Arsenal

Arsenal 2-0 Everton
Sol Campbell scored twice as Arsenal returned to form against Everton. Campbell, who was making his first Premiership start of the season, scored two first-half headers - both from Jose Antonio Reyes free-kicks. Goalkeeper Nigel Martyn came for the first but failed to make his ground, while Campbell rose too easily above the Everton defence for his second. Robin van Persie hit the post for Arsenal, while Freddie Ljungberg struck the crossbar from eight yards. Everton manager David Moyes was looking for a response from his players after their 5-1 defeat against Dinamo Bucharest in the Uefa Cup last Thursday. But his struggling team - who have only three points and one goal to show from their five Premiership outings - were comprehensively outplayed. Moyes gave Matteo Ferrari his debut at left-back but he was given an horrendous welcome to the Premiership by Freddie Ljungberg. And the Everton defence was exposed time and again by Arsenal's dynamic forward play. At least Ferrari had the determination to go against the instructions of the Everton physiotherapist and carry on playing after picking up a knock in the second half. Everton suggested in the opening minutes they were their intent on putting their recent poor form - and last season's 7-0 reverse at Highbury - behind them when Marcus Bent narrowly missed from long-range. But the visitors were soon opened up, Cesc Fabregas' shot deflecting over after a Robert Pires pass had picked him out in space. And with 11 minutes gone Martyn's hesitation when coming for a free-kick was punished by Campbell, making his Premiership start of the season, who nodded Arsenal in front. Everton battled to stay in touch, with Phil Neville involved in several crunching challenges, one of which led to the withdrawal of Robert Pires. But after Neville was caught in possession Arsenal broke quickly, Van Persie smashing his shot against the post after he was played through by Reyes. And Everton's plight deepened when Campbell doubled his tally on the half hour, rising above the visitors defence to convert another Reyes free-kick, this time from the left. Campbell came within inches of an improbable headed hat-trick when another Reyes free-kick narrowly eluded him. And Everton's inability to defend crosses was exposed again before the break when Kolo Toure connected with another Reyes free-kick, the ball this time flying wide of Nigel Martyn's goal. Alexander Hleb, on for Pires, played a superb through-ball that both Ljungberg and Van Persie just failed to connect with, ensuring Everton reached the break without conceding any further goals. Bent forced a save from returning keeper Jens Lehmann after the break but the German comfortably held the striker's shot. And Martyn was soon back in action at the other end, denying Reyes and later parrying a free-kick that Ljungberg then smashed against the crossbar. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger: "Now the target is to get a result away from home. "It was important to win and I feel we did it well, in a controlled way even though we scored two unusual goals from set-pieces. "As long as you don't find the third goal you play in a controlled way, less sharp but controlled. "Ideally you would want to score all kind of goals, recently it has been set-pieces but we want to score goals the way we love to." Everton boss David Moyes: "We've come here before and been opened up. We stopped that tonight. "We have to take a positive from that. Winning is a habit and so is losing, and we have to get out of that. "We're not happy with the two goals we conceded from Sol Campbell. You could call the two towering headers, but we should have blocked him off earlier." -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Arsenal: Lehmann, Lauren, Toure, Campbell, Cole, Ljungberg, Fabregas, Silva, Pires (Hleb 29), Reyes (Song Billong 86), Van Persie (Bergkamp 67). Subs Not Used: Senderos, Almunia. Booked: Fabregas, Reyes. Goals: Campbell 11, 30. Everton: Martyn, Hibbert, Yobo, Weir, Ferrari, Osman, Cahill (Ferguson 67), Neville, Arteta (Davies 85), McFadden, Bent (Kilbane 81). Subs Not Used: Wright, Nuno Valente. Booked: Cahill, Neville, Hibbert. Att: 38,121 Ref: A Wiley (Staffordshire).

