Arsenal sends a shot across the bow at Carling Cup
What is really sad about today’s Carling Cup final is that it will probably get more ink about the brawl at the end than for the quality of the game. Which is a shame, especially if you are a fan of Arsenal because it was an incredible show by a bunch of kids.
The young gunners did fans proud today, not just holding their own but pushing to the limit the Chelsea A team. Cesc Fabregas and Denilson ruled the midfield early in the game and, if it wasn’t for the heroics of Peter Cech and some excellent defending by Ricardo Carvalho, Arsenal would be hoisting the silverware tonight.
But full credit to Chelsea, who seemed to have a fire lit under them after seeing their skipper John Terry (a surprise start) knocked (unintentionally) unconscious by the boot Arsenal defender Abou Diaby. Terry fell to the ground, swallowed his tongue and was unconscious for about a minute. Watching their skipper being carried off the field with a brace around his neck must have brought back memories of Peter Cech’s boot to the head last October that took him out of the Chelsea lineup for 3 months.
With tons of extra stoppage time due to Terry’s injury, Arsenal might have staged a late comeback and got the equalizer. But then, early in stoppage, everything went silly. Mikel and Toure had words, then exchanged punches. Players got involved, then Wenger and Mourinho. When the dust settled three red cards were flashed to Mikel, Toure and Adebayor. Fabregas and Frank Lampard were shown yellow, and any momentum Arsenal had hoped to build for a final assault was gone.
All in all, this game once again proves how bright the future is for Arsenal. Seeing Theo Walcott blast past Carvalho to score the first goal, watching Denilson and Fabergas dominate a midfield against superstars like Ballack, Lampard, and Makelele. If the rest of the league has been slow to see the potential of this Arsenal squad, then today’s performance, despite the lose, should be a huge wake up call that Arsenal are going to be a force for many years to come. Hell, even Jose Mourinho thinks so.
“It was difficult, Arsenal played a very good game in my opinion. They showed the reason why they arrived at this game. They beat Liverpool, Everton and Tottenham with this team and they have a great football team”
