Wenger Keeps Third Round Record Intact

Leeds United 1 Arsenal 3

The Gunners outclassed their hosts to set up a tie with another Yorkshire outfit, Huddersfield Town, in the last 32 of the FA Cup. An early goal from Samir Nasri was added to by Bakari Sagna ten minutes before half time, but the visitors’ lead was not so comfortable as a superb strike from Bradley Johnson pulled one back for United before the break. Both sides had chances after the interval, but substitute Robin Van Persie put the tie to bed with a header fifteen minutes from time.

Already this season the world’s oldest knockout football competition has produced some memorable games and the replay of what had been essential Saturday lunchtime viewing last weekend certainly lived up to that original tie. Arsenal started the match really well, crafting a typically wonderful team goal that Nasri finished off. Kieran Gibbs came storming forward from left back and played it up to Marouane Chamakh, who exchanged passes with Andrey Arshavin before teeing up the French midfielder to open the scoring.

Moments later Leeds were indebted to their keeper Kasper Schmeichel who pulled off a remarkable save plunging to his right to keep out Chamakh’s downward header from a free kick. The Moroccan striker found himself completely unmarked and surely thought he had scored. The home side’s Danish stopper was called into action again when Nasri’s surging run at the defence set up Arshavin to drive the ball goalwards from the edge of the area. Again Scmeichel proved equal to it, tipping it round the post to keep United in it.

Left back Ben Parker was struggling to deal with anything as the visitors attacked mercilessly with the pace of Sagna down the right. His foray to the by-line from a sprayed ball out of defence by Laurent Koscielny set up a clear sight of goal for Nicklas Bendtner, but in typicl fashion he couldn’t make anything of it. The cross from the French right back just eluded the Dane.

With Leeds under such intense pressure they needed to make their own opportunities count, but Robert Snodgrass chose to shoot from a tight angle when a cross was needed after Jonny Howson found him from a free kick. The home side’s defence was breached again shortly afterwards when Andy O’Brien’s clearance went straight to Sagna who blasted it past Schmeichel from just inside the area. The United keeper got a hand to it and if you were hypercritical you might feel he should’ve done better, but such was the power on the shot from the Arsenal full back that it’s doubtful anyone would’ve saved it.

Simon Grayson’s men didn’t let their heads and drop and pulled one back with the goal of the night. Snodgrass showed tenacity on the right flank and found Max Gradel whose attempted centre came back off the Gunners defence to Howson. He rolled it to Johnson who rifled the ball into the roof of the net over Szczesny. Leeds might’ve added to this just before the half time whistle, but Snodgrass wasted a free kick again choosing to shoot rather than cross from a set piece.

United did not start the second half as the first had ended. Just thirty seconds after the restart Nasri ran at their defence again, slipping in Alex Song to shoot from a tight angle, but Schmeichel was always favourite. The French midfielder’s influence continued as he was involved in the build-up to another chance for Arshavin, denied only by a sublime tackle and tracking back by Snodgrass.

Arsenal did not have it all their own way as just after the hour a Gradel cross was just inches away from Billy Paynter playing up top for Leeds in place of the injured Luciano Becchio. Another glorious chance for the home side was spurned by substitute Davide Somma. With his first touch the South African striker made a poor connection from close range after Paul Connolly played a one-two with Snodgrass and the right back whipped in a cross.

Wenger brought Cesc Fabregas and Van Persie off the bench with twenty minutes to go and within five minute the latter put the tie to bed. Bendtner crossed deep from the right and the Dutchman peeled off his marker at the back post to head past Schmeichel. United’s defence had been disrupted when O’Brien had to go off with what seemed to be a hamstring problem. That third goal for the Gunners was enough to see out the tie, but again Leeds’s exploits in the FA Cup have been both noteworthy and enjoyable for the neutral.

They missed Becchio today because of his holdup play and work rate. Paynter has been struggling with an injury picked up in pre-season and although there is definitely more to come from him the calibre of the opposition was too much for a player returning from spell on the sidelines. Out wide United have a real threat and will be a handful for anyone in the play-offs, provided their annual slump is not too severe. As for Arsenal they are still fighting on four fronts and look almost certain to end their six years without a trophy if they can win against Ipswich at the Emirates in next week’s League Cup semi final second leg.