Misery for Arsenal

Arsenal slumped to a disappointing 5th place in the Premiership after a poor showing at Bramall Lane against a determined and resilient Sheffield United side who grabbed a shock 40th minute lead and grimly hung onto it, even after a groin injury to goalkeeper Paddy Kenny left skipper Phil Jagielka holding the fort for a third of the game. And what made matters even more dispiriting for Gunners fans is that throughout that time he had only one serious save to make.

No-one would have expected that on the evidence of the first ten minutes, because Arsenal had started brightly and might have been two or three goals up against a Sheffield United side that was clearly apprehensive. But after Kenny had saved well from Tomas Rosicky and Gilberto’s downward header from a Van Persie corner had bounced over the bar, Neil Warnock’s boys steadily grew in confidence as Arsenal gradually lost their way.

Then in the 40th minute Kolo Toure, usually so dependable at the back for Arsenal, made his second major error in successive games when he allowed Christian Nade, a summer free transfer signing from modest French club Le Havre, to power past him before sliding the ball calmly past the advancing Jens Lehmann.

It should have been the signal for an Arsenal revival, particularly after the second half injury which deprived United of their goalkeeper for 30 minutes, but in all honesty Arsenal were so ragged that the revival never materialised and Arsene Wenger’s routine post match comments about “spirit” and “giving everything” masked a degree of disappointment and dissatisfaction which he would not choose to express in public.

This was always going to be a difficult game between two sides hit by illness and injury, but in those circumstances it is reasonable to expect the greater depth of Arsenal’s squad to be decisive. It wasn’t. Apart from one superb pass, Jeremie Aliadiere did nothing to justify a future at the club. Tomas Rosicky, usually so brilliant, had a wretched game. Baptista, inexplicably banished to the left flank, rarely looked dangerous. Hoyte and Flamini endorsed the popular view that they are no more than squad players. Robin Van Persie was industrious, but all too often threatened to squander the self-control he has worked so hard to acquire. And even the late introduction of Cesc Fabregas merely underlined the fact that the young genius is in desperate need of a rest.

That left the dependable Lehmann, a solid performance from Senderos and Clichy, Kolo Toure whose game was marred by one expensive lapse and a massive contribution as ever from Gilberto Silva, who continues to give the impression that he is made for the job of Arsenal skipper on a permanent basis. Unfortunately it also deprived the club of third place, ended a six game unbeaten run and left the Gunners 17 points behind leaders Manchester United.