ENGLISH PREMIER LEAGUE Blackburn Rovers 2 Arsenal 1: BLACKBURN CAME from behind to move up three places into the top half of the table, leaving Arsenal still short of the point they need to make sure of third place. In
a game in which all the goals came from corners, two mistakes from Lucasz Fabianski that led directly to both home goals served as a reminder that Arsenal still need to invest in a reliable goalkeeper.
Robin van Persie’s first goal in six months put Arsenal in front after 13 minutes, the Dutch striker finishing off an old-fashioned near-post corner routine after Bacary Sagna flicked on Samir Nasri’s cross. Conceding from any sort of set piece never puts Sam Allardyce in the happiest frame of mind, though the lead was no more than Arsenal deserved. They could have been ahead as early as the second minute had not Carlos Vela missed the target when a mistake by Gael Givet allowed Theo Walcott to roll the ball invitingly across the face of goal.
Allardyce had been relaxed enough to take in the Wigan Athletic v Hull City match earlier in the afternoon, reportedly checking the relegated Tigers for possible bargains. Blackburn had nothing in particular to play for here, though Allardyce’s summer spending plans are probably based on a mid-table finish rather than a position just above the relegation candidates.
With every league place dropped counting as money lost, the Blackburn hierarchy will have been relieved to see David Dunn grab an equaliser before the interval, while the travelling Arsenal support would not have been surprised to see another goalkeeping misjudgment cost their side. Fabianski had done reasonably well in keeping out a couple of Morten Gamst Pedersen shots from free-kicks but, when he came for a 43rd-minute corner and missed, he left Dunn a simple tap-in once Keith Andrews had returned the ball back across the six-yard line.
Arsenal’s reserve goalkeeper went some way towards redeeming himself with good saves from Pedersen then Junior Hoilett at the start of the second half before Martin Olsson saw a goal disallowed for a borderline offside. Fabianski was almost as relieved as Mikael Silvestre when the defender’s sliced clearance nearly produced an own-goal, only for his luck to run out from the subsequent corner when a woeful attempt to punch away Pedersen’s cross allowed Chris Samba a free header right under the crossbar.
This time Fabianski did not so much come for the ball and miss as fail to assert himself on his own goal-line. Pedersen cleverly delivered his corner into the area where the goalkeeper, rather than his centre-halves, would have to deal with it, and Fabianski fatally allowed himself to be crowded out.
Apart from Fabianski, Walcott was largely anonymous, Vela was negligible and even Van Persie faded. “Blackburn defended well and were sharper than us in the fight but it was a poor game,” Wenger said.
“We were not good but I thought Lukasz was fouled on both occasions. The referee has to give a goalkeeper more protection than that. Blackburn do it very well but, if you don’t go for the ball, if you push the opponent instead, then it is a foul. I thought Lukasz had a good game.”
An unrepentant Allardyce grinned when informed of Wenger’s complaints. “We beat them fair and square,” he said.
“We did identify the goalkeeper as a weak link and tried to play on that, putting in plenty of crosses and putting him under pressure. The referee gave some fouls that perhaps weren’t, and missed some that possibly were, but we caused them problems in that area.”
Arsenal now need a point or more from their final game against Fulham to make sure of third.
“We are playing at home,” Wenger said. “I don’t think we need to worry about what Tottenham or Manchester City do.”
Guardian Service
BLACKBURN ROVERS: Robinson, Salgado, Samba, Nelsen, Givet, Andrews, Grella (Hoilett 57), Dunn (Jones 85), Pedersen, Olsson, Roberts. Subs not used: Brown, Jacobsen, Emerton, Basturk, Di Santo. Booked: Grella, Pedersen.
ARSENAL: Fabianski, Sagna, Campbell, Silvestre, Traore, Eboue (Eduardo 77), Diaby, Walcott, Nasri, Vela (Arshavin 67), van Persie. Subs not used: Mannone, Djourou, Gibbs, Eastmond, Henderson. Booked: Silvestre, Campbell.
Referee: Martin Atkinson(Yorkshire)
