FOOTBALL Live

Saturday August 22, 2009 Finished Emirates Stadium

4 - 1

Arsenal

  • Diaby 17’, 21’
  • Gallas 50’
  • Ramsey 67’

Portsmouth

  • Kaboul 36’

308 comments | Write your comment

  1. Rampant Arsenal thump Pompey

    Rampant Arsenal thump Pompey

    Arsenal continued their impressive start to the new Premier League season with another dominant display in a 4-1 win at home to Portsmouth. More

  • Live Commentary

    Time:90'
    • Arsenal
    • Portsmouth
    • 90'+3 And there goes the final whistle! All over at the Emirates and it's an entirely comfortable victory for the Gunners... for Pompey, the gloom continues...
    • 90'+2 That's a decent ball into the box by Nugent... problem is there's no one there to meet it...
    • 90' Piquionne, who has done well enough today, has a problem here... maybe it's just cramp, but he needs some kind of treatment...
    • 85' Arsenal are just seeing this one out... although Nugent and Piquionne have linked up well on occasion...
    • 81' UTAKA! Oooh! So close to a goal for Pompey, but his effort flashes wide of the post! Should have done better...
    • 79' Here geos Merida now, looking to get on the end of a through pass... but Begovic gets there first!
    • 78' That's not a bad effort by Piquionne who turns Gallas well and lets fly with a crisp shot that Almunia has to be sharp to keep out!
    • 74' James has a problem here... and he's going to have to go off... concern on the faces of both Paul Hart and Fabio Capello as Begovic comes on to replace him.
    • 72' This is turning into a rout for Arsenal... it's been another excellent performance from Arsene Wenger's side.
    • 70' And Arsenal make a double swap - Merida and Bendtner on for Eduardo and Arshavin.
    • 69' Pompey make another change as Vanden Borre comes on for the hapless Wilson...
    • 68' GOAL! GOAL! ARSENAL MAKE IT FOUR! Inevitable really... van Persie slips a cute ball through which exposes the flat-footed Pompey back line and finds Ramsey who keeps his cool and blasts past James! 4-1!
    • 67' Vermaelen! Ooh! That's not a bad effort from the Belgian! He cracks it goalwards, but James is there to make the save!
    • 66' Pompey make a change now... off goes Kanu and on comes Dave Nugent.
    • 64' But here's Piquionne! He's through! No! Superb saving challenge by Gibbs to deny the summer signing a goal!
    • 61' Here come Arsenal once again... it's one-way traffic at the moment, and Pompey are really struggling to even get out of their own half.
    • 58' Eduardo teases Wilson - who's having a torrid time - on the Arsenal right... he takes on the left-back but can't quite get his cross over...
    • 57' Pompey have it all to do now... you get that feeling Arsenal have more goals in them today.
    • 54' Van Persie again causing problems in the Pompey defence... but he rather stands on the ball and in the end he plays out to Eduardo whose shot is weak and straight at James.
    • 53' More terrible defending nearly gets Pompey in trouble again... this time it's Distin whose clearance goes straight to a red shirt... van Persie is played in, but he can't make anything of it.
    • 52' Surely now, Arsenal will not let Pompey back into this game? Will they?
    • 51' GOAL! ARSENAL GO THREE UP! Van Persie flicks on a free-kick into the box, Vermaelen slides in but is denied by James but the rebound falls to Gallas who prods over the line from all of one yard out! Scrappy, but they all count! 3-1 now!
    • 49' Arsenal have dominated this game, yet their lead is precarious... very strange indeed.
    • 48' Real chance for Piquionne! He nicks the ball off Gibbs as the Arsenal defender dallies at the back... he's through on goal... but Almunia stands up well and in the end the striker fires into the side netting!
    • 46' One change to tell you about... Aaron Ramsey is on for Cesc Fabregas, who has a knock...
    • 46' Back underway at the Emirates!
    • 45'+2 There goes the half-time whistle... and Arsenal take a 2-1 lead into the dressing rooms...
    • 45' Piquionne looks like he's through on goal here! But the flag is up on the far side and the striker is caught just off side... Arsenal may be attacking well but they are looking susceptible on the break...
    • 44' Oooh! More great stuff from Fabregas who turns Kaboul with ease before firing against James's legs! Arsenal haven't let that Pompey goal affect their play one jot...
    • 40' Terrible lapse in concentration from Belhadj now as he lets Arshavin in behind him... but Distin comes across to help his team-mate out with a strong challenge on the Russian.
    • 39' Fabregas looks to hit back straight away but his effort is ballooned over the bar...
    • 37' GOAL! POMPEY HIT BACK AGAINST THE RUN OF PLAY! It's Kaboul who leaps high above Almunia to meet Belhadj's cross and head home! Almunia was never at the races in that one! Great header and the visitors, incredibly, are back in it!
    • 35' Van Persie takes the free-kick... and James has to be on top form to keep it out, which he does with a flying leap towards the right-hand post!
    • 34' Brilliant run by Fabregas... which is ended rather unceremoniously by Kranjcar who sticks out a leg and upends the Spaniard in mid stride!
    • 32' Arshavin teases Wilson once again on the Arsenal left... he gets to the byline but his cross goes over Van Persie's head...
    • 31' Van Persie! Oooh! Great save by James, the England keeper getting a strong hand to the Dutchman's sharp strike from outside the area! Ray Clemence will have been pleased to see that!
    • 30' First real chance for Pompey! Kanu is the architect, dancing inside in his typical languid style before teeing up Piquionne! His shot seems to be goalbound, but it's blocked by a red shirt and Arsenal come away with the ball again!
