Arsenal beats Birmingham 2-1 after falling behind - 7M sport

Arsenal beats Birmingham 2-1 after falling behind



I have a say

Posted Sunday, October 17, 2010 by YAHOO Sport

LONDON (AP)—Arsenal came back from a goal down to beat Birmingham 2-1 on Saturday, easing pressure on manager Arsene Wenger as his team tries to play catch-up in the English Premier League title race.

Wenger said it was imperative for Arsenal to win after going three league games without a win.

“We played with nerves,” Wenger said. “It was a nervy game for us. Our fluency was affected by the fact that we hadn’t won for three games.

“It was never comfortable today. You could see that and feel that in the way we played.”
 
Birmingham took the lead in the 33rd minute, when towering forward Nikola Zigic rose above the Arsenal defense deep in the area and met a cross from Keith Fahey to beat goalkeeper Lukasz Fabianski at his far post. Zigic was making his first league start.

It was a rare attack by a Birmingham side that preferred to sit back and try to absorb pressure from Arsenal.

Arsenal won a penalty before halftime when striker Marouane Chamakh was brought down in the box by Scott Dann. TV replays showed there was contact, but Chamakh appeared to be going down before he was touched. Samir Nasri converted from the spot in the 41st to make the score 1-1.

Chamakh put the Gunners ahead in the 47th, after Alex Song backheeled the ball to Jack Wilshere, who played through the Morocco international. Chamakh ghosted past defender Stephen Carr and rounded goalkeeper Ben Foster to slot the ball home.

It was Arsenal’s first win in the Premier League since Sept. 11, when the Gunners beat Bolton 4-1. The three games after that before Saturday’s match were a 1-1 draw against Sunderland, which scored a last-gasp equalizer, a shock 3-2 defeat at home to West Brom and a 2-0 loss to Chelsea.

Wenger had criticized dangerous “scissor-kick” tackles before the match, but it was two of his players that were guilty of hazardous challenges on Saturday.

Wilshere was sent off with a straight red card minutes before the final whistle after a lunging challenge that caught Zigic’s ankle. Earlier in the second half, Emmanuel Eboue was booked for a scissor-kick challenge on Liam Ridgewell.

Wilshere, who will miss the next three games, “mistimed his tackle, and got a red card he deserved,” Wenger said. “He didn’t spend his whole game to kick people. He played football and was one of the best players on the football pitch today. … You can’t say he had a dirty game.”

Wenger, however, became visibly annoyed by the line of questioning when pressed about Eboue’s challenge—the type he previously said players should receive a straight red card for.

“You write what you want,” Wenger said. “Let’s go to the next question.”

Arsenal forward Nicklas Bendtner made his first apperance of the season after a persistent groin problem had troubled him last season and during the World Cup.



Attention: Third parties may advertise their products and/or services on our website.7M does not warrant the accuracy, adequacy or completeness of their contents.
Your dealings with such third parties are solely between you and such third parties and we shall not be liable in any way for any loss or damage of any sort incurred by you.