In a match which effectively summed up their season, Arsenal suffered their
ninth red card of a campaign plagued by indiscipline but kept their title charge
alive through the continued brilliance of Dennis Bergkamp.
The Dutchman missed a late penalty but still took his side to within a single
point of leaders Manchester United with a cultured left-footed strike two
minutes before half-time.
However, it was referee Graham Poll who courted the greatest controversy
during the incident-packed game at Highbury as he dismissed both Martin Keown
and Keith Gillespie, as well as booking six other players.
The bad blood between the two sides spilled over 20 minutes from time when
Keown received his second red card of the campaign - and the 21st of Wenger's
reign - following his dismissal at Hillsborough in the build-up to Paolo Di
Canio's push on Paul Alcock.
Perhaps it should come as no surprise that Chris Sutton was involved in this
incident, given the striker's past history against Arsenal.
The centre-forward was sent off at Ewood Park last September, when he claimed
that Patrick Vieira had broken his nose.
And he has never been forgiven for challenging for the ball after a throw-in
two years ago at Highbury to create a goal which kept the Gunners out of Europe
in a mirror-image of the controversy which surrounded Arsenal's FA Cup tie
against Sheffield United.
Keown, who had already been booked after a first-half tussle with Ashley Ward,
was challenging Sutton when he was fouled and flailed his arm in the
centre-forward's direction.
It was hardly a forearm smash but referee Graham Poll deemed it to be worthy
of a second yellow card and Keown is now likely to be hit with a two-match
suspension.
Keown was soon joined on the sidelines by Blackburn winger Gillespie, who was
first booked for a foul which led to the penalty which Bergkamp had saved by
Filan with seven minutes left and was then shown a second yellow card for
dissent.
The defeat left the visitors even deeper in the relegation mire but in truth
they had not deserved a draw, despite the ceaseless running of Sutton in a
largely isolated role up front.
Blackburn, the last side to beat Arsenal in the Premiership at home - way back
in December 1997 before the Gunners started the unbeaten run which took them to
the title - set their stall out early on.
Ward was out wide on the left wing, leaving Sutton largely isolated, while
Billy McKinlay was recalled to man-mark Bergkamp.
The visitors did cause problems with a series of high balls hoisted up to
their front two and Sutton half-volleyed one half-chance just wide.
But they were largely restricted to isolated breakaways as Arsenal attempted
to navigate their way through a packed defence.
Far too often though, the home side were restricted to hopeful pot-shots and
apart from the driving runs of Patrick Vieira, they were largely reliant on the
creative genius of Bergkamp in the absence of the suspended Emmanuel Petit.
Bergkamp first chiselled out an opening by exquisitely turning McKinlay before
setting Marc Overmars through to cross for Kaba Diawara to take aim, only to be
denied by a last-ditch tackle from Darren Peacock.
Adams was left unmarked after Bergkamp returned a clearance for Nelson Vivas
to head across the face of goal but the centre-back blasted his effort way over
as Blackburn angrily appealed for offside.
Bergkamp then put through Overmars a second time only for Diawara to shoot
straight at Filan so it came as no surprise that the Dutch striker took the
goal-scoring responsibility into his hands.
McKinlay handled the ball as he tried to clear a corner on the edge of the
penalty area and although Bergkamp's first strike - with his right foot - was
blocked by the wall, he nonchalantly struck the rebound into the far corner,
this time with his left.
After the break, Filan produced two superb saves to tip a drive from Ray
Parlour over the bar and then block Vieira's close-range header from the ensuing
corner.
Diawara wasted another chance soon afterwards, shooting over after being set
up by the impressive Overmars and was substituted by Kanu with 28 minutes left
but still Arsenal lacked the killer instinct to finish the game off.
Blackburn had only threatened through a snap-shot from Ward but the complexion
of the game altered with Keown's dismissal as Steve Bould was sent on for
Overmars.
Substitute Marlon Broomes was booked for complaining to referee Poll that he
had not spotted an elbow to his face by Bergkamp as tempers threatened to boil
over in the closing stages.
Even Blackburn boss Brian Kidd was warned about encroaching towards the
touchline on the advice of Alcock, who was the fourth official.
Then Gillespie joined Keown in being given his marching orders after bringing
down Bergkamp as the Dutchman burst into the penalty area.
Bergkamp stroked his spot-kick towards the corner of the net only to see Filan
fling himself to his left and keep the ball out - just as he did against Frank
Leboeuf during Blackburn's draw at Stamford Bridge in mid-February.
On that occasion, when Broomes and Gianluca Vialli were also sent off,
Blackburn stole a late point to dent Chelsea's title challenge.
This time around, Arsenal escaped the same fate to keep their own championship
challenge very much alive.
Teams
Arsenal: Seaman, Dixon, Keown, Adams, Winterburn, Parlour, Vivas,
Vieira, Overmars (Bould 72), Bergkamp, Diawara (Kanu 62).
Subs Not Used: Anelka, Grimandi, Lukic.
Sent Off: Keown (69).
Booked: Keown, Dixon, Vivas.
Goals: Bergkamp 42.
Blackburn: Filan, McAteer, Peacock, Henchoz, Davidson, Gillespie,
McKinlay (Johnson 45), Carsley (Broomes 67), Wilcox, Sutton,Ward.
Subs Not Used: Flowers, Davies, Marcolin.
Sent Off: Gillespie (83).
Booked: Filan, Ward, Davidson, Gillespie.
Att: 37,762
Ref: G Poll (Tring).
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