The result was expected, but Albion fans left feeling frustrated once again having had a brief hope of a hard-earned point. Arsenal were the better side, and certainly deserved to win the game, but it was a good battling Albion display that could easily have earned a draw. With Portsmouth beating Middlesbrough at Fratton Park, it leaves Albion four points off 17th place having surrendered picked up twelve fewer points than Portsmouth in the last six games.

Nathan Ellington failed to recover from his toe injury in time and Robson started with the same formation as he did at Highbury last season. Kanu as the lone striker and Gera in the hole, with Greening and Kamara supporting from the flanks. Albrechtsen was back in for Watson at right back.

It was clear fairly early on in the game that Gera was lacking the energy to play in behind Kanu, and he and Kamara swapped roles not longer after the start. Arsenal dominated possession but there were few occasions when they really looked like breaking through. Curtis Davies was excellent in keeping Thierry Henry quiet, restricting the Frenchman to just one opportunity in the first half, which he put wide. Davies was intelligently following Henry's movement and put in one of his best performances in an Albion shirt.

Also performing well at the back was Martin Albrechtsen, who kept Aleksander Hleb quiet until the fateful moment just before the break, but even then it took a wonderful finish from the Belorussian from a very tight angle to squeeze past Alby and Kuszczak into the top corner of the net. It was a lead that the hosts deserved on the balance of play, but it was a cruel blow for a hard working Albion side.

The second half was much better from the visitors. Only twice, through Quashie and Wallwork, had Albion really threatened in the first half, but they were much more of an attacking force after the break. Greening had already come close when Robson decided to make a change, bring one former Gunner on to replace another as Campbell replaced a largely ineffective Kanu. Campbell offered a different type of threat and his power in the air started to trouble the Arsenal defence.

The hosts still looked the more likely to score but last ditch defending from Clement, Robinson, Quashie and Davies kept the deficit down to one. With one eye on the Champions League semi-final on Wednesday, Wenger decided to give Henry a rest and replaced him with Adebayor, although to be fair to Curtis Davies, Henry had had a quiet game. A very tired looking Zoltan Gera was replaced a minute later, before Wenger made two more changes bringing Pries and Bergkamp on for Hleb and Van Persie. The Arsenal fans had declared the day "Dennis Bergkamp Day", and many were wearing Dutch orange in his honour, so he received a fantastic welcome.

But the atmosphere was soon deflated as Albion grabbed an equaliser against the run of play. Campbell won the flick on which Eboue failed to deal with - Quashie pounced and fired a low shot past Lehmann into the bottom corner. Could Albion hold out for another point at Highbury?

No was the answer as Arsenal regained the lead just four minutes later. Adebayor got onto a ball over the top - his shot was saved by Kuszczak but Bergkamp was first onto the rebound. Albion were back in numbers and after the Dutchman laid the ball back to Pires, his shot was blocked before the Frenchman dinked the ball over Kuszczak into the net.

Albion tried hard to get back into the game and Robson threw Carter on in place of Wallwork to try, perhaps, to recreate his wonder strike in the reverse fixture at the Hawthorns. But the luck didn't favour Albion as another penalty appeal was turned down when Curtis Davies went down in the box. The replays suggest that Albion should have been rewarded with a spot kick.

But it was not to be, and Bergkamp had the last laugh when, after finally finding a bit of space, he curled a wonderful shot past Kuszczak to make it 3-1. That scoreline was perhaps a little harsh on Albion, but the fact remains that they went home pointless and in deep relegation trouble.

Albion's last ever visit to Highbury ended in defeat, and it will take a monumental effort for them to return to the impressive Emirates Stadium for a Premiership game next season.




Marks

Tomasz Kuszczak - 6 - A few good saves, much improved kicking. Maybe could've done better with Adebayor's initial shot that led to the second goal.
Martin Albrechtsen - 8 - Good performance from Alby.
Neil Clement - 6 - Did OK, maybe caught a little flat-footed once or twice.
Curtis Davies - 9 - MOM. Superb performance against one of the best in the world. Will not have discouraged Wenger's interest in him.
Paul Robinson - 7 - Decent game from Robbo.
Ronnie Wallwork - 7 - Typically tidy and hardworking performance.
Jonathan Greening - 6 - Some good crosses, worked hard.
Nigel Quashie - 8 - Great finish, worked very hard; needs to continue to play well if Albion are to survive.
Zoltan Gera - 6 - Never really got going, still lacking match sharpness.
Diomansy Kamara - 7 - Decent performance, good direct running.
Nwankwo Kanu - 6 - Quiet game, never looked likely to threaten.



Kevin Campbell - 7 - Did well, won plenty of headers and worked hard.
Junichi Inamoto - 5 - Little impact.
Darren Carter - 5 - Little impact.


Bryan Robson - 7 - Could not have done much more. Right starting line-up, maybe some more pace on the bench (Nicholson) would've been welcome.



Jon Want, 16th April 2006.