Match Reports

Team :	Miller, Edworthy, Smith, Gordon, Roberts, Hreidarsson, Ismael, Fullarton, Rodger, Dyer, Brolin
Subs :	Nash, Tuttle(Dyer 77'), Emblen, Bent(Smith 67'), Linighan.
Booked :	Dyer, Fullarton, Hreidarsson, Roberts

Player & Tactics Analysis

Reports from:

The Sunday Telegraph by Colin Malam

The Sunday Times by Kevin Connolly

Report from The Sunday Telegraph by Colin Malam Arsenal find belated way past Palace Gilles Grimandi's first goal for Arsenal since his summer transfer from Monaco finally broke the stalemate between these sides and lifted the home side into second place in the Premiership. Grimandi's goal was the first in three games between Arsenal and Palace this season. It also gives the north London side a psychological advantage over their south London opponents for Wednesday's FA Cup fifth-round replay at Selhurst Park, which will be the third in a trio of matches between them inside 11 days. Tomas Brolin Photo © Neil Everitt Between them, the two clubs were unable to call upon a total of 18 members of their first-team squads because of injury, illness, suspensions and internat- ional duty. Arsenal were particularly hard hit. For a start, injury deprived them of David Seaman, Steve Bould, Nigel Winterburn, Ian Wright, Ray Parlour, Emmanuel Petit, Remi Garde, Alberto Mendez and Scott Marshall, while Dennis Bergkamp was both ill with flu and injured. On top of that little lot came the suspensions of Tony Adams and Christopher Wreh plus the absence of Marc Overmars, who was on international duty with Holland. As a result, Arsenal were forced to dig so deep into their playing resources that their squad of 16 contained six teenagers. Three of them - Nicolas Anelka, Matthew Upson and Paolo Vernazza, all 18 - were in the 11 who started the game. Vernazza, an Islington boy of Italian stock, who chose to join Arsenal rather than Parma, had had just one previous senior appearance as a substitute in this season's Coca-Cola Cup. Palace were without quite a lot of talents too, in Michele Padovano, Attilio Lombardo, Paul Warhurst, Neil Shipperley and Matt Jansen, the young striker they have just signed from Carlisle. Even so, there was still a good deal more experience among their team and substitutes than Arsenal's. Palace were also able to put out the same side who had frustrated Arsenal here in their FA Cup fifth-round tie a week earlier and they soon slipped back into the defensive routine that had kept the Cup tie goalless. The tedious upshot of it all was that neither goal was seriously threatened until nearly half an hour of play had passed. The first scoring chance was made for Anelka by David Platt with a clever pass down the inside-right channel, but Kevin Miller, Palace's goalkeeper, diverted the young Frenchman's fierce shot for a corner with his legs. Valerien Ismael fights back Photo © Neil Everitt As half-time approached, however, Palace started to become more adventurous. They should really have scored after 33 minutes when Jamie Smith shredded Arsenal's defensive cover with a low centre from the right and Bruce Dyer jabbed the ball wide from two yards out. By the same token, Arsenal were unlucky not to take the lead five minutes before the interval. Upson headed Vernazza's left-wing corner against the other upright and Platt very nearly made contact with the rebound. Thankfully, the second half was much more eventful. Arsenal scored within four minutes of the restart and might have had several more goals as they suddenly began to penetrate Palace's defensive thickets at will. The goal was a gem, Grimandi volleying a dropping ball over his left shoulder and into the far corner after Herman Hreidarsson had headed out a Vernazza corner. In addition, Anelka drove a shot just over the bar and Platt forced a diving save from Miller with a header. But the most glaring miss had to debited to Luis Boa Morte, who miskicked completely 10 yards out when Anelka pulled the ball back to him from the right. Colin Malam   Report from The Sunday Times by Kevin Connolly Grimandi steers Arsenal into second A match between two injury-ravaged sides was settled by a man who had not been expected to play. It looked odds on that Gilles Grimandi would miss the game after a groin injury at Chelsea on Wednesday. Somehow he stuck it out to play all 90 minutes and score a goal vital to Arsenal in their pursuit of Manchester United. Grimandi, signed last summer, has taken a while to win over the Highbury crowd, but he became their hero yesterday. "If I'd had more players fit I would have rested him," said Arsène Wenger, the Arsenal manager. Grimandi, whose 49th-minute goal lifted Arsenal into second place, said: "I wanted to play. I felt some pain which got worse as the game went on, but I wanted to stay on for 90 minutes because the match was so important for the championship. If we win our two games in hand we'll only be three points behind Manchester United. "I needed time to settle in because I'd been at Monaco for seven years. Now I feel more at home with my teammates. But I don't usually score more than two goals a season!" It was not so much a case of who played as who did not. Arsenal had David Seaman, Nigel Winterburn, Steve Bould, Remi Garde, Scott Marshall, Ray Parlour, Emmanuel Petit, Ian Wright and Alberto Mendez injured. Dennis Bergkamp was down with flu. Tony Adams and Christopher Wreh were suspended. Marc Overmars was with Holland. In midfield, local teenager Paolo Vernazza, who turned down Parma to join Arsenal, made his League debut. Another teenager, left-back Matthew Upson, started only his second Premier League game. They almost fashioned their own magic moment just before half-time when Upson headed Vernazza's corner against a post. Palace have injury worries of their own, with forwards Attilio Lombardo, Michele Padovano, Neil Shipperley and new signing Matt Jansen all sidelined. They came to defend, deploying centre-back Andy Roberts in front of three more centre-halves. Without a big man up front, Arsenal have to play on the ground, where Palace often crowded out lone striker Nicholas Anelka. Palace even contrived to miss a golden chance. Tomas Brolin freed Jamie Smith, but somehow Bruce Dyer failed to convert Smith's centre. That roused Arsenal. Upson's header signalled the onslaught to follow in the second half. Patrick Vieira began it by careering on a 50-yard run before picking out Stephen Hughes who shot over. Grimandi proved more decisive. Vernazza swung over another corner. It was half-cleared to Grimandi who cracked an instinctive volley beyond Miller for his first Premier League goal. Arsenal's confidence grew visibly. Vieira and Hughes imposed themselves in midfield. Palace had to take risks, and gaps appeared in their defence. Palace switched to three attackers and brought on Marcus Bent to run at Upson. Bent gained no joy there. Simon Rodger forced a soaring tip over from Alex Manninger. Palace did not threaten again. Wenger hopes he will have more players available for Wednesday's FA Cup replay when Arsenal visit Palace. But Grimandi's heroism has already made him doubtful. Kevin Connolly