Cup Shock - Blackburn Have Shot!

Just when we thought it was safe again to go back to the north-west for a late kick-off up pop Blackburn to win over 180 minutes with just about their only shot on target!

Arsenal’s ‘week horribilis’ that started in Eindhoven, continued in Cardiff, and hopefully ended at Ewood Park, has resulted in three defeats in games we could, and should, have won.

The Gunners huffed and puffed at Blackburn, but ‘the Beast’, to whom the best chances appeared to fall, was not capable of blowing the house down. Julio Baptista is providing a real problem for Arsene Wenger, who has to decide at the end of the season if he will be signed permanently or returned to Madrid.

Many players take a year or so to settle in the Premiership, but will the Brazilian get the chance to prove he is one of those? He was originally sought to bolster the midfield but the emergence of Denilson and return of Diaby could persuade ‘Le Boss’ to send him packing.

To single out Baptista would be harsh though. Every Gooners favourite ‘three yellows and you're off’ referee turned down two solid penalty appeals, and showed the patience of a saint with Tugay, and possibly Dunn. I know it’s easy to have a pop at the referee but it was Graham Poll, so come on now, can you blame me?

In the end Phil Senderos was shunted out to replace the injured Eboue at right-back, and was left exposed for the wonderfully executed goal by Benni McCarthy. He deserved better after a solid display alongside William Gallas at the heart of the defence for over an hour.

So wherever the Cup Final is played in May we won’t be there. That is a disappointment, not a calamity. The season is far from over, with Champions League glory and qualification still up for grabs. There are plenty who would gladly exchange places with Arsenal at this precise moment in time.