Chelsea 0-0 Reserves - Match Report

By Adam Clark

Arsenal Reserves finally halted their six-game losing streak
with a hard-earned point against Chelsea on Monday.

On a pitch that was barely playable and with a constant mist of
rain sailing through the Hampshire sky both sides coped admirably.
In the circumstances, the goalless draw was a point well
earned.

Arsenal had the better chances and Chelsea will themselves look
to a spell of domination in the second half. But with the
conditions as they were neither side could find a winner.

For the first time in a long while manager Neil Banfield could
call on some first-team experience. Mart Poom, whose only Arsenal
appearance came in the 1-0 Carling Cup win at Everton in November,
kept goal while centre back Matthew Connolly returned following a
five-game absence.

The first chance fell to Chelsea's Ricardo Fernandes but his
volley flashed wide without troubling Poom. Soon after Sam
Hutchinson's diving head cleared a James Dunne effort but the
opening stages were slow going as both sides adapted to the
troublesome playing surface.

With quarter of an hour played Arsenal sparked to life and
fashioned two decent goalscoring opportunities in quick succession.
The first fell to Jay Simpson on 16 minutes after good work in
midfield from Kieran Gibbs. Chelsea stopper Yves Ma-Kalambay was on
the striker in a flash however and in lifting the ball over the
keeper Simpson also cleared the crossbar.

A driving run from Randall should have led to the opener three
minutes later but Vincent van den Berg's effort lacked
conviction and was easily cleared.

Gibbs, who worked tirelessly all game, came closest to breaking
the deadlock on 27 minutes. The youngster broke clear down the left
and with the angle against him drilled across the face of
Ma-Kalambay's goal. The shot had Ma-Kalambay beaten but not the
post and when the rebound eluded the outstretched leg of Dunne
another chance had gone.

At the other end Arsenal's defence was dogged. Chelsea
enjoyed a fair amount of possession but Sahar's deflected
effort on 32 minutes was all they had to show for it.

Between then and half time the heads in the crowd swung with the
game as it became rather reminiscent of a rally at Wimbledon. Yet
despite the play surging from one end to the other neither side was
able to muster a shot capable of breaking their opponents'
resolve.

The second half began in much the same way but it was Chelsea
who looked the more likely in the worsening conditions.

Five minutes in substitute Fabio Ferreira crossed for Sergio
Tejera who smashed into the roof of the net from six yards. The
home crowd were already up in celebration but the players had heard
the whistle: referee Steven Tomlinson had spotted an
infringement.

Miroslav Stoch then fired through a crowded box but Poom reacted
quickly and gathered at the first attempt.

Undeterred by the driving rain and shredded playing surface Fran
Merida played a clever reverse pass to Dunne only for the ball to
skip safely into the path of Ma-Kalambay.

With both sides fading in the quagmire the game gradually
deteriorated. The teams deserved credit for their endeavour but
finding that final pass became an uphill struggle.

There was a brief moment when, following a scramble in the box,
tempers threatened to boil over. Comparisons to that now infamous
melee between the senior sides in the Carling Cup Final would be
easy to make but any suggestions that this was a confrontation on
the scale of that in Cardiff would be unjust. The scenes quickly
petered out and what was an otherwise mild mannered affair
continued in that vein.

With three minutes remaining the best chance of the half - and
arguably the game - fell to Chelsea. Almost inevitably it was the
result of a slip as Rene Steer hit the ground allowing Ferreira to
pick out Sahar. The Israeli striker fluffed his kick but the ball
fell kindly for Stoch six-yards out. The midfielder took one
touch to control before dragging his shot across the face of
Poom's gaping goalmouth.

In the final minute Arsenal so nearly made their hosts pay. A
loose ball came to a sudden halt on the penalty spot and Dunne
charged in before letting fly. He struck the ball as sweetly as it
had been all evening but his effort flew inches wide and with it
went any hopes of that elusive victory.