ARSENAL 7 SLAVIA PRAGUE 0
Arsene Wenger started Theo up front and told him to prove he is good enough to play there and Theo did exactly that with two well taken goals one that Arsene said after the match “Theo’s second goal had a touch of Henry about it” in fact Theo’s whole performance last night had a touch of Henry about it, it was truly wonderful to watch.
Theo wasn’t the only player in a red shirt that turned out a world class performance the whole team did, once again Fabregas collected a brace of goals and Hleb also netted twice although one was given as a own goal because it took a deflection on it’s way into the net. Bendtner came on a grabbed the seventh of the evening rounding of a performance no team would have been able to handle, I should imagine Liverpool supports where watching last night in sheer horror as Arsenal’s next stop is Anfield.
Slavia Prague clearly came with a game plan to try and frustrate Arsenal by packing out their midfield but that game plan was torn to bits within the first five minutes after Hleb passed to an on rushing Fabregas who curled the ball beautifully around the Keeper and into the back of the net from just in side the eighteen yard box that was it Arsenal was one-nil up and playing the Arsenal way, from that point on you wondered if Slavia Prague would be able to cope? No was the answer to that as Arsenal continued to go forward with their one touch football.
The second goal came in the twenty-fifth minute when Hleb’s shoot was deflected in off the defender by this time Arsenal’s passing was amazing to watch it left the Prague players chasing shadows for most of the game. Slavia Prague tried to get into the game with a couple of long shoots but nothing that really troubled Almunia who started ahead of Lehmann once again.
The moment of the night and what most Arsenal fans had been waiting for came in the forty-first minute when the Prague keeper tried to clear the ball but it fell to Theo Walcott who calmly controlled it took one touch and slotted it into the net, that was it that was the moment the stadium erupted and a thunderous chant of Theo, Theo, Theo rang out around the ground. Theo had waited a long time to get his home goal fro Arsenal and he celebrated it by pointing to the sky he dedicated his goal to his brother-in-law, who died recently.
Half time couldn’t come soon enough for Prague as their players walked off with a look of sheer surprise and shock their plan to frustrate Arsenal just didn’t work and I’m sure their manager must off been lost for words.
The second half started the same as the first with Arsenal on the attack, you would think being three-nil up Arsenal would take it easy especially with a trip to Anfield on Saturday but no not Arsenal. Hleb got himself a goal this time it was defiantly his, from defense to attack with six passes Arsenal made this goal look easy and Hleb took it very well he seems to be growing with confidence in front of goal and is being rewarded for his efforts.
Theo collected his second goal of the night in the fifty-forth minute when Hleb placed a perfect ball through to Theo who run towards goal and poked it passed the stranded keeper, the ball went in of the post and the fans erupted once again with chants of Theo, Theo, Theo. His second goal of the night and it was a superb finish you could see the way he was playing that he looked comfortable up front.
So five-nil up and still thirty-five minutes left to play maybe Arsenal would start to take things easy, slow down a bit? No not likely Adebayor had a chance but was unable to convert the shoot into a goal Fabregas was not to be outdone by Theo as he got Arsenal’s sixth goal of the night and arguably the best as well, the move was Adebayor to Theo to Cesc and back of the net it happened within a flash it was another fantastic goal as Arsenal fans seemed to be in dream land.
Arsene Wenger made a triple substitution with Flamini, Hleb and Adebayor making way for Gilberto, Rosicky and Bendtner in the sixtieth minute, usually when you make a triple substitution it affects the game but players who came in just seemed to slot into place and not disrupt Arsenal’s rhythm, all the attacking play was going towards Theo you could see the players wanted Theo to get his hat-trick, unfortunately that didn’t come but the goal scoring didn’t finish there with Bendtner getting the seventh of the night late on.
This game was a warning to Europe the Arsenal are not kids who are out of there league but young men showing the world how to play. Arsene Wenger won’t allow his players egos get to big and will tell them that that game is over look towards the next which happens to be a trip to Anfield. Arsene must be the happiest manager on the planet right now after just 2 months ago Arsenal was written off and now are emerging as one of the teams to be feared.
That was the perfect way for the players to say happy birthday to there boss, seven goals, a clean sheet and Theo who he put all his trust into when people started to write him off come up with the right answer.
The future is looking great at N5.