Saturday December 10, 2011 Day 15 Finished Emirates Stadium

Arsenal 1 - 0 Everton

  • van Persie 70’

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  1. Van Persie sinks Everton

    Van Persie sinks Everton

    Arsenal ensured their 125th birthday celebrations were marked with a victory when defeating Everton 1-0 at Emirates Stadium. More

  • Live Commentary

    Time:90'
    • Arsenal
    • Everton
    • - Don't forget you can watch highlights of this match, along with every Premier League game, from 00:01 on Monday morning (UK only).
    • - Want to discuss today's game? Get in contact with me on Twitter. Follow @tomEurosport
    • 90+4' FULL TIME. Van Persie's gorgeous volley separates the sides at Emirates Stadium as Arsenal enjoy a happy birthday.
    • 90+3' McAleny on his debut fires a glorious volley just wide of the far post. Van Persie wouldn't have been too disappointed with that effort.
    • 90+2' Arsenal string together a lovely flowing move in and around the box but Van Persie gets the finish wrng with his favoured left foot.
    • 90+1' We will have four minutes of added time here.
    • 90' Heading into injury time and Arsenal look like snatching another victory as their climb up the table continues.
    • 89' Someone is going to get Frimponged, as Emmanuel replaces Walcott.
    • 87' And now Gueye drives an effort wide from outside the box. Arsenal need to sharpen up at the back here.
    • 86' Baines whips a cross in from the left but Szczesny gets to the ball ahead of Fellaini. A reminder that this game is not finished just yet.
    • 85' Stat from Infostrada: "Robin van Persie equalled the PL record of most goals after 15 matches into a PL season. Thierry Henry (2001/2002), Les Ferdinand (1995/1996) and Andy Cole (1993/1994) also scored 15."
    • 83' It is Vermaelen who makes his way off, along with Gervinho, as Rosicky and Miquel come on.
    • 82' Ignasi Miquel is also coming on, probably for Vermaelen.
    • 81' Arsenal look ready to make their changes now as Rosicky strips off again.
    • 80' Fellaini catches Vermaelen with an elbow as jumps and that was a nasty one. The Arsenal man requires treatment.
    • 78' Van Persie heads off target as Arsenal go in search of a decisive second. They were ready to bring on Tomas Rosicky and Andrei Arshavin a few minutes ago but decided against it when Van Persie scored.
    • 77' That is another curious change from Moyes. McAleny is making his debut by the way.
    • 76' Two changes for Everton as Conor McAleny and Magaye Gueye replace Neville and Bilyaletdinov.
    • 74' Cahill meets a flick-on from Fellaini and tries to get a shot away with his back to goal but Mertesacker does well to prevent the midfielder from testing Szczesny.
    • 73' Stat from Infostrada: "Robin van Persie has eight goals and two assists in his last six PL matches at the Emirates."
    • 72' What a goal that was. Arguably a contender for the goal of the season award in fact. Can Van Persie do no wrong? Just the 15 so far this season.
    • 70' GOAL! Arsenal 1-0 Everton! What a finish from Van Persie as he collects his 15th goal of the season. Song with a gorgeous ball over the top for the Dutchman who converted with an emphatic volley inside the far post.
    • 68' It is rather strange that Everton's retreat into their shell has preceded two decent chances for the visitors.
    • 67' The ball bounces Fellaini's way and he lashes a shot well off target.
    • 65' Koscielny produces an unconvincing headed clearance from a Baines cross and when Coleman lays the ball off to Neville his captain fires just over the target. Everton's best chance so far.
    • 64' Distin on to replace Saha. That is a very negative move from Moyes.
    • 62' Song plays in Walcott with a nice through-ball but Baines does well to muscle him off the ball and clear.
    • 60' Lovely defensive work from Vermaelen as he bravely heads away just as Cahill threatens to get on the end of Baines's cross at the back post.
    • 59' Stat from Infostrada: "Arsenal failed to score in the first half at the Emirates Stadium in back-to-back PL fixtures."
    • 57' Better from Walcott. He stretches out a leg to take a pass from Ramsey on the run, nips away from Baines and forces Howard into a reaction stop at his near post.
    • 56' Now Walcott drives in from the right, past Baines, but thumps his shot well off target. That is a poor effort.
    • 54' Walcott spots the ball dropping out of the air and thumps in a volley. Van Persie is nicely placed in the centre of the box but can't turn the ball on target as he gets the toe of his boot to it.
    • 53' Fellaini trips Arteta from behind and it is a clear foul. Why, then, does Neville yet again remonstrate with the referee?
    • 52' Cahill lets fly from 20 yards with a rising effort but the Australian is rightly flagged offside.