    • 29' Diaby fires off another shot on goal after skipping past challenges from both Mokoena and Mullins! Great stuff, but it's easy for James in the end.
    • 28' Van Persie! Oh dear! He misses his kick from yet another dangerous ball into the Pompey box! That could have been three had he connected!
    • 27' Brilliant from Arsenal again... such incisive passing from the home side... this time Fabregas is played through by Arshavin but he over-elaborates, tries to cut inside and the ball eventually gets away from him.
    • 24' This is better from Pompey now as Piquionne brings down a long ball before hitting the deck looking for a foul... play on says Steve Bennett!
    • 23' Arsenal are rampant at the moment... more great passing play sees Fabregas find Arshavin down by the touchline... but this time the cut-back is to no one in particular!
    • 22' This should be plain sailing for Arsenal now... although Wenger still looks concerned and deep in thought on the touchline.
    • 21' GOAL! IT'S TWO FOR ARSENAL AND TWO FOR DIABY! Eboue is released by Fabregas down the left - where is the Portsmouth defence? - and he centres for an umarked Diaby for slot home past James! They made that look easy, but Pompey are all over the show at the moment...
    • 19' Arsenal are beginning to enjoy themselves now... Arshavin takes a ball forward and turns, but this time Distin stands firm...
    • 18' GOAL! DIABY OPENS THE SCORING! What a cracker it is! But it's all about Eduardo, who skins Wilson on the left before cutting back for Diaby, who sidefoots into the top right hand corner! 1-0 Arsenal!
    • 17' Nothing comes of the corner, as Kanu heads clear at the near post... it's pumped back in, but some more cool Pompey defending under pressure sees Kaboul head back to James.
    • 16' Gibbs cuts inside now and lets fly! Not a bad hit by the young Gunner, but it's well blocked... corner for Arsenal nevertheless!
    • 15' Arsenal on the attack again... this time Eduardo tries his luck from distance... it bounces into the waiting arms of James, who isn't too troubled by the Croatian's effort.
    • 13' Kranjcar's delivery from the corner is poor though and it's headed away at the near post.
    • 12' Free-kick now to Pompey after Utaka is felled 45 yards out... Kranjcar pings it into the box and it flicks off an Arsenal head for a corner!
    • 11' Utaka and Belhadj try to make inroads down Arsenal's right, but Eboue puts in a strong challenge on the latter and the visitors' move breaks down.
    • 10' Fabregas, Arshavin and Van Persie link up well once more, but the flag goes up for offside and the move breaks down.
    • 9' Brilliant little ball forward by Fabregas to Arshavin... but the Russian can't make too much of it and he slips as he crosses and the ball is easily cleared.
    • 8' Fabio Capello is in the stands today, alongside goalkeeping coach Ray Clemence, who presumably is checking out David James.
    • 7' Another cross goes into the Pompey box and this time it's Wilson whose task it is to head back to his keeper.
    • 6' Strong play from Fabregas, who breaks from midfield before letting off a shot on target! But in fairness, he doesn't catch it too well, and it's easy for James, who falls on the ball in dramatic fashion.
    • 5' Van Persie's corner isn't a bad one... but it's headed clear by Distin at the near post...
    • 4' Diaby's away here after being put through by Eduardo's neat flick-on! He's closed down though... corner anyway!
    • 3' Lovely flick by Arshavin to Fabregas, who gets fouled and wins a free-kick...
    • 2' Here come Arsenal now on their first meaningful attack of the day... Belhadj does well to nod Gibbs's cross back to his keeper David James.
    • 1' Bright sunshine in the capital today... great playing conditions.
    • 1' Here we go! Underway in north London!
    • - Here come the teams to a rapturous reception from the crowd, who have been handed free scarves this afternoon in a bid to create a bit of atmosphere at the Emirates.
    • - Arsene Wenger's unhappy at the way England are using Theo Walcott... read the full story here!
    • - Photos from today's busy afternoon of Premier League football can be found here!
    • - An interesting stat to keep you going while we wait for kick-off... Arsenal have never lost a game in which Andrei Arshavin has started. The Russian starts today... More match facts here!
    • - Pompey boss Paul Hart makes two changes, with John Utaka and Kanu both starting.
    • - So, Arsene Wenger makes four changes to his side, Eduardo, midfielder Abou Diaby, Emmanuel Eboue and Kieran Gibbs all coming in with Alex Song, Bacary Sagna, Gael Clichy and striker Nicklas Bendtner all starting on the bench.
    • - Today's referee is Steve Bennett (Kent).
    • - And Pompey: Portsmouth: James, Wilson, Kaboul, Distin, Belhadj, Utaka, Mokoena, Mullins, Kranjcar, Kanu, Piquionne - Subs: Nugent, Begovic, Vanden Borre, Hughes, Basinas, Ward, Ritchie
    • - The teams are in... here's how Arsenal line up today: Almunia, Eboue, Gallas, Vermaelen, Gibbs, Diaby, Fabregas, Denilson, Arshavin, van Persie, Eduardo - Subs: Sagna, Mannone, Ramsey, Song Billong, Clichy, Merida, Bendtner
    • - Pompey, on the other hand, are a club in turmoil. Defeats to Fulham and Birmingham have been accompanied by financial uncertainty off the pitch, although there could be a ray of light with news of Peter Storrie's bid to buy out the club. But nevermind off-field activities, the last thing Pompey need is a trip to one of the country's most in-form sides.
    • - The Gunners kicked off the new Premier League campaign with a 6-1 demolition of Everton and followed that win with a 2-0 Champions League victory over Celtic.
    • - Arsenal welcome Portsmouth to the Emirates looking to continue their sterling start to the new season.

