FA Cup: Arsenal 3 Burnley 0
Light years away from Highbury when Arsenal v Burnley was once a regular fixture, and Percy Dalton’s peanut shells littered the terraces and the Bovril smells were unavoidable.
This was like a clash of two cultures – post-modern versus old world traditional. Burnley, a tight moor town, still with core local and working class support. Arsenal with its various groups of supporters/ attendees, some local, some passionate, some vocal, some corporate, some one-off international.
The Burnley supporters were ultra-vocal, in one voice. Arsenal responded in pockets of noise.
And the culture clash reflected in the players. Burnley huddled together before kick off. Arsenal embraced and high fived in tight individual pairs. Arsenal had the higher skill and talent ratio; Burnley the more physicality, obvious team ethic and workmanlike drive.
Burnley pressed like demons in the first ten minutes. Diaby got into trouble trying to clear from his own penalty area.
There was a creeping feeling that it could be West, Ham, Fulham and Sunderland all over again. Burnley were marking well, and giving as good as they got.
McDonald burst through into the area but was tackled by Song.
Arshavin, not looking 100% fit sent little intelligent probing balls down the sides of the full backs.
Eboue broke into the area, but didn’t look up to cross and was inevitably tackled.
Sagna burst through on the right and crossed – only to see Jansen scrambling back with the ball flying only just over the bar.
Gibbs fired wide from a corner.
Although Arsenal weathered the initial storm, Vela and Eduardo were not getting beyond the Burnley back four. Eboue was the main driving force, capable of that.
And it was if Burnley had brought the moor weather with them as the Arsenal crowd was lashed by cold driving rain blown in from the whalebone dip and in from the sides.
Arshavin pushed an angled ball to Vela, who half turned, went past Carlisle withstood a tug of shirt outside the area, to gather composure and clip the lumbering Dane, Jansen.
That goal changed the game and mood. The tension eased from Arsenal players, no doubt somewhere in their psyches’ in fear of the home crowd’s displeasure.
Two more dinked balls into the area saw first Vela take it on his chest, ready to shoot, but cleared by Carlisle; then Eduardo in a similar move hoofed away by Caldwell.
The area of empty red seats got larger as people went early for an early break and cover.
But Burnley nearly sneaked back into it when Diaby flicked a corner, Fabianski flapped and Arsenal escaped as a goalbound toe poke deflected away.
Burnley upped the tempo at the start of the second half, but Arsenal’s technical football dominated. The Burnley midfield were bogged down, unable to feed the potentially dangerous flank players Eagles and Blake.
Eduardo performed a fancy backheel into the path of Eboue but the Ivorian chose the wrong side.
Arshavin then sent a neat ball to Song, who dinked it into the area, for Eduardo, to somewhat miraculously steer the ball into the top corner with the outside of his left boot.
Burnley huffed and puffed, made some substitutions, but failed to penetrate.
With the game heading to a conclusion, Gallas sent a low through ball to Song, who backheeled to Eboue, who this time fired hard and low into the corner of the net. To cheers.
The FA Cup is proving light relief for Arsenal fans – there was a lightness about the Emirates, not present at recent Premiership home games. Perhaps that indicates how much mid-table Premiership teams have improved with the increased TV money!
The added bonus is that Arshavin, Eduardo and Walcott (on in the second half) all gain vital match fitness for the important two months ahead.
Arsenal: Lukasz Fabianski, Bacary Sagna, Johan Djourou, William Gallas, Kieran Gibbs, Emmanuel Eboue, Alex Song, Abou Diaby, (71) Carlos Vela, (60) Andrey Arshavin, Eduardo (71) (c);Substitutes: Robin Van Persie(60),Theo Walcott (71) Aaron Ramsey(71); unused: Manuel Almunia, Gael Clichy, Nicklas Bendtner, Amaury Bischoff
Burnley: Brian Jensen, Steve Caldwell (c), Clarke Carlisle, Christian Kalvenes, Kevin McDonald(75), Joey Gudjonsson(59), Chris Eagles(54), Chris McCann, Robbie Blake, Martin Paterson; Substitutes: Alex MacDonald (75) Steven Thompson (59), Wade Elliott (54); Unused: Diego Penny, Alan Mahon, Jay Rodriguez, Stephen Jordan