William Gallas struck in stoppage time to earn Arsenal a dramatic 2-2 draw against Manchester United.
Gallas' effort in stoppage time maintains unbeaten start
William Gallas proved to be the unlikeliest of headline makers when he scored a dramatic late equaliser to secure Arsenal a point from their thrilling 2-2 draw with Manchester United.
Arsenal looked set to relinquish their unbeaten start to the season when with eight minutes remaining Cristiano Ronaldo restored United's lead.
But Arsene Wenger's side now have a resolve that matches their undoubted ability and when Gallas struck in stoppage time there was a unity prevalent that suggests potential title-winners.
A drab first period that was suffocated by the weight of expectation was brought to life on the stroke of half-time, when Wayne Rooney's near post finish was deflected in off Gallas.
Cesc Fabregras continued his remarkable goalscoring run when he netted a composed leveller after the break, before in the final stages Ronaldo and then so dramatically, Gallas struck.
Bright start
There was a bright start to the much-anticipated match, with some slick passing on display from Wenger's men and little quarter given by United in the tackle.
After eight minutes, Ronaldo saw his downward header come back off the post following a left-wing corner, but eagle-eyed referee Howard Webb had spotted a push by the United midfielder on marker Tomas Rosicky.
At the other end, Emmanuel Adebayor timed his jump all wrong to send a cross from Gael Clichy over the bar.
Following an Arsenal free-kick after 16 minutes, United broke quickly through Ronaldo down the right. Captain Ryan Giggs should have done better when arriving at the far post to meet the eventual low cross, but could only stab the ball wide from a yard out.
Despite Arsenal having seen plenty of possession, with 30 minutes almost on the clock, the home side had not yet tested Edwin van der Sar.
Alexander Hleb's run down the right on the counter attack was checked by Anderson, six yards from the edge of the area. Fabregas whipped the resulting free-kick into the six-yard box, where Gallas met it with a bullet header, only to be denied by the legs of the United keeper.
United snatched the lead in first-half stoppage time. Wes Brown looked to have bundled Hleb off the ball before he slipped in Ronaldo down the right.
The low cross was met by Rooney at the near post, and his scuffed shot deflected up off the diving Gallas and past Almunia into the net.
Fantastic Fabregas
Arsenal's response was immediate, as they drew level just three minutes into the second half. Emmanuel Eboue floated the ball over from the right and into the penalty area, where Adebayor had timed his run perfectly.
Van der Sar was out quickly to block the Togo striker's volleyed effort. However, the loose ball broke to Bacary Sagna, who squared it back to Fabregas.
The young Spaniard set himself before drilling in his 11th goal of the season from 12 yards.
United were clearly shocked by the equaliser, and the Gunners were soon back on the offensive again with a sustained period of pressure.
Fabregas cleverly sent a low shot under the jumping wall, but van der Sar was across to make a comfortable save.
Dramatic finale
Slowly, the champions began to find their own rhythm again. A fine interchange between Rooney and Giggs set up the England forward with a free header 12 yards out, but for once he was well off target.
Following a quick counter attack, Eboue weaved his way into the United penalty area and fed Hleb, who made space before ballooning an effort horribly wide.
United went back in front when substitute Louis Saha fed Patrice Evra, who skipped into the right side of the box, drew Almunia and cut the ball back for Ronaldo - who could not miss.
Arsenal pressed for an equaliser, which almost came when Evra spooned the ball onto his own bar.
Just when it looked United were set to take the spoils and record a ninth straight league win, Arsenal forced in a dramatic stoppage goal when Gallas struck at the far post - the ball having been palmed away by van der Sar from behind the line.
| Arsenal |
Team Statistics |
Manchester United |
| 2 |
Goals |
2 |
| 0 |
1st Half Goals |
1 |
| 6 |
Shots on Target |
3 |
| 12 |
Shots off Target |
8 |
| 1 |
Blocked Shots |
1 |
| 3 |
Corners |
4 |
| 15 |
Fouls |
14 |
| 2 |
Offsides |
4 |
| 1 |
Yellow Cards |
2 |
| 0 |
Red Cards |
0 |
| 82.2 |
Passing Success |
75.7 |
| 23 |
Tackles |
35 |
| 65.2 |
Tackles Success |
82.9 |
| 55.9 |
Possession |
44.1 |
| 51.7 |
Territorial Advantage |
48.3 |
|
