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  • Date:2007-04-07
  • Kick-off:15:00
  • Venue:Emirates Stadium
  • Attendance:60098
  • Referee:Poll, G

Live Commentary

90mins

FULL TIME: ARSENAL 0-1 WEST HAM UNITED: Arsenal lose their first game at their new stadium and there is life for West Ham who somehow managed to scrape the three points. Robert Green earns the 'Man of the Match' award for a world class performance

90mins

Aliadiere picks up the ball on the left flank and drives it into the danger area but it misses every red shirt

90mins

West Ham are taking their time with everything from free-kicks to throw-ins in a desperate attempt to wind down the clock

90mins

The fourth official indicates four minutes of added time

88mins

West Ham fail to deal with a Fabregas cross and the clearance falls to Eboue, whose shot sails over the crossbar

86mins

Noble plays through Boa-Morte who works his way into a good position and hits the ball across the face of goal and wide of the target. Had it been on his left foot, he may well have finished the game off for West Ham

84mins

Gilberto makes way for Vassiriki Abou Diaby

83mins

Gilberto swings a leg at the ball and the ball strikes the foot of the post. West Ham's goal seems to be charmed

82mins

Carlos Tevez who has had a quiet game, makes way for Blanco Gonzalez Kepa who will give them a height advantage

82mins

Julio Baptista gets his head to a Fabregas delivery and Ferdinand bravely throws himself in front of the shot

80mins

Aliadiere flicks the ball with his head and it falls kindly for Fabregas who heads the ball into the arms of Green

78mins

Gilberto takes a corner and picks out Toure whose powerful header from the edge of the area loops harmlessly over the crossbar

76mins

Fredrik Ljungberg, who has had a quiet second-half, is replaced by Julio Cesar Baptista

75mins

West Ham play some intricate football on the edge of the Arsenal penalty area before Noble loses out to Gilberto

72mins

Aliadiere gets another shot away but it is nothing more than a half chance and does not get enough power behind it to trouble Green

71mins

Tomas Rosicky receives the first yellow card of the game for a rash challenge on Boa Morte

69mins

West Ham are hanging on by a thread at the moment but should the results stay the same, they will be two points from safety as Sheffield United are a goal down at Newcastle

67mins

Aliadiere picks up the ball and takes it into the penalty area before striking a low shot which flies just wide of the psot

65mins

Alex Hleb makes way for Jeremie Aliadiere, who had a spell on loan at West Ham last season

64mins

Boa Morte makes an immediate impact as he latches on to a telling pass from Reo-Coker, before running into danger

63mins

Goalscorer Bobby Zamora receives rapturous applause from the travelling faithful as he leaves the field to be replaced by Luis Boa Morte

61mins

The chances are coming thick and fast for Arsenal but none of them have found the back of the net, much to the frustration of Arsene Wenger on the touchline

59mins

Fabregas picks up the ball and hits a powerful effort from just over 20-yards which rattles the angle of the goal frame

57mins

Fabregas takes a free-kick and picks out Adebayour who flicks the ball towards Green's goal with his head, but the keeper again makes a magical save.

55mins

Gilberto takes the resulting corner and drops it into the mixer. West Ham fail to deal with it and the ball is headed back and forth before Green smothers the ball

55mins

Gilberto Silva gets into an attacking position and curls a shot towards the far corner and Green pulls off a truly world class save to tip the ball behind and keep his side in the game

53mins

Lee Bowyer finds space for a shot on the edge of the area and hits it well, but straight down the throat of Lehmann. Had it been either side of the keeper, Bowyer may have doubled West Ham's lead

51mins

Fabregas takes a corner and Adebayour heads it down, but Neill hooks the ball over his own crossbar and behind for a corner to prevent it falling to a red shirt

49mins

Arsenal are yet to lose a game at the Emirates Stadium and so it would be an amazing result should the scoreline stay the same for the remainder of the game

47mins

Clicy lets fly from the edge of the area and slices his shot high and wide of Green's goal

45mins

George McCartney has presumably got a knock in he first half, and so Jonathan Spector is called upon to fulfill the left-back duty

45mins

The second-half gets underway and Alan Curbishley has been forced into making an early substitute

45mins

HALF TIME: ARSENAL 0-1 WEST HAM UNITED: The visitors go in ahead at half time, and Arsenal are left to rue their missed opportunities that could, and probably should, have put them several goals up prior to Zamora's goal.

