Match Reports

The Player's Lounge Post-match Interviews by Pier-Luigi Giganti		Player & Tactics Analysis
Reports from:	The Sunday Telegraph by Steve Curry	The Sunday Times by Chris Lightbown		The Guardian by Tom Watt

Ray Bateup's Report Plucky Palace, prised their second home point of the season from the Premiership leaders in front of a 26,108 crowd this afternoon - the second sell-out of the season so far. Where Palace couldn't compete with skill, they more than made up for with spirit. Because, without doubt, this was probably Palace's best home performance of the season and, arguably, better than their away performances to date. The downbeat, pre-match discussion, in my particular area of the Holmesdale Stand at least, centred on just how many goals we could limit Arsenal to when you bear in mind the the defeats that the Gunners have inflicted on other sides this season. And, looking down the Arsenal teamsheet just prior to the match you could be forgiven for dreading the worst. An attacking line-up that included Dennis Bergkamp, Ian Wright and the electric Boa Morte tended to give one that awful pit-of-the-stomach feeling that all Palace fans have come to know so well over the years. However, Coppell's game plan worked superbly and a match, that most of us had earmarked as a possible defeat, turned into a victory of sorts. Palace made it quite clear early-on that Arsenal were not going to get a walk-over when Attilio Lombardo placed a 25 yard drive just over the bar. Kevin Miller, in the seventh minute, was well placed to block a Tony Adams header and Shipperley, at the other end somehow misplayed a fine Dean Gordon cross six minutes later. Palace survived a vociferous penalty appeal when Boa Morte was felled just inside the area and Ian Wright, obviously incensed by the referee's decision, was eventually yellow carded for persistent dissent - one of 5 bookings collected by the Gunners during the match. A low 20th minute drive from Simon Rodger didn't trouble the England keeper David Seaman too much, nor did Shipperley's cross-shot moments later. The underlying resentment by the Arsenal players at the earlier penalty denial turned the match into a niggly, bad tempered affair at times and it frequently looked as though it might boil-over into something more serious. Ivano Bonetti A short Debut Photo © Neil Everitt Andy Linighan's name went into the book for a foul - Palace's only booking of the match - but the referee maintained a tight disciplinary stance and the danger passed. On 33 minutes a good cross by Shipperley was fluffed by Rodger but Palace were pushing forward purposefully, if not effectively. In the dying moments of the first half Kevin Miller pulled off a fine save to prevent Ian Wright from adding to his impressive, record-breaking haul of goals and, then again, easily denied the prolific Bergkamp to give Palace a well-deserved parity at the whistle. Tempers had been clearly contained for the second half and the Premiership leaders began to take steady possession of the ball. Ian Wright, in one of his typical runs at the defence, had a shot blocked before Palace regained their composure and more Arsenal names went into the book including that of Dennis Bergkamp who now faces a 3-match ban having collected his 5th booking of the season. A 63rd minute Ian Wright snap-shot was grabbed by Kevin Miller and at the other end Paul Warhurst's effort was taken by Seaman. George Ndah replaced the battling Warhurst on 69 minutes but the substitution had little effect - with Ndah's first touch constantly letting him, and the side, down. Although having a good game at sweeper, Andy Roberts made an error that almost let the North London side in for their opening goal but Miller responded well to spare his blushes. Andy Linighan keeps David Platt out Photo © Neil Everitt During the final 20 minutes Ray Parlour and Bergkamp, for Arsenal, came close and Kevin Miller dived bravely at the feet of Viera to deny him a goal. Ian Wright, who had enjoyed so much success against Palace in previous encounters, blazed a shot over the bar - much to the delight of the Palace faithful - before Palace trialist Ivano Bonnetti replaced the injured Lombardo with 5 minutes remaining and the 33 year-old did enough, in the limited time available, to warrant another outing. But it was in the 89th minute when Palace were denied a spot kick that might have secured all 3 points when George Ndah was hauled down in the area by the David Seaman. However, honours-even is how it finished and Palace were very good value for their point thoroughly deserving their standing ovation at the final whistle for a job well-done. Like Leicester last year, Palace clearly demonstrated today that they do possess the battling qualities that, if repeated regularly throughout the rest of this season, might very well keep them in the Premiership and in a respectable mid-table position. But there lies the rub. It's all very well snatching a point off the league leaders - as welcome as that is - but can they produce a similar performance, week in, week out, against the sides that reside in the lower echelons of the table where it really matters ? The answer may become apparent when Palace take on Sheffield Wednesday at Hillsborough next Saturday. Ray Bateup   Ray Bateup's Report Report from The Sunday Telegraph by