Expectantly, it is perhaps a pleasant dilemma for the membership to have in a few years – and it’s one which has impacted just a few golf equipment just lately within the Premier League – however it’s that query of what’s subsequent? We’d completed seventh within the high flight for 2 successive seasons, however what occurs after that when expectations elevate?.
There was additionally the component of the truth that it may have been even higher, however our kind within the second half of the season on each events noticed us drop down from difficult with the leaders when the New Yr arrived. There have been huge questions that Peter Reid was making an attempt to reply, the large one was changing talisman Niall Quinn.
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The Republic of Eire worldwide was defying conference by carrying on as he had loved celebrating his thirty fifth birthday weeks earlier, and he wanted to get replaced. Lilian Laslandes had arrived from Bordeaux for round £3.6m in the summertime, however by the point Arsenal got here to city in our eleventh sport of the season it was turning into clear this was not going to be the reply.
The opposite problem was changing Don Hutchison, who had been so vital the earlier season in offering objectives and help from his place on the suitable of midfield, however this left a gaping gap when the previous Liverpool and Everton man left to signal for West Ham. Reid’s resolution was the signing of Jason McAteer from Blackburn Rovers, and the previous Liverpool participant would make his house debut on this sport in opposition to Arsenal.
Defeats in opposition to Manchester United and Middlesbrough on the Stadium of Gentle and the Riverside respectively, meant Reid’s aspect have been on a run of 1 win in six, and as we sat in mid-table, it was vital to cease the rot and choose up factors as Arsene Wenger’s aspect travelled north.
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With the sport sandwiched between two essential Champions League video games, Wenger determined to shuffle his pack, which noticed Thierry Henry, Dennis Bergkamp and Robert Pires all drop to the bench. Reid nevertheless, went to a again three/5, and with 4 throughout the center meant Phillips can be in for a troublesome afternoon up high on his personal in opposition to Martin Keown and Sol Campbell.
With virtually twenty minutes on the clock, Sunderland virtually took the lead, with McAteer attending to the byline and swinging in a cross that Richard Wright needed to tip off the pinnacle of Kevin Phillips who appeared prone to rating. However 5 minutes earlier than half-time, Stanislav Varga was caught making an attempt to play offside when Sylvain Wiltord performed in Nwanko Kanu on purpose who finally beat Varga and Thomas Sorensen earlier than lashing it into the roof of the web.
After the break the guests ought to have doubled their lead simply minutes after the restart, and so they have been made to pay round ten minutes later when former Arsenal participant Stefan Schwarz equalised beautifully when he completely judged his lob from twenty yards out that sailed over Wright and into the web.
Emerson Thome was near giving the Lads the lead simply earlier than the hour and with just below twenty minutes remaining it appeared like Arsenal would regain the lead when referee Mike Riley pointed to the spot when Bernt Haas introduced down Freddie Ljungberg within the field. Patrick Viera stepped up and fired excessive over the bar to let the house aspect, and Haas, off the hook.
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Riley would once more be below the highlight on the finish of the sport as he required a police escort off the pitch after denying a penalty to Sunderland when Quinn was fouled within the field, after which made issues worse when the ball was nodded in seconds later by Julio Arca, be he was adjudged to have been offside.
FA Barclaycard PremiershipStadium of LightSunderland 1-1 Arsenal[Schwarz 54’ – Kanu 40’]
Sunderland: Sorensen, Haas (Williams), Craddock, Thome, Varga, Grey, McAteer, Schwarz, McCann (Quinn), Arca, Phillips Substitute not used: Macho, McCartney, Bellion
Manchester United: Wright, Lauren, Upson, Viera, Campbell, Keown, Parlour, Ljungberg, Van Bronckhorst, Wiltord (Henry), Kanu (Bergkamp) Substitute not used: Taylor, Luzhny, Pires
Attendance: 48,029