Arsenal v Southampton 23-09-1995

The Free Football Library

Watch Arsenal v Southampton 23-09-1995 - The Free Football Library on Dailymotion

Transcript

00:00Arsenal are quick to credit him with creating 75% of their nine goals.

00:05And there's relief that the irrepressible Ian Wright continues to do what the Dutchman can't.

00:09He's got five of them.

00:12Well, David Platt is still missing from Arsenal's team following a cartilage operation,

00:16but he aims to be back to face Leeds in October.

00:19Arsenal's only two team changes this season were both because of injury,

00:23but they've made a tactical change today.

00:25John Jensen is dropped to substitute and Martin Keown comes back in to do a tight marking job on Matthew Letizia

00:32that he's done very effectively in past meetings.

00:37Letizia continues to shoulder a disproportionate responsibility for Southampton's performances.

00:42He's scored five of their eight goals.

00:45But Gordon Watson is added to the attack after a spell kicking his heels as a substitute

00:50as Southampton try today to take the pressure off Neil Shipley up front.

00:55Robbie Hart of Darlington is the referee and at kick-off the portents for a high-scoring game aren't good.

01:05Arsenal have the tightest defence in all four divisions, only two goals conceded.

01:09Southampton haven't scored an away league goal, but maybe it'll all be different here at Highland.

01:15There's Leeds Dixon, Arsenal have worked it out from their own penalty area very neatly.

01:20Here's Merson!

01:25He dragged it wide, but it might have been one apiece and we've not yet played three minutes.

01:31But an attack which said everything about Arsenal and quality.

01:38Chris passing, finding players and only Merson's finish letting them down.

01:44Here's Ray Fala looking for Merson.

01:52They tried to let it go, Jason Dodd, and it didn't.

01:57Here's Bergkamp from long range.

02:00And well wide, it nearly hit the corner flag.

02:04He's got the defenders back peddling.

02:06Well, the shots are raining in on goal.

02:12And Bessent getting airborne.

02:15Couldn't have known whether that would be in or out.

02:17It was just wide of the post.

02:21Here's Ian Wright.

02:22Moncow got their first corner.

02:26And Ian Wright, oh he's, well, goodness me.

02:29Ian Wright lashed out ridiculously then.

02:32But I don't really think there was anything unfair about Moncow's challenge.

02:37But he's really incensed about it.

02:40And what will Robbie Hart make of that?

02:46Although Ian Wright was on the floor and on his back,

02:48it did appear that he tried to aim a kick at Moncow.

02:53When the dust settles, it will be a corner.

02:56And Robbie Hart has seen nothing that requires disciplinary action.

03:01Merson to take it.

03:03Keown's there.

03:04Here's Adams.

03:06Merson, with time to pick someone out.

03:11Off the line!

03:14And Merson will plant it back in again.

03:18It's another corner.

03:19And Southampton are under pressure.

03:24Southampton squeezing that one from off their own goal line.

03:27And I don't think it was Besant.

03:28It was the defender on the foot of the post.

03:31That's tight.

03:33Too tight.

03:36Helders free.

03:38The defenders won't get to him.

03:39Just Besant to beat.

03:40And therein lies Arsenal's problems.

03:45The miss by Helder in the end will overshadow a terrific bit of football by Bergkamp.

03:54It was a marvellous back header, quite deliberately done to set Helder free.

03:58And I'm afraid the finishing here is woeful.

04:03Just steadies himself a bit longer.

04:05Bergkamp on the volley!

04:06You'd think Arsenal have won the league and the FA Cup in one moment.

04:19And I bet they can hear the cheers at Tottenham.

04:21A super volley.

04:26And after 10 hours and 46 minutes of the season, Bergkamp finally delivers.

04:40There's nobody with him.

04:42And he's chipped Besant.

04:45He had to do that, Ian Wright, because his run towards goal was very quickly going to be interrupted by a defender.

04:51And there was no other Arsenal player up with him.

04:54It was the right thing to do.

04:56But he didn't quite beat Besant.

04:59Who was backpedalling as quickly as he could.

