28 December 2008: Arsenal 1 Portsmouth 0.
The game left Arsenal unbeaten in December, but with only six goals from five games, there were considerable concerns. The match itself was not very good (as you can read in the Gf60 review below), but it was part of a 21 match unbeaten run.
Here’s Arsenal’s run up to the game:
- 30 November 2008: Chelsea 1 Arsenal 2
- 6 December 2008: Arsenal 1 Wigan 0
- 13 December 2008: Middlesbrough 1 Arsenal 1
- 21 December 2008: Arsenal 1 Liverpool 1
- 26 December 2008: Aston Villa 2 Arsenal 2
- 28 December 2008: Arsenal 1 Portsmouth 0
Below is the commentary from the time
Arsenal Portsmouth 1-0
To all those people who for whatever reason were unable to get into Ashburton and/or who’s TV was on the blink with no other feed available and/or had to work today and/or just missed the game….you have no idea how jealous I am.
If anything this was more painful than the Man City game. Underhit passes, overhit passes, all mixed up with passes that were merely diabolically off course, whilst playing against a side more bereft of confidence than we are was not the way to usher out 2008. In fact 2008 has been a totally poxy year when overviewed as a whole. Some good football, very occasionally wonderful, more than shadowed by some awful injuries and some ghastly
defeats.
This almost embarrassing win, (my word, a 1-0 to the Arsenal that this old bugger finds embarrassing??) sums up the year almost perfectly. “Almost” being the right word…had Mr Woodwork not defended well again…”perfectly” would have been more appropriate.
But it did show one thing. TA for all his brilliance as a Gooner, is more obstinate than AW. How he left Defoe on the bench for all of 87 minutes is someting for which we can only be grateful. One would have thought that he would have learnt from watching the Villa game last week just how vulnerable our central defence is against pace. In defence of AW, it has to be assumed that RvP was nursing an injury as that useless lump of Danish ham playing in
his place would have been far more suited to appearing on a dining room table with an apple in its mouth. Not quite sure what you put in a Togonator’s mouth as he was little better.
One thing for certain about today’s game…Alex Song was our best midfielder on view…sitting in the stands with the other casualties.
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The unbeaten run did include some further low points – like four successive 0-0 draws in the league – and some highs like Arshavin’s four goal game against Liverpool on 21 April 2009. The run ended on 10 May 2009 with a 1-4 defeat to Chelsea.
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