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Game #4451

Saturday, 28 December 1996

Attendance: 38,130

Drew

Premier League

7th (-2)

Arsenal

Last 5: 🟩 🟩 🟩 🟥 🟨

Highbury

Villa are held at Highbury and slip to 7th in the Premier League table.

Arsenal

2-2

Aston Villa

Assist(s) | Mark Draper | 68’ | Savo Milošević | 74’ |

KEY MAN

Riccardo Scimeca, displayed defender's instincts

RELATED MATCHES

MATCH TIMELINE

🥅 | 13’ Goal, 1-0, (Arsenal), Ian Wright
🕒 | HT Arsenal 0-1 Aston Villa
⚽ | 68’ Goal, 1-1, Savo Milošević, Assist by Mark Draper
🥅 | 73’ Goal, 1-2, (Arsenal), Paul Merson
⚽ | 74’ Goal, 2-2, Dwight Yorke, Assist by Savo Milošević
🔁 | 87’ Sub off, Mark Draper, Sub on, Tommy Johnson
🕒 | FT Arsenal 2-2 Aston Villa

🟨 | Booking, Ugo Ehiogu
🟨 | Booking, Steve Staunton
🟨 | Booking, Dwight Yorke

ON THIS DAY

As in the return fixture earlier in the season, future Villa midfielder Paul Merson scored for the Gunners in another 2-2 draw.

Future Villa manager Rémi Garde lined up for Arsenal.

Aston Villa

European Cup / Champions League: 🏆
League Champions: 🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆 🏆🏆
FA Cup Winners: 🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆 🏆🏆
League Cup Winners: 🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆
Last Trophy: 1995-96

Arsenal

European Cup / Champions League: ❌
UEFA Cup Winners Cup: 🏆
League Champions: 🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆 🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆
FA Cup Winners: 🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆 🏆
League Cup Winners: 🏆🏆
Last Trophy: 1993–94

FIXTURE HISTORY

Previous 5 vs. Arsenal: 🟥 🟨 🟨 🟨 🟨

FIXTURE DETAILS

Season | 1996-97 |
Matchday | #24 |
League Game | #20 |
Manager Game | #105 |
Saturday, 28 December 1996

MATCH SUMMARY

Manager: Brian Little | 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 | Peterlee, 1994-1998
Referee: Jeff Winter | 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 | Middlesbrough, 1992-2004
Kick off: 3.00pm
HT Score: 🟥 0-1
FT Score: 🟨 2-2
FT Result: 🟨 Drew
Last 5: 🟩 🟩 🟩 🟥 🟨

MATCH OFFICIALS

Referee: Jeff Winter | 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 | Middlesbrough, 1992-2004
Previous 5: 🟨 🟨 🟨 🟩
Last Match: 🟩 23 October 1996, League Cup, Villa 2-1 Leeds, Elland Road.
Cards: 🟨 🟨 🟨

CARDS

Villa

🟨 🟨 🟨

Arsenal

None

TEAM NEWS

Villa name an unchanged line up for the second successive game.

TEAM STATS

Starting XI Average Age
| 25.98 |

Oldest Player
M Andy Townsend | 🇮🇪 | 33.46 |

Youngest Player
CB Riccardo Scimeca | 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 | 21.56 |

MANAGER

Brian Little | 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 |

MANAGER

Arsène Wenger | 🇫🇷 |

Aston Villa

GK Mark Bosnich | 🇦🇺 |
RB Fernando Nélson | 🇵🇹 |
CB Riccardo Scimeca | 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 |
CB Ugo Ehiogu | 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 | 🟨 |
LB Alan Wright | 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 |
LB Steve Staunton | 🇮🇪 | 🟨 |
M Ian Taylor | 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 |
M Mark Draper | 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 | 🔥 | 🔁 |
M Andy Townsend | 🇮🇪 |
CF Dwight Yorke | 🇹🇹 | ⚽ | 🟨 |
CF Savo Milošević | 🇷🇸 | ⚽ | 🔥 |

Arsenal

GK John Lukic | 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 |
LB Nigel Winterburn | 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 |
CB Tony Adams | 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 |
CB Steve Bould | 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 |
CB Martin Keown (ex) | 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 |
M Patrick Viera | 🇫🇷 |
M Ray Parlour | 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 |
M Rémi Garde | 🇫🇷 | 🔁 |
M Paul Merson | 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 | ⚽ |
F Dennis Bergkamp | 🇳🇱 |
CF Ian Wright | 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 | ⚽ |

SUBSTITUTES

🔁 | CF Tommy Johnson | 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 | for M Mark Draper | 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 | 87’ |

SUBSTITUTES

🔁 | M Rémi Garde | 🇫🇷 | (RB Steve Morrow | 🇬🇧 |)