45mins

GOAL: Out of nothing, Neill breaks and crosses for Bobby Zamora who takes a neat first touch before lobbing the ball over Lehmann and into the back of the net.

42mins

For the first time in the game, the game drops its tempo to walking pace as the Arsenal defence pass the ball around patiently

40mins

Neill's pass to Collins lacks power and Rosicky intercepts it and would be left one-on-one with Green, but the ball ricochets off his knee and straight through to the awaiting keeper

38mins

West Ham are breaking quickly, this time through Tevez who cuts inside before striking a shot, but the sting is taken out of it by Eboue's deflection and Lehmann gathers the ball with ease

37mins

Lucas Neill slides the ball across the face of goal and Zamora comes close to connecting before Eboue nods the ball behind for a corner

35mins

Fabregas gets a shot away but smashes it high over the crossbar, provoking ironic cheers from the West Ham faithful

34mins

The atmosphere is hotting up inside the Emirates Stadium now as both sides are having good spells

33mins

West Ham pull away from Arsenal on the counter attack but Reo-Coker puts too much on the pass through to Tevez, allowing Lehmann to rush out and smother the ball

31mins

Rosicky is seeing a lot of the ball today and lets fly again, this time forcing a wonder save from Green

29mins

West Ham have managed to get a little breathing space now and are enjoying a little more possession than they were keeping in the opening stages of the game where the home side were dominant.

27mins

Adebayour runs at goal on the counter attack before sliding the ball into the path of Fabregas, but a sliding challenge from Bowyer knocks it away from danger.

25mins

Etherington crosses looking for the height of Zamora but the ball is too high and Arsenal regain possession.

24mins

Tevez is on the move now and is slowly working himself into the game. He tries to take on Gael Clichy but is stopped in his tracks.

22mins

Kolo Toure sets the ball up for Rosicky who curls the ball towards the bottom corner from 25-yards and is inches away from giving Arsenal the lead

20mins

Lee Bowyer gets a sight of goal and tries his luck from just outside the area and though he finds the target, does not do enough to trouble Lehmann

19mins

Carlos Tevez takes the free-kick and drills it into the mixer, but Jens Lehmann leaps and catches the ball in very eccentric fashion

18mins

West Ham attack in the shape of Etherington down the left flank, before he is brought down by Eboue.

16mins

It is one way traffic at the moment and, like knife through butter, find an opening again. Rosicky finds the ball at his feet inside the area but blazes his shot wide of the target

14mins

Bobby Zamora tries to free Matthew Etherington on the left flank, but the winger is stood in an offside position

12mins

Fredrik Ljungberg runs from midfield and is left one-on-one with Green and, like Fabregas, strikes the ball straight at Green. Arsenal could be three goals up already in this game had they taken their chances

11mins

Nigel Reo-Coker tries to retain possession for his side but runs into trouble in the form of Emmanuel Eboue

9mins

Emmanuel Adebayor, in a very 'Henry-like' way, pulls out to the left flank and cuts inside before striking a shot goal-wards, but does not make the required connection with the ball to trouble Green

7mins

Arsenal have not allowed West Ham to settle yet and look nervous in possession, which is shown as Mark Noble gives away the ball cheaply

5mins

Hleb breaks into the penalty area and throws himself to the ground looking for a penalty, but the referee waves away the protests

3mins

Tomas Rosicky breaks and runs at the defence before slipping the ball into the path of Cesc Fabregas, who should score, but his shot is straight at Green.

1mins

A mistake in the West Ham back-line leaves Alex Hleb with the chance to break, but his cross is straight into the arms of Robert Green

0mins

Referee Graham Poll gets the game underway

0mins

Nigel Quashie and Calum Davenport miss out with an ankle and foot problem respectively.

0mins

Emmanuel Eboue returns to the starting line-up after recovering from a groin injury, while Jeremie Aliadiere is on the bench after shaking off a hip problem.

Match Preview

West Ham United will be hoping Arsenal replicate the laissez-faire attitude to defending they showed in the 4-1 defeat at Liverpool when they meet at the Emirates Stadium on Saturday.

The Hammers are still clinging to the hope that they can avoid relegation to the Championship after winning their last two matches - against Blackburn Rovers and Middlesbrough - but they have a tough run-in and remain five points away from safety.

However, the Gunners appear to already have one eye on their summer holidays although they are by no means guaranteed a top-four spot.

They have won only two of their last nine matches in all competitions and lost their last two Premiership games - at Everton and Anfield.

