Arsenal v Birmingham City | Matches

Arsenal V
Blackburn Rovers
4TH OCT 2009

Saturday 17th October
Kick off: 15:00
Emirates Stadium

Arsenal
3 – 1
Birmingham City

AZ Alkmaar V
Arsenal
20TH OCT 2009

HIGHLIGHTS

CLASSIC WATCH NOW
Arsenal 3-1 Birmingham City (October 17, 2009)

Live Text isn't live anymore, this is a record of the match events.

90

Our post-match show will be starting in a moment get your e-mails in to Dan Roebuck and Paul Davis at www.arsenal.com/studio. We'll be back with more live text commentary on Tuesday night when Arsenal face Alkmaar in the Champions League.
90

It's all over here at the Emirates. Goals from Van Persie, Diaby and Arshavin secure victory for Arsenal, although they had some nervy moments after Bowyer's strike kept Birmingham in it
Full Time FULL-TIME: Arsenal 3 Birmingham 1
90

VAN PERSIE GOES CLOSE: The Dutchman twists and turns and shoots - but it's deflected wide for a corner. Birmingham eventually clear their lines as some of the home fans make their way to the exit. Shame they won't be around to clap the players off
90

ATTENDANCE: 60,082 are here today.
90

CORNER TO BIRMINGHAM: We're into the four minutes of stoppages and the visitors waste it
90

Substitution SUB: Wilshere replaces Eboue
90

GREAT SAVE HART! Eboue crosses and Hart denies Diaby from point-blank range. It should have been four.
89

Spurs and Man United still winning; Liverpool still losing. As it stands, Arsenal will be fourth in the table, four points behind United with a game in hand
88

ARSENAL ON TOP: You can see the Gunners getting a fourth here. They are playing with confidence while Birmingham look a spent force.
87

VERMAELEN DOES WELL: The big Belgian stops Phillips with a typically crunching challenge
85

THAT'LL DO IT! Fabregas picks out Arshavin on the counter-attack and he advances into the box before curling a low shot into the far corner. A wonderful finish from the Russian and that should be three points for Arsenal. Relief and an enormous roar at the Emirates
85

GOAL! - Andrey Arshavin 3 : 1 GOAL!!! ARSENAL 3 BIRMINGHAM 1
84

GIBBS CLEARS: Good header from the full-back, Arshavin completes the clearance and Arsenal break
83

REAL TENSION HERE: Sagna motors down the right but inexplicably checks his run and passes to a Blues player. The crowd groan and, even worse, Birmingham have a corner
82

OFFSIDE: Van Persie floats it in but the flag goes up. A wasted opportunity
81

FREE-KICK TO ARSENAL: Bowyer fouls Van Persie. Arsenal will not be rushing this one.
80

GREAT CHANCE BIRMINGHAM! Ridgewell is left all alone on the left and crosses low towards McSheffrey and O'Connor. Mannone dives to push the ball away and Gallas hacks it clear. Nervous times for Arsenal
79

Substitution SUB: Phillips replaces Carsley
78

SO CLOSE: Robin curls the free-kick in and Gallas just fails to get a touch on it. That was inches away from being 3-1
77

GIBBS DOES WELL: Kieran nicks the ball off O'Connor and sets Arsenal going on the counter-attack. Fabregas is fouled - according to the ref, anyway - and the home side have a free-kick on the corner of the box. Van Persie steps up
77

WELL PLAYED SONG: Alex gets out of a spot of bother in midfield with some fine close control. He's been very solid in there today.
74

ARSENAL STILL ON TOP: Lots of possession for the hosts but few clear-cut chances. Birmingham just looking for a chance to breakaway. Can Arsenal keep their concentration?
73

Yellow Card Alex Song is booked for unsporting behavious.
73

CALL OUR POST-MATCH SHOW: The studio number is 4420 7607 3200 if you're outside the UK and 020 7607 3200 if you're not. Alternatively, e-mail your thoughts on the game via the website at www.arsenal.com/studio. Dan Roebuck and Paul Davis will be online for at least half-an-hour after the final whistle in our post-match show
72

SAGNA COMES ON TO SHORE THINGS UP: He goes to right back, Eboue moves forward into right wing and Arshavin goes left in place of Rosicky
72

Substitution SUB: Sagna replaces Rosicky
71

WELL DONE DIABY: McSheffrey is straight into the action but Diaby tracks him down Arsenal's left, nicks the ball off him and races away before winning a free-kick
70

Substitution SUB: McSheffrey replaces McFadden
68

GROANS AT THE EMIRATES! Rosicky loses possession and the home fans show their frustration. This could be a nervy last 20 minutes unless they find the third goal
66

BIRMINGHAM BREAK: McFadden leads the charge down the right but Diaby stops him in his tracks. The Blues are still a threat here even if Arsenal are enjoying the lion's share of the possession
66

ARSENAL ON TOP: Arshavin can't get his shot away but lifts the ball over the massed ranks of the visitors' defence towards Van Persie. The Dutchman tries an overhead kick but can't direct it goalwards
64

DIABY HAS A GO! But the big man shoots wide after lining up an effort from 25 yards.
62

LESS THAN HALF-AN-HOUR TO GO: And it is getting a bit tense. Arsenal really could do with that third goal to put this game to bed
60

Substitution SUB: O'Connor replaces Jerome
58

Yellow Card YELLOW CARD: Joe Hart was booked for not retreating before that last free-kick
58

OOOOH! Fabregas and Arshavin set the ball up for Van Persie and his shot skims the bar. So close to a third goal but Birmingham would have been livid with the ref for giving that free-kick
57

CONTROVERSY! Arsenal have a free-kick just eight yards out after Larsson is penalised for a backpass which Hart picked up. Bit harsh that, he slid in to intercept
57

CESC IS PULLING THE STRINGS: The captain is getting on the ball more and more. Promising signs for Arsenal
56

FABREGAS TRIES HIS LUCK: Cesc collects Eboue's pass and curls a considered effort over the crossbar from 22 yards
55

ARSENAL GO CLOSE AGAIN: Arshavin races through the centre and slips the ball to Fabregas. A defender gets back but Hart sidefoots the backpass straight to Cesc! The keeper just about recovers but Arsenal have their tails up here
53

GREAT CHANCE FOR ARSHAVIN: Rosicky finds Diaby and he clips a ball towards Arshavin. The Russian turns his marker but somehow shoots wide from six yards out with just Hart to beat
51

Dan Roebuck and Paul Davis are sitting just behind me in the press box. You can hear live commentary from them now, accompanied by still images from the game. And don't forget to e-mail Paul and Dan via the website at www.arsenal.com/studio. They will field your comments during the second half and after the game in our post-match show
50

There's a danger Arsenal might sit back and try to contain the Blues. I reckon they should up the tempo and have a go at them. It worked for the first 25 minutes or so after all.
48

CHANCE FOR BIRMINGHAM: Good break from the visitors. Jerome gets down the right and cuts the ball back but Bowyer can't get a shot away and McFadden's attempted cross floats out of play. Warning signs for Arsenal
47

SUBS ARE WARMING UP: Wilshere, Sagna and Ramsey are jogging along the touchline in front of me. Will we see the 17-year-old today?
47

There's a hint of anxiety in the air here. Large sections of the Emirates crowd were probably expecting a procession when Diaby made it 2-0 - I certainly was. But it's still all to play for.
Kick Off BIRMINGHAM GET US UP AND RUNNING: Arsenal now attacking the north end of the stadium
45

Right then. The teams are back out and we're almost ready to go for the second half. The pie was beef and onion, since you ask. Lovely
45

Arsenal seemed to have the points in the bag when Van Persie and Diaby gave them a two-goal lead. But Bowyer's strike has given Birmingham hope. We'll be back with live text commentary from the second half very shortly. But first - pie and mash.
Half Time HALF-TIME: Arsenal 2 Birmingham City 1
45

HANDBALL? Diaby claims that Carsley handled just outside the area. The referee waves away his protests
45

EBOUE SEEING A LOT OF THE BALL: He's been to the fore on the right since Walcott went off injured. Arshavin drifting inside more, giving Eboue a chance to offer some width.
45

The fourth official dusts down his board and indicates three minutes of stoppage time
44

Good news: Liverpool are losing. Bad news: Manchester United and Spurs are winning
43

ROSICKY TRIES HIS LUCK: Tomas collects Van Persie's half-cleared corner and curls an effort goalwards - but straight at Hart
43

WELL PLAYED ARSHAVIN: The little Russian wins a corner. He's picked up the tempo for Arsenal again
42

CHANCE FOR ARSENAL: Doubts creeping in off the pitch but not on it as Arshavin arrows a low shot towards the corner. Hart plunges to his right to keep the ball out and Arshavin scuffs the rebound
40

...it's just hooked clear and Birmingham survive. The away fans are in full voic now. They smell an upset
40