UNUSED SUBSTITUTES

GK Michael Oakes | 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 |
CB Carl Tiler | 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 |
M Saša Ćurčić | 🇷🇸 |
CF Julian Joachim | 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 |

UNUSED SUBSTITUTES

GK Vince Bartram | 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 |
CB Andy Linighan | 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 |
M Paul Shaw | 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 |
CF John Hartson | 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿 |

SQUAD STATS

1st XI:
Home Nation 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿 🇬🇧 : 5/11

Squad:
Home Nation 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿 🇬🇧 : 9/16

MATCHDAY SQUAD

SQUAD STATS

1st XI:
Home Nation 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿 🇬🇧 : 8/11

Squad:
Home Nation 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿 🇬🇧 : 13/16

MATCHDAY SQUAD

UNAVAILABLE

Not recorded

UNAVAILABLE

Not Recorded

Player Abbreviations:

GK : Goalkeeper

LB, RB, FB : Left Back, Right Back, Full Back

CB, D : Centre Back, Defender

M, W : Midfielder. Winger

F, CF : Forward, Centre Forward

🟢 : Debut 🔴 : Final Game

Symbols:

⚽ | Goal
🔥 | Assist
🔁 | Substitution

🟨 | Booking

🟥 | Sending off

🆘 | Poor refereeing performance

DEBUT APPEARANCES

FINAL APPEARANCES

MATCH STATS

Not recorded

TABLE

2021-22 Matchweek 38.jpg

PROGRAMME

Quotation Marks.png

MATCHDAY QUOTES

"Both these enterprising teams will give it a firm shot, and play some entertaining stuff along the way, but the title may be beyond them. Having shared four goals at Villa Park earlier this season, they repeated the scoreline in this absorbing game."

*The Sunday Independent*
Sunday, 29 December 1996

Aston Villa up the tempo and earn a point

IN this open season, Arsenal and Aston Villa fancy their chances of closing in on the silverware next May.

Both these enterprising teams will give it a firm shot, and play some entertaining stuff along the way, but the title may be beyond them. Having shared four goals at Villa Park earlier this season, they repeated the scoreline in this absorbing game. Both showed glimpses of vibrant football, yet neither could impose themselves enough to emerge victorious.

Vieira, back in the Arsenal line-up after serving a two-match suspension. gave the home side a lift. It is a measure of the impact the young Frenchman has had that the midfield had looked decidedly lacklustre without his spark. His presence gave Arsenal's creative outlets - Bergkamp, Wright and Merson - added confidence. The subtle touch of Bergkamp opened up what little space there was.

Having given Bosnich his first test of the afternoon with a speculative lob, the Dutchman created the opening goal after 13 minutes. Bergkamp's accuracy and awareness provided Wright with the kind of chance he relishes. Picking up a neat interception from Vieira, he turned the ball directly into Wright's path. The Arsenal marksman raced clear, leaving Villa's three central defenders in a line behind him, and finished crisply.

From the moment the ball left Bergkamp's foot a goal was inevitable, such was the quality of his pass. When the Arsenal front pair are both on song, the rapport between them is sweet harmony. Moments later the roles were reversed, Wright finding Bergkamp accelerating into the box with a quick touch, but the linesman raised his flag. Where Villa's hack three were struggling to match Arsenal's movement in the absence of the injured Gareth Southgate, the home trio of Adams, Bould and Keown snuffed out the threat of Yorke and Milosevic.

Although a vital interception by Adams on Draper deprived the visitors a chance of a swift equaliser. Arsenal should have increased their lead before the break, creating a string of excellent chances. Scimeca's block denied Wright a certain second, after the explosive striker latched on to another immaculate pass from Bergkamp and danced past Bosnich towards a gaping, unprotected net. Then Arsenal's Dutch international produced a fitting shot which Villa's Australian goalkeeper parried, Keown hooked the ball back into the danger area, only for Bould to flick a header over the bar.

Villa started the second half in more determined mood, wasting no time in crafting Yorke's first chance of the afternoon. Villa's top scorer broke into the penalty area and his shot seemed to slip straight through the fumbling Lukic's grasp. The Arsenal goalkeeper was relieved that Bould was on hand to clear the ball before it slipped over the line.

The visitors' break came with 22 minutes remaining. Nelson whipped a free-kick into the box, Draper nodded the ball back across goal, and there was Milosevic to strike sweetly past Lukic. Five minutes later the Serb might have scored again, launching onto Townsend's cross to send a header on to the crossbar, with a little help from Lukic.

All that excitement was merely a prelude to an action packed two minutes, during which Arsenal again took the lead and Villa again equalised. Substitute Morrow fed Merson, who scored a delightful goal, finishing an artistic dribble with an audacious strike. No sooner had he run off in celebration than Yorke met Milosevic's pass to guide the ball under I.ukic and into the back of the net. It was breathless stuff, with both teams following their attacking instincts.