The debacle at Liverpool was Arsenal's seventh defeat in the Premiership this term, although they remain unbeaten in their 14 home games, despite their habit of conceding the first goal in matches at the Emirates Stadium.

Arsene Wenger's side have been troubled by injuries throughout the campaign and that remains the case with Thierry Henry sidelined for the rest of the season with groin and stomach muscle injuries.

Theo Walcott has had surgery on a shoulder problem and will not play again this term while Wenger does not think Robin van Persie will return to action before the end of the campaign - the Dutchman is making slow progress from a broken metatarsal.

Gilberto Silva (hip) and Jeremie Aliadiere (foot) both missed the Liverpool defeat and are doubtful for the visit of the Hammers, but Emmanuel Eboue and Gael Clichy shook off ankle and hamstring problems respectively to feature at Anfield.

West Ham will be without Dean Ashton (broken ankle) for the rest of the season while Matthew Upson continues to struggle with a calf problem.

Earlier in the campaign at Upton Park, a last-gasp Marlon Harewood goal helped West Ham complete a shock 1-0 win against Wenger's side while last term at Highbury, the Gunners slumped to a 3-2 defeat.


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Match Report

West Ham were the last team to beat Arsenal at Highbury and became the first to inflict defeat on the Gunners at their new home when a Bobby Zamora goal just seconds before the half-time whistle was enough to secure the win.

West Ham owed a lot to their goalkeeper Robert Green and the frame of the goal for 'keeping Arsenal out.

West Ham's goal and win goal was distinctly against the run of play, but came after Kolo Toure allowed Zamora too much space to run on to a ball over the top to then lob Jens Lehmann.

The Gunners had begun brightly and should have been 3-0 up within the first eight minutes. Cesc Fabregas, with the odds in his favour having been put through on goal by a clever Tomas Rosicky pass saw his shot parried by Robert Green after two minutes.

Within two minutes of that effort Emmanuel Adebayor shook off his markers to burst in to the left side of the area but directed his shot too close to the keeper. The same player was again through three minutes later, this time in a central position but his shot sailed high over the bar.

West Ham again had their keeper to that on 11 minutes when Fredrik Ljungberg sprung the visitors off-side trap and out-paced Anton Ferdinand into the Hammers' penalty area but found Green out quickly to block his route.

Arsenal were spurning one chance after the other. It was Rosicky's turn on 15 minutes. He arrived late into the box having been teed up for a shot from the edge of the area, but his effort flew high and wide of the left upright, when a goal looked the more likely outcome.

West Ham for their part were playing on the break, but seldom threatened Jens Lehman, although the German keeper had to be alive to a curling Carlos Tevez free-kick on the quarter hour.

The pace of the game settled a touch after then, but Rosicky went close on 25 minutes when a Toure free-kick was charged down and the ball fell at the feet of the Czech international. Rosicky curling shot across goal from the left edge of the area had Green scampering, but the West Ham keeper was relieved to see them ball fly just wide of the right post.

Rosicky was beginning to find his range and had it not been for Green being at his sharpest, the midfielder's fierce shot from the right on the half hour would have been a certain goal. The keeper however, threw his body in the way of the viciously swerving shot to block its path to goal.

Fabregas then tried his luck with a dipping 25-yarder that Green got back for to pluck from the air just before it crossed the line.

West Ham's first notable shot, apart from the goal, came on 37 minutes from Tevez, whose jinking run on the left side of the area took a deflection that killed it's velocity allowing Lehmann to gather with ease.

The Gunners began the second half with renewed purpose, but Green was again on hand to deny the Gunners when he made a finger-tip save from Gilberto's shot from the right side of the area just seven minutes after the re-start.

Green made the save of the game just after 55 minutes when he denied Adebayor with a header from point-blank range.

Five minutes later it was the frame of the goal that denied Fabregas having beaten Green with a 20-yard drive. Then a minute later Gilberto's header in front of goal fell just wide.

Arsene Wenger introduced Jeremie Aliadiere and Julio Baptista in the hope of boosting Arsenal's firepower. In the end, it was not enough.

With the minutes ticking away, the frame of the goal saved the Hammers again when Gilberto's shot on 85 minutes struck the right upright.

With just two minutes of regular time to play, Louis Boa Morte was through and rounded the keeper, but his shot rolled across the face of the goal.

Arsenal

West Ham United

Corners

141

Fouls

1015

Goal attempts

296

Shots off target

121

Offsides

04

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