Toure Struck to Keep Arsenal's FA Cup Hopes Alive

Kolo Toure's diving header cancelled out Kevin Nolan's opener and denied Bolton progress in the FA Cup.

Nolan struck in the 50th minute when he collected Kevin Davies' cross-cum-shot and clipped the ball into the net.

The midfielder was denied a second when he had the ball expertly flicked from his feet by the diving Manuel Almunia.

Arsenal Club increased the tempo after that and the intense pressure told when Toure dived to meet a cross and bounced a header over Jussi Jaaskelainen.

Arsenal Football Club 1 - 1 Bolton Football Club

[Source from; news.bbc.co.uk]

Wenger Praises Arsenal Team Fightback

Arsenal Club boss Arsene Wenger paid tribute to his "lions" for fighting back from a goal down to beat leaders Manchester United Football Club 2-1 at the Emirates Stadium.

"We won by never giving up," he said after Thierry Henry's stoppage-time winner gave his side victory.

"We began nervously and Manchester United Club started with maturity but I knew after the break we would have a go.

"They got their goal with their only chance of the half, but we fought back because we have lions in our team."

Arsenal Football Club 2-1 Man Utd Football Club

[Source from; news.bbc.co.uk]

Henry Scored a Superb Goal to Seal the Win for Arsenal Club

Arsenal Team made light of the 12th-minute dismissal of Gilberto to deservedly beat Blackburn Team, thanks to goals from Kolo Toure and Thierry Henry.

Gilberto was shown a straight red card for flicking a leg out at Robbie Savage after the pair had tangled.

But the visitors managed to cope with the loss, and the swirling wind and rain, to go in front when Toure superbly headed in Henry's free-kick.

And Henry sealed the win when he unleashed a drive into the top corner.

Blackburn Football Club 0-2 Arsenal Football Club

Arsenal Win Over Liverpool Again in Carling Cup

It was the first time in nearly 77 years that Liverpool Club had conceded six goals at home and followed a remarkable contest, one that few would have predicted even despite the fact that, against expectations, Rafael Benitez opted to field a weakened starting XI.

Julio Baptista notched four as Arsenal routed Liverpool to seal a Carling Cup semi-final clash with rivals Tottenham. Jeremie Aliadiere ran on to Kolo Toure's pass to score the first, before Robbie Fowler flicked in to level. But a Baptista free-kick and tap-in either side of Alex Song Billong's smart finish made it 4-1 at half time.

Two more from Baptista, the first from 20 yards, sealed it after he had missed a penalty, though Steven Gerrard and Sami Hyypia notched late consolations.

Liverpool Football Club 3-6 Arsenal Football Club

[Source from; news.bbc.co.uk]

Eboue ready to return for FA Cup trip to Liverpool

Liverpool v Arsenal
Anfield
Sat, Jan 6, 2007, 5.15pm


Slowly but surely, Arsenal's injury problems are clearing up.


LIVERPOOL begin their defence of the FA Cup against Arsenal, in front of live BBC television Match of the Day cameras in a teatime encounter at Anfield, which could turn out to be a classic. Both clubs are seemingly out of the running for the Premiership title and chasing consolation Champions League spots at third and fourth in the table. Their best chance of domestic silverware will therefore lie in the two Cup competitions. Should one or other get knocked out here, the pair meet again on the same ground on Tuesday in the rearranged League Cup quarter-final.

The Merseysiders are one point superior to the Gunners in the League, but will want to complete the job here, as they were thrashed 0-3 at the Emirates Stadium in November. Rafael Benitez' side have lost their last two clashes with the Gunners in north London, but won the last two on home turf.

Arsene Wenger's men prevailed in their most recent FA Cup meeting (1-0 in the fourth round at Highbury on 27 January 2002). Prior to that, the Merseysiders turned the tables in no uncertain terms in the first final to be staged at the Millennium Stadium in 2001. They were trailing 1-0 and seemingly down and out, when two goals in the last seven minutes from Michael Owen ensured the Cup headed north to Merseyside.

