The old football aristocracy of the North-west once decided the destiny of the title in these encounters

25 Sep
2010

The old football aristocracy of the North-west once decided the destiny of the title in these encounters, but on Saturday it felt like a long way from the top of the Premiership. It was all the more significant when you consider his adversary in midfield was Steven Gerrard, a Keane for the new decade. Even Sir Alex Ferguson agrees that the Liverpool captain will inherit the Irishman’s position as the king of the Premiership’s midfield, but the latest news is that Keane is not ready to vacate the throne yet.Rested for the FA Cup tie against Exeter City, Keane was untouchable. He struck the bar with a volley on 30 minutes and, with Paul Scholes, ground away Liverpool’s resistance In many senses it was an unequal contest. Gerrard found himself covering at left-back or rescuing his centre-halves and he was the only impetus Liverpool had in attack.

By the end he looked despairing, less with his own performance than with his supporting cast.With their captain reinstated to the team, and Arsenal’s lead over them reduced to one point, there are a few more statistics that suggest that if anyone is to catch Chelsea, it will be United. As Manchester United came out of the tunnel at Anfield on Saturday, Roy Keane momentarily forgot the protocol of the modern Premiership and jogged away from his team-mates lining up for the handshakes. He had to be beckoned over – there were a few jokes at his expense – and it was tempting to think that for the first time that afternoon Keane had been caught out of position. It also proved to be the last time.
The match-winning goal, celebrated with some bravery in front of the Kop, came from Wayne Rooney, but the match-winning performance was from Keane.

Substitutes not used: Lehmann (gk), Clichy, Senderos.Referee: M Clattenburg (Durham).Booked: Bolton Nolan, Stelios; Arsenal Van Persie.Man of the match: Diouf.Attendance: 27,514.Lauren interview, page 42Bolton Wanderers 1 Arsenal 0. Substitutes not used: Poole (gk), Vaz Te, Fadiga.Arsenal (4-4-2): Almunia; Hoyte, Tour?Campbell, Cole; Ljungberg, Fabregas (Reyes, 66), Vieira, Pires; Van Persie (Bergkamp, 66), Henry. We gave absolutely everything in the end but it took us time to get completely into the game.” Absolutely everything? That, surely, was a confession.Goal: Stelios (41) 1-0.Bolton Wanderers (4-1-2-3): Jaaskelainen; Hunt, Ben Haim, N’Gotty, Gardner; Campo; Okocha (Pedersen, 79), Speed; Nolan (Hierro, 87), Diouf, Stelios. Maybe the stories about Real Madrid turning his head, and his heart, were true.

Comment Form

You must be logged in to post a comment.

top