    • 50' Play is stopped when Everton are in possession as Cahill has lost his boot. Moyes looks angry and queries whether that is indeed the law.
    • 49' Song plays in Van Persie with a fine ball. Rather than shooting, or playing in Ramsey, he opts to hold on to the ball and finding Vermaelen, who rifles one off target.
    • 48' Walcott goes over on his ankle when checking back and looks in some discomfort as he hobbles off for treatment.
    • 47' Gervinho chases onto a long ball over the top from Vermaelen but Howard collects with ease as he jogs off his line.
    • 46' KICK OFF!
    • - Want to discuss events in the first half? Get in contact with me on Twitter. Follow @tomEurosport
    • 45+3' HT and 0-0 at the Emirates. Arsenal should be ahead but Walcott and Ramsey spurned excellent chances.
    • 45+2' Poor defending from Arsenal as Djourou lets the ball bounce but Saha blasts a volley off target from 25 yards.
    • 45+1' We will have three added minutes.
    • 45' Van Persie looks up and spots Ramsey in the box but the Welshman can't get his head to the floated pass.
    • 44' Stat from Opta: "Arsenal have taken 19 points from their last seven Premier League matches – the same number of points as they took from the previous 18 games."
    • 42' Van Persie twists and turns away from his man before floating a cross in to the back post for Vermaelen. The defender's downwards header is blocked by the chest of Jagielka but Arsenal appeal in vain for a penalty.
    • 41' Arteta releases Walcott and after he spins away from Baines and exchanges passes with Ramsey, his cross is deflected wide for a corner.
    • 39' Baines nutmegs his old team-mate Arteta by the touchline. Nice bit of skill from the left-back.
    • 38' Confirmation that Ramsey has gone into the book for bringing down Fellaini.
    • 37' Vermaelen goes down in a crumpled heap after Cahill catches him on the boot as he clears. He looks in pain but is up on his feet.
    • 36' Van Persie plays in Walcott with a sumptuous pass and when the forward attempts to pull the ball back for Gervinho eight yards from goal he sees the home defence intervene.
    • 35' Van Persie really is off his game today. He loses possession after taking a heavy touch 20 yards from goal.
    • 33' Cahill brings down Ramsey with a desperately unsubtle challenge yet captain Phil Neville still protests when a foul is rightly given.
    • 31' Fellaini gets in front of his man to meet a low corner from Baines but can't wrap his foot around the ball and get his shot on target.
    • 30' Now Arsenal break quickly and Gervinho finds space to the right of the box before rifling in a low effort that Howard does well to repell.
    • 29' What a chance! Song slips a pass into Ramsey and after he checks back in the box, leaving Howard on his bum, he turns the ball over the bar when really he should have scored.
    • 28' Walcott has run off the knock and stations himself out wide on the left, with Gervinho coming across to the right.
    • 27' Walcott is down requiring treatment from physio Colin Lewin and he appears to be in some pain.
    • 26' Tony Hibbert fires in a cross from the right and Szczesny finds himself in an awkward position as he twists in the air and catches the ball cleanly.
    • 25' Strange choice from the set-piece: Arteta rolls the ball square to Vermaelen, who doesn't appear to be ready for it and takes a heavy touch before seeing an effort blocked.
    • 24' Coleman goes into Webb's book for a rather rudimentary challenge on Walcott. Arsenal with a free-kick in a dangerous position.
    • 23' Stat from Opta: "Everton have scored 11 goals in the last 11 meetings against Arsenal, failing to score once, but only netting more than one goal on one occasion."
    • 21' Nice work from Bilyaletdinov as some tricky footwork dazzles Djourou but Szczesny plucks his cross out of the air.
    • 20' Nice work from Bilyaletdinov as some tricky footwork dazzles Djourou but Szczesny plucks his cross out of the air.
    • 19' Good defensive work from Walcott as he races back to the right-back position to prevent Baines from taking possession.
    • 17' Arsenal howl for a booking when Baines knocks Walcott to ground but none is forthcoming.
    • 16' Arteta now goes into the box for tugging back Seamus Coleman on the Everton right.
    • 15' Lovely stuff from Arteta! He robs Fellaini in midfield and plays in Walcott, who races through on goal. Instead of shooting when he only has Howard to beat, Walcott attempts to square and Gervinho can't finish. A wasted chance.
    • 13' Ramsey delays playing a ball through to Walcott and when he finally does let go, the forward has drifted into an offside position. Ramsey's radar has been decidedly off so far today.
    • 12' Fellaini sprays the ball wide to Leighton Baines, who sees his attempted cross deflected behind by Djourou. Tim Cahill swings a leg wildly at the ball but after Szczesny punches away, Saha pulls the trigger and sees his effort blocked.
