may 5th
So Arsenal maintained their unbeaten run with a 1-1 draw with Portsmouth last night.
They took the lead in the first half after the ball bounced off Kolo Toure’s head into the path of Yakuba who boinked it into the net off Jens Lehmann. Arsenal equalised in the second half when Jose Reyes volleyed home from the edge of the box for his first Premiership goal. From the bits I saw it was a scrappy game played in poor conditions, and Arsene Wenger admits that the unbeaten run is playing on the minds of the players a little bit. He says “It is (affecting us) a little bit. The players were not prepared to lose and you saw the determination of Arsenal tonight. They realise that they have achieved so much and are determined to not lose a game through a lack of concentration or determination.”
David Bentley got a start and did reasonably well on his Premiership debut by all accounts, while Martin Keown and Jeremie Aliadiere inched ever closer to the magical 10 appearances needed for a championship medal. It does seem a rather antiquated rule to have to play 10 games to get a medal. One goal in one game might be enough to make telling contribution to a season, and that player should be rewarded for it. Let’s hope the FA review this rule when they see players like Keown having to come on for a couple of minutes at the end of a game to get the medal they deserve for what they’ve done earlier in the season.
And some top class saves from Jens Lehmann ensured Arsenal remained on course to stay unbeaten all season. The boss says “I am happy for Jens because he made some great saves and I am convinced he is a great keeper. I am sure he is on the way to getting the reaction out of his game. He is a winner and he showed that again. The criticism he has received lately didn’t affect his performance.”
Not much else going on at this early stage. I’m wrecked, took me ages to get to sleep last night. Need more coffee. Later
