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Sunday December 16, 2007 Finished Emirates Stadium

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Arsenal

  • Gallas 45’

Chelsea

  1. Cech howler puts Arsenal top

    Cech howler puts Arsenal top

    An error by Petr Cech gave William Gallas a first-half goal and Arsenal the three points in their Premier League clash against Chelsea at the Emirates Stadium. The result means that the Gunners are restored to the top of the table after Manchester United's brief stay at the summit. More

  • Live Commentary

    Time:90'
    • Arsenal
    • Chelsea
    • 90+6 And that is the final whistle, Arsenal back on top with that 1-0 win. Chelsea stay third.
    • 90+5 Fabregas is in! He must make it two but blocked and Fabregas with a horrible tackle on Ashley Cole which draws a retaliation. Cesc is booked....
    • 90+4 ARSENAL SUB: Adebayor off for Bendtner as Arsenal eat up the seconds...
    • 90+3 Arsenal on a counter, Van Persie, five again two but a poor ball and Chelsea can break again, Lampard wide to Kalou but offside.
    • 90+2 Free-kick to Chelsea, 30 yards out, central, Shevchenko to take... and he hammers a ferocious drive that Almunia acrobatically tips over!!
    • 90' Long punt downfield finds Adebayor who shrugs off Ben Haim and sprints past Ferreira to slide it into the bottom right but the whistle has gone, he fouled Ben Haim.
    • 89' Diagonal ball across to SHEVCHENKO IN THE AREA WITH THE DOWNWARD HEADER BUT SAVED BY ALMUNIA!
    • 88' Adebayor to Van Persie, he stays onside and they find FABREGAS IN THE BOX UNMARKED WITH THE FINISH BUT A BRILLIANT SAVE FROM CECH BUT IT DROPS TO FABREGAS AGAIN BUT CECH SAVES WITH HIS LEGS! Brilliant double save from Cech.
    • 86' Joe Cole gets away from Clichy and rifles a low drive in but straight at Almunia.
    • 85' Arsenal break, Adebayor on the left, three on two and he slides it over to Rosicky who touches it to Van Persie to drill it low into the bottom left!! 2-0 but noooo, the flag is up, Rosicky was marginally offside.
    • 84' Joe Cole finds Mikel on the right who drills in a low cross but cleared...
    • 83' Mikel with consecutive late tackles and he gets a yellow.
    • 82' Pizarro takes on Clichy and crosses high but Almunia claims confidently.
    • 80' The ball comes in from the Chelsea left and Shevchenko's stretching so leaves it for Pizarro but thrashed clear.
    • 78' Kalou gets the ball on the edge of the box and he hammers in a snap shot that flies into the side-netting! Almunia had it covered though.
    • 77' Rosicky robs Joe Cole and Arsenal can break here, he plays it down the wing to Adebayor with his left, brilliant ball across to Hleb who's free and slides it into VAN PERSIE WHO MUST FINISH IT BUT HE BLASTS OVER! Not quite a Rozenthal moment there but close. Should have been the end.
    • 76' Lampard with the Chelsea corner which Ben Haim flicks but Sagna clears.
    • 75' CHELSEA SUB: That was SWP's last action, he's off for Kalou.
    • 75' Lampard plays the ball over from the left, looking for Shevchenko and the backheader by Toure FALLS TO WRIGHT-PHILLIPS WHO MUST SCORE BUT A DREADFUL FINISH! He lashed that well-wide, he was free on the right in the box, had to score.
    • 74' Terrible delivery by Fabregas, straight at Cech. Flamini makes a perfectly-timed challenge, if he'd been a fraction late it would have been a second yellow.
    • 73' Fabregas is taken out by Ben Haim, accidental I think as he came across, but he'll get booked. The Arsenal fans quite hilariously want red.
    • 72' Arsenal attack at pace again, Hlepb inside to Cesc who plays it first time to Van Persie who shoots but well over.
    • 71' Van Persie on the left, cuts inside and tries a low drive which Cech saves but spills and Ben Haim inexplicably passes it back to him with the keeper half-up, but he manages to hoof it out for a throw!
    • 70' ARSENAL SUB: After an age, Eboue is stretchered off and Van Persie returns to the field for the first time in two months.
    • 67' Joe Cole is late on Eboue then Mikel takes Cesc out, yellow for Cole.
    • 65' CHELSEA SUB: Pizarro on for Makelele.
    • 65' Clichy catches Wright-Phillips late, Gallas is down now too, looking groggy, caught under the chin by Shevchenko.
    • 64' Hleb comes forward, wide to Eboue but he makes a hash of controlling it, still with Arsenal as Flamini tries an ambitious through ball that goes out for a goal kick.
    • 62' Toure is booked. Then Flamini for a foul on Joe Cole.
    • 61' The ball drops TO MIKEL ON THE EDGE OF THE BOX BUT ALMUNIA FLIES ACROSS WITH THE LOW SAVE and it falls to Shevchenko but he can only drill it at the Arsenal keeper.
