West Ham 2 Arsenal 2
Van Persie 16, Gallas 37, Carlton Cole 74, Diamanti pen 80
Arsenal had a 2-0 lead but could not beat a team 15 places below them in the Premier League.
What’s new since the 4-4 farce against Spurs a year ago?
You can measure the difference next Saturday at 12.45 on Sky, if you’re not going to the game.
This match started and it looked as if Van Persie was having one of his clumsy days. Arshavin, who has been playing at 60%, was sloppy because he was playing at 40%, a Clichy cross was pure garbage, and then Rob Green gave Arsenal a gift goal.
Sagna crossed, Green slapped the ball straight to Van Persie, who poked it in for 1-0 .
Gallas headed in an RVP corner from four yards. He outsmarted the bigger Carlton Cole. No West Ham defender got off the ground.
Game over, I thought, and left the room.
After 73 minutes, I came downstairs randomly from my office and saw that a West Ham had a free-kick and Italian sub Diamanti took it and Mannone dived to save but let the ball hit the heel of his hand and bounce the wrong way. Not away from the goal and past the post but across the open goal, where Carlton Cole dived to head in for 1-2.
Then the clumsy Song clattered into Cole in the box, even though Cole was going nowhere, and a penalty was given. What a dimwit ! How stupid and careless can a footballer be? Answer : he can be Diaby. But that’s another story.
Vito Mannone got a yellow card for winding up Diamanti, the penalty taker, but Diamanti had the last laugh when he whacked his left-footed penalty kick hard into the corner of the net.
Since Spurs lost 1-0 at home to Stoke on Saturday, and Manchester City could only draw 2-2 with Fulham at Eastlands on Sunday, Arsenal are third in the table. City were 2-0 up after 60 but conceded two goals in eight minutes. Arsenal conceded two in six minutes.
Keown says Arsenal coast in games and should demand more from each other.
Chelsea hammered Blackburn 5-0 and played the kind of football that Abramovich wanted to see from Chelsea three years ago : powerful, fluid, incisive, dynamic. The oligarch wanted that brand of attacking football from Jose Mourinho and when he didn’t get it, he paid him off.
Anelka really, really wanted to score. He was fired up. Joe Cole played at the front of the diamond and was absolutely incredible, after trying too hard in the first ten minutes and missing a header from six yards. Lampard’s goal was a superb hit from inside the box.
Shame that Man United have no structure in their team now, no style.
Tevez-Cristiano-Rooney was a style. With Tevez and Cristiano gone, United are a rabble with no proper midfield, no proper attack. They missed Fletcher at Anfield. Just think about that ! Man United were so feeble that they missed Darren Fletcher!
The highlight of the Liverpool-United game came in 64 minutes when Fernando Torres scored the biggest goal of the season so far.
Benayoun, the dribbling playmaker, really stepped up to the plate, supplying the assist for a deeply meaningful goal.
Kuyt to Benayoun to Kuyt to Benayoun, slipped pass down the side of Rio Ferdinand and… bang !!!!
Intelligence to hold his run and stay onside.
Strength to hold off Ferdinand’s challenge.
Honesty not to dive when having his shoulder pulled back.
Balance to maintain control of the ball and keep it within his stride pattern.
Confidence to blast home at the near post.
Technique to hit his shot so hard that the best keeper in the Premier League had no chance of saving it.
Torres is different different different class.
I hope he wins the World Cup for Spain.
Things got a bit hysterical and physical after that. Vidic was sent off for a bodycheck on Kuyt, Mascherano saw red as well. And when Liverpool broke away in the 96th minute, sub David Ngog strolled onto a Lucas pass and slotted low past Edwin van der Sar.
Rafa said, “The team is better than people think.”
Liverpool miss Xabi Alonso as much as Arsenal missed Patrick Vieira.
But that Torres strike was a phenomenal goal by a proper centre forward, a real killer, a blond assassin. That goal was sensational! I’ve seen it 18 times already and I love it more every time I see it. It was passionate, professional, deadly and thrilling. I could watch that goal for 90 minutes.
And it’s great to have Joe Cole fit and sharp enough to regain his place in the England team. He played out of his skin in that 5-0 victory.
So it was an enjoyable weekend because Fernando Torres and Joe Cole are two of my favourite players.
I’m not going to stress about Arsenal’s inability to defend a lead. It’s a bore, just pathetic. I’m sick of talking about it and sick of writing about it.
West Ham 2 Colney Creche 2. I’ve nothing new to say about it.Disgust has cooled into indifference, so I don’t care any more.