Arsenal 2 Blackburn 0
This was like a tense European night of previous years – not expected after a fourth minute headed goal by Philippe Senderos.
A bit like the Blackburn team who seem to have eradicated the nasty physical fouls [although three were suspended] from their game and at times surprisingly matched Arsenal with the pass and move game.
There was a bounce and expectation around the stadium, after the weekend results – an electric and emotional game at Old Trafford, and an oily rag of a game at the Bridge.
Gilberto got an asked for run-out for the injured Diaby, only his sixth start, and Fabregas moved right – the only major Arsenal change.
Pre-match reports lead us to believe there were as many holes in the Blackburn team, as the Sargeant Pepper song. But a look through the teamsheet – there was quality and goals, Bentley, Tugay, McCarthy and Santa Cruz, to name but four, along with solid international experience at the back in Friedel, Ooijer, Emerton and Khizanishvili. Had Dunn, Samba and Pedersen played, the game may have been different. Samba may well have picked up Senderos in the fourth minute.
Arsenal attacked brightly down the right, with Sagna and Fabregas and Eduardo taking it on when he should have sent it to Adebayor. From the third attack, Senderos, who had taken on an aura of confidence, after a run of games and captaining his national side at Wembley, rose above McCarthy from a corner to head emphatically home.
He followed this up with a couple of crunching tackles and a sensible hoof out of touch.
Bentley was providing the main threat for Blackburn, and sent in a cross which Reid headed wide.
But Arsenal pressed down the right, Sagna winning another corner from a bright run, and Flamini, hoping to repeat his last success, but this time it was more Parc de Princes than Stade du France.
One-nil to the Arsenal, sang the Arsenal fans, to the tune of ye olde Christian Hymn. The Blackburn fans were quiet.
Flamini could have settled nerves, as he latched on to a bouncing ball from Fabregas in the Blackburn area. But with Friedel to beat, he shot straight at the American.
The ball kept breaking down in the final third. Adebayor was having one of those Teflon, non-stick nights, and Eduardo seemed slightly out of position, unable to influence the game positively. Indeed at times Adebayor came as deep as the centre circle.
But all credit to Blackburn who chased and harried and made it difficult. And in the last fifteen of the first, started to dominate. Bentley tried another shot. And Emerton sent in a very dangerous cross which McCarthy brushed on to Santa Cruz who flicked it just wide.
Ooijer attacked from the other side and again Santa Cruz fashioned a near miss. There was danger in the air, reminiscent of the Birmingham game.
The Northerners started off the second brightly with a Bentley curler, saved by Lehmann. But, Arsenal with Fabregas restored to the middle, set Eduardo free on the left crossed to Hleb. His shot, which beat Friedel and surprised the whole stadium, came off the post.
Gilberto was looking rusty, with a few misplaced passes. But Adebayor, relatively quiet in the first started to hold it up. Once he knocked it past Emerton and beat him for pace, giving the Australian a head start. Another time bearing down from the right, he managed to get a toe to the ball earning a corner. Then he turned sharply in the area – but Friedel was having a good night and smothered the shot.
Now, when he gets the ball, the stadium starts to buzz, a tribute to his progress this season.
The Togonator then set up a chance for Eduardo down the middle, but the Brazilian shot over.
Attack was the best form of defence for Arsenal. And although Blackburn frustrated the home side, their goal threat petered out, with Lehmann having very little to do as the half progressed.
Hleb tried another snap shot and Fabregas had a couple of attempts at the death.
As the nervy game wended its way to a tense conclusion, Hleb went on another run and squared to Adebayor who made no mistake in the middle of the area, this time.
The stadium broke into the lyrical Adebayor song in powerful unison, “give him the ball and he will score”, briefly reminiscent of Hymns and Arias at the Millennium Stadium.
That made it +36 goals each for Arsenal and Man U, and 19 League goals apiece for Adeybayor and Ronaldo, the difference being those important five points.
Arsenal: Jens Lehmann, Philippe Senderos, Gael Clichy, William Gallas, Bacary Sagna, Cesc Fabregas, Mathieu Flamini, Gilberto, Alexander Hleb, Eduardo, Emmanuel Adebayor. Subs not used: Lukasz Fabianski, Armand Traore, Justin Hoyte, Kerrea Gilbert, Nicklas Bendtner
Blackburn Rovers: Brad Friedel, Andre Ooijer (Maceo Rigters 80), Zurab Khizanishvili, Bruno Berner, Stephen Warnock, Brett Emerton, Steven Reid, Kerimoglu Tugay (Aaron Mokoena 76) David Bentley, Roque Santa Cruz, Benni McCarthy (Jason Roberts 76) Subs not used: Jason Brown, Tony Kane
Referee Steve Bennett (Kent)