skip to content

  • Julio Baptista (4), Adebayor (84), Gilberto Silva (87 pen)
  • Davies (78)
  • Date:2007-04-29
  • Kick-off:16:00
  • Venue:Emirates Stadium
  • Attendance:60043
  • Referee:Clattenburg, M

Live Commentary

90mins

The full time whistles goes here at the Emirates with Arsenal taking all three points thanks to two lates goals as Fulham plunge further into relegation crisis.

90mins

A Davis' corner is flicked on by Diop for Christanval at the far post who strikes the ball first time but can only send it straight at Lehmann.

90mins

Clichy slides the ball across the edge of the penalty area to set up Adebayor who hits the ball first time but curves it wide of the goal.

86mins

Gilberto converts the penalty very well sending it low down into the bottom left hand corner with Niemi well beaten.

85mins

Volz gifts Arsenal a penalty after Hleb took the ball around the former Gunner the midfielder was brought down with a poor challenge.

85mins

Diop is booked after his extended protests about Dempey's booking

85mins

Clint Dempsey is booked after bringing down Hleb with a late challenge.

83mins

Arsenal regain the lead against the run of play thanks to Adebayor who skipped past Diop before passing the ball past Niemi with a very cool finish.

82mins

Radzinski floats in another cross and finds Dempsey who wins the header, but again can't keep it down sending it up and on to the top of the goal.

80mins

Davis swings in a corner for Fulham and an unmarked Dempsey gets his head on the ball but gets too much power on it, sending it high over the bar.

78mins

Fulham pull level through Davis after a cross from the Cottagers caused chaos in the box Lehmann coming for a ball he didn't have to gifting the ball to davis who expertly lobbed the goalkeeper from outside the area.

73mins

Daivs swings in a cross for Fulham looking for Helguson but the Cottagers striker is beaten to the ball as Arsenal clear.

70mins

Adebayor shows a good turn of pace to get away from two Fulham defenders before trying to beat Niemi with a toe poke towards the near post but the Fulham goalkeeper is equal to the shot saving well.

69mins

Arsenal make their first change of the game with goalscorer Julio Baptista being brough off and is replaced by Pereira Neves Denilson

67mins

Liam Rosenior has been brought off apparently through illness and is replaced by Moritz Volz.

64mins

Fabregas delivers another corner for Arsenal but once again Fulham deal with the corner and clear the ball away from danger.

64mins

Clichy tries to swing in a cross for Arsenal, looking for someone to attack the ball but Knight is first to the ball to knock it behind for a corner.

62mins

Brown tries to loft one over the top for Dempsey to chase but there is just too much on the pass as it skips off the pitch before bouncing out of play.

59mins

Double substitution for Fulham as McBride and Jensen are brought off to be replaced by Heidar Helguson and Clint Dempsey.

58mins

Jensen fires in a corner for Fulham which Lehmann comes to claim but gets nowhere near as Arsenal survive a scare from that corner.

56mins

Arsenal have been very sloppy in possession so far in this half and are leting Fulham get back into this game.

54mins

Fabregas floats in another corner for Arsenal which Adebayor manages to get on the end of but its a tame header which Niemi gathers easily.

51mins

Jensen has Fulham's first chance of the half with a snap shot that goes just a few yards wide of Lehmann's right hand post.

50mins

Hleb fires in a low cross towards the near post for Adebayor to attack who tries to flick the ball past Niemi but only manages to send it wide of the right post.

48mins

Fabregas swings in a corner for Arsenal but before anyone can challenge for the ball the linesman judges the ball has gone out of play and came back in.

47mins

Hleb shows some great feet to before threading the ball through to Adebayor who steps past Knight before skying the ball from 8-yards out.

45mins

Fulham get the second half underway needing at least a goal to get tyhem back into this game and help their plight against relegation.

45mins

Arsenal go in ahead at half-time after a comfortable half for the Gunners in which they should have scored more than one against a Fulham side who have struggled to come to terms with the home side.

44mins

Bocanegra launches a long free kick into the area, which Knight flicks on but unfortunatly for Fulham he flicks it out of play.