Footballer 'raped woman in flat'
An Arsenal footballer raped a woman after meeting her at a West End club, Croydon Crown Court has heard. Graham Stack, 23, currently on loan to Reading, allegedly attacked the 21-year-old in his spare bedroom while his friend sexually assaulted her. Prosecution counsel said the victim made it clear she did not want sex. The goalkeeper earlier denied rape and sexual assault. Friend Allan Smillie, 23, from Feltham, west London, denies sexually assaulting the same woman. The woman, a law undergraduate, had been drinking at Traps nightclub, in Wardour Street, central London, on 31 August last year. 'Out of it' After half a glass of wine, two single and one double vodka and cranberries, she began to feel unwell, the court heard. She was sick in the club's toilets and on the way back to Mr Stack's flat in Beckenham, south-east London. She told the court: "I was completely out of it. I felt as if I was really, really drunk and I couldn't understand why." She said she usually drinks a lot more than that at university. When the woman arrived at the flat she claimed Mr Smillie suggested she take her jeans off because she had sick on them. She agreed, and got into bed, saying she felt ill and wanted to sleep but Mr Smillie got in bed with her and sexually assaulted her, the court heard. 'Tests negative' Mr Stack, who was on loan to Millwall, then raped her before sexually assaulting her, it was alleged. "I was almost passed out but saying 'get off me, get off' and 'I just want to sleep'. They just totally ignored me," she said. She claimed Mr Stack only stopped attacking her when her friend, who had accompanied her back to the flat, called out his name. Prosecutor Robin Johnson said samples had been taken but no tests had proved positive for date-rape drugs. "The Crown's case is she was not consenting, she made that clear and even if there was any doubt, by her sheer physical state and what they had seen in the club and in the car, they would have appreciated that," he said. During cross-examination, Edward Henry, on behalf of Mr Smillie, claimed the alleged victim exaggerated the effect of drink. Mr Stack, of Ruislip, west London, has represented the Republic of Ireland at under-21 level and played a number of Carling Cup matches for Arsenal in 2003/4.

Wenger says clubs must entertain
Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger believes that Premiership teams have an obligation to entertain the fans. Premiership attendances are down on last season and the entertainment value on offer has been criticised. "When somebody buys a ticket and spends £50, £60 or £70, it is not because he wants to be bored," said Wenger after his side's 2-0 win over Everton. "It is because he wants to enjoy a football game. I feel we all have a responsibility to keep that going." Wenger's comments are at odds with those of his Chelsea counterpart Jose Mourinho. Mourinho said last week that "obligation" was not a word in his footballing vocabulary and that winning must take priority. "Of course, we also have the responsibility to win games and the difficulty in the job is to combine both," added Wenger. "But that does not mean at the start that the target must be 'we want to be boring'. The target for every manager and for Mourinho as well - I think he would share that with me - is to try to entertain people. "Unfortunately, it is not always the case but we have to try." There were almost 62,000 spare seats across the nine Premiership matches at the weekend and it followed a significant drop in the crowds at the home midweek European ties involving Chelsea, Middlesbrough and Bolton. A Premier League spokesman said: "It is far too early to draw any firm conclusions but the Premier League remains one of the best-supported leagues in Europe." Wenger, meanwhile, has praised Sol Campbell after the defender scored both goals against Everton at Highbury on Monday night. Campbell, who was making his first Premiership start of the season after recovering from a calf injury, headed home two first-half free-kicks from Jose Antonio Reyes. And Wenger believes that the defender is ready to force himself back into contention for an England place. "Sol has experience, pace and physical power, which nobody else has together," said Wenger. "He has the ingredients that all make him certainly someone for Sven to consider and I am sure he will consider him. "He has hunger and desire to come back - firstly for us but also for England. He is a proud man and when his pride is touched his competitiveness becomes very sharp." Campbell said: "I want to be back in the England side, that is one of my main goals. I have got to keep on going. "Last season there was frustration but it is great getting back and being out there and happy and getting stronger with my game."

Gilberto signs Arsenal extension
Brazilian midfielder Gilberto Silva has signed a new contract with Arsenal which keeps him at the club until 2009. The 28-year-old joined Arsenal from Atletico Mineiro in July 2002, shortly after playing in every minute of his Brazil's victorious World Cup campaign. And he is a hugely important figure in Arsenal's team, particularly after the summer departure of Patrick Vieira. Already he has amassed 120 appearances, winning the Premiership in 2004 and the FA Cup in 2003 and 2005. Gilberto is now the senior member of Arsenal's midfield - with youngsters Matthieu Flamini and Cesc Fabregas looking to benefit from his experience. It is not a situation that worries Gilberto, even though he also saw his compatriot Edu leave Highbury in the close season. He added: "There is much more responsibility for me but I'm very confident I can do my best for the team. "I am the oldest in my position but it doesn't matter who I play with because they are good players. "Cesc and Mathieu are young but they have shown how good they are and that's why the boss has confidence in them. "Of course we have missed Patrick and Edu because they are fantastic players and fantastic people. "If anyone was down in the dressing room then Patrick would help them. But we need to continue."

