"Arsenal" and "Tottenham" derby ended in a draw

2006-04-22 20:09 © EuroFootball.com

On Saturday, five matches of the 36th round were played in the English Premier League. In the central match of the round, London rivals Arsenal and Tottenham fought for the fourth position and a place in next season's UEFA Champions League qualifying rounds. The intense and eventful match ended in a 1-1 draw.

The Gunners, playing at their home ground soon to be closed Highbury Stadium, started without several key players - captain Thierry Henry, Cesc Fabregas, Emanuel Eboue, while Freddie Ljumberg and Alexander Hleb were not even included in the matchday squad, as if to show that Arsenal hopes to triumph in the Champions League and doesn't need the fourth position.

It's no surprise that Tottenham dominated the first half. Jermain Defoe had a few chances to score, but his first shot was weak, and a few minutes later his second shot was saved by goalkeeper Jens Lehmann. However, the best chance of the first half for the visitors at the Arsenal stadium came in the final minute, when Michael Carrick deceived three defenders and the goalkeeper to score from a tight angle.

Tottenham attacked at the start of the second half, but the situation changed with the introduction of E. Eboue. Initially, young Robin van Persie missed good chances to score, but coach Arsene Wenger brought on his main weapons - T. Henry and C. Fabregas. While the initiative was with the home team at that time, the guests scored in the opening minutes of the second half - Edgar Davids broke through on the left and passed to Robbie Keane, who easily sent the ball into the net.

Arsenal players, after conceding a goal, didn't hide their frustration towards the opponents, who, according to them, should have kicked the ball out of play as Eboue lay injured in the middle of the field. This raised a conflict between Wenger and Tottenham manager Martin Jol, which escalated into some disrespect towards each other after the match - the coaches left the field without shaking hands as tradition.

Despite all this, Arsenal continued to attack to equalize the score. Initially, a great shot from Jose Antonio Reyes was denied by goalkeeper Paul Robinson, but one of the best players in the world, T. Henry, did his thing - receiving a pass from Emanuel Adebayor, the Frenchman technically sent the ball into the top corner of the net.

The situation for Tottenham could have worsened when Edgar Davids received a second yellow card for a rough foul towards the end of the match, but no more goals were scored.

This victory is beneficial for Tottenham, who lead Arsenal by four points with two rounds to play. However, Arsenal have played one game less and can reduce the gap to a minimum.

In another match, Newcastle claimed another victory at home, beating West Brom 3-0, with two goals from Shola Ameobi and one from Nolberto Solano.

Out of the relegation zone moved the recently successful Portsmouth team, defeating last-placed Sunderland at home. These three points allowed Harry Redknapp's team to rise to 16th place, two points ahead of Birmingham.

Saturday's results: