FOR THE UMPTEENTH time this season, Arsenal squandered an opportunity to close the gap with Manchester United at the top of the Premier League, blowing a two-goal lead as they drew 3-3 with Tottenham Hotspur in last night’s North London derby.
In a match which might well be a contender for game of the season, there was no shortage of early drama with the Gunners leading, conceding, and taking the lead again all within the opening 12 minutes.
It took less than five minutes for Theo Walcott to spring the Spurs offside trap, latching on to Cesc Fabregas’ perfectly-weighted through ball before coolly finishing.
As Arsenal are wont to do whenever they score a goal, they conceded almost immediately, Rafael van der Vaart hitting back for the hosts just 84 seconds later.
Following last week’s howler in the Champions League quarter-final against Real Madrid, Heurelho Gomes must have been aware of the need to put in an error-free round if he was to regain the trust of both his manager and the White Hart Lane faithful. Once more, he failed to cover himself in glory, allowing Samir Nasri’s 20-yard drive to slip past him with just 12 minutes on the clock.
If Gomes was at fault for Arsenal’s second, blame for their third must lie at the feet – or more accurately, the chest – of William Gallas. The Frenchman’s attempt to cleverly play the ball back to his keeper ended in disaster, with Theo Walcott deliciously squaring before Robin van Persie finished emphatically at the second time of asking five minutes before the break.
After a free-flowing and high-scoring first half, Arsene Wenger and his charges would have been more than happy to take a two-goal advantage into the break. With less than a minute left to play though, Spurs midfielder Tom Huddlestone changed the complexion of both managers’ team talks, unleashing a trademark thunderbolt from the edge of the box after Arsenal failed to clear their lines from a corner.
A win for Arsenal would have left just four points between themselves and leaders Manchester United with five games to play. However, Rafael van der Vaart’s 70th-minute penalty severely dented any hopes the Gunners may have had of catching their rivals, levelling the game at 3-3 and leaving Harry Redknapp the happier of the two bosses.
Arsenal’s slip up meant that Chelsea could move into second place with a win over Birmingham City at Stamford Bridge. They made no mistake with Soloman Kalou and a brace from Florent Malouda giving them a 3-1 victory over Alex McLeish’s men.
Meanwhile in Spain, last night saw part two of the el clasico quadrilogy take place as Real and Barca squared off in the final of the domestic cup competition, the Copa del Rey.
As with the 1-1 draw last Saturday evening, last night’s game wasn’t always as entertaining as one might have hoped, distinguished only by Cristiano Ronaldo’s brilliant extra-time header which was worthy of winning any game.
Real took to the streets to celebrate their 1-0 victory aboard an open-top bus. Should Mourinho’s men add any more silverware this season, it’s unlikely that Sergio Ramos will be allowed look after the trophies – the Copa del Rey may need to have a few small dents hammered out of it after the jublilant defender dropped it underneath the wheels of the bus last night. Nice.