  • Summary

    • 81' UTAKA! Oooh! So close to a goal for Pompey, but his effort flashes wide of the post! Should have done better...
    • 78' That's not a bad effort by Piquionne who turns Gallas well and lets fly with a crisp shot that Almunia has to be sharp to keep out!
    • 68' GOAL! GOAL! ARSENAL MAKE IT FOUR! Inevitable really... van Persie slips a cute ball through which exposes the flat-footed Pompey back line and finds Ramsey who keeps his cool and blasts past James! 4-1!
    • 67' Vermaelen! Ooh! That's not a bad effort from the Belgian! He cracks it goalwards, but James is there to make the save!
    • 64' But here's Piquionne! He's through! No! Superb saving challenge by Gibbs to deny the summer signing a goal!
    • 51' GOAL! ARSENAL GO THREE UP! Van Persie flicks on a free-kick into the box, Vermaelen slides in but is denied by James but the rebound falls to Gallas who prods over the line from all of one yard out! Scrappy, but they all count! 3-1 now!
    • 48' Real chance for Piquionne! He nicks the ball off Gibbs as the Arsenal defender dallies at the back... he's through on goal... but Almunia stands up well and in the end the striker fires into the side netting!
    • 44' Oooh! More great stuff from Fabregas who turns Kaboul with ease before firing against James's legs! Arsenal haven't let that Pompey goal affect their play one jot...
    • 37' GOAL! POMPEY HIT BACK AGAINST THE RUN OF PLAY! It's Kaboul who leaps high above Almunia to meet Belhadj's cross and head home! Almunia was never at the races in that one! Great header and the visitors, incredibly, are back in it!
    • 35' Van Persie takes the free-kick... and James has to be on top form to keep it out, which he does with a flying leap towards the right-hand post!
    • 31' Van Persie! Oooh! Great save by James, the England keeper getting a strong hand to the Dutchman's sharp strike from outside the area! Ray Clemence will have been pleased to see that!
    • 30' First real chance for Pompey! Kanu is the architect, dancing inside in his typical languid style before teeing up Piquionne! His shot seems to be goalbound, but it's blocked by a red shirt and Arsenal come away with the ball again!
    • 21' GOAL! IT'S TWO FOR ARSENAL AND TWO FOR DIABY! Eboue is released by Fabregas down the left - where is the Portsmouth defence? - and he centres for an umarked Diaby for slot home past James! They made that look easy, but Pompey are all over the show at the moment...
    • 18' GOAL! DIABY OPENS THE SCORING! What a cracker it is! But it's all about Eduardo, who skins Wilson on the left before cutting back for Diaby, who sidefoots into the top right hand corner! 1-0 Arsenal!

