams score a lot of goals.
Chelsea concede the fewest.
West Ham and Wigan have only scored seven so far.
| P | Pts | F | A | |||
| Chelsea | 10 | 25 | 27 | 3 | ||
| Arsenal | 10 | 20 | 22 | 10 | ||
| ManU | 10 | 20 | 22 | 12 | ||
| City | 10 | 17 | 13 | 10 | ||
| Spurs | 10 | 15 | 11 | 10 | ||
| WBA | 9 | 15 | 13 | 15 | ||
| Wigan | 10 | 10 | 7 | 18 | ||
| Bburn | 10 | 9 | 9 | 12 | ||
| Wolves | 10 | 9 | 10 | 16 | ||
| WHam | 10 | 6 | 7 | 18 |