Blackburn 4 Arsenal 3:IT WAS April 10th, Arsenal had just beaten Blackpool and the trauma of what history may record as a defining fortnight was forgotten as Arsene Wenger declared Manchester United and a seven-point gap could be overhauled in the title race. But 160 days on from Arsenal's only Premier League away win in 10 attempts, their manager could not summon the conviction that a top-four finish remains achievable.
Two own goals, a marginal offside tap-in and an overlooked penalty appeal by Theo Walcott helped Blackburn off the foot of the table and eased the pressure on manager Steve Kean. And yet defeat was thoroughly deserved for Arsenal once again. “This is not more humiliating (than the 8-2 at Old Trafford). I do not have the measurement of humiliation,” Wenger said. “It is frustrating more than anything else, because we had the potential to win.”
Only five members of the team who played at Manchester United started at Ewood Park but Arsenal’s weakness was unerringly familiar; namely a complete lack of leadership and class in defence.
Robin van Persie did create and cajole, Alex Song and Mikel Arteta provided the imagination so lacking at Old Trafford and Arsenal crafted four openings in stoppage time to salvage a point. But their foundation was shambolic and Blackburn granted Arsenal possession in harmless wide areas.
The day began with a few hundred disgruntled Rovers fans marching in protest at the management. Flyers reading “Kean Out” littered the gutters and when Gervinho swept Song’s early pass into the far corner, the Scot must have feared a revolt inside Ewood Park. Instead, thanks to the resilience of Chris Samba, Scott Dann and Paul Robinson, the predatory instincts of Yakubu Ayegbeni, and Arsenal’s generosity, the Rovers manager found himself in the bizarre position of defending Wenger. “What that man has done for the game and what he’s done for Arsenal is sensational,” Kean said. “To even question his leadership of the club is frightening.”
Yakubu’s equaliser ended a dominant Gunners opening. Arteta’s first goal for the club brought a deserved interval lead only for his defenders to forget the basics. A Ruben Rochina free-kick was not dealt with at the front post and the ball trickled in off Song’s knee. Yakubu’s second came after Laurent Koscielny failed to deal with a Junior Hoilett corner.
With Bacary Sagna off injured and Martin Olsson introduced against Johan Djourou, Kean’s substitution worked as the Swede’s cross struck Koscielny for a second own goal. Marouane Chamakh’s header brought palpitations to Blackburn, but no consolation to Wenger. “You can’t say you have no worries when you see a performance like that,” he said later.
