Arsenal 2 - 1 Fulham / Wenger / New Signing Tomorrow

August 12, 2007 on 4:44 pm | In Arsenal FC | posted by Block19er |

It should have been an easy 3 points but as so often last season Arsenal went behind and had to spend a long period trying to graft a goal against a team who were trying to shut up shop. The encouraging thing is that in this game we pulled it out the bag. As Arsene was keen to point out last season we were still only on 2 points midway through September.

Arsenal went behind after about 50 seconds. It was an error by Jens Lehmann, who slipped over, and gifted the ball to David Healy. Nobody could miss that chance. In the interest of remaining positive I am not going to mention anything else about Jens, let’s just say it felt like he’d gone back 3 seasons. When Wenger was asked after the match to rate how relieved Lehmann was out of 10 when we won the match, Wenger said 10 out of 10!! We’ve learnt that you can’t afford to give goals away in the Premier League and there was no way Fulham were going to. Arsenal had chances in the first half, but as last season, we were left feeling frustrated at half time.

Arsenal were revved up late on with the introduction of first Walcott, then Bendtner, the breakthrough came on 83. Kolo Toure showed a will to win and a will to get into the box. As he drove into the box he was hauled down for a penalty. Van Persie stepped up and crashed it against the underside of the crossbar and in for 1-1. In an amazing finish Arsenal won it in the 90th minute. As promised it was Hleb, he has told Gooners he will score more this season, and this is a great start. Cesc set it up with a lofted pass, eventually Hleb bought it under, and tucked it away.

It was a massive relief to kick off with a win as we have a Champions League match in midweek and will probably fall behind the front-runners. To have been 6 points off the top by the end of week one would have been hard to take.

Arsenal’s renewed TOGETHERNESS was shown in this performance and diggin’ in till the end. At full time the players huddled in the centre circle to massive applause from the Arsenal faithful. Arsenal are a dangerous team with this spirit and these type of games will only extend The Arsenal Togetherness.

Arsenal: Lehmann, Sagna, Toure, Gallas (c), Clichy, Rosicky (Bendtner 72), Flamini, Cesc, Eboue (Walcott 63), Hleb, Van Persie (Song 96). Subs Unused: Almunia, Senderos.

Booked: Flamini.

Goals: Van Persie(p) 83, Hleb 90.

In other news, The News of the World, suggest people close to Arsene Wenger are worried about his health. Well Gilles Grimandi anyway. Wenger is said to be under huge strain due to the massive stress he is under at Arsenal trying to fill in a do without a director of football. Grimandi told the paper, “Before, Arsene was snowed under with work. Now it has become frightening,” I hope this is not true and an exaggeration by Gilles we need Arsene on the touch-line that’s for sure. “All of us around Arsene are trying to take the strain off him,” added Grimandi. “But Dein is irreplaceable”. I don’t think this game will have helped Wenger’s heart rate but once things have settled with his own contract I’m sure a director of football will be assigned. Wenger is now expected to sign a deal by the end of August.

News from around the ground today is that Arsenal will announce the signing of a new player tomorrow. Everyone is tight lipped about who that will be so we’ll have to wait and see what the morning brings.