| Match Pictures | Matches: 2010 – 2011 | 2010-2011 Pictures |
Trivia
- Emirates Cup; Arsenal win it again.
- AC Milan drew 1-1 in the other game v Lyon.
- Astounding turnout from the Celtic support for this game.
Review
Despite the scoreline in truth very much a one-sided game. Arsenal scored quickly and practically sealed it with a goal either side of half-time to go 3 up. It was getting embarrassing and we'd hardly any shots on goal.
We attacked to no avail, and there's concerns that it's just not gelling. However we got a penalty which we duly missed! Samaras sent it flying way past the goalie's LHS corner post. It wasn't to be our day. We then made a good comeback, two goals (one from Murphy, other from Ki) got us back into the game and we were hoping for a stunning comeback. It wasn't to be BUT it did create a great end to the game and we can hold our heads up high but the better side did win.
Goalkeepers are still poor, but we did have some great saves at points.
Must add the fantastic turnout from the Celtic support which really took over large parts of the ground, and we way outsang the home fans… A great day out but out of the big one…..
Teams
Emirates Cup 2010
Match Day 2
Emirates Stadium, London
Sunday, August 1, 2010
ARSENAL: (4-3-3)
Almunia (C); Sagna (Eboue 61), Djourou, Vermaelen (Koscielny 73), Clichy (Gibbs 61); Frimpong, Rosicky (Nasri 46), Wilshere; Walcott, Vela (Arshavin 61), Emmanuel-Thomas (Chamakh)
Subs not used: Mannone, Randall, Nordtveit, Hoyte, Yennaris
ARSENAL 3
(Vela 3, Sagna 44, Nasri 51)
CELTIC: (4-3-2-1)
Zaluska (Cervi 46); Hinkel (Cha 61), Rogne, Hooiveld, Mulgrew (Twardzik 61); Crosas (Samaras 61), Juarez, Ki; Maloney (C), Murphy (Hooper 86); Rasmussen (Fortune 61)
Sub not used: Misun
CELTIC 2
(Murphy 72, Ki 83)
Attendance: 59,727
Articles
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Official site
narrow defeat hands arsenal the emirates cup Laura Brannan
CELTIC finished their Emirates Cup tournament with a dramatic 3-2 defeat to the hosts, and holders, Arsenal.
Late goals from Daryl Murphy and Ki Sung Yueng weren’t enough as the Hoops battled back from a 3-0 deficit in spectacular fashion.
Carlos Vela, Bacary Sagna and Samir Nasri provided the goals for the Gunners who lifted the trophy for the second consecutive year.
Neil Lennon named an almost entirely changed starting XI to the one which drew 2-2 with Lyon yesterday (Saturday).
Lukasz Zaluska kept his place between the sticks, while ten different outfield players were handed their chance to prove themselves ahead of Wednesday night’s crunch UEFA Champions League qualifier.
The match had barely kicked off when Arsenal went a goal ahead. Carlos Vela kept himself onside when he broke free from Thomas Rogne then got onto the end of a cross in front goal, tapping it in from close range.
And the Gunners came close to making it two only minutes later when a corner was whipped in powerfully which forced Zaluska into a diving punch away to safety.
The game settled to a calmer pace after the early flourish in front of the Celtic goal and Arsenal didn’t cause problems again until the 11th minute. But Thomas Vermalen’s rocketing strike was slammed straight at the Hoops keeper who cleared it well.
It may only have been a pre-season friendly tournament but the players were turning the heat up on the pitch, showing great attacking spirit. The full capacity crowd were also in full volume, especially the travelling support who had taken up the majority of the stand behind Zaluska’s goal.
A Charlie Mulgrew free-kick on the half hour mark looked powerful enough to burst the net but the wall deflected it up and over, forcing Arsenal keeper, Manuel Almunia, into a desperate punching clearance.
The match then turned in the Gunners’ favour and the remainder of the half was one-way traffic towards the Celtic goal. Zaluska was put to the test as he unleashed three fantastic saves in quick succession.
The first came from a soaring Theo Walcott free-kick before a deflection off Rogne’s ankle changed the angle of Arsenal’s next attack. The third attempt cracked off the bar, before Zaluska blocked the rebound shot, earning him the rapturous applause around the stadium.
The Hoops keeper, however, was let down when Mulgrew failed to block a Sagna strike just before the half-hour mark. The defender’s low drive ripped through the Celtic defence and into the bottom corner of Zaluska’s net.
This proved to be the last kick of the half as Celtic went into the break two goals down.
Arsenal came out with a similar fighting spirit and it wasn’t long before they added to their tally. Walcott was allowed too much time to work his way into the Celtic box and produced a quick pass across to substitute, Samir Nasri, who drilled the ball into substitute, Dominic Cervi’s bottom right corner to make it three.