Steve Curry Bergkamp books three-match suspension ARSENAL maintained their position as Premiership leaders at Crystal Palace yesterday but at a cost, Dennis Bergkamp collecting his fifth booking of the season and with it a suspension, for another act of petulance. The Dutch striker now misses away games at Derby County and Sheffield Wednesday but, possibly more significantly, the home game against Manchester United at Highbury on Sunday, November 9. Arsenal remain unbeaten this season but will reflect on this derby as one of their less distinguished performances, scrappy and often petulant with their discipline generally far too loose. Palace, back-door entrants into the Premiership via the play-offs, are still feeling the draught, and were seeking their first home win at their fifth attempt. Only one of their 11 points before kick-off had been collected from their home fixtures and in the circumstances Arsenal were hardly the most accommodating of visitors. They crossed London with a swagger, the last team in the Premiership still to be beaten, the division's top scorers with 27 at the start of play and quite comfortable, thank you, at the head of the pack. As hard to beat as ever, with Tony Adams and Steve Bould looking characteristically reliable, they had won two and drawn three of their five games away from Highbury. Add to those statistics the fact that Palace have beaten Arsenal only once here, in 1979, and the Palace players might have been excused for seeking refuge among the rows of Sainsbury's supermarket shelves behind the White Horse Lane stand. Steve Coppell resisted any temptation to plunge his new Italian signing, Ivano Bonetti, the former Grimsby Town and Tranmere Rovers player, straight into the derby atmosphere, relying instead on the forces who eventually succumbed to Manchester United two weeks ago. Palace started optimistically enough, or at least their balding general Attilio Lombardo did, his 30-yard shot rising over the crossbar. It would have had to be good to beat David Seaman from that distance. Bergkamp, the player of the season so far whoever you support, showed his technical perfection in controlling a ball from waist height and then crossing it with just the right weight, Ian Wright's leap unfortunately unsighting the waiting recipient, Adams. While Arsenal are now capable of some sublime football, there remains in them a worrying streak of malevolence. It surfaced in the 15th minute with a sneaky trip by Patrick Vieira from behind on Lombardo as he embarked on one of those leggy runs that characterise his play. The Frenchman argued with referee Steve Dunn that it was accidental but it did not prevent him being cautioned. Wright then stupidly took up the cause, berating the referee with the inevitable outcome that he, too, was booked. Time to see the psychiatrist again. Bergkamp then had a spat with Andy Roberts, who felt he had taken a dive in the penalty area, the pair of them sparring before Wright intervened, this time as peacemaker. Palace, however, were obliged to defend deeply, more often than not with five men across the back, effective if occasionally unorthodox. This, in turn, restricted their own attacking options to smart breakaways down the flank, though Seaman remained the least employed of the 22 players in the first half. Wright at last got into a favoured shooting position two minutes from half-time only for Kevin Miller to block his first shot. Given a second attempt, the Arsenal striker hit a defender, the ball flying for a corner. As frustrations increased in the second half referee Dunn, who had booked 18 players and sent off one in his three previous games, now claimed the name of Luis Boa Morte for a clumsy challenge on Marc Edworthy, a signal for Arsene Wenger to withdraw the Portuguese winger and send on David Platt. It was then Bergkamp's turn to be booked, this a much more significant yellow card. He had been conducting a dialogue with Dunn throughout the game and finally the referee's patience was exhausted. Steve Curry   Ray Bateup's Report Report from The Sunday Times by Chris Lightbown Palace guard keeps out the top Gunners CRYSTAL PALACE fought this match like a guerilla war and thoroughly deserved their point. The longer it went on, the more it seemed they might snatch three from Arsenal. In any event, a somewhat questionable booking will snatch Dennis Bergkamp away from Arsenal for three matches. Bergkamp was one of five Arsenal players booked and will miss their games away to Derby and Sheffield Wednesday and at home to Manchester United. Arsene Wenger felt many of the tackles Bergkamp endured were unfair and that Palace's physical approach had helped reduce Arsenal to a shadow of their power during the second half. It was hard to agree. Bergkamp was certainly avidly marked, usually by Hermann Hreidarsson, and Palace were certainly quick into the tackle. But they were not dirty and arguably instigated fewer flare-ups than did Wenger's men. The first corner, shot and chance were all Arsenal's, But Palace were playing Andy Roberts as a sweeper behind a resilient four-man defence in which Hreidarsson was outstanding. About halfway through the first half, the gridlock they imposed on Arsenal started to annoy Bergkamp and Ian Wright. Wright was booked for muttering at the referee and Bergkamp ranted at Mr Dunn