• Date: Sat 24 November 2007
  • Venue: Emirates Stadium
  • Ref: Walton, P
  • Attendance: 60,126
Arsenal

Arsenal

Gallas (83)

Rosicky (86)

2 - 0

Arsenal vs Wigan Athletic

Team Lineups

Arsenal

Manuel Almunia
Gael Clichy
William Gallas
Bacary Sagna
Kolo Toure, K
Emmanuel Eboue (Da Silva Eduardo, 68)
Tomas Rosicky
Lassana Diarra, L
Pereira Neves Denilson
Theo Walcott (Nicklas Bendtner, 79)
Emmanuel Adebayor

Wigan Athletic

Mike Pollitt
Paul Scharner (Josip Skoko, 90)
Salomon Olembe (Emile Heskey, 68)
Emmerson Boyce
Andreas Granqvist
Titus Bramble
Kevin Kilbane
Denny Landzaat
Jason Koumas
Michael Brown
Marcus Bent (Antoine Sibierski, 84)


Live Text Commentary
Full time
 

Peter Walton blows the whistle for full time and Arsenal luckily take the three points

88

Jason Koumas see's his curling effort from just outside the area sail past Almunia's far post

86

Wigan don't deserve to be two-nil down and the score line does not reflect their performance today

84
Goal
 

ARSENAL 2 - 0 WIGAN: (ROSICKY) Nicklas Bendter did well to find Rosicky who drilled the ball off the post and into the back of the net to get Arsenal a second inside two minutes

83
Goal
 

ARSENAL 1 - 0 WIGAN: (GALLAS) William Gallas came to save the day and got his head to the ball to put Arsenal ahead

81

Wigan have defended resilliantly today and deserve at least a point from the game

79
Substitution
 

Nicklas Bendter does replace Theo Walcott

77

Nicklas Bendter is warming up and could be coming on to try and steal the three points from his ex-managers new club

74

Emile Heskey got out of jail after he looked to have fouled Theo Walcott and deserved a booking, but the striker escaped

72

Adebayor found space as he advanced towards the goal and fired a fierce shot towards the goal, but it was always rising and flew over the bar

69
Yellow Card
 

Emile Heskey is booked, like Gallas, for his part in the incident

69
Yellow Card
 

William Gallas is booked for his part in the altercation surrounding Bent's tackle

67
Yellow Card
 

Marcus Bent is booked for a very dangerous tackle after Arsenal surrounded the referee and complained about the tackle

66
Substitution
 

Emmanuel Eboue is replaced by Eduardo Da Silva

65

Denilson did well to get round the back of Wigan and whip a ball into the penalty area for Marcus Bent to almost turn into his own net

63

A great ball down the line from Bacary Sagna played in Theo Walcott who forced a magnificent save from Mike Pollitt in the Wigan goal

61

Emmanuel Adebayor pulled a right footed volley out of nowhere which he struck from just outside the area, but it flew about a foot over the bar

59

Marcus Bent almost put Wigan ahead after he capitalised on a mistake by William Gallas, but Gallas got back and just did enough to put Bent off from firing his shot wide of the mark

57

Great football from Arsenal to set-up Emmanuel Adebayor only for Emmerson Boyce to make a superb last ditch tackle and take the ball away from the striker before he pulled the trigger

54

Denny Landzaat is lucky not to have gone in the referee's notebook after a series of fouls and will have to be careful from now on

52
Yellow Card
 

Andreas Granqvist is booked for a foul on Rosicky

50

Denny Landzaat commits a careless foul on Lassana Diarra in the middle of the park and Denilson failed to make the most of the free kick

49

Jason Koumas played a lovely ball over the top for Emmerson Boyce to chase down but Gael Clichy did well to shield the ball out for a goal kick

47

Michael Brown saw his long range effort fall straight into the hands of Manuel Almunia as he looked to do something special to get Wigan a goal

Second half
 

Arsenal get the game back underway as they look to break the deadlock against Wigan

