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  • Date:2006-12-30
  • Kick-off:17:15
  • Venue:Bramall Lane
  • Attendance:32086
  • Referee:Mason, L

Live Commentary

90mins

FULL TIME: SHEFFIELD UNITED 1-0 ARSENAL: It's all over and United hang on to pick up three priceless points, while Arsenal slump to their fifth Premiership away defeat of the season.

90mins

It's all hands on deck for the Blades at the moment as they try to hold on.

90mins

Fabregas tries his luck from distance but his shot is wide of the goal.

90mins

There are five minutes of injury-time to play at Bramall Lane.

88mins

It's all Arsenal but the home crowd are doing their best to will their side to victory.It's all Arsenal but the home crowd are doing their best to will their side to victory.

85mins

Jagielka pulls off a reflex save from van Persie as Arsenal break forward with purpose.

84mins

Denilson is on for Rosicky.

83mins

Time is running out for Arsene Wenger's side but they make their final change in a bid to shake things up.

80mins

United are totally frustrating Arsenal and look dangerous themselves on the break.

77mins

Hulse is the latest player to receive a yellow card.

75mins

Fifteen minutes to go and United look increasingly like they'll be able to hang on for the win.

74mins

Morgan's header from the resultant free-kick is wide but he wins a corner that comes to nothing.

73mins

Fabregas is booked and will miss the FA Cup clash with Liverpool.

72mins

Jagielka plucks a cross out of the air as Arsenal try to test him for the first time.

70mins

Goalscorer Nade is replaced by Rob Hulse as the Blades make their final change.

69mins

Nade beats Toure to a ball over the top but the flag goes up and he is adjudged offside.

65mins

So far Arsenal have failed to work Jagielka in the Blades goal but it'll be a long final 25 minutes for the home fans.

64mins

Cesc Fabregas replaces Justin Hoyte.

63mins

Quinn gets on the end of a loose ball but his shot at full stretch is straight at Lehmann.

61mins

Michael Tonge replaces Kenny with Jagielka taking over in goal.

59mins

Kenny can continue but he'll hope his problem doesn't get any worse. It does though and he goes off.

57mins

Blades keeper Kenny is down with a leg injury but United never have a replacement on the bench so it's a tense moment for the home side.

56mins

Arsenal seem to have got their passing game going and are now trying to force the pace as they look for an equaliser.

54mins

Toure surges forward out of defence but the move breaks down when Davis takes the ball off van Persie with a great tackle.

51mins

Baptista's shot is deflected wide after a swift three-man move. The corner comes to nothing for the Gunners.

49mins

Arsenal have started strongly but United have a lead to defend and are working hard to preserve it.

47mins

Gillespie wastes a chance to deliver the ball into the area when his cross is too strong and sails out of play.

46mins

Van Persie has an injury problem after colliding with Morgan and he needs treatment on the pitch.

45mins

Arsenal kick-off as they look to get back into the game after falling behind to Nade's opener.

45mins

HALF TIME: SHEFFIELD UNITED 1-0 ARSENAL: Two minutes of injury-time pass by without incident as the Blades take a shock half-time lead.

44mins

Morgan is booked for sliding into a challenge.

44mins

The Gunners force a late first-half corner but the short routine comes to nothing.

41mins

SHEFFIELD UNITED 1-0 ARSENAL (NADE): Christain Nade turns Toure as United turn defence into attack with devastating effect.

40mins

United are coming forward more as they look to make a breakthrough before half-time.

36mins

Keith Gillespie slides through Baptista and gives away a free-kick just inside his own half.

34mins

Aliadiere fires a decent shot in but Paddy Kenny is equal to it.

32mins

There's not much going on at the moment and it's hard to see where an opening goal will come from this evening.

28mins

Van Persie booked for tangling with a Blades defender as he bursts forward.

26mins

Claude Davis replaces Mikele Leigertwood who has an ankle injury.

23mins

Tomas Rosicky picks up his second caution of the season for a tackle from behind.

21mins

Colin Kazim-Richards catches Kolo Toure but the defender is alright to carry on without any treatment.

18mins

Phil Jagielka tries his luck from distance but his shot is wayward.

16mins

United are getting back into the game but both sides seem to have left their passing boots at home on a difficult surface.

13mins

Robert Kozluk fires a shot in from 35 yards but it is just wide of the target.

12mins

The Blades force a couple of corners but they come to nothing as Arsenal stand firm at the back.

10mins

The Gunners are starting to get on top on a heavy pitch following rain in South Yorkshire.

8mins

Gilberto Silva wins a free header from a corner but he drills it into the floor and it bounces over the bar.

6mins

Julio Baptista threatens to get a shot off but he is tackled and stays down after taking a heavy blow on the ankle.