    • 59' Joe Cole cleverly evades a challenge and clips it wide right to Wright-Phillips who drills a low cross to the far post but Shevchenko can't get there! A foot wide too.
    • 58' Adebayor thinks he's won a corner down the Arsenal left after being challenged by Ferreira but Alan Wiley points for a goal kick.
    • 57' Lampard swings the corner in and Ben Haim rises but his header skims away wide but it lands to Alex who totally miscues the cross, rebounds off his ankle for a goal kick.
    • 56' Wright-Phillips takes on Clichy but the Arsenal left back gets in front of him and Almunia hacks it away for a corner.
    • 55' Joe Cole is found by Ben Haim down the left but Sagna tackles, given away though and Joe Cole how but Hleb has it and breaks, Adebayor holds it up, out to Hleb and now Fabregas who goes down but no, play on.
    • 54' Ashley Cole gives the ball away to the crowd's glee, they come forward but Adebayor doesn't get the delivery he craves, throw in to Arsenal.
    • 53' Lampard wins a free kick to earn Chelsea come brief respite after Arsenal really started to exert some pressure on this second half.
    • 51' Arsenal come forward now but the Chelsea defensive wall repels them.
    • 50' Chelsea really pressing here, several chances, great cross from Ferreira too which Shevchenko flicks on but into the arms of Almunia! Could have gone anywhere that!
    • 48' Apparently Terry has gone for an X-Ray with the fear that, indeed, he has done one of his metatarsals...
    • 47' Early pressure in this second half for Chelsea as Arsenal, rattled, give the ball away for Joe Cole to swing a cross in for Shevchenko but too long.
    • 46' Second half underway.
    • 45+3 And that is half-time, Chelsea stunned by that Cech error, Arsenal lead 1-0. Now, can Avram Grant rouse them in the dressing room like his predecessor would?
    • 45+2 Corner to Arsenal on the left... swung over AND CECH FLAPS AT IT AND GALLAS IS THERE TO HEAD INTO THE TOP RIGHT FOR 1-0! Oh deary deary me, dreadful error from Cech, the first I can recall him making in a big game, no-one on the far post too, very poor, Arsenal take the lead just before the break.
    • 45' Clichy scuffs a clearance and Shevchenko and Lampard have it, then Wright-Phillips into Joe Cole but he is offside.
    • 44' Two minutes additional time to be played, says the fourth official.
    • 42' A serious lull in the match after Terry's departure, Chelsea have retreated into themselves and Arsenal struggling to find space...
    • 39' CHELSEA SUB: Ben Haim on for the distraught Terry.
    • 38' Terry, by the way, limped off after that Eboue foul and while he has returned is quite clearly struggling. And he goes down again and that looks like the end of his match, a foot injury and what are the odds on a metatarsal fracture? Pretty low I'd say.
    • 37' Snapshot from Rosicky cutting in from the left, but it's wide of the near post with Cech covering that easily anyway.
    • 35' Terry is caught by Eboue as he clears the ball, the ref thinks it's afters and books the Arsenal man.
    • 33' Shevchenko with a long range effort that Almunia can only parry, Sagna hacks it away but still with Chelsea, Joe Cole to Sheva but Toure is back and it's a corner to Chelsea.
    • 32' Terry and Sagna tangle and Terry swings a leg at Eboue, gets away with it though.
    • 31' After all that nonsense, Fabregas eventually takes it but sends it well over.
    • 29' Terry flies in for a tackle on the edge of the box but quite deliberately follows through on Fabregas. Yellow card, Lampard booked too for getting involved in the melee, freekick...
    • 28' Lampard slides in but it looked like he got the ball, play-on by Wiley and Arsenal want the free-kick after they lost advantage but I don't think he was giving it anyway...
    • 27' Free-kick to Chelsea on the edge of the Arsenal box, just to the left, Lampard to take as Almunia screams at his wall... but a dreadful effort, skewing well wide of the far post and almost hitting the corner flag.
    • 25' Brilliant improvisation by Terry, he slid in for the tackle and the ball squirmed away so he headed it while on the ground to get the ball away. Arsenal's fans inexplicably scream "handball". Chelsea keep the ball on the left, eventually Chelsea win a throw with Sagna coming in hard on Shevchenko.
    • 24' Toure belts the freekick on goal but straight off the wall, it's played first time through the middle and Joe Cole is through but the flag is up! He should have checked his run a bit...
    • 24' Makelele back to smash ball away after Clichy swings it in... Ferreira fouls Hleb but no card, much to Arsenal's Gallic chagrin.
    • 22' Adebayor catches Ashley Cole late and high after the pair go for a 50-50; a bit harsh to book him but there you go.