Wenger praises battler Ljungberg
Arsene Wenger singled out midfielder Freddie Ljungberg for his part in Arsenal's 2-1 win over Ajax in the Champions League on Tuesday. Ljungberg scored within 80 seconds to help Arsenal to their first European away win in six attempts. And Wenger said: "Freddie is a guy who scores lots of goals away from home and can get in good positions. "He is a winner, a real fighter. In a game you need him to dig deep, he will go for you as far as he can." The Frenchman also hailed Sol Campbell's defensive organisation after Arsenal held out for the win. "I think what you saw tonight was the Sol of 2003/04," said Wenger. "He was terrific. I think he will get a call up now for the England squad." Arsenal had gone into the match missing a host of first-team players, among them strike duo Thierry Henry and Dennis Bergkamp. And Wenger said: "We missed many players, especially in the offensive area, and you would have signed before the game to get two goals away from home. "We compensated with good teamwork and were perhaps less dangerous going forward than we can be. "But our back-four was dominant and our discipline was good." The Gunners now have maximum points from their two Group B clashes and look well set to qualify for the second phase. "We are in a strong position, but it can change quickly," continued Wenger. "Now we have six points after two games - and we take it in a cautious way. After a dodgy start we are getting a good run together."

Arsenal chairman opposed Cole row
Arsenal chairman Peter Hill-Wood has revealed that he opposed the Gunners' pursuit of Chelsea in the Ashley Cole tapping-up saga last season. He told the Daily Telegraph: "I would rather we had handled it differently but the majority of the board felt we had to do something. "We know this sort of thing goes on all the time. All clubs do it, although Chelsea were rather blatant about it. "But I do not have any ill-feeling towards Chelsea." However, it appears that there is still acrimony between the two clubs over the row, which led to Chelsea and Cole being fined after a Premier League hearing at the end of last season. But Hill-Wood would not criticise the Premiership champions - and even defended them following their impressive start to the new campaign. He added: "I don't think Chelsea are making the Premier League boring. "You always have complaints when one club is dominant. Smaller clubs used to complain about us and Manchester United. "I'm not remotely jealous about Chelsea. "Chelsea's strength is that Jose Mourinho has turned out to be a very competent coach. Whether he is better than Arsene Wenger or not I am not able to judge. "Wenger has been with us for nine years and we have never finished lower than second. I would rather have Wenger."

Wenger content to wait for Henry
Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger insists there is no rift between him and Thierry Henry over the striker's decision to delay contract talks. Henry does not want to enter into discussions over his future until the end of the season, when he will have just 12 months to run on his deal. Wenger said: "Our desire is to talk about it earlier but you can only talk about it when both parties are ready. "We will do it when he is ready. You have to respect his views." Barcelona are rumoured to be interested in taking Henry to the Nou Camp, and Henry could leave for a fraction of his market value if his contract is almost up. Henry has missed the last six of Arsenal's games, but hopes to return against West Brom next weekend. Earlier this week he said: "I want to concentrate on football, and focus on winning trophies rather than worry about contracts. "At the end of the season we will talk about it. I will speak to the boss but my mind is not on it at the moment."

Cole faces six weeks on sidelines
England and Arsenal defender Ashley Cole will be out for up to six weeks with the stress fracture of his foot, says Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger. "We suspected something was wrong and when he was X-rayed with the national team it showed he had a stress fracture," said Wenger. "He's a top-quality player so ideally you want him to be there because we have some big games coming up. "I think we will be without him for four to six weeks." Cole withdrew from the England squad to face Austria and Poland on Tuesday after the diagnosis of the stress fracture

Henry set to be made record offer
Arsenal are prepared to make Thierry Henry the highest paid player in the club's history in an effort to hold onto the prolific French striker. Arsenal chairman Peter Hill-Wood says the club are considering offering the 28-year-old a new four-year deal worth as much as £100,000 a week. Hill-Wood told The Evening Standard: "We've not talked about the offer yet. "But it is fair to say he would become the highest paid player in Arsenal's history - and deservedly so." The decision has led to speculation that the France international could quit the club for a move abroad, to Spanish giants Barcelona or Real Madrid. Barcelona are rumoured to be interested in taking Henry to the Nou Camp, and Henry could leave for a fraction of his market value if his contract is almost up. But Arsenal are keen to hold on to their mercurial forward. "We would also have liked to talk before the end of the season but it is Thierry's right to leave it until then," added Hill-Wood. "But we want him to stay and he knows that." Midfielder Patrick Vieira was reportedly paid £82,000 a week before he left Highbury to join Juventus in the summer, while Henry is believed to be on a salary in the region on £75,000 at the moment.

