Report: Birmingham City 1-1 Arsenal
Arsenal’s dooms at St. Andrews repeated as Birmingham City denied Wenger’s men all three points with a late, late equalizer on Saturday.
It had been a cagey affair until substitute Samir Nasri provided a moment of brilliance to hand Arsenal the lead with 10 minutes to go. But the Gunners lost their lead two minutes into injury time as Kevin Phillips secured a point for the hosts.
The Gunners began in confident fashion against a Blues side unbeaten at home since late September.
Tomas Rosicky won the first corner of the match but skipper Cesc Fabregas’ centre was held comfortably by Blues keeper Joe Hart. Birmingham midfielder Craig Gardner was high and wide with a 20 yard drive after a James McFadden free-kick had only been half cleared.
Theo Walcott then appealed optimistically for a penalty after a challenge from Liam Ridgewell and referee Howard Webb waved play on. McFadden showed good skill in creating a yard of space just outside the Arsenal box but he dragged his powerful drive a couple of yards past the post.
The visitors knocked the ball around in trademark style although the final decisive ball was lacking in the opening quarter of an hour. Alex Song became the first player to be yellow carded after 16 minutes for bringing down McFadden, who had made an impressive start to the match.
Hart made the first meaningful save of the match a minute later when he came quickly off his line to block a shot from Walcott after he had raced onto a long ball from Fabregas.
Jerome brought a save out of Almunia with a low 25-yard drive. The striker then burst into the box but toe-poked a weak shot straight at Almunia when under pressure from Sol Campbell.
The home side were more than holding their own against their title-chasing opponents.Arsenal started the second half on the offensive and Hart saved a drive from Rosicky away to his right.
Then Abou Diaby made a good break into the City box but sent his shot straight at Hart.Back came Blues and Barry Ferguson only just failed to connect with a ball into the near post from Gardner.
Then, after 63 minutes, City defender Scott Dann was guilty of one of the misses of the season.Ferguson’s free-kick was met by Roger Johnson, whose shot back across goal at full stretch hit the post.
The rebound fell to Dann barely two yards out but he somehow contrived to put the ball over the bar off his thigh.Wenger made a double change with Samir Nasri and Andrey Arshavin replacing Rosicky and Walcott respectively.
Nasri was quickly involved in testing Hart with a low drive after being teed up by Arshavin.Ferguson was then booked for a challenge on Nasri before the same player finally broke the deadlock 10 minutes from time.
He was allowed time to cut in from the right and his low drive flew past the dive of Hart into the far corner of the net.Gardner was booked for a foul on Diaby and Carr for bringing down Arshavin.
But just as Arsenal looked set for a vital win, substitute Phillips snatched a dramatic equalizer in injury time.
Phillips battled for the ball with Bacary Sagna, who kicked it into the former Sunderland striker’s face and Almunia could only get a hand to it as it ballooned into the net for a dramatic equaliser.
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SON OF A BITCH ALMUNIA
REMOVE THAT SON OF A BITCH HE MAKES ARSENAL LOsE YET AGAin
We were so near and yet so far!
2 dropped points. Almunia should have done better, but we also should have had 1 or 2 more goals…shit
Dismal.
Typical Almunia.
Nasri…why can’t he just chip the keeper and put the match to bed???
Gutted.
I thought we did well to grind out 3 points for ourselves but alas…it didn’t happen and no thanks to you know who…
good afternoon,yes kidz i told u we were over-confident,i know it doesnt matter but now it gives us more reason to bitch about wenger and arsenal (particularly,when we lose)….go on..
ps:this is like a lose (referring to the tittle race)
anyway we must keep the faith comon…up the guns..dont bitch,accept this fact that we werent super out there also..
NEXT UP FC BARCELONA..