    • 20' Ashley Cole seems to be struggling... Makelele fouls Hleb and the free kick is taken quickly, Flamini gives it away though and it's played quickly through to Shevchenko who shows some pace but Toure is back to sweep up.
    • 19' Fabregas mistakenly lets the ball run out for a throw, he thinks Joe Cole poked it out but the ref doesn't... the ball comes to Ashley Cole on the left who swings a cross over which is flicked clear but Chelsea still have it, Joe Cole and Shevchenko combine but Arsenal eventually get it clear.
    • 17' Fabregas to Hleb, now Eboue, Sagna overlaps and into Fabregas who looks for Sagna again and CRUNCH! Proper, English-style tackle from Ashley Cole on Sagna which the Arsenal fans don't like.
    • 14' Wright-Phillips on the ball on the halfway line, runs through the middle and he has Shevchenko and Cole either side of him but opts to shoot and it's a good height for Almunia to make the Hollywood save.
    • 13' Long one over the top, Adebayor chasing Alex who heads towards Cech who has come out to claim and it goes over him but wide! Almost a comical own-goal by Alex... Corner Arsenal.
    • 12' Gallas gives the ball away, Chelsea break on the right but Shevchenko is tackled by Clichy and Arsenal come again... Fabregas and Hleb with a series of one-twos on the edge of the box and now Adebayor with the shot after Rosicky runs off him to take Alex out of the equation but well over.
    • 10' Good corner by Fabregas but headed away by Alex... Toure knocks it back in and Adebayor could latch onto it but Alex is there again to hook the ball clear.
    • 9' Fabregas is over the ball, five yards outside the boy, slightly to the right... swings it in and headed over for a corner, Lampard with the clearance.
    • 8' Adebayor runs past Ferreira like he isn't there but his cut back is cleared by Terry. Chelsea defending fairly deep. Lampard slides in from the side on Eboue, who, ahem "hurdles" the tackle to win the free kick.
    • 7' Cole and Cole combine but Joe plays a rubbish return to Ashley out for a throw, much to the home support's glee.
    • 6' Wright-Phillips again in space on the right but again a poor cross, too deep, Arsenal break as Flamini surges from his own half past the Chelsea backline and he's in the box but Ashley Cole gets back to get across, the Arsenal fans howl for a penalty but no way.
    • 5' Accidental clash of heads between Joe Cole and Sagna, the ball is sportingly knocked out of play by Ashley Cole so Sagna can receive treatment.
    • 4' Sagna flies down the right, crosses but it's blocked by Cole who the Arsenal fans scream blue murder at hoping for a handball but nothing doing.
    • 3' Scrappy opening few minutes as Cech punts it downfield... Wright-Phillips gets in some space on the right but a poor cross is intercepted and Arsenal break...
    • 1' Match underway at the Emirates!
    • - IMPLICATIONS: As it stands Manchester United's win at Liverpool puts them top with 39 points. An Arsenal win would put them back up top with 40 points, but a draw will see them remain in second while a defeat keeps them second although if Chelsea dish out a spanking (winning by three goals plus) they will overtake Arsenal on goal difference.
    • - LATE CHELSEA TEAM NEWS: Well, they say he only plays in the big matches and the smiling assassin is back for Chelsea, Claude Makelele taking the suspended Michael Essien's place with Steve Sidwell - who has done well filling in recently - dropped to the bench. Paolo Ferreira is in for Belletti at right back, Mikel in centre mid with Joe Cole and Shaun Wright-Phillips occupying the wide positions flanking Frank Lampard.
    • - LATE ARSENAL TEAM NEWS: Cesc Fabregas starts, as do Mathieu Flamini and Alex Hleb, but Robin van Persie stays on the bench. Manuel Almunia regains his place in goal after Jens Lehmann played in the Champions League dead rubber in midweek.
    • - CHELSEA TEAM NEWS: Chelsea are still without midfielder Michael Essien due to his suspension, so Steve Sidwell is likely to continue his rare run in the side. Didier Drogba is definitely out with a knee injury, while Ricardo Carvalho and Florent Malouda could make surprise returns to the side if they pass late fitness tests.
    • - ARSENAL TEAM NEWS: The news of the weekend is that Arsene Wenger has announced it is likely that Francesc Fabregas will be fit enough to start the match at the Emirates Stadium. The big match may have come too soon for Alexander Hleb and Mathieu Flamini, however.
    • - Hello and welcome to eurosport.yahoo.com's LIVE coverage of the second of this Super Sunday double header, Arsenal v Chelsea, from 16:00 GMT!

