Arsenal 2 - West Brom 3

Sensational Almunia hits double figures

Points Awards

• Assist - 2 (2): A. Song
• Assist - 3 (3): M. Almunia
• Assist (1): B. Sagna
• Assist (1): G. Clichy
• Missed penalty (3): C. Brunt
• Penalty Gift (3): M. Almunia
• Disappointing player (3): M. Almunia
• Losing Team (1 each): M. Almunia, A. Diaby, B. Sagna, L. Koscielny, T. Rosicky, S. Nasri, C. Vela, A. Song, J. Wilshere, G. Clichy, A. Arshavin, E. Eboué, M. Chamakh, and S. Squillaci
• Yellow Bonus (1): G. Jara
• Yellow Card (1): P. Scharner
• Yellow Card (1): G. Jara
• Yellow Card (1): M. Olsson
• Yellow Card (1): M. Chamakh
• Yellow Card (1): T. Rosicky
• Yellow Card (1): M. Almunia
• Yellow Card (1): L. Koscielny

The Highbury hairdresser has a lot to answer for. Manuel Almunia’s dye job is as miserable as his goalkeeping, while Marouane Chamakh appears to be making a one-man tonsorial tribute to the oil-smothered seabirds of the Gulf coast. As for Alex Song’s Harpo Marx-style blond perm – well, it could have been every single Marx Brother plus all the Keystone Kops at home against the Baggies.

At first the entire Arsenal team’s slapstick caused no problems worthy of a f**kwit point, and it was West Brom’s Jonas Olsson who broke the ice, yellow-carded for taking down Emmanuel Eboue. It was going to be Almunia’s day though, and after 30 minutes he got on the scoresheet in spectacular style by taking down Peter Odemwingi in the box and earning West Brom a penalty. Chris Brunt stepped up to take the spotkick and promptly missed, collecting his own three points in the process.

It didn’t take Arsenal long to fall apart in the second half after Bacary Sagna let Jerome Thomas get a cross into Odemwingie, who’d slipped free of Song and was able to fire the ball past Almunia; that’s a point apiece to Sagna and Song for slack defending. Laurent Koscielny picked up a point for a cheap yellow, before Almunia showed his Robert Green credentials by spooning Gonzalo Jara’s shot into the net, earning a full three points for the assist plus a well-deserved bonus for the comedy finish.

As for Jara, he couldn’t contain himself and stripped off his top to celebrate his goal, picking a point for the obligatory yellow and a f**kwit bonus point for the nature of the card.

Marouane Chamakh and Paul Scharner also got themselves in the referee’s book, but the final points centred on Almunia. Song and Gael Clichy combined in a defensive move that was so porous Almunia clearly felt he had to join in, going walkabout just like Jenny Agutter in the movie, except, thankfully, with his clothes on. That enabled West Brom’s Jerome Thomas to tap in, generating assist points apiece for the Gunner trio.

Tomas Rosicky also picked up a point for a needless foul, and after Arsenal had clawed two back, he deserved another for his hopeless effort at an added time equaliser.

Most Disappointing Player? Need you ask? He’s even got the number 1 on his back.
By Jason Nisse and Boyd Robinson

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