Half time
 

Peter Walton blows the whistle for half time

44

Frank Barlow and the on-watching Steve Bruce will be pleased by their teams performance with them doing well to contain Arsenal at the Emirates

42

Michael Brown will have to be careful after already recieiving a yellow card from Peter Walton, and has just been warned for the last time for a late tackle on Rosicky

40

Adebayor is suprisingly, once again caught offside with Wigan playing an excellent line at the back

38

Emmanuel Adebayor caught offside once again for Arsenal with a careless miss-timed run in behind Titus Bramble

36

Paul Scharner found space just outside the penalty area but fired a shot wide of the mark from twenty yards

35

Kolo Toure made a needless foul on Bent out on the touchline and give away a free kick which Kevin Kilbane wasted

32

Wigan went straight up the other end on the attack with Emerson Boyce advancing down the right who crossed it in for Marcus Bent, but Bent couldn't keep his effort down and no doubt missed a golden chance for Wigan

31

Walcott once again in the thick of the action, this time with great build up play for Arsenal as he played the ball accross the face of goal for Emmanuel Eboue who miss-hit the ball and failed to put the ball in the back of the net

29

Theo Walcott twisted and turned past Olembe and found a yard to get his shot off, but it went just past Pollitt's upright

27

Denilson commits a needless foul on Wigan's captain for the day Kevin Kilbane, and is warned by Peter Walton

25

Denilson ran onto the ball and drilled a right footed shot towards goal, but Titus Bramble just did enough to put him off and the ball flew wide of the mark

23

Tomas Rosicky wastes another corner for Arsenal which goes straight into the safe hands of Mike Pollitt

21

A superb save from Mike Pollitt after some great football from Adebayor who returned passes with Walcott and the Togan tried to place the ball into the corner only for Pollitt to turn it away for a corner

19

Marcus Bent is caught offside by the linesman after Landzaat tried to find a pass through the Arsenal defence

17

Tomas Rosicky is warned about his future conduct by the referee after a late tackle on Olembe

15

Lassana Diarra fires a volley over the crossbar for Arsenal which was a very ambitious effort

14
Yellow Card
 

Michael Brown is booked for a very late tackle on William Gallas

11

Paul Scharner perhaps should have done better for Wigan after he rose for a free header eight yards out from goal, but the midfielder put the ball wide of the post

9

Theo Walcott got down the side of the box for Arsenal and played the ball accross the penalty area where Adebayor was waiting, but Titus Bramble made an important intervention for Wigan

7

The huge figure of Emmanuel Adebayor is dubiously flagged offside by the linesman

5

Tomas Rosicky picked the ball up out wide and curled a nice ball into the penalty area but Mike Pollitt came and collected comfortably

4

Arsenal win their first corner of the game which is cleared by Marcus Bent at the front post for Wigan

2

Denilson commits the first foul of the game for Arsenal, bringing down Salomon Olembe on half way

1
Kickoff
 

Wigan get the game underway at the Emirates Stadium

Awaiting Kickoff
 

Referee: Peter Walton (Northamptonshire)

Awaiting Kickoff
 

Emile Heskey has to settle for a place on the bench despite fully recovering from injury, Mike Pollitt replaces Chrik Kirkland in goal and Antoine Sibierski also has to settle for a place on the bench

Awaiting Kickoff
 

Arsenal start with Denilson and Lassan Diarra in centre midfield as they are without Cesc Fabregas (suspension), Alex Hleb (Hamstring), Gilberto (Fatigue) and Abou Diaby (Back). They are still without Robin Van Persie, so Theo Walcott starts up front

Awaiting Kickoff
 

Wigan Line-up: Pollitt, Boyce, Granqvist, Bramble, Kilbane, Brown, Scharner, Landzaat, Olembe, Koumas, Bent

Awaiting Kickoff
 

Arsenal Line-up: Almunia, Sagna, Toure, Gallas, Clichy, Eboue, Denilson, Diarra, Rosicky, Adebayor, Walcott