Arsenal 6 – 2 Blackburn: Fabregas masterclass prompts romp
34 comments October 6th, 2009
Arsenal 6 – 2 Blackburn (Vermaelen 17, Van Persie 33, Arshavin 37, Fabregas 57, Walcott 75, Bendtner 89)
Highlights here; Arsene’s reaction here
As I was away this weekend on the briefest of holidays, I watched this match on Monday via the magic (for it truly is) of Sky+. I could’ve been forgiven for thinking I was watching the 06/07 fixture, were it not for the new personnel and system that so stamped their authority on this game.
Defensively, there were lapses. A combination of indecisive goalkeeping from Mannone and the sun preventing Vermaelen from spotting a dropping ball led to us falling behind to an Nzonzi header, and Blackburn’s second goal was the result of a counter-attack where we were as caught out as Nicklas Bendtner was here.
Going forward, however, we were stunning. The 4-3-3 system allowed Cesc Fabregas and Abou Diaby to roam forward in support of an electrifying front three of Arshavin, Van Persie and Tomas Rosicky.
We netted six goals, each with a different scorer. Vermaelen lashed in our first from twenty five yards, before a composed Van Persie finish for his third goal in three games. Arshavin’s shot on the spin put us 3-2 ahead, before Cesc’s floating volley killed the contest. Theo Walcott came on for his first appearance of the season and rounded off a stunning counter, before the recovered Nicklas Bendtner crashed an effort in off the post with similar to force to that with which he crashed his Aston Martin into a Hertfordshire fence.
There’s a more extensive match report here, but the undoubted talking point is the stunning performance of Cesc Fabregas. He assisted or scored the first five goals (he was off the field for the sixth), and celebrated his own strike with a badge-kissing display of loyalty that was reminscent of the affection between player and club we experienced with the watching Thierry Henry.
Cesc is an outstanding player who, in conjuction with the likes of Andrey Arshavin, is capable of lifting this side to sufficient heights that joining Barcelona remains a future option rather than an immediate neccessity. Against Blackburn there signs of the team’s potential, and Arsene is adamant about the strength of their capabilities, and honest about their flaws:
“There are some strengths coming out of this team and we have to add some discipline defensively because we struggled a little bit defensively today. We looked always like we know we will score goals.”
It’s the International break now, so bask in the entertainment this win provided while you can. You’ll be spending the next week or two waiting for something to match it.
