Very low-key first day back at the Emirates. Lots of empty seats.
Lovely goal after three minutes, good buzz for ten minutes. But the second goal didn’t come and, incredibly, West Brom keeper Scott Carson didn’t make his first save of the second half until the 83rd minute. That was from a header by Robin van Persie, who came on as a sub.
The goal was very tasty, a sweet move down the left, a good run to the near post by Samir Nasri, who sidefooted deftly past Carson and into the far corner of the goal. Nasri is very sure-footed, as an international player should be, and converted the chance nicely.
That goal will help Nasri by taking pressure off him. Nobody will say : When is he gonna score his first goal? Since Arsenal rarely score from headers, and very rarely score with shots from outside the box, they needed to replace Hleb with someone who doesn’t dither and stop and pass sideways.
Nasri, Sagna and Denilson played well.
More and more, Denilson reminds me of Colin Harvey, who play with Alan Ball and Howard Kendall at Everton in 1970. Harvey made his debut at 18 against Inter Milan. He was compact, tidy, consistent, a master of keep-ball, even when, as Kendall’s assistant manager in the Eighties, he played in the five-a-sides .
I now gather midfielder Gokhan Ilner will NOT be coming from Udinese.
Xabi Alsono came on as a sub for Liverpool at Sunderland. He had a magnificent shot from inside his own half that beat the post by about 18 inches with keeper Craig Gordon scrambling back in panic.
Fernando Torres scored Goal of the Month with a phenomenal shot from outside the D, right into the bottom corner. A world class strike from the finest centre forward in football today.
Liverpool won 1-0 but Sunderland gave them a good game and nearly got a point.