West Ham United 2 Arsenal 2
Saturday, 24th August 2002
by Graeme Howlett
Glenn Roeder's Hammers threw away the chance to send Premiership Champions Arsenal spinning to their first league defeat since December 2001 after surrendering a two goal lead at the Boleyn this afternoon.
Strikes from Joe Cole and Freddie Kanoute had put the Hammers two goals to the good in an exhilarating London derby, before Thierry Henry smashed a belter beyond David James to reduce the deficit to one.Freddie Kanoute then spurned a golden opportunity to seal the victory when he missed a penalty - a mistake which cost the home side dear when Sylvan Wiltord snatched a point for the visitors with just two minutes remaining on the clock.
As it was Arsenal failed to win their first Premiership outing since February - thereby missing the chance to extend their winning run to a record 15 consecutive games - but Roeder's men will be bitterly disappointed at throwing away two points in a game they seemed destined to win.
The morning papers had written off Glen Roeder's team as little more than lambs to the slaughter, a mere obstacle in Arsenal's relentless charge to a seconds consecutive Championship. For the opening fifteen minutes it seemed as if they were right, as time after time the visitors carved open the fragile Hammers defence.
But after that initial wake up call the Hammers began to find their feet, and with Defoe and Kanoute working tirelessly up front to provide an outlet they soon stepped up a gear.
Trevor Sinclair nearly gave the Hammers the lead after 16 minutes when his rasping drive rattled the Arsenal post with David Seaman stood motionless, apparently believing that the shot was going wide of the mark.
The buoyant Boleyn crowd - providing an excellent atmosphere (despite at least one side of the ground being some 40 foot further away from the action than last season) - began to get behind the Hammers, which spurred Roeder's side on. Arsenal were soon on the backfoot, and David Seaman had to be at his best to deny Freddie Kanoute 10 minutes from the break after a delightful floated pass from Edouard Cisse.
With the half-time whistle rapidly approaching, the first goal finally arrived from the somewhat unexpected right boot of Joe Cole. Trevor Sinclair and Freddie Kanoute combined on the edge of the Arsenal box before the Frenchman found Cole, who jinked around two challenges before planting a superb 20-yard drive into the corner of David Seaman's right hand post.
It was too late for the visitors to reply, and thunderous applause greeted half-time just a minute later. The Hammers had weathered the early storm and turned the game on it's head with a battling display, in total contrast to that witnessed at Newcastle just five days earlier.
The second half began much as the first had ended, with the Hammers in total control . During those first twenty second half minutes the Boleyn crowd were treated to some of the finest football produced by a West ham team in recent years, as Roeder's men ripped the Champions apart with an exhibition of determination and finely crafted football.
That determination was deservedly rewarded nine minutes into the second half, when Freddie Kanoute scored his first goal of the season after some brilliant work on the flank by Jermain Defoe. Often we have seen that combination work in reverse; this time Kanoute was the predator beating Martin Keown to Defoe's near post cross to stab the ball home.
At this point one would be excused for expecting the Hammers to have sat back - but not today, as Glenn Roeder's team continued to take the game to a shellshocked Arsenal. Even the normally impeccable Arsene Wenger had threw off both jacket and tie at this stage ...
Then a goal from nothing - and the first example of why Arsenal are currently the best team in Britain. With 25 minutes left to play, Thierry Henry, guilty of spurning much better chances earlier in the game picked up the ball some 30 yards from goal. With a quick turn which left Christain Dailly flatfooted he lashed a shot into David James' top right hand corner - a goal that will already take some beating for goal of the month.
Once again you would have been forgiven for expecting the Hammers to sit back - but yet again they pressed forward in search of a decisive goal. On 74 minutes this amazing match too another dramatic turn when Ashley Cole tripped Joe Cole inside the box. The decision by Barry to award a penalty looked harsh at first, although TV replays later proved that contact had been made, although it was hardly deliberate. Still ap penalty though, deliberate or otherwise.