DKD, its not about me being over-confident. Fact is, I believe in my team. Winning and losing is part of the game but to lose points like is really disappointing. We lost 2 points because of a soft goal at the very last minute.
after the block almunia in no man land..he was sooooo slowww to react and cover the post…dammmmmm
We are not just good enough for the title, simple. And as long as the boss will
LOOK FUCKER,IF UR HERE TO WRITE THIS SHIT,F-OFF,GO SUPPORT SOME OTHER CLUB,GET LOST….SOME FAITH U SHOW…WHEN PUNDITS WRITE US OFF WHAT THE FUCK DO U DO…BITCH ABOUT THEM..NOW,BCOZ WE DRAW ONE MATCH.U BITCH ABOUT US..WE R NOT GOOD ENOUGH,U BLOODY PIECE OF SHIT.**** OFF…ASSHOLE …GO SUPPORT MANU OR SOMEONE
I still cannot believe how unlucky we are. We never up the tempo until the dying minutes of the game. It was obvious that we needed to attack directly in order to seal the game; well done to Super Nasri. Bendtner needs to remember that he is a striker and switch on at all times. Arshavin also needs to find his shooting boots.
Never been confident with Almunia. His fans will argue that he saved us last week, for which I’m grateful, but there’s no two ways about it, he’s cost us 2 precious, precious points today. He’s a very good keeper to have in a penalty shootout, but elsewhere, he’s no better than Thomas Sorensen.
Gutted. Absolutely gutted. That might just cost us the title. I think we know where to splash the cash this summer…
Almunia,resign please!And fuck you very much from all the fans around the world.
Brummies goal looked like an offside or am I worong?
The presence of Arshavin and Nasri did create an impact on the Arsenal’s attack. Well done to both of them.
game over im afraid n title race- r players wont recover from this nd r goal diff is now 2 far behind- why cant we just hold on in these games- i could cry- we must pray fr manu nd chelsea 2 draw nxt 2 stand ne chance š so close luks like wel end d year 2 players short of a title winin side
Wenger u think how! Tha defenders n midfs doin so wel(diaby,song….so on form) there u r retainin bedntner juz to waist their balls. Sheet. Now we 4gettin tha trophy… Nkt
Yet another linesman decision costs us the game- Birmingham were clearly offside in the move that led to their goal-it wasn’t even close. Why does this keep happening in every game?
He saved a penalty last week.
Come on guys, I know that everybody is disappointed but the season hasn’t end yet. Anything can still happen!
absolutely offsides
Howard the coward Webb gutted us again…as expected..
What a surprise.
it wz da refs fault aswell 4 disalowing da goal bt almunia jus needs to go kill himself its nt over yet dho folks u all need 2 still believe
it all hangs on Manchester’s result this evening. what a soft way to compromise the title. absolutely ridiculous.
why oh why, does wenger put faith in almunia, it’s as if he wants to sabotage his own plans. he could have easily won the title by now, by a few tweaks here and there.
however it is worth mentioning that we are missing our first choice back 2 and striker….which leads to:
why is the squad spread so thin?
DKD, I have in fact foresee that you will take a shot at me because I sounded arrogant with my prediction…go on, shoot!..LOL..
hahaha
bang-bang…go i shot u…what u gonna say about arsenal vs wolves
YOU ARSENAL SUPPORTES ARE SO BLOODY PATHETIC. AS SOON AS WE LOSE A GAME WE ARE OUT OF THE CHAMPIONSHIP RACE – YOU ARE JUST AS BAD AS THOSE BLOODY IDIOT PUNDITS WHO WROTE US OFF AT THE BEGINING OF THE SEASON ADN SAID WE WOULD NOT FINISH IN THE TOP 4. REMEBER THIS – MAN UTD/CHELSEA WILL DROP AT LEAST 2 POINTS IN THEIR MATCH AGAINST EACH OTHER, POSSIBLY ONE OF THEM WILL DROP 3 POINTS. THEY PALY EACH OTHER NEXT WEEKEND!
IF ITS A DRAW GOO 4 ARSENAL .
THE WORST POSSIBILITY IS 4 MANU TO WIN .THEN THE TITLE’S PRETTY MUCH GONE .