  • Team Stats

    Arsenal Stats Chelsea
    50% Possession 49%
    12 Shots 12
    4 Shots on target 7
    0 Saves 0
    3 Corners 5
    14 Fouls 17
    4 Offsides 4
    4 Yellow cards 5
    0 Red cards 0
    36 Tackles 30
    323 Accurate passes 337
    50 Bad passes 59

  • Player Stats

    G =
    Goals
    S =
    Shots
    SoT =
    Shot on Target
    F =
    Fouls
    FW =
    Fouls Won
    O =
    Offsides
    A =
    Assists
    AP =
    Accurate Passes
    BP =
    Bad Passes
    T =
    Tackles
    • Arsenal
      G S SoT F FW O A AP BP T
      24 Manuel Almunia 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 8 1 0
      5 Kolo Toure 0 1 0 1 0 0 0 29 0 1
      22 Gaël Clichy 0 0 0 1 2 0 0 18 11 7
      3 Bacary Sagna 0 0 0 1 1 0 0 38 0 6
      10 William Gallas 1 1 1 0 1 0 0 15 3 3
      13 Alexander Hleb 0 0 0 1 3 0 0 32 6 3
      4 Francesc Fabregas 0 3 1 1 2 0 1 55 3 1
      16 Mathieu Flamini 0 0 0 5 0 0 0 33 4 5
      27 Emmanuel Eboue 0 1 0 2 2 0 0 26 0 2
      7 Tomas Rosicky 0 1 0 0 3 1 0 30 12 5
      25 Emmanuel Adebayor 0 1 0 4 0 3 0 32 8 1
      11 Robin Van Persie 0 4 2 0 0 0 0 4 1 0
      6 Philippe Senderos 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
      1 Jens Lehmann 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
      26 Nicklas Bendtner 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 1 1
      19 Gilberto Silva 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 1 0 1
    • Chelsea
      G S SoT F FW O A AP BP T
      1 Petr Cech 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 12 3 0
      33 Alex da Dias Costa 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 17 0 2
      3 Ashley Cole 0 0 0 0 3 0 0 34 22 5
      20 Paulo Ferreira 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 33 0 2
      26 John Terry 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 17 0 1
      8 Frank Lampard 0 1 0 2 1 0 0 46 8 6
      4 Claude Makelele 0 0 0 2 1 0 0 23 3 3
      12 John Obi Mikel 0 1 1 1 5 0 0 52 5 2
      24 Shaun Wright-Phillips 0 2 1 3 1 0 0 14 1 1
      10 Joe Cole 0 1 1 2 2 2 0 37 9 2
      7 Andriy Shevchenko 0 4 4 1 1 2 0 16 3 1
      22 Tal Ben Haim 0 2 0 1 1 0 0 20 3 4
      21 Salomon Kalou 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 6 2 0
      14 Claudio Pizarro 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 10 0 1
      35 Juliano Belletti 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
      23 Carlo Cudicini 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