    • 11' Howard races off his line to collect the ball as Gervinho attempts to latch onto a fine ball over the top from Vermaelen.
    • 10' Both Saha and Djourou make their way off the pitch to receive treatment but both men should continue.
    • 9' Johan Djourou and Louis Saha are both lying injured on the ground after a collision on the edge of the Arsenal box. Heavy contact was made and Djourou looks hurt.
    • 8' Marouane Fellaini gets his head to a lofted free-kick into the box but there is no one in a blue shirt to get on the end of his flick-on.
    • 7' Ramsey collects the ball 30 yards from goal and tries to play in Walcott (an option Gervinho should have attempted moments before). However, the Welshman again puts a bit too much on his pass and the ball rolls out of play.
    • 5' Wojciech Szczesny's unconvincing clearance is lumped back into the Arsenal box but the home side clear. Gervinho then attempts to sneak away from Phil Jagielka but the defender cuts the ball out.
    • 4' Gervinho charges forward with intent, as is his wont, and slides a pass to Aaron Ramsey, who then attempts to return the favour by opening up the Everton defence. The ball has too much on it for Gervinho though.
    • 3' Diniyar Bilyaletdinov breaks into the Arsenal box but is halted by a fantastic sliding challenge from Vermaelen, who plays at left-back today of course.
    • 2' Alex Song pings a pass over the top for Theo Walcott but he is found offside. He was in plenty of space though.
    • 1' KICK OFF!
    • 14.58 The Arsenal fans hold up placards revealing a big '125'. Arsenal legends, including Henry, Ian Wright and Robert Pires applaud the players onto the pitch. This is a decent occasion and Arsenal do do these things well. Right, we have a football game to get on with...
    • 14.55 Want to discuss the game? Hit me up on Twitter and I will try and use a few of your comments here. Why not let me know what birthday present you would give Arsenal, a decent back-up striker perhaps? Follow Tom Adams on Twitter!
    • 14.50 Wenger said on Friday that if Robin van Persie continues his prolific form then he could one day have a statue of his own outside Emirates Stadium. The Dutchman is the Premier League's top scorer with 14 goals, three ahead of Manchster City's Sergio Aguero. Wenger: Van Persie can be a legend
    • 14.45 If they celebrate their birthday with a win then Arsenal will jump ahead of Chelsea into fourth place having played a game more. Chelsea face Manchester City on Monday night of course. Everton could move into eighth place with a victory but they are only two points clear of 16th-placed Wolves at the start of play.
    • 14.40 Now some stats from Opta: "Mikel Arteta has made more successful passes in the opposition half (531 for Arsenal) than any other player this season (even excluding his games at Everton). Arteta has scored four goals from just seven shots on target this season. Tim Cahill has scored in four of his last six Premier League appearances against the Gunners."
    • 14.35 Stat from Infostrada: "The club have played 3844 top flight matches in the past 125 years, winning 1723, drawing 996 and losing 1125.They face Everton for the 181st time in the top flight – more often than any other club they have faced. They have won 88 and lost 54 of their previous meetings."
    • 14.30 Arsenal were always going to make widespread changes to the side that lost to Olympiacos in midweek but an injury to Andre Santos in that game forces Wenger to move Thomas Vermaelen to left-back. Also of note is the return of Manuel Almunia to the Arsenal squad for the first time since April. Everton bring in Phil Neville and Louis Saha for Leon Osman and Apostolos Vellios.
    • 14.25 TEAMS: Arsenal: Szczesny, Djourou, Koscielny, Mertesacker, Vermaelen, Song, Arteta, Ramsey, Gervinho, Walcott, Van Persie. Subs: Almunia, Miquel, Frimpong, Benayoun, Rosicky, Arshavin, Chamakh. /// Everton: Howard, Hibbert, Baines, Jagielka, Heitinga, Neville, Fellaini, Coleman, Bilyaletdinov, Cahill, Saha. Subs: Mucha, Stracqualursi, Vellios, Barkley, Distin, McAleny, Gueye.
    • 14.20 Unfortunately their players will not be decked out in long johns and starched shirts, paying scant regard to the health of the opposition goalkeeper or lining up in Herbert Chapman's W-M formation. However, they will be playing no less than four centre-backs...
    • 14.15 Hello and welcome to a rather big birthday party at Emirates Stadium. Today Arsenal celebrate the 125th anniversary of the club and there is plenty planned to mark the occasion. You may already have seen the statues erected of Thierry Henry, Tony Adams and Herbert Chapman yesterday and referee Howard Webb will be tossing a sixpence at the start of today's match.

