Player Performance:
After the long wait, Andrey Arshavin has finally proved he was worth the big money (15 million pounds to be exact) Arsenal paid for him in the January transfer window. With 1 1/2 goals and 1 assist, Arshavin has picked up this week’s MVP of the Week after Arsenal’s 4-0 thrashing of Blackburn on the weekend. In the first minutes of the game, Walcott had a magnificent run at the Rovers, and crossed the ball in for Arshavin to scuffle in. However, we are only crediting the Russian for 1/2 goal because in slow motion, the ball clearly bounces off the defender’s head and into the net, however, it was good awareness shown by Arshavin. Andrey showed great skill throughout the remainder of the half, making electrifying runs and terrorizing the defense, and it all paid off in the 65th minute when scoring the second of the night. Denilson initially played a through ball into Arshavin, then Arshavin easily bypassed Danny Simpson with a clever step over, and when looking to play the ball across the face of the goal, Arshavin masterfully lifted the ball into the roof of the net, past a surprised Paul Robinson. Arshavin wasn’t done though, because in the 87th minute, he teed up Eboue by blasting a sot at goal, but it came back to the African for a neat tap-in.
Match Summary:
After a breathtakingly nervy Champion’s League against AS Roma midweek, which was resolved on penalties, Arsenal were looking to break a streak of bad form at the Emirates Stadium, and were happy to see goals go in. Theo Walcott was outstanding, weaving in and out of the Rovers’ defense, making brilliant passes, and basically doing it on all cylinders. Andrey Arshavin netted one and helped another go in, and late substitute Emmanuel Eboue scored two, one a follow up on Arshavin’s shot, and the other a penalty in stoppage time.
Player’s Cleats:
Arshavin was debuting the brand new Nike Mercurial Vapor Superfly against the Blackburn Rovers on the weekend, picking up his first Arsenal goal. Click here for info on the Superfly.