05:10Well, Merson's gone across to take it.

05:13Adams has jogged quietly up from the back, trying to look as inconspicuous as possible.

05:18Bulls flick on, Adams!

05:21The central defenders combine for what in the end was really a simple goal.

05:28A corner to the near post.

05:30Steve Bold used his height to get the back head flick on.

05:33And Adams, really unchallenged as he met that.

05:36And so much power on it, that even though Besant got his hands to it, he couldn't push it out.

05:44And it just flew up into the roof of the net.

05:49Well, Tony Adams walks forward from his defensive positions.

05:53He hardly broke his stride and just rose to head it in.

05:56And it was as simple as that.

05:59His third goal of the season following the two that he scored in midweek.

06:03And with, well, 23, 24 minutes gone, Arsenal look in total control.

06:16Seaman waits, but you'd have to fancy Letizia from this sort of position.

06:19Oh, it took a deflection, did it?

06:22Oh, well, Watson's claiming it.

06:26It hit somebody and Gordon Watson says it was him.

06:29I think, in fairness, Letizia was trying to place it in that far corner.

06:33In fact, credit to Gordon Watson, it was a super cushioned header.

06:36Well, suddenly, Southampton would cause to believe that there may be something in the match for them, after all.

06:49Besant has to earn his corn.

06:52It was a full-blooded drive.

06:59Besant got enough on it to put it over.

07:02And corner number two.

07:03Get there first.

07:05There's no pace on it.

07:06And Keown clears it.

07:08It just needed a solid connection after the defensive slip by Arsenal.

07:14And it would have been two apiece right on the stroke of half-time.

07:18Watson just directing it wide of Seaman.

07:21But Keown just getting back.

07:26Letizia to swing it in.

07:30Moncao's there.

07:30Good header.

07:32Moncao, it's two apiece.

07:36In stoppage time at the end of the first half.

07:43And the lethal accuracy of Letizia picked out Moncao.

07:50And Seaman watched it with his arms outstretched, as if expecting there'd be a defender on that post.

07:55But there wasn't.

07:56Just watched David Seaman.

08:01He thought somebody was there.

08:04Wow, what a great first half.

08:06Not ending on a happy note for Arsenal.

08:09But an explosive first 24 minutes, in which Bergkamp got his first Arsenal goal.

08:16Parler just checking that he had as much room as he did.

08:23Gordon Watson for Southampton.

08:25Two ahead of him.

08:27Good surging run.

08:29And Shipley took it down very well.

08:31Oh, super save.

08:35Still Ian Wright.

08:36Off the woodwork.

08:41Close shave for Besant and Southampton.

08:46A super save from the Saints goalkeeper.

08:50And then the woodwork came to his rescue.

08:59Bergkamp.

09:00Oh, he's made room here.

09:07Great strike.

09:09Oh, wonderful, wonderful.

09:11Wonderful.

09:25In one afternoon, all the pressure of that transfer field.

09:30He has been lifted.

09:36It almost cracked the woodwork.

09:40Besant beaten in the air.

09:42And a super, super strike for Bergkamp's second.

09:46He doesn't get there.

09:48But Wright's had to carry it right to the corner flag.

09:50Arsenal's ball.

10:00Arsenal's ball.

10:00One count.

10:07One count.

10:08Never looked like getting to the Tissier.

10:11Here's Ian Wright.

10:13Twisting and turning.

10:15He should have teared up for Bergkamp.

10:16Oh, it's in.

10:20Wright gets number four.

10:22Besant's on the floor.

10:23And Southampton are down and out.

10:31He turned one way, then the other.

10:34Little back heel.

10:37Ben Ali didn't know which way to go.

10:39Gave himself that half a yard of space.

10:42And Arsenal are now beginning to do what they threatened to in the first half when they led 2-0.

10:52They're running away with it.

10:54No credit, Dave Besant, I think he got his fingertips to it by the Arsenal crowd.

11:05The first was good.

11:06The second was almost unbelievable.

11:11Securing Arsenal's 4-2 victory over a brave Southampton side.

Category

Transcript

Be the first to comment

Recommended