42mins

Davis swings in a free kick towards the back post but Lehmann is off his line well to palm the ball away from danger.

42mins

Eboue is booked after dragging Radzinski back as he sprinted away from the defender.

37mins

Radzinski swings a deep cross into the area, looking for McBride who heads the ball back across the face of goal, but again Arsenal are quickest to react to clear the ball away.

35mins

Hleb and Adebayor combine with a nice one-two, setting up Adebayor with a shooting oppurtunity which the striker wastes, blasting it straight into Knight.

33mins

Another great move from Arsenal gives Baptista with a great chance to score his second but the striker wastes the chance stabbing the ball well wide of goal.

31mins

Another magnificent save from Niemi denies Adebyor who manage to get on the end of a Clichy cross with a powerful header

29mins

Hleb makes a good run down the right before pulling the ball back for Fabregas to hit forcing Niemi to make a good save at full stretch.

29mins

Fabregas sends in a corner for Adebayor to attack but Knight just nods the ball away from the striker.

27mins

Radzinski shows some quick feet to get around Eboue before whipping in a great cross which gallas just flicks away from McBride as the Gunners clear.

25mins

Fabregas chips a free kick into the area for Baptista to attack but the striker just moves too early and is ajudged to be offside.

22mins

Davis plays a a free kick down the line for Radzinski who gives it back to the Welsh international before Davis decides to hammer the ball stright into Hleb as Arsenal clear.

20mins

Gilberto goes into the referees book after cynically bringing down Brown who had just gotten past the midfielder.

17mins

Brown launches a long throw into the area which McBride flicks on for Davis who miss kicks the ball, his shot rebounding to Bocanegra who hammers his shot high and wide of Lehmann's goal.

15mins

Another flowing arsenal attack set-ups Baptista for another oppurtunity but again the Brazilian wastes the chance, scuffing it wide of goal.

12mins

Davis swings a low free kick into the area which Arsenal clear, launching a counter-attack which results in Fabregas squaring the ball for Baptista who drilled the ball high and wide from inside the area.

11mins

Fabregas lays the ball off for Toure who strikes the ball well from 30-yards out, forcing Niemi into a save low down to his left.

10mins

Michael Brown is booked after catching Fabregas with an outstretched leg.

8mins

Fabregas takes a corner for Arsenal but its nowhere near a redshirt as Bocanegra gets a good clearing header on the ball.

3mins

Baptista gives Arsenal an early lead after Adebayor skipped around Rosenoir and picked out the Brazilian striker who beaten Christanval to the ball and headed home.

2mins

Fabregas swinga free kick into the area which Adebayor flicks on for Gallas but Niemi is off his line to claim the ball calmly.

1mins

Toure plays a long ball over the top for Adebayor to chase but the ball just skips away from the striker, going out of play for a goal-kick.

0mins

Mark Clattenburg gets this London derby underway here at the Emirates Stadium after the minutes applause for Alan Ball and Arthur Milton, Arsenal taking the kick-off.

0mins

Fulham XI: Niemi, Rosenior, Knight, Christanval, Bocanegra, Davies, Brown, Diop, Jensen, Radzinski, McBride

0mins

Fulham go into this game just a point above the drop zone after yesterdays game and are looking for their first win in nine games. The Cottagers have no fresh injury worries but are still without Queudrue and Pearce.

0mins

Arsenal XI: Lehmann, Eboue, Toure, Gallas, Clichy, Hleb, Fabregas, Silva, Diaby, Julio Baptista, Adebayor

0mins

Arsenal are forced to make two changes from the side that drew with Tottenham last weekend with Thomas Rosick and Freddie Ljungberg both out with hamstring injuries.

Match Preview

The odds are against Fulham easing their relegation concerns with a shock win at Arsenal on Sunday as they go into the Emirates Stadium clash on the back of a nine-match winless streak.

Chris Coleman was axed just over two weeks ago, but caretaker manager Lawrie Sanchez has been unable to end their dismal run, with a narrow defeat at Reading being followed by a draw against Blackburn Rovers at Craven Cottage.