CHELSEA WINNING IS STILL ACCEPTABLE BUT THEV GOT A EASIER RUN IN THEN US .JUST 2 AWAY GAMES POOL AND THE SPUDS .THE REST R AT HOME 4 THEM
SORRY GOOD
Let’s hope jack does his club a favour
Thanks for that reminder Bjohnson! I didn’t know that! You made my day! Yahoooooo!!!!
Actually if Man.utd or chelsea lose we won’t overtake anyone of them both have to drop points in 2 or more games and we must win all our remmaining games .
What say you Randy O?
Somebody wrote this to describe our GK:
“Almunia always proves tough to beat between the posts and is also keen on facing penalty kicks”
How I wish it were completely true.
š
I am sure you would have said the same about Almunia last week against West Ham so STFU and leave me alone.
Would I? I’m afraid not. I knew all along that his blunder-filled season is yet to finish. But I admit that he really is reliable when it comes to PK’s on some occasions.
If you watched the game carefully, you’d know that Almunia was one or two mistakes away from a massive blunder such as that.
Sure Almunia has done enough this season to receive the same treatment Lehmann got in 2007/08 but for your information, that player profiles page was not made for rants at the players.
One thing’s for sure, he needs to be replaced next season.
I’m just giving a constructive opinion about our GK. Profile page aside, I really think he’s not that tough to beat seeing how he flaps corners, crosses, and goals. And don’t get me started on his positioning.
DKD, The Gunners will fire the Wolves and roast them to glory, Take that!
I’d be surprised if that happens. Why would you stick with someone who has cost you trophies? Sure he was able to amaze us with some spectacular goal keeping on his day; but it’s not always his day ,unfortunately. His spectacular performances have been overshadowed by his mistakes, most of which are costly.
Come on guys! Let’s get over the BLUES and move on to…
1) Barca
2) Wolves
3) You know who…lol
I APPLAUD U ON UR COMMENT KIDZ,WHY WORRY…WE GOT TO MOVE ON
look,why r we all so worried,i got an idea for all worried gooners….close ur eyes and say “i believe”…i am not making fun of wenger..
MISTAKES HAPPEN,CMON ALL OF US KNEW ALMUNIA IS A CLOWN…KEEP THE FAITH WE R GONNA BEAT THEM,OUR TITLE CONTENDERS WILL LOSE POINTS,CAN ULL PREDICT THE FUTURE…NO…CALM DOWN..WE WILL GET THERE..STOP CRITICISING , KEEP THE FAITH,…NEXT PRM MATCH,WOLVES….COME ON,WE CAN DO IT…B-E-L-I-E-V-E…
Unfortunately, no matter how much we believe, we’re not the ones on the pitch.
Almunia and Arshavin believing matters more than us believing.
Not being negative. It’s the truth!
Randy i think you are wrong on this one. He will get replaced. Guys im feeling very bad anything to cheer me up?
Usama, don’t you get it?
When has Wenger ever listened to right or wrong suggestions from fans on who should be sold or bought?
I’m not saying Almunia should remain our No. 1, but I don’t need to tell you more about the man in charge.
Almunia SHOULD be replaced, but WILL he be replaced?
That’s the difference between “should” and “will”.
And even if he is replaced, it will be by the “world class” Fabianski. š
Wenger knows.
too bad,wen is wenger goin 2 get serious en buy gud strikers.betner is so low 4 arsenal.gess we need to auction him maybe 4 free 2 tha likes of portsmouth……no hating though.
does`t it hurt wenger to lose silverware every season to the likes of man-u en chelsea or is he out of ideas.i cant imagine misin silverware this season after waiting that long.
MANU GOT THEIR 11 OWN GOAL .GUYS YOU ALL SHOULD SEE IT .LADY LUCK JUST LOVES THEM
I don’t see why Almunia should take the blame for this one, it was a difficult ball to defend.
In my eyes the real problem is the lack of a front man.
Bentdner had a single off target shot according to statistics.
His positioning is poor, he so rarely appears in the box for our crosses, always comes in from a wide angle too late to reach the ball. His first touch seems heavy aswell.
