William Gallas delivers killer blow for Arsenal
By Henry Winter
Sport.Telegraph, 17th December 2007
Imagine a pantomime directed by Quentin Tarantino, where villains are
booed, heroes are blood-stained, the body-count is high, the entertainment
pulsating, the language filthy and the audience screamed "behind you" as
tackles hurtled in like boulders crashing down a mountain-side. Such was
the epic drama that gripped the Emirates.
A Derby crammed with sound, fury and significance ended with everyone
grasping for breath, with Arsenal regaining the high ground of the Premier
League and with serious question-marks over Avram Grant's ability to
inspire Chelsea against the leading sides without the heavyweight talent
that is Didier Drogba.
Badly missing their injured target-man, Chelsea resembled title pretenders
lacking a knockout punch. Grant's 4-1-2-3 formation was never going to
work with Andrei Shevchenko as the spearhead. At times, Shevchenko
resembled a schoolboy trying to cross a busy motorway and worrying whether
he had enough pace.
For all the recent bouquets tossed lovingly Grant's way in the post-Jose
Mourinho era of peace and harmony at the Bridge, the truth remains that the
Blues' fortunes are tied up with Drogba, not Grant. Nicolas Anelka could play
the understudy, but he is still not in Drogba's class.
Arsenal had no absent friends to lament. Peering through the heat and dust
of this memorable conflict, the Emirates appreciated even more fully the
value of the returning central-midfield axis of Cesc Fabregas and Mathieu
Flamini. Fabregas was the calm amidst the storm while Flamini acted as the
hurricane that kept snuffing out the flames of Chelsea ambition.
This was the Premier League at its raw, mistake-filled, mesmerising best.
Utterly compelling. Quixotic too. Arsenal prevailed yet arguably their
most important individual was the goalkeeper, Manuel Almunia, who denied
Chelsea on at least four occasions.
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The famous figure between Chelsea's sticks, Petr Cech, also made a string
of saves, notably an astonishing double effort to thwart Robin van Persie
and Fabregas late on, yet the tall Czech will be remembered here for a
mistake that gifted William Gallas the winning goal.
That Gallas scored against his former employers merely added to the
unremitting noise. Even the corporate classes rattled their jewelry. A
viewing audience measured in hundreds of millions will have loved it too,
feasting on football that zigzagged between the carnival and carnage.
From the opening whistle, there was no quarter asked, nor given. It was
difficult to know who was busier: the excellent John Obi Mikel, the
flying Gael Clichy, Flamini, Fabregas or the Sky sound-man working
over-time to muffle the invective pouring from the terraces.
Ashley Cole was assailed with every description imaginable, and some
unimaginable. His sneaky, two-figured response may have been spotted
by the FA as well as Arsenal's fans. Derision was aimed everywhere.
Frank Lampard, the England midfielder, was berated with "you let your
country down"; this must have struck the Chelsea man as slightly rich
coming from fans of a club who did not have one Englishman in yesterday's
match-day 16.
Heaven knows what Fabio Capello must think of English football when he
watches a tape of this: such pell-mell football is no preparation for the
cerebral demands of the international game. England's new head coach will
have seen Lampard being overwhelmed by foreign talent, Joe Cole showing
glimpses of class, Shaun Wright-Phillips flattering to deceive and John
Terry flirting with a red card before succumbing again to injury. At
least Ashley Cole, for all the abuse directed him, impressed with his
constant endeavour.
The former Arsenal left-back appeared targeted by his former comrades.
Emmanuel Adebayor caught him on the knee as the frenetic game unfolded.
The temperature started higher and rose inexorably. When Terry had a
chance to clear, he blatantly followed through to catch a prostrate
Fabregas. Nasty.
Like a band of brothers, Arsenal players looked out for each other and
Emmanuel Eboue swiftly made Terry pay with a high and late challenge that
cut the England captain down like a sharpened scythe through wheat. One
of football's tougher characters, Terry sought to hobble on, but was
clearly destined for the treatment room. If Terry ever writes his
life-story, the race for serialisation rights will surely be lead by
'The Lancet'.
"Stick him in a wheelchair and leave him," was one of the more printable
chants as Terry was helped down the tunnel. How Chelsea could have done
with their inspirational centre-half when Arsenal came calling on the
cusp of half-time.
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