ENGLISH PREMIER LEAGUE FINAL DAY: West Brom 2 Arsenal 3:DO NOT try telling Arsenal's fans that Champions League qualification is not a ribbon-draped, podium-bouncing achievement in its own right. At least, perhaps not until the lustre has finally faded from a breathless, error-strewn 3-2 defeat of West Bromwich Albion that sealed third place in the Premier League to scenes of wild relief as much as delirium.
The annual trophy-by-proxy is now Arsenal’s for the 15th season in a row, its metaphorical lustre deepened by a dramatic denouement to a season in which the fortunes of these late-model Gunners have oscillated between talk of an era-ending slump, to a spurt of mid-season title form, to a stuttering finish that threatened, with 45 minutes left, to gift the €32 million bounty of a third-place finish to rivals Tottenham Hotspur.
In the end Arsenal’s season was decided not by a moment of class from one of their own players, but by a performance of memorable ineptitude in the West Bromwich goal by Marton Fulop, who contributed to all three of their goals.
In the main, though, it was a cheerfully demob-happy Hawthorns in the early stages as the trend for end-of-season fancy dress was observed.
In the fourth minute Fulop, starting his first game since September, made his own contribution to the gaiety, summoning up a wonky turn as a Premier League goalkeeper to gift Arsenal a dream start. Called upon to clear a ball deflected towards him by Jonas Olsson’s challenge, Fulop produced a wretched moment of air-control, allowing Yossi Benayoun to nick the ball away and roll it into an empty net.
West Bromwich responded with verve and on 12 minutes a lovely through pass from James Morrison, nutmegging Francis Coquelin, released the unmarked Shane Long, who beat Wojciech Szczesny with a low finish. It was close, but Jenkinson may have narrowly played him onside.
Worse was to come two minutes later as Graham Dorrans hustled off in pursuit of Morrison’s lofted pass with three red-shirted defenders in vague attendance. Arsenal hesitated. Dorrans didn’t, chesting the ball down and volleying low into the corner.
“One Roy Hodgson,” chanted the crowd and if the new England manager really can make other teams defend and press this poorly perhaps Europe should already be trembling.
The front half of Arsenal’s game continued to function with relative fluidity, Benayoun offering width and Santos creeping forwards with roving intent. Santos produced the equaliser, robbing Youssouf Mulumbu 30 yards out, advancing with a skip and shooting inside Fulop’s left-hand post. Again the keeper should have done better.
Arsenal were level, but with Tottenham winning at home there was still a frenzy to the rejigged team sent out by Arsene Wenger for the second half. Theo Walcott replaced Tomas Rosicky but still Arsenal’s back-line seemed to flap in the breeze, Simon Cox crossing dangerously from the right but out of reach of Marc-Antoine Fortune.
No matter, though: Arsenal still had Fulop. Robin van Persie’s corner on 54 minutes should have been caught. Instead the Hungarian produced a limp double-fisted punch back towards his own goal that looped to Laurent Koscielny, who prodded the ball home. In the lead for the second time, Wenger brought on Kieran Gibbs to play at left-back and moved Santos into the left-midfield position he had, in effect, played for much of the first half.
And it was Gibbs who produced a season-saving recovery tackle in injury time to deny Billy Jones when he looked certain to score.
This was also a game of goodbyes, some confirmed, some merely guessed at. Hodgson was cheered throughout by three sides of the ground.
The retiring Pat Rice was chaired rather bashfully by his players at the final whistle. And at the very end Van Persie took a moment to applaud pointedly the away support. If his emotional demeanour is any guide, the kitty may yet be swollen a little further.
Guardian Service
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