ARSENAL and Liverpool have won the oldest, and arguably the greatest knock-out competition in world club football on 17 occasions (10 for Arsenal, seven for Liverpool). The last two were the first to be decided on penalties. Arsenal beat Manchester United 5-4 on spot kicks after a goalless 120 minutes in 2005. West Ham were just seconds away from lifting the trophy in May, when Steven Gerrard fired home a first-time drive from 35 yards to take the match into extra time, at 3-3. A massively exciting final was decided in favour of the Reds by three spot kicks to one in the shoot-out.

The Gunners travel north on a run of five wins in eight games, including Tuesday's 4-0 crushing of Charlton, when Thierry Henry made a surprise return and opened the scoring with a 30th minute penalty.

An Arsenal player has lifted the FA Cup in three of the last five years, and on four occasions in the tenure of Wenger. They've reached the final in four of their last six attempts, and the semi-final on one of the other two occasions. Last season the Gunners were knocked out by Bolton in the fourth round. They will not want to fall even earlier this time around, or become the 15th club in 17 League and Cup matches this season to lose at Anfield. They would be delighted if they could be the first to win on the Reds' hallowed turf since Benfica in the Champions League on 8 March last year.

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Henry happy with van Persie

Returning captain Thierry Henry said that he's happy with the progress shown by Robin van Persie.

The Frenchman praised van Persie's hot scoring form and said that the Dutch striker's hard work in training has paid off.

van Persie has scored 12 goals so far this season and has more or less been a permanent fixture in manager Arsène Wenger's team this season.

Henry said: "He's shown ever since he arrived here that he is a scorer of great goals.

"He's done it this season but also in previous years - every goal he scores is a smashing one.

"He has the ability to be one of the best players in the league. He has matured a lot and he does stuff in training that I have rarely seen before."

[ Source form : arsenal-mania.com ]

Arsenal 4 Charlton Athletic 0: Henry returns to punish Pardew

Arsenal 4-0 Charlton Athletic
Emirates Stadium
Tuesday, January 2, 2007, 7.45pm


Henry slotted home the opener from the penalty spot after Osei Sankofa was sent off for fouling Robin van Persie.


Henry then played a fine one-two with Justin Hoyte for the defender to slot past Scott Carson, who had already magnificently saved fabrom Cesc Fregas.

With Henry back after his well-documented 34-day absence, the skipper's team-mates appeared keen to welcome their leader back with a goal glut.

Arsenal poured forward from the first whistle and after Gilberto Silva and Van Persie went close, Fabregas was denied by a contender for save of the season.

Played into the area, he fired in a shot from 10 yards towards the top corner that Carson somehow stuck out his left hand to and tipped over.

As Charlton began to get more of a footing in the game, an encounter with lots of potential was suddenly dead in the water.

A Fabregas shot from 30 yards got a wicked deflection and looped up on to the crossbar and as Van Persie surged towards the ball, Sankofa bundled him over.

The right-back was harshly dismissed by referee Mike Riley on just his seventh Premiership start and Henry nonchalantly sent Carson the wrong way from the spot.

Just before the break, Hoyte got his first Gunners goal with an effort so beautifully crafted any of his illustrious team-mates would have been proud to call it theirs.

Cutting in from the right he played a sumptuous one-two with Henry and ghosted into the box to expertly slot past Carson into the far corner.

Charlton boss Alan Pardew's main task at half-time must have been trying to prevent a rout, which looked increasingly difficult as Tomas Rosicky fired against a post not long after the restart.

Some of Arsenal's passing was a joy to behold and Henry had a goal ruled out for offside after a sublime move involving the impressive Hleb down the inside right channel.

It was a procession on the Charlton goal and only a mixture of Carson, dogged defending and Arsenal trying to walk the ball in kept the score at 2-0.

Rosicky burst on to a Van Persie pass to force another fabulous save from Carson before the keeper was in the right place again to deny Fabregas 12 yards out.

Henry then shot straight at Carson from inside the box before the disbelieving Frenchman saw the on-loan stopper wonderfully tip away his top corner-bound curler.

Van Persie finally got his name on the scoresheet from the spot with 14 minutes left after Henry bamboozled Diawara and was blatantly tugged to the ground in the box.

The Dutchman made it 4-0 in stoppage time, latching on to a Mathieu Flamini pass and delaying before executing a fine lofted finish over Carson and into the net.

The effortless victory moves Arsenal up to fourth, while Charlton remain a distant six points away from Premiership safety.

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