  • Summary

    • 90+3' McAleny on his debut fires a glorious volley just wide of the far post. Van Persie wouldn't have been too disappointed with that effort.
    • 70' GOAL! Arsenal 1-0 Everton! What a finish from Van Persie as he collects his 15th goal of the season. Song with a gorgeous ball over the top for the Dutchman who converted with an emphatic volley inside the far post.
    • 65' Koscielny produces an unconvincing headed clearance from a Baines cross and when Coleman lays the ball off to Neville his captain fires just over the target. Everton's best chance so far.
    • 57' Better from Walcott. He stretches out a leg to take a pass from Ramsey on the run, nips away from Baines and forces Howard into a reaction stop at his near post.
    • 54' Walcott spots the ball dropping out of the air and thumps in a volley. Van Persie is nicely placed in the centre of the box but can't turn the ball on target as he gets the toe of his boot to it.
    • 49' Song plays in Van Persie with a fine ball. Rather than shooting, or playing in Ramsey, he opts to hold on to the ball and finding Vermaelen, who rifles one off target.
    • 36' Van Persie plays in Walcott with a sumptuous pass and when the forward attempts to pull the ball back for Gervinho eight yards from goal he sees the home defence intervene.
    • 30' Now Arsenal break quickly and Gervinho finds space to the right of the box before rifling in a low effort that Howard does well to repell.
    • 29' What a chance! Song slips a pass into Ramsey and after he checks back in the box, leaving Howard on his bum, he turns the ball over the bar when really he should have scored.
    • 15' Lovely stuff from Arteta! He robs Fellaini in midfield and plays in Walcott, who races through on goal. Instead of shooting when he only has Howard to beat, Walcott attempts to square and Gervinho can't finish. A wasted chance.
    • 12' Fellaini sprays the ball wide to Leighton Baines, who sees his attempted cross deflected behind by Djourou. Tim Cahill swings a leg wildly at the ball but after Szczesny punches away, Saha pulls the trigger and sees his effort blocked.
    • 14.25 TEAMS: Arsenal: Szczesny, Djourou, Koscielny, Mertesacker, Vermaelen, Song, Arteta, Ramsey, Gervinho, Walcott, Van Persie. Subs: Almunia, Miquel, Frimpong, Benayoun, Rosicky, Arshavin, Chamakh. /// Everton: Howard, Hibbert, Baines, Jagielka, Heitinga, Neville, Fellaini, Coleman, Bilyaletdinov, Cahill, Saha. Subs: Mucha, Stracqualursi, Vellios, Barkley, Distin, McAleny, Gueye.

Team Line-up & Ratings

  • Line-up

    Live Team Line-Up

  • Rate Players

    Rate Players

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    • Player Y! Users Expert My Rating
      Goalkeeper
      7.5 6
      Defenders
      6.4 6
      7.1 6
      7.2 6
      Substitution Out82′ 7.8 7
      Midfielders
      7.4 8
      Yellow Card 7.1 7
      Substitution Out90′ 7.4 6
      Yellow Card 7.1 6
      Substitution Out83′ 7.4 5
      Strikers
      Goal 8.6 8
      Subs
      Substitution In83′ 6.5 6
      Substitution In90′ 7.3 6
      Substitution In82′ 7.1 6
    • Player Y! Users Expert My Rating
      Goalkeeper
      5.1 6
      Defenders
      4.4 5
      5 6
      4.9 6
      4.9 6
      Midfielders
      Substitution Out76′ 4.2 6
      4.8 7
      Yellow Card 4.4 6
      5 7
      Substitution Out76′ 4.7 5
      Strikers
      Substitution Out64′ 4.3 5
      Subs
      Substitution In64′ Yellow Card 4.1 6
      Substitution In76′ 3.8 6
      Substitution In76′ 4.4 7

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