Reyes script has bad ending for Arsenal

14 April 2012

Middlesbrough 2 Arsenal 1
(Boro win 3-1 on aggregate)

The scenario for Jose Antonio Reyes on his full debut for Arsenal was perfect . . . a semi-final second leg level at 1-1, only five minutes left and the ball in front of goal ready for the £17.5million star from Seville to score the decisive goal.

But there was one big problem with the script last night. Reyes was in front of his own goal and he helped steer the ball into his own net, to end Arsenal's Carling Cup adventure.

Reyes, head down, was first off the pitch and assistant manager Pat Rice rushed to console him. Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger, whose side lost 2-1 on the night and 3-1 on aggregate, was full of understanding. He said: "We did not see the best of Jose at Middlesbrough. But he had an infection on Monday night and could not sleep at all. We decided at the last second to play him and I don't think he was at his best physically. It takes time to adapt to the kind of intensity there was at Middlesbrough and nobody can come in and take that in their first game. He had a good view of what it is to play in England."

Middlesbrough's victory means that whatever happens there will be a new name on the Cup when they meet Bolton on Sunday 29 February - as both seek the prize of European football for the first time.

For Arsenal, despite anger at referee Dermot Gallagher, there is still some satisfaction from a successful Cup run blooding youngsters such as Gael Clichy, Graham Stack and David Bentley.

Ray Parlour, who has seen just about everything in his 13 years at Highbury, said: "The kids have done Arsenal proud. It is a fantastic achievement to have come this far, to the semi-final of a major cup competition. They will be better for the experience and quite often you learn more about people when things have gone against them. Now they have to respond and I am sure they will.

"They were all down in the dressing room afterwards. But we all were. We didn't want to lose and we had enough chances, I feel, to have gone through. But it wasn't to be. Their chance will come again, no question. And they will all be better for playing in front of big crowds in big matches. There will be a lot more of those this season and the manager will know that if he needs to call on them, they will be able to handle the occasion.

"I know how they are feeling. I was in the European Cup Winners Cup final that we lost in 1995 and the League Cup semi-final a year later against Aston Villa when we went out on the away goals rule. It hurts, it hurts a lot. But then when you get the chance to win something after those disappointments, it means even more. They will get another chance."

If the own goal from Reyes was decisive, the dismissal of Martin Keown late in the first half when, as the last defender, he hauled back Massimo Maccarone, was pivotal. On reflection, Keown might have been well-advised to let him go because it is doubtful the wasteful striker would have scored. The Italian had already missed two sitters on a night when the words "cow's backside", "hit" and "banjo" sprang to mind.

Parlour said: "The red card certainly made it harder because a few of us had only played on Sunday against Manchester City and our 10 against their 11 was always going to count against us." Arsenal more than held their own with 10 men and their fluency was a perpetual problem for Middlesbrough. Had Reyes won a penalty after Mark Schwarzer's lunge at him in the first minute of the second half, it might have been the foundation for a heroic win. But Middlesbrough survived that scare and then their gifted individuals decided to add application to ability.

The opening goal arrived in the 69th minute, when Gaizka Mendieta managed to thread the ball perfectly through for Boudewijn Zenden to finally find a way past the impressive Graham Stack in the Arsenal goal.

Arsenal refused to capitulate and, driven on by Patrick Vieira, they changed their quest for a winner to a mighty push for an equaliser. It arrived when Edu headed in from close range and The Riverside Stadium was suddenly hushed. Zenden said: "They went so quiet. I was urging them to get behind us again because 1-1 was alright, we were still through."

Then came the involuntary intervention by Reyes as the Spaniard became the reluctant hero on Teeside-Parlour said: "He will be all right. He was down and I think he was more disappointed at not getting the penalty."

Wenger, who complained about the referee's refusal to clamp down on Boro's tackling and time-wasting, said: "I was proud of my players, they gave everything."

For once, giving everything was not enough but Wenger knows he has bigger fish to fry, starting with the Premiership and Saturday's trip to Molineux to face Wolverhampton Wanderers.

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