It might be a Clichy but we was robbed

Henry
By Boris Mellor
October 17 2006

Yes Arsenal did not play that well, but that doesn’t change the fact that the result was a travesty. Henry’s beautiful goal, in the closing minutes, was disallowed, and to add insult to injury, he was booked for handball.

Nonsense; how could the referee see a handball? Nobody else could see it either. ITV4 reporters were certain it was legal, as was Henry.

However Arsenal blew the match with one of the worse examples of defending of a free kick imaginable. First block the goalies view, then open up a small gap at the last minute to let a 62 mph rocket through. Lehmann had no chance, and was blameless. Something to work on there lads.

This was a good match with lots of end to end football, but CSKA sometimes looked the smoother side. With seven Russian Internationals and three Brazilians they are no pushover. Too many Arsenal players were misfiring. Cesc and Gilberto gave the ball away far too easy; perhaps they will blame the potato field they were playing on. Hleb had a poor game, van Persie rarely found Henry, and wasted two excellent chances to put Arsenal ahead. If he had passed better, and earlier to Gallas, and later passed to Toure rather than running straight at goal, the Gunners would have been at least level at half time.

At the same time Moscow had their chances, and would have added to their score if it was not for brilliant last ditch defending by Gallas and Toure, who was my Arsenal player of the match.

Wenger changed things around after 67 minutes bringing on Adebayor for van Persie, the Gunners improved immediately. Clichy came on at 74 and Walcott at 80 minutes. Arsenal really laid into CSKA now and it was Clichy leading the charge single handed. Clichy played with an urgency that the rest of the team should have provided far earlier. It was hardly surprising that Arsenal now got the ball into the net, but it was not to be. Instead it was another miserable night in Russia. Arsenal just don’t do Moscow.

On the bright side the team looked far more balanced with Clichy on the left and Gallas in the middle. The defence is just about to get stronger. Also with six points, and three games to play, two of them at home, Arsenal can still win the group.