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Blackburn’s defence held firm in a boring game at the Emirates this afternoon. Arsenal will however feel very annoyed as they missed two great chances late on and they had a penalty appeal unfairly turned down.

Arsenal made 9 changes from the team that beat Bolton in midweek with William Gallas returning at left back and Henry spearheading the attack with Jeremie Aliadiere his partner up front. Blackburn also made 4 changes from the team that lost in Germany with David Dunn playing just off Shabai Nonda.Arsenal started brightly and Henry missed a great chance when he volleyed over on 6 minutes when Justin Hoyte had played him in with a good ball but the game started to settle into a slow tempo with only a 30 yard shot from former Arsenal midfielder David Bentley.

However on 20 minutes it appeared as though Arsenal would start to lift the game as a Henry free kick nearly came off after a Walcott flick on and then Flamini shot well wide but the game soon settled down once more into its normal slow tempo.

Blackburn managed to defend well for the rest of the half and apart from a William Gallas effort there had been nothing after the Flamini shot to suggest Arsenal even looked like scoring but there was no changes at half time by either team.

Arsenal started slowly in the 2nd half but soon started to look like the team they have been all season as Henry had a shot held by Brad Friedel and then Walcott shot wide from a tight angle and this led Arsene Wenger to throw on Gael Clichy for Gallas who had been making his first appearance since coming back from injury.

The game however slowed down again and Blackburn boss Mark Hughes made a change bringing on Matt Derbyshire while Arsene Wenger threw on Tomas Rosicky and Emmanuel Adebayor for Walcott and Ljunberg.

Arsenal had a penalty appeal turned down on 72 minutes when Adebayor appeared to be obstructed after going past the defender. Anywhere else on the pitch and it would have been given. But not in the penalty box and Blackburn nearly made it worse for Arsenal when Derbyshire got away a shot from the edge of the box which made Almunia have to back pedal to tip it over.

However Arsenal had an even stronger penalty appeal turned down just moments later when Aliadiere was fouled by Stephen Warnock in the box the ref waves play on and Henry fires over but its clear to everyone inside the Stadium and to me watching on TV that Arsenal should have had a penalty and the ref was perfectly positioned to see it.

However Arsenal really lifted the tempo in the last 10 minutes with first Fabregas skewing his shot wide before Mark Hughes threw on former Wigan striker Jason Roberts for Shabai Nonda but that didn’t stop Arsenal as they threw everything at the Blackburn goal and Rosicky should have scored when Adebayor chested it down for him and he was one on one with the goalie but Freidel saved with his legs.

Rosicky shot wide on 85 minutes as Arsenal kept up the pressure before Brad Friedel made a fantastic double save. Adebayor skipped past the defender and crossed it in for Henry and it came off his knee which forced Freidel to tip it away and it fell to Justin Hoyte but Freidel somehow leapt to his feet to keep it out and that’s what earned Blackburn a replay.

Source: Socca Critics