FOR SEVERAL WEEKS I HAVE BEEN CONCERNED ABOUT THESE LAST MINUTES ESCAPES. I FELT THAT EVENTUALLY WE WOULD BE CAUGHT. TODAY WAS THE DAY. WE SHOULD BE SCORING IN THE OTHER 80 MINUTES IF WE ARE THE TEAM WE THINK WE ARE. tHE NEXT FEW WEEKS ARE VITAL!1 EARLY IN THE SEASON WE WERE SCORING 3 AND 4 GOALS A GAME. HAVE WE MISSED V P THAT MUCH ??? yES AT LAST I HAVE REACHED THE CONCLUSION THAT WE DO NEED TWO OR THREE BIG (IN STATURE) PLAYERS AS WELL AS ABILITY. MR W IT IS TIME TO ACT AND GIVE THESE YOUNG GUYS(AFTER FOUR OR FIVE YEARS NOT SO YOUNG) SOME REAL MUSCLE. TODAY WAS EVIDENCE AGAIN OF OUR GREAT NEED. CAN ONLY NOW PRAY FOR A MIACLE IN LEAGUE AND CUP ONLY A MIRACLE WILL DO IT.WILL SOMEONE SPEAK TO THIS????? lAWRENCE J BEADLE
I am as disappointed as all of you guys. Fact is, we live in a funny world where we sometimes do not get what we want or expected of. This is life, man! It will do us a world of good to just move on. Stop the blame game already. We, The Arsenal wins or loses as a team. Most will blame Almunia for his mistakes but how about those glaring chances for the forwards to score? Bottom line is, players are also human and like it or not, humans do make mistakes! I will continue to give my undivided support to the Club, manager and team no matter what.
Win against spuds
God you guys find everything and anything to bitch about.
“Nasri should have chipped the ball!” He couldn’t beat the keeper so he dragged it back, 9 out of 10 times someone is there.
I find it comical you blame Wegner, jesus christ you guys are stupid.
Almunia had a good game, it was a good reaction save he was just unfortunate to give recognize it so late, it was a deflection so he was out of place. For the amount of times he has saved us you sure do forget that quickly.
When we had 10 games left I thought this and the Wigan game would be our ties.
Grow up you a holes and support your team, yeah it sucked to give that away at the end but crap like that happens. How many times have we been on the other end.
We will be fine. Just can’t lose going forward.
God you guys find everything and anything to bitch about.
“Nasri should have chipped the ball!” He couldn’t beat the keeper so he dragged it back, 9 out of 10 times someone is there.
I find it comical you blame Wegner, jesus christ you guys are stupid.
Almunia had a good game, it was a good reaction save he was just unfortunate to give recognize it so late, it was a deflection so he was out of place. For the amount of times he has saved us you sure do forget that quickly.
When we had 10 games left I thought this and the Wigan game would be our ties.
Grow up you a holes and support your team, yeah it sucked to give that away at the end but crap like that happens. How many times have we been on the other end.
We will be fine. Just can’t lose
christ, but you people cry like little girls.
yes almunia effed up and the ball went in the goal. last i looked, footy is a TEAM sport. so yes, once in a while, people screw up. but that don’t mean you throw them under the bus.
everyone forgotten that he save a pen last week? isn’t that like his 2nd pen save this season?? get OFF the man’s ass.
one little mistake, and all these goddamn fantasy football wannabes start in on whoever isn’t perfect on the weekend. lighten up for heavens sake.
yes almunia screwed up and the ball went in the net. but where’s the criticism about the pourus arsenal defense couldn’t hold a lead for the remaining 7 mins of reg time and a few extra, hmm?
and stop whinning like a pack of little effing girls. football is a TEAM sport. people screw up once in a while but it DOESN”T mean you throw your teamates under the buss.
last week almunia stopped a pen. – arguably saving 2 points there. and this week he now totally sucks? that makes no sense. football – sometimes shit happens and you have to deal with it. calling for new players every other game – – which is what arsenal fans tend to do – – is just idiotic. GROW UP.
so i just noticed that post went on twice. stupid of me. looked like my first shot didn’t go up. apologies all.