Fulham 0 – 3 Arsenal: Defenders Marking Adebayor Should Bring Stilts
Add comment January 20th, 2008
After the draw against Birmingham, we responded in style yesterday with one of our most commanding performances of the season.
If you listened to me on Friday’s Arsecast, you would’ve heard me talk about the possibility of taking advantage of Fulham’s height deficit. So it proved, with the 6’3″ Emmanuel Adebayor nodding two excellent headers to take his tally to fifteen league goals this season.
It’s a significant landmark, and further proof that the Togolese striker’s broad shoulders can handle the burden of goalscoring responsibility.
The first came from a Gael Clichy cross (with Arsene noting in this piece that the left-back’s previously wayward crossing is improving), and the second from an excellent ball from Aleksandr Hleb, who made a very impressive return to form.
Perhaps the upturn in Adebayor’s goalscoring form is to do with his improved positional play. Arsene says:
“He loves to play. Sometimes he loves to play so much that he is not where he needs to be on the crosses. He likes to touch the ball and that drags him out from where he can be lethal. Today his focussed more to be central. That is where he is more dangerous. He has an unbelievable jump and his timing on crosses was right today. He hangs in the air and today he proved you don’t have to head it very hard to score.”
The second half was a fairly relaxed outing for Arsenal. In fact, we were so in control that Arsene didn’t feel the need to make any substitutions – perhaps suggesting that none of those who played yesterday will face Spurs on Tuesday. We did grab a late third – Eduardo fired a cross into the box, and the arriving Tomas Rosicky slid in an excellent seventh goal of the season.
Granted, Fulham were pretty dire defensively, but this was the kind of convincing victory we really needed. The youngsters will go to Spurs on Tuesday and give it their best, before a mouth-watering FA Cup tie with Kevin Keegan’s Newcastle.
It could be a very interesting week.
