Arsenal – Blackburn Rovers

1. Join us for commentary of Arsenal v Blackburn, all the action live on Sunday from 14.00 UK time.

2. The Arsenal team: Lehmann, Toure, Campbell, Cygan, Cole, Ljungberg, Vieira, Silva, Pires, Bergkamp, Henry. Subs: Keown, Parlour, Edu, Kanu, Stack.

3. And for Blackburn: Friedel, Babbel, Short, Todd, Gresko, Emerton, Tugay, Ferguson, Neill, Gallagher, Yorke. Subs: Flitcroft, Cole, Reid, Baggio, Enckelman.

4. The players have taken the pitch and the fans greet them with rousing reception! Not much of the Library about Highbury so far!

5. Referee Andy D'Urso blows the whistle and we are off and running, Rovers in possession

6. A very early opporunity for Dwight Yorke, he evades Sol Campbell and digs shot out from between his feet, but it is wide

7. 1'

   That was nearly one of the quickest goals of the Premiership this season - what a start

8. 1'

   The ref has a word with Lucas Neill to calm him down after a rash tackle on Freddie ljungberg

9. 1'

   Positive start from Rovers, applying pressure through Yorke and Gallagher

10. 2'

    A missed header from Marcus Babbel almost lets Henry in

11. 2'

    Ahsley Cole dribbles the ball in touch and Rovers are on the offensive

12. 3'

    Yorke is muscled off the ball by a swarm of Arsenal defenders and the Gunners hack it clear

13. 4'

    Babbel and Ferguson exchange a neat one-two and surge up the pitch - the visitors are really going all-out early on!

14. 4'

    Robert Pires on the left flank is fouled by Brett Emerton

15. 5'

    Cygan feeds it to Cole who squanders possession again

16. 5'

    Ljungberg is felled by Gresko and the Slovakian is cautioned

17. 6'

    Toure dispossessed by Ferguson and the ball is lofted towards Yorke

18. 6'

    Defensive header from Patrick Vieira

19. 7'

    Good take from Gunners' keeper Lehman who came off his line to claim a dangerous Emerton cross

20. 7'

    Campbell fouls Gallagher outside the Arsenal area - freekick

21. 8'

    Ferguson hoists the ball towards the back post and Babbel connects, but his header is directed neither towrad goal or a colleague and a goal kick is the result

22. 9'

    Craig Short is off the field getting a bloody nose seen to

23. 9'

    Danger signs for Rovers - nearly caught on the quick break after Ljungberg raced out of defence, but failed to find Henry with his pass

24. 10'

    Dennis Bergkamp and Pires exchange passes but are forced back

25. 10'

    Goal for Bergkamp and Arsenal!!

26. 11'

    Toure received the ball and carried down the right wing before reaching the byline and pulling it back to Bergkamp who swept the ball past Brad Friedel with the minimum of fuss!

27. 12'

    The goal came rather against the run of play, but now the Gunners are pressing home the advantage

28. 13'

    Barry Ferguson is booked for a silly shove on Pires

29. 13'

    Despite two bookings and the goal Rovers have started well - can they keep the momentum going after the setback?

30. 14'

    Ljungberg dleivers a great cross for Henry by Friedel did enough to put the striker off

31. 14'

    Another Ljungberg cross finds Pires unmarked, but his tame header is dealt with easily - he could have chested it and struck with his boot. That's twice that Gresko has been embarrassed by Ljungberg

32. 15'

    Great defending under pressure from Cygan who turned his man to play a great pass

33. 16'

    Great take from Lehmann to claim a cross from the right

34. 17'

    Vieira and Gilberto Silva swap passes and feed the ball to Toure on the right

35. 17'

    Great control from Yorke to hold off his marker and thread a pass on the left to Babbel

36. 18'

    Henry, playing deep, switches play to the other flank with a sweet pass to Toure

37. 19'

    Determination from Campbell to clear the ball - Referee seemingly not worried about him man-handling Gallagher, a high foot and fierce lunge on Emerton

38. 19'

    The ball is back with Rovers who launch another good cross into the Arsenal box via Gresko, but Lehmann again claims

39. 20'

    Gresko caught in possession under pressure from Bergkamp and Ljungberg who then finds Henry in the penalty box - he swivels and passes to Vieria, but he put his shot wide. Great fluid move!

40. 22'

    Handball by Henry in the middle of the pitch - Freekick Rovers

41. 22'

    Furious pace so far - plenty of attacking promise from Rovers, but Arsenal are so, so dangerous breaking out of defence

42. 24'

    Tugay finds Dwight Yorke, who threads it wide to Emerton, but he fouls Cole

43. 25'

    Ljungberg races forward, lays it off to Vieira who threads it to Henry his shot is saved

44. 27'

    Tugay fouled by Gilberto, and the Brazilian is yellow-carded

45. 28'

    Tugay slips it to Yorke, but that is a poor lay off and Arsenal break

46. 29'

    Pires hits the post with Friedel beated! Superb strike on goal!

