Samba beat: Blackburn captain Christopher Samba
(centre) rises highest while Fabianski is nowhere near the
ball
Rampant Rovers: Goalscorers Christopher Samba
(left) and David Dunn
Sam Allardyce may take pride in the fact he can 'outwit'
Arsene Wenger but this was more of a mugging than a mind
game.
The frailties of Arsenal reserve
goalkeeper Lukasz Fabianski were ruthlessly exposed once again as
Big Sam enjoyed a sweet victory at the expense of an old sparring
partner.
Fabianski knew exactly what was coming his way at Ewood Park. So
did Wenger - and that just made it more painful to watch.
Blackburn
made life as uncomfortable as possible for the suspect Polish
keeper. Bombarded by high balls and buffeted at set pieces, he
cracked.
It enabled David Dunn and Chris Samba to score the goals that
earned Blackburn a richly deserved victory after Robin Van Persie
had given Arsenal an early lead from a set piece of their own.
Predictably, Wenger was unhappy at the way Blackburn players
crowded around Fabianski and accused referee Martin Atkinson of
failing to protect him. But the fact was the keeper looked every
bit as shaky here as he did at Wigan last month, when Arsenal
suffered another shock away defeat.
The goalkeeping issue is one the Arsenal manager must address if
his side are to be genuine title challengers next season.
'I think it was a foul for both goals,' said Wenger. 'When you
stop the keeper from getting the ball then it is a foul. The
referee cannot allow that. There's no chance for the keeper to go
for the ball.
'They had two players in front of him all the time whose only
purpose was to stop him getting the ball. It's completely
unfair.
'I am very disappointed the referee let that happen. You have to
give more protection to a goalkeeper. He had no chance. When you
jump in the air and someone unbalances you, what can you do?'
Asked if another bad experience in the north-west would knock
Fabianski's confidence, Wenger said: 'I think he had a good game.
It should affect the confidence of the referee.'
He had a point. Fabianski is a sound shot-stopper and made some
good saves. Twice he did well to turn away free-kicks from Morten
Gamst Pedersen, then came out to thwart the Norwegian when he was
put through by Keith Andrews.
Welcome back: Robin van Persie scores his first
goal since October
Angry: Arsene Wenger was disappointed Fabianski was
not given greater protection by the referee
Blackburn claimed they should have had a penalty when
Sol Campbell challenged Pedersen as he chased the loose ball. In
fact, Fabianski's reflex save from Junior Hoilett's second-half
blast was the best of the game. But he clearly struggles with high
balls and it was a weaknessAllardyce made no excuses about
exploiting after his side went behind in the 13th
minute.
Samir Nasri's corner was flicked on by Bacary Sagna at the near
post and Van Persie was unmarked to head in his first goal in six
months and his eighth against Blackburn in as many games from close
range.
The satisfaction was temporary for Arsenal. Fabianski was left
floundering in a crowd of players when Pedersen floated over a
43rd-minute corner and the keeper was on the floor by the time
Andrews drove the ball back into the box. Jason Roberts' touch
delivered it perfectly to the feet of Dunn, who had an empty net in
which to score his ninth goal in 19 Premier League appearances this
season.
It got worse for Fabianski from another Pedersen corner in the
68th minute. Chris Samba had the simple task of heading in as the
keeper collapsed in a heap, again appearing overwhelmed by the
defender's challenge.
Allardyce made a habit of getting under Wenger's skin as Bolton
manager, but this was the first time he had done it at Blackburn.
He could barely hide his delight.
The Blackburn manager said: 'If you target the opposition's
weaknesses enough then eventually they will be exposed. The keeper
has obviously been a weak link for Arsenal and our main tactic was
to put balls into the box.
'It has paid off because we have beaten Arsenal fair and square.
He can't give every one as a foul on the goalkeeper. He gave his
fair share of fouls on the keeper that didn't look like fouls.
'We haven't got the resources Arsenal have and we can't afford
to buy the players they can buy so we have to use the resources we
have got to the maximum - and we have. I'm not over concerned about
what Arsene says. He said it before about my tactics but we know
the tactics work against Arsenal.
'He's entitled to his opinion. Whatever's happened between us in
the past, and sometimes he's been a little frosty, I've always
respected him as a manager.
'I can assure you that most of the time the big boys get the rub
of the green more than Blackburn.' It was a bad day all round for
Wenger. Arsenal Ladies even lost the women's FA Cup final. Now his
team need a point in Sunday's final game against Fulham to be sure
of finishing third, above rivals Tottenham.
BLACKBURN ROVERS
(4-4-1-1): Robinson 6; Salgado 6, Samba 7, Nelsen 6, Givet 6;
Pedersen 7, Grella 6 (Hoilett 58, 6), Andrews 7, Olsson 6; Dunn 8
(Jones 85); Roberts 7.
Booked: Grella,
Pedersen.
ARSENAL (4-5-1):
Fabianski 5; Sagna 6, Campbell 7, Silvestre 6, Traore; Walcott 5,
Nasri 6, Diaby 6, Eboue 6 (Eduardo 78, 6), Vela 5 (Arshavin 67, 6);
Van Persie 7.
Booked: Silvestre,
Campbell.
Man of the match: David
Dunn.
Referee: Martin
Atkinson.