After a long drawn out Arsenal protest (which earned Patrick Vieira a yellow card for dissent) Freddie Kanoute stepped up to take the spot kick which would effectively had ended the contest, had it gone in. It didn't, of course - the shot was weak and David Seaman guessed correctly, making it look even worse. Vindication for the England keeper who had been barracked by some sections of the home crowd with chants of 'you let your country down' in reference to the World Cup match with Argentina. Which, of course, he hadn't, a fact recognised by the majority of supporters in the Bobby Moore stand who gave him a decent reception at the start of the second half.
A real blow for the Hammers came when the excellent Joe Cole went down injured with just six minutes left on the clock. His only natural replacement was JOhn Moncur, who proceeded to d his best to get sent off in the short time he was on the field.
Just as it looked as if the Hammers had managed to cling on their slender lead, disaster struck. With 88 minutes registered on the stadium clock Sylvan Wiltord played the ball into the feet of Kanu, some 10 yards from goal. The Nigerian cleverly held up the ball which allowed the advancing Wiltord to slot the ball into David James' left hand side of the net. Cue jubilation from the visitors.
As soon as Wiltord's shot hit the net, Freddie Kanoute, a solitary figure stood in the middle of the field sank to his knees, head in hands. He knew his penalty miss had proved to be the turning point of the match and allowed the visitors another chance which, if truth be told, they had barely deserved.
As it was Arsenal could have snatched all three points at the death, but David James pulled off two tremendous stops from Thierry Henry and Kanu.
At the end of the game a quick scan of the terraces saw Arsenal fans celebrating wildly. This may have been tough for watching Hammers, but solace must be taken from the fact that those from North London were celebrating snatching a point (this after 14 straight league wins on the trot), which tends to suggest that they knew they had had a lucky escape.
And they had.
KUMB Player ratings
David James (7) James had to be alert from the off today and twice he did enough to deny Arsenal in the opening ten minutes. Blame for neither of the goals could be attributed to the big keeper, but he was certainly to thank for the tip over from Henry's free kick and the last gasp save which denied the visitors an injury time winner. Seaman may have saved Kanoute's penalty but James' overall performance supported the Upton Park faithful's chants of 'England's number one'.
Nigel Winterburn (6) Nigel clearly relishes playing against his old team, and none of the now familiar grit and determination were lacking today. But, as has been noted before, he does tend to struggle against the quicker Premiership strike forces - as he did today. Unfortunately he suffered a knock on the stroke of half time which led to his eventual replacement by Gary Breen. Fingers crossed the injury isn't serious.
Sebastien Schemmel (7) Another solid game for Archie who clearly adores playing at the Boleyn. Yet he appear a little stunted at times by virtue of playing behind joe Cole, who failed to support Schemmel on the flank as much as he is used to with Trevor Sinclair. Consequently Seb was found out of position frequently early on. But as the game progressed he began to make more of an impact.
Christian Dailly (6) Up against Dennis Bergkamp from the off the early exchanges went the way of the Arsenal player. But Dailly soon got to grip with his and and pretty much kept him out of the game - so much so that Bergkamp was replaced at half time. Unfortunately the concentration lapsed a little in the second half, and he was responsible (in part) for losing Henry when he scored Arsenal's first goal. Again for the second he left too much space between him and his man - small mistakes, but deadly at this level.
Tomas Repka (6) Repka has endured an up and down career since moving to West Ham. When on top of his form he is excellent, yet like Dailly he is prone to the odd howler. Not today fortunately - although one or two dodgy first half moments were lucky to escape punishment (none more so than when he was spun by Henry which left the Frenchman one on one). Tomas was excellent all round this afternoon, and was a constant thorn in the side of the Arsenal attack.
Trevor Sinclair (6) A generous reception greeted the Hammers World Cup hero today, playing his first home match since returning for Japan (and since signing a new contract). Today he did ... well, okay, but the cutting edge seemed a little blunted. Still, he had a hand in the Hammers opening goal ,and could have had one himself thanks to the generosity of David Seaman when he allowed Sinc's shot to cannon off his post unchallenged. Is he better on the right? That's one debate that will no doubt continue.