Marouane Chamakh, who came off the bench at half-time, got the back of his head onto a Gael Clichy cross in front of goal which brought Cervi into more action. But he took the pressure off Celtic by turning it around his left post.
Celtic’s best move of in the opening period of the second half came when Mulgrew crossed a ball into Efrain Juarez in front of goal. But he couldn’t make contact with a diving header and the ball hit off Marc-Antoine Fortune’s arm, giving away a free-kick.
A penalty was awarded a minute later when Jack Wilshere put his arms around Fortune and dragged him to the ground. But substitute Georgios Samaras sent the ball high and wide over the ball, without even troubling Almunia.
Celtic managed to pull a goal back on 72 minutes when Murphy pounced on a loose ball. Almunia failed to clear the ball after punching away Ki’s long range effort and giving the visitors their first goal of the afternoon.
It looked to be all over, but Ki pulled a second goal back with just seven minutes remaining after breaking free from his marker and running onto a Fortune cross into the box.
Celtic continued to battle for an equaliser but failed to replicate the finish they had against Lyon, ending the match with a 3-2 defeat.
England youngsters drive Arsenal to Emirates Cup victory over Celtic Arsenal 3-2 Celtic
- guardian.co.uk, Sunday 1 August 2010 18.35 BST
Theo Walcott and Jack Wilshere showed England boss Fabio Capello just what talent he has waiting in the wings with impressive displays as Arsenal won the Emirates Cup after a 3-2 victory over Celtic.
Walcott – a controversial omission from the squad for the ill-fated World Cup campaign in South Africa – and under-21 international Wilshere, 18, are both expected to feature in the forthcoming European Championship qualifying campaign as Capello looks to rebuild a squad for the future. It took Walcott, who looks fresh from a summer's rest, just three minutes to open up the Celtic defence as Carlos Vela swept the Gunners into the lead.
Wilshere – starting his second game of the weekend in central midfield – produced an all-action display which was almost capped by a goal when his stunning first-half volley smashed against the crossbar, but also showed he still has some work to do after hauling down Marc-Antoine Fortune to conceded a needless penalty.
Arsenal manager Arsène Wenger will now look to continue his squad's fine pre-season form in their final friendly at Legia Warsaw next weekend – by which time the future of captain Cesc Fàbregas, set to return on Thursday from an extended holiday after winning the World Cup with Spain, will have been resolved one way or another.
As expected, Wenger made some changes from the team which drew 1-1 with AC Milan yesterday.
The goalkeeper Manuel Almunia was handed a chance to stake his claim for Arsenal's No1 jersey – which would appear anything but secure ahead of the opening game of the Premier League season at Liverpool on 15 August. Celtic, meanwhile, clearly had one eye on next week's crucial Champions League third qualifying round second leg against Braga, with the Portuguese side leading the tie 3-0.
Of today's XI, only goalkeeper Lukasz Zaluska and defender Jos Hooiveld appeared set to start at Parkhead on Wednesday night, while Aiden McGeady – heavily linked with a move away from the Scottish side – was not even on the bench. It was a lively start by Arsenal, and no surprise when the hosts took an early lead.
Wilshere – whom Wenger is likely to resist sending out on loan again – played Walcott into the right side of the Celtic penalty area, and his shot across goal was turned in at the far post by Vela. Arsenal continued to press, with a 20-yard drive from Thomas Vermaelen forcing Zaluska into a good stop. Celtic, who drew 2-2 with Lyon in their opening game, wasted a great chance when Daryl Murphy skewed the ball horribly wide from just inside the Arsenal box.
On 34 minutes, Zaluska palmed away Walcott's free-kick, which was curling towards the top corner, before then flicking over a deflected shot from Wilshere. From the resulting corner, Wilshere smashed an 18-yard, left-foot volley against the crossbar – and his headed rebound was plucked out of the air by the thankful Zaluska.
Arsenal doubled their advantage just before half-time when Celtic failed to clear a corner and full-back Bacary Sagna blasted an 18-yard angled drive inside the near post. The substitute Samir Nasri swept the Gunners into a 3-0 lead on 51 minutes following more good work by Walcott down the right.
Wilshere then showed his inexperience by wrestling Celtic substitute Fortune to the floor in the penalty area on 69 minutes, but was let off when former Manchester City striker Georgios Samaras ballooned his spot-kick over the crossbar. Almunia, who had not had much to do, pulled off a fine one-handed save to deny Efrain Juarez, but was beaten on 73 minutes when Murphy, a summer signing from Sunderland, knocked the ball in after it rebounded across the six-yard box.
The Arsenal goalkeeper denied Murphy when, with eight minutes left, the reshuffled home defence was opened up again, before Ki Sung-Yueng eventually made it 3-2 with a close-range effort.