FREE KICK TO ARSENAL: Fabregas will take this one, left-hand side, 25 yards out...
39

I SPOKE TOO SOON! Ferguson's cross loops up off Diaby, Mannone drops the ball under pressure from Larsson and Lee Bowyer hooks it in. Suddenly it's 'game on' again
38

GOAL! - Lee Bowyer 2 : 1 GOAL! ARSENAL 2 BIRMINGHAM 1
37

McFADDEN TRIES HIS LUCK: The Scot tries to chip Mannone from 20 yards but his effort drifts harmlessly out of play
36

ARSENAL STILL ON TOP... but the game has been a little disjointed since the second goal. It's hard to see where Birmingham are going to find a route back into the game.
34

PITY FOR WALCOTT: His first start of the season lasts just over half-an-hour. Meanwhile, Bowyer clatters Arshavin. Welcome to the game, Andrey
33

Substitution SUB: Arshavin for Walcott
32

MCLEISH GETS ANGRY! Eboue takes a tumble and wins a free-kick right in front of the Birmingham bench. McLeish storms to the edge of his technical area and remonstrates with the ref. Looked like a foul to me, although Eboue made sure the ref saw it
31

Andrey Arshavin is getting ready. Looks like the Russian is coming on. Maybe Walcott is still feeling the effects of that Ridgewell challenge?
30

ARSENAL PRESSURE: Walcott and Eboue both have a go but Birmingham get blocks in on both occasions.
29

...and Mannone gets across to save well from Seb Larsson's well-placed curler
29

FREE KICK TO BIRMINGHAM: Rare chance for the Blues...
27

FREE KICK TO ARSENAL: Rosicky is bundled over but Arsenal play it short and lose possession. Nonetheless the Czech is enjoying himself out there, linking well with Fabregas, Diaby and Van Persie
26

DIABY GOES CLOSE: Abou wins a high ball in the centre of the field and advances at pace. He has options left and right but opts to go for goal and fires straight at Joe Hart. A disappointing end to a highly-promising move
23

Bit of a lull since that second goal. The hard work appears to be done. Now Arsenal are popping it around in the midfield, trying to lure Birmingham out of their defensive shells.
20

So clinical from Arsenal. Back in January they struggled to break down defensive teams here at the Emirates. Now they have the wit and wisdom to cut through any defence. Birmingham's gameplan is in tatters already
18

AND NOW IT'S 2-0 TO THE ARSENAL! Van Persie finds Eboue, he picks out Rosicky's run into the box and the Czech cuts it back for Abou Diaby to calmly slot into the net. A wonderful goal, and what a wonderful start for Arsenal
18

GOAL! - Abou Diaby 2 : 0 GOAL!!! ARSENAL 2 BIRMINGHAM 0
17

One-nil to the Arsenal... and it's richly deserved
16

ROBIN VAN PERSIE FINDS THE NET! Alex Song created it, collecting a clearance 30 yards out. He feigned to shoot and disguised a perfect ball into Van Persie's path. The Dutchman's clever touch took it away from Carr and he rifled a low shot into the bottom corner.
16

GOAL! - Robin van Persie 1 : 0 GOAL!!! ARSENAL 1 BIRMINGHAM 0
15

POOR FROM EBOUE: Song feeds the Ivorian on the right but Eboue's first-time cross ends up in the crowd behind Hart's goal
14

Stephen Carr gets a few jeers. It doesn't matter where you go, you can't shake off an association with Spurs
13

Arsene Wenger strolls to the edge of his technical area to issue some instructions. But he must be pretty happy with his team's opening spell. Lots of pace, lots of crisp passing and a few decent chances too
12

IT'S ALL ARSENAL: The home side are camped in Birmingham's defensive third. Two banks of four try to repel them. It's already backs to the wall for Birmingham
11

THEO IS BACK... and he's fired up! He sprints down the right and then tests Hart with a savage effort on the run. Hart tips it over
10

ROSICKY GOES CLOSE AGAIN: Diaby's cross is nodded down by Van Persie and Rosicky volleys his effort into the ground. It deflects back to him but bounces off his head
9

Bit of a stoppage here while Walcott gets treated but he is eventually back on his feet. Ridgewell got the ball but why did he have to get the man too?
7

OUCH! Liam Ridgewell wins the ball with a sliding tackle but seems to follow through on Walcott. The youngster is left writhing on the turf.
6