for fully two minutes about this and, surprisingly, was not booked as well. When he was, it appeared that he had done no more than bump into one Palace man too many in a congested patch. Some of his frustration was understandable, though. When Hreidarsson was not blocking or at least diminishing much of Bergkamp's wonderful work, Andy Linighan was. In the 34th minute, for instance, Hreidarsson went leaning into Bergkamp, in what appeared to be a quite clean manner. But Mr Dunn awarded Arsenal a free kick. But, by now, Bergkamp was beginning to be affected by his marking and he sent the ball long towards Steve Bould, who could do nothing with it. Throughout the first half, Palace flicked, passed or plain shovelled the ball onto Attilio Lombardo, who brought it down with the grace of a ballet dancer on a shop floor. After 33 minutes, Neil Shipperley was finally able to head a ball down towards Simon Rodger and, for a moment, Arsenal's solid defence wavered. The moment passed and with it Palace's best chance. Ten minutes later, Arsenal eked out another opportunity, with Wright cutting into Kevin Miller's penalty area and picking his moment to shoot. Miller pushed his shot out, Wright latched on to the rebound and his strike hit Hreidarsson for a corner in spite of Wright's hand-ball appeal. Wright, like Bergkamp, was getting edgy as he, too, was getting nowhere. It continued that way until the end. Bergkamp finally managed one of his acutely-threaded passes towards Wright. But Marc Edworthy and Roberts latched on to Wright before he could latch on to the ball. Palace were visibly growing in confidence and late on sensed they could win. As the match progressed Arsenal were reduced to slowing down, hanging on and trying to block some of the stuff Roberts and Edworthy ­ to take just two of Palace's supermen ­ were unleashing from the fortress that was their penalty area. Palace had made their point. Chris Lightbown   Ray Bateup's Report Report from The Guardianby Tom Watt Palace guard draw Gunners’ fire A lovely cloudless afternoon, and Selhurst Park just about full. Unfortunately, the sunny tones finished there. Palace, all grit, pulled off a moral victory, rapturously received by the home crowd, in this battle of Premiership haves and have-nots. Arsenal stay top but had an unhappy afternoon - no goals and five bookings, including one which earned Bergkamp a three-match suspension. That old cliché about sticking with a winning team, it’s fair to say, passed its quote-by date some time ago. It was fairly remarkable, nonetheless, that Arsène Wenger fielded only two players here who had featured against Birmingham in mid-week, and those - Grimandi and Boa Morte - started here only because of injuries to Dixon and Overmars. What wouldn’t Steve Coppell give for the luxury of comparable strength in depth? Palace, instead, were just relieved that Lombardo and Roberts proved fit to face Arsenal. Given the manager’s budget, the Italian and the club captain have been irreplaceable so far during a nervous first couple of months back in the Premiership. Whatever the riches in reserve, however, Palace’s XI more than matched Arsenal’s for much of a fractious game. Conceding possession until Arsenal crossed half-way, Rodger, Fullarton and Lombardo then fastened on to the man with the ball as if their lives depended on it. Further forward, Wright and Bergkamp became increasingly frustrated, Roberts picking them off remorselessly. Wright, indeed, was fortunate to see out the first half. Booked for dissent earlier on, his ugly late lunge on Hreidarsson went somehow unnoticed by referee Dunn. It was almost half-time before Miller, in the Palace goal, had a save to make, from a snapshot by Wright after Linighan had failed to stop the Arsenal man’s run into the area. By then, with wing-backs Edworthy and Gordon adventurous on the counter, Palace had created half chances themselves for Shipperley, twice, and Warhurst, only to find Adams and Seaman as alert and resolute as they had been, in rather more glamorous surroundings, last weekend. Goals looked about as likely as rain. Immediately after the break, Arsenal flickered with a little more urgency. Wright was unfortunate to see his shot cannon off the ubiquitous Roberts after a darting, tumbling run had taken him into the six-yard box. Boa Morte and Parlour then fluffed a volley each from good positions in the course of a single attack. Soon, though, it was back to this game’s basics: Arsenal pressing, Palace resisting, the rest of us trying to stay awake in the sunshine. Bergkamp curled a 25-yarder just wide, Miller saved bravely at the feet of Vieira, and Petit missed the one clear opportunity of the half, mis-cueing from 12 yards when set up by Bergkamp and Wright. Palace managed a single threatening moment after half-time, a deflected shot by Shipperley tipped round at full stretch by Seaman. Steve Coppell, however, will have been heartened by the work rate and concentration in Palace’s defensive performance. His counterpart will probably rue the loss of two points rather less than he will Bergkamp’s fifth booking of the season. Collected on the hour, it makes Arsenal’s - and Wenger’s - most highly prized asset unavailable against Derby, Manchester United and Sheffield Wednesday next month. Tom Watt   Ray Bateup's Report More Newswire Reports