  • Summary

    • 90+2 Free-kick to Chelsea, 30 yards out, central, Shevchenko to take... and he hammers a ferocious drive that Almunia acrobatically tips over!!
    • 90' Long punt downfield finds Adebayor who shrugs off Ben Haim and sprints past Ferreira to slide it into the bottom right but the whistle has gone, he fouled Ben Haim.
    • 89' Diagonal ball across to SHEVCHENKO IN THE AREA WITH THE DOWNWARD HEADER BUT SAVED BY ALMUNIA!
    • 88' Adebayor to Van Persie, he stays onside and they find FABREGAS IN THE BOX UNMARKED WITH THE FINISH BUT A BRILLIANT SAVE FROM CECH BUT IT DROPS TO FABREGAS AGAIN BUT CECH SAVES WITH HIS LEGS! Brilliant double save from Cech.
    • 85' Arsenal break, Adebayor on the left, three on two and he slides it over to Rosicky who touches it to Van Persie to drill it low into the bottom left!! 2-0 but noooo, the flag is up, Rosicky was marginally offside.
    • 78' Kalou gets the ball on the edge of the box and he hammers in a snap shot that flies into the side-netting! Almunia had it covered though.
    • 77' Rosicky robs Joe Cole and Arsenal can break here, he plays it down the wing to Adebayor with his left, brilliant ball across to Hleb who's free and slides it into VAN PERSIE WHO MUST FINISH IT BUT HE BLASTS OVER! Not quite a Rozenthal moment there but close. Should have been the end.
    • 75' Lampard plays the ball over from the left, looking for Shevchenko and the backheader by Toure FALLS TO WRIGHT-PHILLIPS WHO MUST SCORE BUT A DREADFUL FINISH! He lashed that well-wide, he was free on the right in the box, had to score.
    • 71' Van Persie on the left, cuts inside and tries a low drive which Cech saves but spills and Ben Haim inexplicably passes it back to him with the keeper half-up, but he manages to hoof it out for a throw!
    • 61' The ball drops TO MIKEL ON THE EDGE OF THE BOX BUT ALMUNIA FLIES ACROSS WITH THE LOW SAVE and it falls to Shevchenko but he can only drill it at the Arsenal keeper.
    • 59' Joe Cole cleverly evades a challenge and clips it wide right to Wright-Phillips who drills a low cross to the far post but Shevchenko can't get there! A foot wide too.
    • 50' Chelsea really pressing here, several chances, great cross from Ferreira too which Shevchenko flicks on but into the arms of Almunia! Could have gone anywhere that!
    • 45+2 Corner to Arsenal on the left... swung over AND CECH FLAPS AT IT AND GALLAS IS THERE TO HEAD INTO THE TOP RIGHT FOR 1-0! Oh deary deary me, dreadful error from Cech, the first I can recall him making in a big game, no-one on the far post too, very poor, Arsenal take the lead just before the break.
    • 38' Terry, by the way, limped off after that Eboue foul and while he has returned is quite clearly struggling. And he goes down again and that looks like the end of his match, a foot injury and what are the odds on a metatarsal fracture? Pretty low I'd say.
    • 33' Shevchenko with a long range effort that Almunia can only parry, Sagna hacks it away but still with Chelsea, Joe Cole to Sheva but Toure is back and it's a corner to Chelsea.
    • 14' Wright-Phillips on the ball on the halfway line, runs through the middle and he has Shevchenko and Cole either side of him but opts to shoot and it's a good height for Almunia to make the Hollywood save.
    • 13' Long one over the top, Adebayor chasing Alex who heads towards Cech who has come out to claim and it goes over him but wide! Almost a comical own-goal by Alex... Corner Arsenal.
    • 6' Wright-Phillips again in space on the right but again a poor cross, too deep, Arsenal break as Flamini surges from his own half past the Chelsea backline and he's in the box but Ashley Cole gets back to get across, the Arsenal fans howl for a penalty but no way.

Live Team Line-Up

  • Referee: Alan Wiley

  • Arsenal

    Manager: Arsene Wenger

    Captain: William Gallas

    On the Field

    • Almunia
    • Sagna
    • Toure
    • Gallas
    • Clichy
    • Eboue
    • Fabregas
    • Flamini
    • Rosicky
    • Hleb
    • Adebayor

    Subs

    • Lehmann
    • Senderos
    • Gilberto Silva
    • van Persie
    • Bendtner

    Injured

    None

    Suspended

    None

  • Chelsea

    Manager: Avram Grant

    Captain: John Terry

    On the Field

    • Cech
    • Ferreira
    • Terry
    • Alex
    • Cole
    • Mikel
    • Makelele
    • Lampard
    • Wright-Phillips
    • Cole
    • Shevchenko

    Subs

    • Pizarro
    • Cudicini
    • Belletti
    • Ben Haim
    • Kalou

    Injured

    None

    Suspended

    None