• 2 months ago
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Transcript
00:00Midlands brought Gordon Strachan and Coventry City's first home match of December
00:04The Sky Blues faced Arsene Wenger's Arsenal who as ever were in the upper echelons of the table
00:09Coventry hadn't won any Premier League since October
00:12And weren't expecting any Christmas gifts from the Gunners
00:14Who had significant ground to make up on Manchester United
00:17And leaders' leads who they trailed by 8 points
00:21Strachan had a host of problems at the back
00:23Gary Breen and Paul Williams formed the central defensive pairing
00:27Moroccans Mustafa Haji and Youssef Chippo were deployed on the right and left sides of midfield
00:32It was Robbie Keane though a recent signing from Wolves who was the man in form for Coventry
00:37Just as well then that Arsene Wenger could welcome back Tony Adams, David Seaman and Martin Keown from injury
00:43Thierry Henry partnered Kanu up front with Marc Overmars looking to supply them
00:48Coventry hadn't beaten Arsenal at home since 1993
00:52Few expected them to end that depressing sequence of results
00:55Steve Banyard is the commentator
00:58Coventry City in sky blue
01:00Arsenal in their traditional red and white
01:07Cold enough for gloves to be worn today
01:13Steve Frogert playing at left back for Coventry City in the absence of Marcus Hall
01:18Marcus Hall
01:24Now Overmars for Arsenal
01:30Henry just bundled off it
01:32Here's Carlton Palmer
01:34Who sometimes looks rather ungainly but he's been so effective in central midfield he wins an awful lot of tackles
01:48Chippo
01:53Paul Williams scored a wonderful goal against Newcastle earlier this season
01:58A quite memorable moment for the fans at Highfield Road this year
02:08Gordon Strachan one of those managers who loves to see the ball played forward
02:12Heard him saying earlier in the week that if in training players play a square ball they sometimes check back
02:19But McAllister trying to go forward for Coventry
02:23Denied on that occasion but Frogett will set things in motion once again perhaps
02:29A little bit scrappy
02:37Bernardi penalised
02:42Williams free kick
02:45Just beyond Palmer
02:52Henry finding Canu
02:54Overmars streaking forward to his left
02:57Mark Overmars!
02:58Saved by the legs of Hedman
03:04A crucial block by the Swedish keeper
03:12A great counter by Arsenal
03:14Who come forward once again
03:16Grimondi
03:18It's not a bad try by the Frenchman
03:24Well may he protest at his defence
03:26Coventry really stretched
03:29Beautifully weighted pass by Canu inviting Overmars to shoot
03:35Telfer
03:38Petit for Arsenal
03:40Canu's made a great run down the right hand side
03:47Palmer
03:53Rossell lovely knockdown
03:56Gary McAllister
03:58He fancies a shot and he scored!
04:04A real turn up for the books
04:09David Seaman
04:12Statuesque as Gary McAllister fires the Sky Blues in front
04:18He had time and space to shoot but the deflection totally left Seaman stranded
04:25Poor old Martin Keown
04:40Canu
04:42Oh that's well played
04:43Petit!
04:46Rather dragged the shot in the end Emmanuel Petit
04:53Applauds the approach play from Canu
04:56Suddenly there was a gap
05:0320 minutes gone
05:05Gary McAllister's goal still separating the two sides
05:10Keown
05:11Can he work some magic?
05:13Robbie Keown!
05:14Oh!
05:19Well he has an uncanny knack does Robbie Keown of getting into places that other players just can't reach
05:26Let's go!
05:36Again loves running at defenders
05:38Pulled Ljungberg all over the place
05:52Improvisation from Henry
05:54Wins Arsenal a throw
06:07Canu twisting his way into the danger zone
06:12Overmars retrieving it
06:19A lead by Gary Breen
06:24Time!
06:25Time!
06:37Tony Adams
06:40Looking for Dixon
06:42That's brilliantly won though
06:44And here comes Mustafa Hadji
06:46Keown pulls away to the right
06:54Chippo
07:20Chippo
07:22That's well done
07:25And Robbie Keown
07:28Coming very close there for Coventry to adding to Gary McAllister's earlier goal
07:35Chippo just nicking it past Adams
07:39And Robbie Keown again he uses his body so well
07:43A little shimmy here and there and he creates an extra half a yard which
07:47Just gives him the space at this level to
07:51Get a shot away
07:55Thierry Henry just gliding it through here
07:59Canu
08:02And he was trying to put it on a plate there for
08:05Freddie Ljungberg
08:07And it was neither one thing nor the other
08:16Well it was neither a cross nor a shot
08:19I think he was definitely looking for Ljungberg
08:25Well apart from the one chance created for Mark Overmars
08:28Which was saved by the legs of Magnus Hedman
08:31Coventry's
08:32Swedish keeper hasn't been greatly troubled
08:38Here's Ljungberg
08:43Canu dancing his way through
08:47Until Steve Froggatt got in the way
08:52Keown
08:54To Russell
08:58Perhaps wasn't aware of
09:00The options to his right
09:10It was a wonderful piece of play by Canu
09:13There's Froggatt's tackle
09:15Which was short
09:22McAllister
09:25That's a great try!