47. 30'

    Pires with a magnificent 45 yard ball to Toure as Arsenal look to build from the back

48. 30'

    Centre-half Short tries to bring it forward but is robbed on the halfway line and Ljungberg races forward

49. 31'

    Henry gets it in the area and only stout defendin from Andy Todd saves Short's blushes after his earlier run!

50. 32'

    Pires uses Cole on the overlap and slips it to Henry, who races through the midfield with an explosive turn off pace

51. 32'

    Henry slip a great ball to Bergkamp who in turn tries to stroke his shot into the corner of the goal, but it is inches wide - Offside flag up after Henry's pass

52. 33'

    Gresko wins a corner of Toure

53. 34'

    Australian Emerton recieves the kick and tries a cross-cum-shot and succeeds in only fluffing his lines

54. 35'

    Another questionable offside after Pires tried to find his man - Short with his arm in the air got the decision he wanted (again) from the linesman

55. 35'

    Babbel, like Gresko, his counterpart on the opposite wing is getting forward and getting some good crosses in - but not that time as a ricochet loses him possession

56. 36'

    The ball almost drops for Pires, but luckily for Friedel the shot it not on

57. 37'

    Bergkamp picks out Gilberto on the right wing, the pass is too long and the Brazilian tries but fails to get a shot on target from a narrow angle

58. 38'

    Gunners in the driving seat now - Henry feeds a great ball on the floor to Pires but Friedel races off his line to smother the danger

59. 39'

    Gallagher squanders possession and Arsenal have it again

60. 39'

    Ferguson robs Vieira and now Rovers have it

61. 39'

    A mistake by Tugay allows Henry a clear chance on goal but Friedel again is off his line to make an excellent save

62. 40'

    Bergkamp slips a ball to Pires, who tries a similar pass to Henry but it is too strong

63. 41'

    Pires turns two men and can only be stopped by Babbel who hauls the Frenchman back - foul and a yellow card for the German right-back

64. 42'

    Offside against Arsenal - marginal call

65. 43'

    Emerton controls with his chest and plays it neatly to Babbel

66. 44'

    Errant pass from Gresko in the Arsenal half gives it back to the Gunners

67. 44'

    Tugay tries a cross from the right, but Campbell heads clear

68. 45'

    Pires slips a ball to Henry down the left, he cuts inside and tries to deliever a ball - Babbel surely caught him there! Corner ball

69. 45'

    Bergkamp cross in, Cygan heads and the ball is cleared

70. 45'

    Halftime at Highbury. Arsenal could be two or three to the good after some spells of brilliance from Pires, Henry and Ljungberg but Friedel has been on hand to save the day.

71. 45'

    Blackburn started very brightly and are unlucky to have to been unable to exploit some excellent crosses and bold attacking play. Can Souness get his players back into it? Keep it here for the second half!

72. 45'

    The game is back underway

73. 45'

    Vratislav Gresko has been subbed at halftime, on in his place is Steven Reid

74. 45'

    Gresko did well going forward but defensively his was at a fault and had paid the price

75. 46'

    Henry races back to tackle and fould Emerton

76. 46'

    Ljungberg intercepts a lose pass, and streaks forward

77. 46'

    Ljungberg finishes the move he started by strike a good shot at Friedel, but it is saved

78. 48'

    Cole under pressure from Emerton lobs the midfielder and find Henry

79. 48'

    Henry crosses but it is too long for Bergkamp

80. 49'

    Good move by Toure finding Bergkamp, but the Dutchman lashes out at Neill and concedes a freekick

81. 50'

    Good, probing move by Rovers ends with a poor shot from Ferguson

82. 51'

    Solid defended from Toure ends the immediate threat from a Rovers attack down the left flank

83. 52'

    Tugay works a great pass towards Gallagher, but Cygan covers and concedes a corner

84. 52'

    The ball is lofted in and Lehmann is in trouble off his line. But the whistle goes and the keeper is givn the advantage

85. 53'

    Change coming for Rovers - Andy Cole getting ready

86. 54'

    Yorke finds Babbel who crosses, but Gilberto clears

87. 54'

    Rovers win it back immediately and the visitors win another corner

88. 54'

    Emerton's corner fails to reach an attacker and Campbell clears

89. 55'

    Pires skips past Ferguson and finds Gilberto

90. 55'

    Rovers win it and try to find Yorke, but Campbell towers over the striker to clear the threat

91. 56'

    Andy Cole comes on for 19-year-old Paul Gallagher. Cole, formerly on the Arsenal staff before his move to Newcastle, gets boos from the Highbury faithful