After the short trip to north London, the Cottagers have a home game against Liverpool before finishing the campaign with a long trip to Middlesbrough.

Fulham are only three points clear of the drop zone and their away record is one of the poorest in the Premiership.

They have failed to win any of their last 15 away games, with the only three-point haul on their travels coming at Newcastle United in early September.

Sanchez will once again be without the services of long-term injury victims Jimmy Bullard and Simon Elliott, while Franck Queudrue is a doubt because of an ankle problem.

Arsenal need only one point to guarantee a place in the Champions League final qualifying round and a top-four finish in the Premiership for the 11th successive season.

Arsene Wenger's side are currently on a four-match unbeaten run after previously losing three games in a row against Everton, Liverpool and West Ham United.

The Gunners will once again be without the services of Thierry Henry (groin), Theo Walcott (back) and Robin van Persie (metatarsal) as they aim to gain revenge for a 2-1 defeat at Fulham earlier in the season - a game in which Philippe Senderos was sent off.

Arsenal had an amazing record at Highbury against Fulham - winning 18 and drawing two of the 20 games between the two sides at their former stadium.


advertisement

advertisment

Match Report

A seemingly disinterested Arsenal pushed Fulham further into the relegation mire by winning 3-1 at the Emirates Stadium.

Bolton's draw with Chelsea and Everton's loss to Manchester United on Saturday had secured Arsenal's place in the Champions League for next season and the Gunners only had pride to play for. Fulham had their Premiership future to play for.

Arsenal made the best of starts and, perhaps, the comfortable opening caused the home side to play with too laid back an attitude.

Arsene Wenger's men went ahead just four minutes after the opening whistle with a powerful Julio Baptista header that Antti Niemi could only watch as it looped over his head and into the top right-hand corner of the net. Cottagers boss Lawrie Sanchez was clearly upset with his team's slack marking.

Emmanuel Adebayor strolled past Carlos Bocanegra too easily before delivering the cross that the unchallenged Baptista was able to meet so precisely.

Baptista's inefficiency in front of goal this season has cast doubts as to whether Wenger would retain his services at the end of his loan spell that expires at the end of the campaign.

The Brazilian has scored ten times this season, but he should really have doubled that tally given the clear-cut opportunities he has spurned.

Arsenal's next couple of opportunities fell to Baptista, but he could be forgiven for not making the most of them.

The closest Arsenal came to doubling their tally was in the 31st minute when a well-crafted move ended with a shot from outside the area that Niemi did well to save.

Two minutes later Adebayor headed powerfully from Gael Clichy's cross from the left that the Finnish keeper saved with great athleticism.

The Gunners should really have wrapped things up before half-time, but allowed the visitors to gain a foothold and keep the belief that they could get something out of the game.

Claus Jensen, who had a good goalscoring record at Highbury, came close to claiming his and Fulham's first at The Emirates on 52 minutes when his shot from the outside of the area beat Jens Lehmann but rolled just outside the right upright.

Arsenal's first real chance of the half came on 70 minutes when Adebayor created an opportunity for himself on the left side of the Fulham area. But his shot from an acute angle with the outside of his right foot was well-claimed by Niemi.

Predictably, with Arsenal looking as though they were just going through the motions, Simon Davies levelled the scores on 78 minutes.

Lehmann had come out to sweep up and made a mess of his clearance. The ball fell to Davies, who, realising that the Gunners keeper was struggling to get back, floated the ball into the net.

Michael Brown was denied by Lehmann on 83 minutes after the former Spurs player had done well to get beyond Clichy.

The Gunners turned attack into defence as they swept forward with pace. Adebayor beat the offside trap as he took the ball past the last Fulham defender before curling a low shot around Niemi and into the bottom right-hand corner of the net.

Arsenal made sure of the points with three minutes left when former Gunner Moritz Volz upended Alex Hleb.

Up stepped Gilberto Silva to coolly fire the spot-kick into the bottom left-hand corner of the net beyond the diving Fulham keeper as Arsenal finally sealed another win.

Arsenal

Fulham

Corners

76

Fouls

610

Goal attempts

117

Shots off target

56

Offsides

31

facebook twitter rss