WELL PLAYED VERMAELEN! A raking pass from the defender picks out Walcott in an advanced position on the right. He wins a corner but Van Persie's delivery is headed away at the near post by Carsley
5

CHANCE FOR ROSICKY: Fabregas' lofted pass is half-cleared and bounces kindly for Rosicky but the Czech hurries his shot and fails to trouble Hart. He could have taken his time then, there wasn't a defender within 10 yards
4

...but Joe Hart claims comfortably. Early sighter for Robin though.
4

FREE-KICK TO ARSENAL: Van Persie will take this...
3

GOOD CROSS EBOUE! Walcott has his first run at the Birmingham back line and finds Eboue. He swings in a teasing cross but no Arsenal player has gambled and it drifts out of play
2

WAYWARD FROM GALLAS! The Frenchman overhits a back-pass but Mannone controls, keeps his head and returns the ball to Gallas
1

FOUL ON FABREGAS: Might type that a few times today. Lee Bowyer trips the Arsenal skipper. That'll be the 'early reducer' then
Kick Off WE'RE UNDERWAY AT THE EMIRATES! Arsenal kick off attacking the goal at the south end of the stadium
Big vote of confidence for Vito Mannone, who keeps his place after some sterling displays in the first team. Manuel Almunia's chest infection has gone; let's hope he doesn't pick up a cold on the bench.
I'm half expecting Alex McLeish to drive onto the pitch in a bus and park it in front of the Birmingham goal. Is it too much to expect the injury-hit Blues to show some adventure or will they just look to frustrate Arsenal?
It's goodbye to Elvis and hello to Arsenal and Birmingham City as the teams emerge from the tunnel. Not a long-sleeved shirt in sight on the pitch but a few gloves here and there. Don't blame them.
Here comes 'The Wonder Of You'. Remember all those scarves the club gave out at the first home game? I can see about 200, so where are the other 60,000?
There's the usual pre-match activity on the edge of the pitch. Gunnersaurus is warming up the crowd, a large 'Get On With The Game' banner is unfurled and the Barclays Premier League apparatus has been erected in readiness for the teams' arrival.
And so the focus turns to Emirates Stadium. I've trotted up to the press box and the ground is filling up nicely with 10 minutes to go until kick-off. The pitch sprinklers are on and it's a grey, gloomy, chilly day in North London. Wish I hadn't left my coat at home.
It's all over at Villa Park. Villa 2 Chelsea 1. Arsenal will be three points behind the Blues with a game in hand - if they beat the other Blues today
This could be a wonderful opportunity for Arsenal to make up ground in the Premier League. Leaders Chelsea are trailing 2-1 at Aston Villa thanks to headers from Dunne and Collins. Guess who dropped Collins from his Fantasy League team? Yep, that'll be me.
Just 20 minutes from kick-off here at the Emirates. The MatchDay Show is well underway and we'll have an exclusive pre-match interview with Arsene Wenger for you before kick-off.
Birmingham have a familiar face in their ranks - Sebastian Larsson. The Swedish midfielder emerged through the ranks at Arsenal and made a handful of first-team appearances. He's a dab hand from set-pieces too.
That Arsenal team in full: Mannone; Eboue, Gallas, Vermaelen, Gibbs; Song, Fabregas, Diaby; Walcott, Van Persie, Rosicky. Subs: Almunia, Sagna, Ramsey, Silvestre, Wilshere, Arshavin, Traore
Right then, the team news is in. Some interesting inclusions and exclusions: Mannone keeps his place ahead of the fit-again Almunia. Walcott makes his first start of the season, Eboue gets the nod ahead of Sagna and Arshavin is left on the bench.
There's all that plus live text commentary with me, Chris Harris. I'll have all the team news for you as soon as it's announced plus a blow-by-blow account of Arsenal's return to Premier League action.
As ever, we want YOU to get involved. E-mail our commentary team before, during and after the game via the website at www.arsenal.com/studio. You can even phone the studio when our post-match show gets underway - we'll give you the number later on.
From 3pm (UK time) you can enjoy live audio commentary with Dan Roebuck and Arsenal legend Paul Davis - accompanied by still images from Emirates Stadium.
Our MatchDay Show gets underway at 2.30pm (UK time). You can expect highlights of the Blackburn game, footage from Arsene Wenger's press conference and an exclusive pre-match chat with the boss plus an insight into today's opponents, Birmingham City.
It's only been two weeks but doesn't it seem like longer? Maybe it's just me. Either way, Arsenal are back, the Premier League is back, and you can follow every kick on Arsenal TV Online today.