Johnson shoots down Gunners
A goal from Andy Johnson in injury time gave Everton an impressive
1-0 win over Arsenal, in an otherwise mediocre game, that marked
David Moyes' fifth anniversary at Goodison Park in a manner that
will delight the Scot.
Everton will feel they were the better of the two sides and allied
to Johnson's last gasp winner, a pair of efforts that crashed back
off Arsenal's woodwork, one in each half, bare testimony to such a
suggestion.
Arsenal look as though they are still suffering a hangover from
crashing out of three cup competitions in 11 days and while their
disappointment is understandable, Arsene Wenger is unlikely to
tolerate such a lethargic performance.
When Johnson struck it was in keeping with much of what had gone
before it, when after Gilberto had only partially cleared the
striker's flick from a corner, the England hopeful fired past Jens
Lehmann from around seven yards with a crisp left foot
strike.
A stop-start affair of a first half rarely rose above a level of
mediocrity as Arsenal in particular struggled to produce the type
of easy on the eye football to which they are famed.
It was only towards the close of the first 45 minutes that Wenger's
style council began to stamp a semblance of class on proceedings,
with most of what preceded a spell of pressure seeing Everton
emerge as the better of the two sides.
From the off and the home side were eager to put Arsenal on the
back foot as a willing and pacey front pairing, made up of Johnson
and James Vaughan, persistently looked to get in behind their
visitor's back four. It was from the latter's flick that Johnson
looked odds-on to open the scoring, only for a desperate paw from
Lehmann to scoop the ball away with the goal gaping, after
Gilberto's last gasp lunge had lobbed it over his own keeper.
A partisan home crowd cried for a penalty but just as he did
moments later, when waving away Jeremie Aliadiere's similar
appeals, referee Mark Clattenburg got his call spot on.
Blustery conditions on Merseyside were not helping the football but
Lee Carsley elevated proceedings somewhat with a searing half
volley from 25 yards that gave Lehmann not a prayer, only for the
ball to crash back off the post. The German then needed to grasp
hold of a looping Leon Osman header from an Everton set-piece,
before Arsenal swept forward to conjure a presentable opening of
their own.
The half's best move concluded with Julio Baptista forging an
opening for the otherwise peripheral Cesc Fabregas but the Spaniard
could only find Tim Howard's feet with his drive from just inside
the box.
After the interval and Arsenal largely failed to build on the
momentum they had gathered at the end of the first half, with
Everton again the likelier of the two sides to open the scoring, as
the busy Manuel Fernandes was wasteful in lashing at goal, when the
tightest of angles suggested a pass was the sensible option.
Being profligate in front of goal was not, though, reserved solely
for Everton as just as he repeatedly did against Aston Villa in
midweek, Aliadiere proved less than clinical when he swung a boot
and hammered high over the top, from no more than seven yards,
after being found by Tomas Rosicky's pull-back.
Midway through the second half Arsenal's seemingly charmed goal
survived another scare when Osman's instinctive strike, after a
scamble, hit the post and was cleared to safety.
Wenger had seen enough and sent for Theo Walcott from the bench and
while he failed to make much of an impact, fellow teenager Fabregas
twice caused Howard to gather sharply with daisycutters from the
edge of the box.
It was, though, Everton that secured a precious three point haul in
their pursuit of Europe, when after Osman had missed a great
opportunity to etch his name on the scoresheet, in directing a free
header wide, Johnson showed him just how to do it with a late, late
winner.