Arsenal rocked by Clichy injury
Arsenal left-back Gael Clichy is likely to be out for "three to four months" after it was revealed he would need surgery on a fractured foot. The 20-year-old, who had been deputising for the injured Ashley Cole, was hurt playing for France's Under-21 side against England. "The story is that Gael will need surgery," manager Arsene Wenger told Arsenal's website. "Ashley is five weeks away and Gael is three to four months away." Wenger now faces a problem of trying to fill his left-back berth. "The quite remarkable thing, in a negative way, is that he has the same problem as Ashley Cole," added the Frenchman. "It is terrible for the boy, we feel really bad for him. For us it is hard to take as well because we have no left backs who are really comfortable in that position." Arsenal have allowed a possible replacement, Justin Hoyte, to go on a season-long loan to Sunderland. Hoyte is normally a right-back but has been playing on the opposite flank for the Black Cats. With Hoyte on loan, other options appear to be moving central defenders Pascal Cygan or Kolo Toure over to left-back or asking Emmanuel Eboue, who is predominantly a right-sided player, to shift flanks. Arsenal have previously suffered costly injury blows to Sol Campbell, Thierry Henry and Alexander Hleb while they were away on international duty so far this season. Clichy's absence could hinder their chances of recovery in the title race, with league games against Wigan, Blackburn, Bolton, Newcastle and Chelsea scheduled in the next month.

Henry's opinion on Ajax match
Arsenal and Ajax by Henry

Chairman fears for ageing Gunners
Arsenal chairman Peter Hill-Wood said the Gunners will have to strengthen their squad if they want to maintain a challenge for the Champions League. "What we've got is two or three players who are probably a year from not being good enough in the Champions League," Hill-Wood told the Daily Star. "And to replace them immediately is incredibly difficult. "Robert Pires, Freddie Ljungberg, Sol Campbell. Whether they have lost a yard of pace I don't know." The Gunners face Real Madrid in the last 16 of this year's Champions League after qualifying impressively, finishing top of Group B. But they have struggled in other competitions, stuttering in the league and losing in the Carling Cup semi-finals to Wigan. But Hill-Wood said he backed manager Arsene Wenger to make the right decisions in the transfer market. "Arsene's basically spent, since he's been with us, £4m to £5m a year net," said Hill-Wood. "It's tidy money. It's distorted in a way by the £25m we got from Real Madrid for Nicolas Anelka, but he's very sensible when it comes to spending on players." Hill-Wood backed Wenger's decision to sell former skipper Patrick Vieira to Juventus for £13.7m in the summer of 2005. "I don't regret Patrick being sold. We didn't do it for the money," said Hill-Wood. "I think Arsene felt Patrick almost every year was tweaking his tail and that if he did it again he wasn't prepared to suffer it."

Arsenal put Henry deal on table
Arsenal chairman Peter Hill-Wood claims his club have made star striker and captain Thierry Henry "an absolutely fantastic offer" to stay at the club. The 28-year-old Frenchman's current contract is due to expire in 2007, and he has started talks over a new deal. "I'm not going to say what the deal is, but it made me shudder. It's a lot of money," Hill-Wood told the Sir Stanley. "It's for five years. Arsene Wenger thinks he's physically capable of playing for another five years." Henry has indicated a desire to extend his stay with the Gunners, who are set to move into a new 60,000-seater stadium next season. "We've made him an offer which is probably as good an offer as anybody in this country - maybe other than Chelsea - would make," added Hill-Wood. Arsenal vice-chairman David Dein said he hoped the club's transfer market dealings would persuade Henry to sign his new deal quickly. The Gunners have signed Emmanuel Adebayor, Theo Walcott and Vasiriki Abou Diaby during January's transfer window. "Henry's very important to us and we're advanced in trying to renegotiate his deal," Dein told Sir Stanley. "We hope he will stay with the club. We are building for the future." Henry joined the Gunners from Juventus in August 1999 and his goalscoring exploits have made him an Arsenal legend. He is the club's all-time record goalscorer and his hat-trick in the 7-0 thrashing of Middlesbrough on 14 January led to him equalling Cliff Bastin's club record of 150 League goals.

Wenger amazed by Chelsea's losses
Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger believes Chelsea's record £140m losses shows that the Blues have no financial rules. He said: "They must be delighted to have such losses and still say everything is all right. "We all dream of that. At Arsenal, if we lose £140m, we are bust. You have to balance the budget and live within your natural resources. "I learned when I was young that when you make 10 you spend a maximum of 10. But some earn 10 and they spend 20." Wenger feels the personal wealth of Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich, estimated to be £15.7bn, and his willingness to bankroll his club has changed the face of football. "Chelsea can afford to make a loss if they can budget to get it back in two or three years with a plan," added Wenger. "It is only in football you can imagine that. If you had that in another business it would put too much pressure on the market." And Wenger revealed just how that pressure has affected the transfer market, in particular. He stated: "When I contact a club and say, 'Listen I am interested in your player', you all know what answer I get. 'Thank you very much, Chelsea are on the case as well'. "It is like that everywhere - even in South America. I tell them, 'First try to sell him to Chelsea and then call me back'."

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