4mins

Poor defending almost gifts a chance to Robin Van Persie but he cannot dig the ball out of his feet and United clear the danger.

3mins

It's a good start by the home side who are being well backed by the Blades faithful.

1mins

The game gets underway with Sheffield United taking the kick-off at Bramall Lane in the final Premiership game of 2006.

0mins

Arsenal draft in Jeremie Aliadiere in the absence of Emmanuel Adebayor and Thierry Henry. Philippe Senderos, Julio Baptista, Mathieu Flamini also come in for the Gunners.

0mins

Blades boss Neil Warnock makes six changes, with Alan Quinn, Nick Montgomery, Colin Kazim-Richards, Christian Nade, Mikele Leigertwood and Chris Armstrong all selected.

Match Preview

Successive league defeats may have dented optimism, but Sheffield United manager Neil Warnock still believes the Blades can beat the drop ahead of the visit of Arsenal in Saturday's late kick-off.

Prior to the Boxing Day 1-0 defeat at the hands of Manchester City and a 3-1 loss at Portsmouth last weekend, the Bramall Lane club had climbed out of the drop zone on the back of a three-match unbeaten run.

The Blades now find themselves just two points above the relegation trap door, but unlike at least two of the three teams below them, Warnock's side at least look capable of winning games by creating chances.

Both top-scorer Rob Hulse and Danny Webber could have scored against Manchester City and, with the Blades boss ready to bolster his squad in the New Year, there is still belief in the camp that the South Yorkshire club can preserve their top-flight status.

On the injury front, Mikele Leigertwood could make a return to the substitute's bench after a month on the sidelines with an ankle injury.

Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger is facing an injury headache ahead of Saturday's trip to Sheffield United with the news that striker Emmanuel Adebayor will miss out after suffering a thigh strain.

The Togo international has netted three times in his last four matches to help fill the void created by absence of Thierry Henry.

The Gunners skipper remains sidelined because of a problem with his sciatic nerve, leaving Wenger will few options for Saturday's trip to Bramall Lane.

Either Theo Walcott or Julio Baptista could make a rare Premiership start alongside Robin van Persie in attack.

However, defender Johan Djourou, who picked up an injury alongside Adebayor in the 2-1 victory over Watford on Boxing Day, will be fit enough to face the Blades.

That victory - on the back of a 6-2 thrashing of Blackburn Rovers last weekend - moved the Gunners up to third in the table and securing Champions League football for next season now looks like a formality.


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Match Report

French Under-21 international Christian Nade grabbed his first Premiership goal as Neil Warnock's battling Sheffield United side stunned Arsenal.

The 22-year-old midfielder, hauled into United's weakened side and making only his fifth start of the season, grabbed the winner in the 41st minute.

More drama followed as keeper Paddy Kenny limped off in the 61st minute with Phil Jagielka taking over in goal, but Warnock's battlers held Arsenal at bay in a nail-biting finish.

Both sides had been decimated by injuries and viral infections. United were without six players while Arsenal, who ran out 3-0 winners against the Blades at the Emirates Stadium in September, were without nine first-team regulars.

The Sheffield side were caught out early on. Jeremie Aliadiere pumped over a curling cross to Julio Baptista who was met with a crunching tackle from Nick Montgomery.

Gunners skipper Gilberto Silva, who has hit a rich vein of form in front of goal, was first to react to a Robin van Persie corner but pulled his downward header wide of the target.

Jagielka then tried his luck from 30 yards, Colin Kazim-Richards almost getting a touch as the ball flashed a fraction wide of the far post.

Midfielder Alan Quinn, in for his injured brother Stephen, then squandered a chance shooting straight at Jens Lehmann from 16 yards after Arsenal failed to clear.

United had to readjust in the 27th minute after Mikele Leigertwood limped off, Claude Davis slotting into the back four as Jagielka pushed into midfield.

And it was Davis who sparked United's goal in the four minutes before half-time. The big defender threaded the ball to Quinn who played a hopeful pass to Nade as Kolo Toure shadowed him.

But the Ivory Coast centre-back made a rare blunder as the ball spun past him and Nade turned quickly to side-foot his low strike past the advancing Lehmann from the edge of the area.

United were in trouble when Kenny suffered a groin injury as he slipped taking a goal kick, the Republic of Ireland international keeper being replaced in goal by the versatile Jagielka.

Quinn powered a long-range strike wide of the far post and, minutes later, he was stopped by Lehmann, the Arsenal keeper smothering his low shot at the foot of the post as United tried to kill off the side from the capital.

Arsenal powered forward in the dying minutes but were closed down quickly. Jagielka punched clear twice and foiled van Persie five minutes from time, tipping his close-range strike over the top.

Sheffield United

Arsenal

Corners

59

Fouls

115

Goal attempts

119

Shots off target

65

Offsides

61

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