Controversial own goals as Arsenal lose to Blackburn

Posted on by SoccerPunter

Ayegbeni Yakubu scored twice to turn up the heat on Arsene Wenger as Blackburn twice came from behind to defeat Arsenal 4-3 at Ewood Park on Saturday English Premier League match.

Blackburn fans marched before kick-off demanding the removal of manager Steve Kean after a poor run of form.

But they were celebrating by the end as Blackburn leapfrogged Arsenal in the table after a Yakubu-inspired victory, the Nigerian striker unwanted by Everton but eager to prove he can still cut it at this level.

It leaves Arsenal with just four points from their opening five games and means Wenger’s side have now conceded 12 goals in the last two away games in the Premier League.

The defeat also exposed the frailty in Arsenal’s defence, which conceded two own goals during a pulsating contest.

The Gunners had taken the lead on 10 minutes, Alex Song splitting the defence with a weighted pass to find Gervinho who rifled a low angled shot shot beyond Paul Robinson.

But despite dominating play Arsenal were unable to add to their lead and were rocked on 25 minutes when Yakubu conjured a goal out of nothing, picking up David Hoilett’s pass to finish beyond the advancing Wojciech Szczesny.

However Arsenal were back in front within nine minutes, when new signing Mikel Arteta opened his account for the club, sweeping in Aaron Ramsey’s cross with aplomb to put Arsenal 2-1 up.

Yet with the game under control, the defensive brittleness which has become Arsenal’s hallmark in recent seasons reared its head early in the second half.

There appeared to be little danger Ruben Rochina chipped in an innocuous free-kick from near the right-hand side of the penalty box, but Arsenal’s failure to clear cost them dear as Song diverted the ball into his own net.

Sensing Arsenal’s unease, Blackburn ramped up the pressure and on 59 minutes they took the lead after another setpiece.

A Hoilett corner found Steven Nzonzi at the far side of the area, and the Frenchman lashed a shot towards the six-yard box which was turned in by Yakubu for the Nigerian striker’s second of the match.

A wretched afternoon for Arsenal got even worse on 69 minutes when a swift counter-attack down the right saw Martin Olsson burst clear.

The Swedish international accelerated past Johan Djourou before beating Alex Song and cutting back into the six-yard area where Laurent Koscielny steered into his own net for the second own goal of the match.

Substitute Marouane Chamakh raised Arsenal’s hopes of a comeback when he headed in on 85 minutes as the Londoners laid siege to the Blackburn goal.

Robin Van Persie had a close-range effort well saved by Robinson while both Chamakh and Per Mertesacker should have hit the target with headed chances.

Theo Walcott might have had legitimate claims for a penalty when he was bundled over by Robinson, but Rovers were not to be denied their first win of the season.

Be the first to comment:

Write a detailed comment of at least 350 characters to earn a reward point.
Results and Fixtures

Top Soccer Tipsters
Today Predictions in Tipsters Competition
Unknown mbhanderi posts a In-Play Over / Under tip on Wolverhampton Wanderers vs Burnley
just now
Unknown mbhanderi posts a In-Play Over / Under tip on Borussia Mönchengladbach vs VfL Wolfsburg
2 minutes ago
Unknown fncscg4 posts a In-Play Last Team to Score tip on Peterborough United vs Arsenal U21
2 minutes ago
Unknown fncscg4 posts a In-Play Last Team to Score tip on Peterborough United vs Arsenal U21
2 minutes ago
Unknown hadiejac posts a In-Play Double Chance tip on Colombia W vs New Zealand W
2 minutes ago
Unknown hadiejac posts a Double Chance tip on Chile W vs Peru W
2 minutes ago
Unknown hadiejac posts a Over / Under tip on Chile W vs Peru W
2 minutes ago
Unknown hadiejac posts a In-Play Over / Under tip on Colombia W vs New Zealand W
2 minutes ago
Unknown fncscg4 posts a In-Play Last Team to Score tip on Colchester United vs West Ham United U21
2 minutes ago
Unknown fncscg4 posts a In-Play Last Team to Score tip on Colchester United vs West Ham United U21
2 minutes ago
News Headlines
Superior H2H Statistics
H2H Home Team Advantage
H2H Away Team Advantage
Top Football Clubs
Worst Football Clubs
Top Draw Teams
Teams Home Win 100%
Good Home Teams
Poor Away Teams
Platinum Membership Testimonial

Top Singles Tipsters
In-Form Tipsters
Out of Form Tipsters
Tipsters Competition
Tipsters Competition Review
Membership
Soccer Predictions
Soccer Tips
 

Be a fan of our Twitter and Facebook Page
Soccer Analysis
Arbitrage

Arbitrage Picks

Arbitrage is an effective way to make guaranteed profits without losing your money.

Soccer Statistics H2H

Soccer Statistics

Analyze soccer matches, inclusive of past results, head to head stats, today match fixtures, live soccer odds, players and team form.

Livescore

Livescore

Check the latest and fastest live score results for all football matches. Know who are the goalscorers, yellow card and red card offenders.

Soccer Bet Help
Pick a Country or Region

Get the listings of soccer leagues and competitions for each region, including past seasons results and football statistics.

Match Preview and News

Copyright © 2002-2023 SoccerPunter Pte. Ltd. All rights reserved.