09:27And a quite wonderful goal by Mustafa Haji
09:33Absolutely brilliant finishing by the Moroccan
09:46David Seaman was left rooted by the deflection of Martin Keown
09:52And frankly he was flapping at that one because the
09:55Accuracy
09:57Was pinpoint
10:04The chairman Brian Richardson and
10:06Gordon Strachan
10:07Celebrate together
10:11Canu
10:14Sort of response can
10:16Arsenal fashion now
10:22Is Henri
10:24Brilliant save by Hedman
10:33Well he was at full stretch here
10:36Hedman's made
10:38Two absolutely crucial saves
10:44Perhaps Arsenal were a little bit ring rusty
10:47Several changes at the back when you bear in mind that
10:51The back four and the goalkeeper have
10:52What around 1800 or so league appearances between them
11:06Palmer again to go alongside the goalkeeper
11:09Green at the near post
11:15For the first half which sees
11:16Coventry City lead Arsene Wenger's team
11:18By two goals to nil
11:22Gary McAllister who
11:23Celebrated his 35th birthday yesterday
11:25Got the first
11:26Thanks to a
11:27An unfortunate deflection
11:29From Arsenal's point of view from Martin Keown
11:31But the goal from Haji
11:32Was absolute quality
11:35Half time now at Highfield Road
11:37Coventry City two
11:38Arsenal nil
11:43Both Coventry City and Arsenal
11:45Ready for the resumption of battle here
11:48And Coventry City
11:52In the sky blue shirts
11:55An early clearance from Martin Keown
12:14Key
12:15Haji makes a forward run now
12:17It's in towards Roussel
12:18And a cross goal
12:19Chippo
12:22Well so close to number three for Coventry
12:28Beautifully constructed
12:31Roussel with the awareness to
12:34Try to find Youssef Chippo
12:37Well he was a
12:38A boot stud away
12:42So Grimondi replaced by Davao Xhuquer
12:53And it'll be fascinating to see how
12:55Tactically Arsenal play it now
12:58And it'll be fascinating to see how
13:00Tactically Arsenal play it now
13:03And it'll be fascinating to see how
13:05Arsenal play it now
13:09Indeed at the moment it looks as if
13:10Henry's gone to the
13:11Right side of Arsenal's midfield
13:13With Ljungberg coming inside
13:28Xhuquer has been able to
13:29Contribute some
13:31Priceless goals
13:33Eight of them
13:34Since his
13:35Move from Madrid
13:39Overmats
13:41Just caught there by Chippo
13:42Chippo
14:03Thierry Henry
14:04Who will take this free kick here for Arsenal
14:08The ball does its job but it's
14:09Hooked towards goal by Tony Adams
14:12Xhuquer
14:19An opportunist strike from the central defender
14:21Time though is running out for Arsenal
14:25And Coventry with their
14:27Two goal advantage
14:33Don't look under threat just yet
14:39And of course all the great sides
14:40The teams that will go on and win titles
14:42League championships
14:44Will fight right to the bitter end
14:47Cano for Arsenal
14:49And he's done brilliantly well there
14:50If he can get the ball under control
14:52He's trying to tee it up for Xhuquer
15:02And Russell has only served to
15:03Knock it back for Petit here
15:07And a chance here for Overmats
15:08And Xhuquer
15:11And it's in in the end
15:13And in fact it's Freddy Ljungberg
15:16Who's pulled it back to 2-1
15:25Finally the breakthrough for Arsenal
15:30Overmats
15:32Going in bravely
15:33And Ljungberg kept on going
15:37If at first you don't succeed
15:39Try and try again
15:48And finally perhaps some light at the
15:50End of the tunnel for Arsene Wenger
15:54Inspirational Dennis Bergkamp
15:55They still have the
15:57Flares of flair
15:59And imagination to
16:02Unlock Coventry City
16:04Meantime if they can get a third
16:06Well who knows
16:07That's another great run for Coventry
16:10Blocked in the end by Tony Adams
16:18He's overmats
16:24The game may be opening up a little bit here
16:29Only providing the wits
16:31Only providing the wits
16:35That's a lovely given go
16:36Thierry Henry
16:46Certainly there was a bit of a vacuum in
16:48Central midfield as Arsenal built that attack
16:50The return from Dixon
16:58Hadji at the other end
17:00Just a moment before
17:05Just one goal in it
17:07Will it be enough?