Live Team Line-Up

  • Arsenal

    Manager: Arsène Wenger

    Captain: Cesc Fábregas

    Starting line-up

    • M. Almunia
    • E. Eboué
    • W. Gallas Goal
    • T. Vermaelen
    • K. Gibbs
    • C. Fábregas Substitution Out (45′)
    • Denílson
    • A. Diaby Goals×2 Yellow Card
    • A. Arshavin Substitution Out (70′)
    • R. van Persie
    • E. da Silva Substitution Out (70′)

    Subs

    • G. Clichy
    • N. Bendtner Substitution In70′
    • V. Mannone
    • A. Ramsey Substitution In45′ Goal
    • B. Sagna
    • A. Song
    • F. Merída Substitution In70′

    Injured

    None

    Suspended

    None

  • Portsmouth

    Manager: Paul Hart

    Captain: Sylvain Distin

    Starting line-up

    • D. James Substitution Out (74′)
    • M. Wilson Substitution Out (69′)
    • Y. Kaboul Goal
    • S. Distin
    • N. Belhadj
    • A. Mokoena
    • H. Mullins
    • J. Utaka
    • N. Kranjcar
    • F. Piquionne
    • N. Kanu Substitution Out (66′)

    Subs

    • A. Basinas
    • R. Hughes
    • A. Vanden Borre Substitution In69′
    • D. Nugent Substitution In66′
    • A. Begovic Substitution In74′
    • M. Ritchie
    • J. Ward

    Injured

    None

    Suspended

    None

Comment 269 - 288 of 308

Sort comments by: Most recent

  1. keep it up! Gunners

    From tesfalem, on Sat 22 Aug 7:56PM

  2. wot a gr8 start to the season....
    after 4 dry years­ this will be the one to bring the silver-wear back to­ the emirates where it belongs.
    arsenal 4 life.......

    From wayne, on Sat 22 Aug 7:16PM

  3. This is going to be Arsenal's year.....i can feel­ it!!

    From gunners4 lyfe:), on Sat 22 Aug 7:15PM

  4. Cesc will be out for up to 3 weeks! Wow, now Man Poo­ caught some luck there, oh well Gunners for life.­ Ramsey, Diaby or Wilshere should step up.

    From Dale, on Sat 22 Aug 7:14PM

  5. arsenal is coming up this season it is like this is­ thier time to shine first of all they trashed everton­ 6-1 next they trashed porthmouth 4-1

    From chizimuzoranyadike, on Sat 22 Aug 7:13PM

  6. Well done arsenal your the best and welcome back­ Eduardo.....

    From merly h, on Sat 22 Aug 7:08PM

  7. well done arsenal! you are the best! :)

    From Ethan, on Sat 22 Aug 7:02PM

  8. i love asernal... even though im a LFC fan i think­ Arsenal will be a hard team 2 beat

    From sri_004, on Sat 22 Aug 6:43PM

  9. Bravo Gooners !! bring the old trash forward n let kick­ am out of the top !!!

    From OLATUNJI, on Sat 22 Aug 6:40PM

  10. If we dont have major injuries this season we could­ well be title contenders............1 PLAYER COULD­ COMPLETE US VIERRRRA

    From alec, on Sat 22 Aug 6:39PM

  11. I think this season will be best for the Gunners hope­ that there will be no way for United as the have sold­ the key players so let's see what will happen­ between Gunners and United who will be who if we meet.
    ­ i think for 4 years now the gunners has no single cup­ so the way they started is to get all the cups in this­ season.
    next week we shall be having 9 points.am sure­ for that the GUNNERS will make it very easy.because­ last week they won 6-1 and today they won 4-1 that is­ great let's them keep that spirit.

    From DengT, on Sat 22 Aug 6:37PM

  12. beware of the GUNNERS

    From Anaas, on Sat 22 Aug 6:35PM

  13. Couldnt you just watch van Persie run allllllll day.­ What a man, I bet he could crush beer cans with his­ muscular buttocks

    From kochsebastian12, on Sat 22 Aug 6:34PM

  14. hy0h9jkjnjb8yhjgkfjggjfkxgu;trfup;uhubh dyrfytrfhyhf ­ ­

    (: ­ (: :(

    From LEIGH, on Sat 22 Aug 6:32PM

  15. Congrats to Arsenal for winning it BIG again!­ Definitely, Arsenal will be one of the favourites to­ win the EPL this season. I'm a ManU fan and looking­ forward next week game when ManU vs Arsenal and it will­ definitely be an explosive match!!!

    From CHONG, on Sat 22 Aug 6:28PM

  16. arsenal have won 6-1 and 4-1 great (: (smiley face)

    From LEIGH, on Sat 22 Aug 6:27PM

  17. ARSENAL IS THE BEST
    IT WILL REMAIN THE BEST AMONG ALL­ BEST TEAM

    From Anaas, on Sat 22 Aug 6:01PM

  18. Bravo Arsenal. We can win the EPL this season by­ God's grace. Gunner 4 life.

    From Euclid, on Sat 22 Aug 5:47PM

  19. No wenger said that he should stay

    From lubov, on Sat 22 Aug 5:35PM

  20. Pompey, the strongest team in the Premiership. ­ We're holding up everyone else...

    From Ace, on Sat 22 Aug 5:34PM
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