Lacklustre Arsenal salvage home draw with Aston Villa
Nicklas Bendtner scores injury-time equaliser as Aston Villa hold Arsenal to 1-1 draw
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Saturday, 01, Mar 2008 07:51
Arsenal have held on to their place at the summit of the Premier League table after an injury-time equaliser from Nicklas Bendtner gave them a 1-1 draw with Aston Villa.
The Danish striker, a second-half substitute, stroked Emmanuel Adebayor's centre past Scott Carson with seconds to go in three minutes worth of injury time.
Earlier, error-prone Swiss defender Philippe Senderos scored the game's only other goal when he put the ball into his own net from a Gabriel Agbonlahor cross in the first half.
Although victory eluded the away side by a matter of seconds, the draw underlines Villa's resurgence under Martin O'Neill and status as genuine contenders for the fourth Champions League slot, but Arsene Wenger may be alarmed by a continued dip in his team's form.
In Arsenal's first match since the horrific injury sustained by Eduardo against Birmingham last weekend, the hosts started much the brighter.
Theo Walcott, in the starting XI in Eduardo's absence, forced Scott Carson into a smart save after a neat turn, but from then onwards the Gunners failed to find their rhythm.
Captain William Gallas, whose antics following the final whistle at St Andrews last Saturday had prompted criticism from all corners, was called into action when he slid in on Agbonlahor at full pelt with space aplenty to run into behind the Frenchman.
The England under-21 international was to get the better of Gallas' defensive partner Senderos for the opening goal however.
Senderos clumsily put the ball past Manuel Almunia in the Arsenal goal after Agbonlahor found some space and drilled the ball into the six-yard box; underlining injury victim Kolo Toure's importance to the home side.
O'Neill had looked like he was tempting fate with an attacking 4-3-3 formation, but his front three of Ashley Young, John Carew and Agbonlahor were – as they have done all season – causing their opponents problems.
Despite first half injuries to Curtis Davies and Nigel Reo-Coker, it was Arsenal who continued to be the more disjointed of the sides after the restart.
Young carved out the half's first chance when he forced Almunia into a more-or-less comfortable save from his well-hit low strike.
Agbonlahor was then handed a great opportunity to put Villa 2-0 up at the Emirates, but his weak shot was easily smothered after the pacy forward had found himself in acres of space and through on goal.
Arsenal continued to press for the equaliser that would deny Manchester United a place at the top of the Premier League, with Alex Ferguson's side in the process of wrapping up a 3-0 victory at Fulham.
And just as Arsenal suffered at Birmingham's hands last weekend by conceding a late equaliser, the Gunners inflicted the same misery on Villa when Bendtner finished past Carson after Adebayor had diverted Gael Clichy's cross.