Joe Cole (8) A second successive impressive performance from Joe, who has been the best player of our fledgling season thus far. After years of hype, the time to deliver is now for Joe, and he really appears to be grabbing the bull by the horns. His goal was testament to the hard work put in on the practice ground, and fully deserved (and joyfully celebrated). The dribble which led to our penalty was exquisite - and whatever Arsene Wenger says it was a definite penalty (although there's no question that Joe made the most of it). Certain to get an England start if he keeps this up.
Michael Carrick (8) The first seeds of doubt have crept in where Michael is concerned. A poor season last term (exacerbated by injury) had led to calls from some supporters for a spell on the sidelines, but today he proved his worth to the team with a superb performance. The biggest plus today was not his passing for which he is well renowned, but his tackling and ball winning in the heart of the midfield. Time after time he was on hand to break up Arsenal's forays and set up quick counter attacks. His best performance for some considerable time - and great to see. Man of the Match.
Edouard Cisse (7) Cisse made his debut at Newcastle on Monday which seemed to quietly satisfy the majority of supporters. Today he was out against the best, and once again he gave a good account of himself. For someone who appears somewhat nonchalant on the ball he covers a lot of ground and worked hard to combat the challenge of Vieira and Edu. An early trademark seems to be his little floated passes, which fed the front line on several occasions during the game. Still not fully fit perhaps, but seems like a useful player nonetheless.
Frederic Kanoute (8) Freddie showed today just how much we missed him at Newcastle last week. His sheer physical presence, combined with renewed effort to work tirelessly throughout the game were the difference between that performance and this. The penalty miss aside he was excellent today, and the goal was a real poachers special - one you would perhaps expect to see from partner Defoe instead. Were French boss Jacques Santini watching today he would have been very impressed with Kanoute.
Jermain Defoe (7) Roeder's game plan - particularly in the second half - seemed to revolve around Jermain fading off to the right flank in order to attack Ashley Cole (just as Kanoute would pull the other way to hit Lauren), rather than the more physically imposing figures of Campbell and Keown in the centre. It was from such a move that Jermain conjured the second goal with a delightful display of control. Overall he was solid and strong against some very physical opponents. His partnership with Kanoute would appear to be critical to the Hammers success this season.
Gary Breen (6) Called into the action midway through the second half to replace Nigel Winterburn at left back, Breen endured a torrid 20 minutes or so. His first attempted clearance was a total hash, and he appeared to be a little unsteady playing at full-back, instead of in his favoured central role. As debut's go they don't come much tougher than this!
John Moncur (5) The game started with the announcement that today was FIFA Fair Play Day - a fact that appeared to have escaped John's mind by the time he entered the fray. Moncs came on with six minutes to go; having been on the pitch for less than 90 seconds he was in referee Barry's book for a reckless challenge on Wiltord. Two minutes later a combination of violent hacks at two different players could have seen him sent off, but amazingly Barry overlooked the incidents.
KUMB Match Facts
West Ham United: James, Winterburn (Breen 68), Schemmel, Repka, Dailly, Sinclair, Cole J (Moncur 84), Cisse, Carrick, Defoe Kanoute.
Subs not used: van der Gouw, Labant, Camara.
Arsenal: Seaman, Cole A, Lauren (Toure 84), Campbell, Keown, Parlour (Pennant 61), Edu, Vieira, Wiltord, Bergkamp (Kanu 45), Henry.
Subs not used: Taylor, Luzhny.
Goals: Cole (43), Kanoute (53), Henry (64), Wiltord (88)
Booked: Bergkamp (17, foul), Edu (41, foul), Cole A (51, foul), Repka (61, foul), Keown (67, foul), Vieira (74, dissent), Moncur (87, cynical foul).
Attendance: 35,048
Referee: Neale Barry (6)
KUMB Man of the Match: Michael Carrick (8)
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Substitutes
Match Facts
West Ham United: , , , , , , , , , , .Goals: None.
Booked: None.
Sent off: None.
: .
Subs not used: .
Goals: .
Booked: .
Sent off: None.
Referee: .
Attendance: 0.
Man of the Match: .