17:12Shuker chasing
17:22Now Keane
17:24Unfortunate pass from Robbie Keane
17:31Dixon
17:34Coventry snapping at the heels
17:36They want to get a third here
17:37Keane waits in the middle
17:40Adams clears
17:46Now it's gone flagging
17:51And all perplexed
18:01Robbie Keane
18:07Rissell and Keane
18:09It's 3-1
18:11And Robbie Keane
18:14The little Irishman who packs a real punch
18:17Mike just delivered the knockout blow on Boxing Day
18:233-1 to Coventry City
18:25And Robbie Keane comes up trumps
18:31Understanding between Rissell and Keane
18:35Nothing David Seaman could do about that
18:38A deft finish
18:48Inch perfect once again
18:50How about that?
18:57Petit
19:00Petit
19:05What a good position this is for Arsenal
19:11Manu Petit lining one up
19:14Only scored one this season
19:19This is perhaps
19:20The better side for a left footed player
19:24Petit's strike
19:25It's found a way through
19:26But not past Edmund
19:31Unflappable Magnus Edmund today
19:38Edmund switched direction as he went for that
19:43Another excellent piece of goalkeeping
20:00Right back
20:07Dixon with a throw
20:13And McAllister
20:14Just nipping in ahead of Kanu
20:16Conceding a corner
20:18And you have to think that if Arsenal aren't going to find a way back into this game
20:22They really have to score now
20:24He's Dixon
20:29Tony Adams
20:32A little bit untidy
20:33But certainly effective enough for Coventry
20:35Who can break once more
20:37Arsenal have committed men forward
20:46Palmer winning it back for Coventry
20:49Now Whelan
20:50Always looking towards goal Noel Whelan
20:52That's a wonderful run Noel Whelan
20:56Didn't have the finish that the
20:58Run and the approach play really deserved
21:20Come on
21:30Come on
21:41That's a great pinpoint ball to pick out Davo Shuker
21:43The goalie arriving in the middle
21:45Shuker might not need him
21:46Shuker
21:483-2
21:49And the Croatian
21:52Has just provided a goal that
21:55Well will it be enough for Arsenal?
21:57Will it give them enough time?
22:00It's providing a dramatic finale to an enthralling contest
22:04And Shuker almost walking the ball in
22:09Fabulous solo goal from Davo Shuker
22:20Here's Henry
22:22And Ljungberg
22:23A frantic finale here now
22:25Coventry backs to the wall
22:27Over Mars
22:30And Shuker
22:31Red and white shirts pouring forward into the middle
22:35Shuker
22:37Trying to manoeuvre some space
22:39Can't do so
22:40Chippo
22:42Caught by Shuker
22:44Arsenal maintain the pressure
22:49Anxious moments for the home supporters here
22:51Winterburns cross
22:52Breen's header away
22:57Chippo momentarily clearing the lines
22:59Adams launches another one forward
23:06Keown
23:07Pumps it up once again to the edge of the area
23:12Hadji breaking
23:20Can Coventry get goal number four?
23:23Seaman this time with a fingertip stop to deny Mustafa Hadji a second
23:36Ljungberg
23:38Suddenly with space to run into
23:40Palmer comes across
23:46Another nice hockey body check
23:49Adams
23:50Waving his team forward
23:52Leading by example
23:54A low ringshot
23:55Oh and the goalkeeper spilled it
23:57And Breen turns it behind
24:20A real hash of a clearance from Seaman
24:26Whelan
24:27And Hadji
24:32Oh and just past everybody
24:37And that's the full time whistle
24:39And Coventry City have run out three two winners
24:44McAllister setting them on their way
24:47Their first win in eleven league matches against Arsenal
24:53And a wonderful victory for Coventry City
24:56Who beat Arsenal by three goals to two
25:00A fabulous result for the Sky Blues
25:02And the perfect way to end a poor run of form
25:05Gordon Strachan had injected some genuine quality into the side
25:08With the likes of Keown, McAllister and Hadji
25:11As a result they pulled clear of trouble
25:13Eventually finishing a respectable 14th
25:16Defeats like this prove very costly for Arsenal
25:19They lack genuine consistency