By Myles Palmer
Arsenal 2 Valencia 1
It’s 1 am and far too late to be writing a report.
So I will write 5 lines.
The stand was shaking. The East Stand was shaking. In all my years and all my games and having seen all the great goals I’ve seen at Arsenal I have never experienced that stand shaking under my feet as it did after Ray Parlour fired that 27-yard thunderbolt in off the underside of the bar.
Two goals in 100 seconds got the fans off their feet and rocking the house.
I hope Ken Friar gets the inspectors in before the semi-final to check the foundations !
Did NOT agree with Wenger’s team selection. I was GOBSMACKED when told Lauren was dropped.
I’d say to Pires : give me 90 minutes in an hour, son. And to Freddie, you come on for Robert and give me an hour’s work in half an hour.
Arsenal started OK and the first half hour was tremendous ly exciting and ref Dick Jol let as much go as he could. But Arsenal ran out of ideas after half an hour.Vieira had headed against the crossbar from three yards.
It was tense, it was knockout football,a Kily Gonzalez low cross deflected off Dixon BEHIND Seaman but it just beat the far post.
Then a Mendiata cross, a loose ball, Ayala banged it in after 40 minmutes.
Coach Cuper had a very well-organised at the back with Carew and Pellegrino marking Vieira at setpieces.
Would be this be Arsenal’s first Champions League defeat at Highbury ?
No because Wenger did what Eriksson did in Albania. Switched to 4-3-3 at half time and scored two goals.
Wiltord crossed, Kanu miscontrolled, Pires backheeled, Henry buried. Just as well as he had a poor game.
Thne Parlour spurted forward and slammed his Exocet past Canizares.
Vieira was volcanic in the second half and when he release Henry it looked all over as he rounded the keeper, but he had to slow down and the tackle came in.
Lauren came on for ten minutes and the whole team sudddenly looked better. More solid, more composed, better shaped, more assured.
This was Wenger’s biggest Champions League win and Parlour’s most important goal ever for the club. His best goal as well, even better than the one against Soparta Prague.