92. 57'

    A Blackburn shot flies over the Arsenal bar

93. 58'

    Great play by Emerton to shrug off Vieira, he ran forward but couldn't get the right pass in the end

94. 58'

    Pires thing he's been fouled - but he just fell over two defender, quite right refere - not that the fans agree

95. 59'

    Controversy as Babbel heads the ball into the back of the net - but the ref rules that Babbel was impeding Toure

96. 60'

    Bold decision by the ref, Babbel executed a great header but he was climbing all over Toure's back

97. 61'

    Ljungberg plays a great pass to Gilberto but the move ends with an offside flag against Henry

98. 62'

    Tugay hesitates after Emerton's pass is deflected and Rovers lose the ball

99. 63'

    Reid clatters into Vieira and the foul is given

100. 64'

     Ferguson gives it away to Vieira and Pires collects and breaks as the game gets stretched

101. 64'

     The final ball into the Rovers box fails to find Ashley Cole on the back post and Rovers are let off

102. 65'

     Todd intercepts a dangerous pass and brings the ball out

103. 65'

     Bergkamp over-hits his pass

104. 66'

     Pascal Cygan goes into the book for a foul on Emerton

105. 67'

     Fine save from Lehmann after Ferguson latched onto a perfectly weighted ball from Andy Cole

106. 68'

     Pires slips the ball to Henry but he is muscled off the ball and its a corner

107. 69'

     The corner comes in and is punched away by Friedel. Ljungberg follows up with shot, but it is blocked

108. 70'

     Henry get his header on target after from a freekick, but Friedel saves

109. 71'

     Henry goes on a mazt run in the Rovers area but is tackled by superior numbers

110. 72'

     Rovers corner after a mistake by Cole

111. 72'

     Emerton takes but Pires clears

112. 73'

     Another corner and Emerton takes again - this time Lehmann claims the ball with ease

113. 73'

     Ray Parlour joins the game in place of Dennis Bergkamp

114. 74'

     Perhaps Wenger is trying to steal the midfield after Tugay, Ferguson and Emerton have managed to see so much of the ball

115. 75'

     Henry offside from a Campbell pass

116. 75'

     Tugay loses the ball and Pires capitalises by finding Vieira

117. 76'

     Vieira crosses in from the left but Todd blocks and clears

118. 76'

     Andy Todd is in the book for a foul on Pires - he could have been off but the ref decided that Short was covering and therefore the last defender

119. 77'

     Henry takes the freekick and goes for goal, but it creeps wide of the post

120. 78'

     Tugay vollies a pass to Emerton who gathers and works it to Andy Cole

121. 78'

     Babbel and Reid under pressure from Parlour

122. 79'

     Tugay slips the ball to Yorke who opted to thread a pass to Emerton rather than shoot, Ahsley Cole slid in to prevent Emerton from getting a shot away

123. 80'

     10 minutes to go and Rovers are not out of this game

124. 80'

     Emerton crosses in and yet again Lehmann comes and plucks it out of the air

125. 81'

     Dino Baggio comes on for Marcus Babbel

126. 82'

     Andy Cole wins Rovers a corner

127. 82'

     Another great save from Lehmann after Craig Short flicked a header goalward from the corner

128. 83'

     Ljungberg is subbed and on comes Edu

129. 84'

     Late pressure being pilled on by Rovers, Andy Cole ruled offside

130. 84'

     Offside again, and again its Henry who falls into the trap

131. 85'

     Henry's shot, poor by his standards, is saved by Friedel after Edu found the striker in acres of space

132. 86'

     Vieira tidies up at the back and Arsenal break with Parlour

133. 87'

     Time running out for Rovers, despite having played so well they are at risk of gettig nothing from the game

134. 88'

     Ferguson launches one forward but the Gunners back line take control

135. 88'

     Extravagant and unnecessary overhead kick from Toure in a defensive position - lucky no Blackburn players were on hand to exploit the foolish clearance

136. 89'

     Final minute and Arsenal break free with Pires

137. 89'

     Henry wins a corner off Andy Todd

138. 90'

     Two minutes of stoppage time signalled

139. 90'

     Arseanl try to waste time in the corner of the pitch with Pires and Henry

140. 91'

     Pires escpaes from the corner flag and nearly carves an opening for Edu

141. 91'

     Todd finds Andy Cole, but he loses out

142. 91'

     Great tackle by Neill to prevent Pires from latching onto Henry's pass

143. 92'

     That's it, Fulltime. Arsenal stretch their unbeaten run to 16 and go top of the league by one point.

144. 92'

     Against weaker opposition Rovers could have expected to get all three points, but Arsenal defended well, attacked at pace and rightly claim the spoils.

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