Arsenal:
       Lehmann
Lauren Toure Campbell Cole
Parlour Vieira Edu Pires
Ljungberg Bergkamp (Bentley)

And the strike problem up fron was solved in the strongest possible way, pushing Freedie Ljungberg up alongside Bergkamp instead of trying an unproved youngsters. Parlour and Edu in midfield gave that part of the team a strong look too.

Boro however rested Juninho (presumably with Wednesday's semi-final in mind) and Ehiogu joined Southgate and Cooper in the injury bay (although there may be a chance of him also returning for the league cup game).

Pires got the ball in the net first, Pires nipping into the box to place a very nice header past Schwarzer from the penalty spot. But Bobby spotted the linesman's flag straight away and waved a finger at the celebrating Arsenal fans behind the goal as he ran towards them.

Then Arsenal took the lead with a beautiful piece of play from Parlour and a lucky finish from Dennis. Ray chased an Edu through ball down the right wing with left back Parnaby (drafted in as Quedrue had been moved into the middle). It looked like a lost cause but he just managed to get a foot round to keep the ball in at the last minute. As Parnaby flew off into the advertising hoardings, Ray picked himself up and cut the ball back towards the centre of the D. Freddie let the ball slide past him and Dennis hit it from the edge of the box. Not that great a strike, to be honest, but it took a wicked deflection off of Chris Riggot as he tried to block it.

Joseph Desire Job equalised just 3 minutes later with a very nicely taken goal. Ricketts rose on the right of the box to head a long cross from their left into the middle of the box. Job controlled it nicely as the ball fell between 2 defenders, and whacked it past Lehmann. Terrific route one stuff.

Moments later, Ashley Cole collected a cross-field pass from Edu on the left wing, cut inside Mills with his first left-footed touch, and hit a fantastic curling shot towards the far post with his right, which Schwarzer did well to tip round the post. Campbell got a good head on the corner, under lots of pressure, but placed it too close to the keeper.

Pires was clipped by Riggot in the D as he ran for a Parlour through-ball. Nothing given, but it was outside the box anyway. Shortly after, he did get a free kick as he was bundled over by Zenden further out on the left. Bergkamp chipped it beyond the far post, Campbell rose to head it square. It fell to Vieira with back to goal who laid it back to Freddie about 8 yards out. He turned right and then dragged it back to his left before slipping the ball under the body of Quedrue and between Schwarzer's legs. Great finish. Kind of amusing the way that Quedrue was involved. He'd fallen on his back as he bounced off Vieira trying to challenge him, and then the shot went under his body as he started to get up. If he'd stayed on the ground he'd have blocked the goal.

Lehmann got away with a shove on Mills at a corner after Campbell had had to head a cross out to stop Ricketts getting to it. The corner was first headed clear for a second corner, and perhaps the fact that the keeper had just been complaining to the ref about some jostling helped, but he clearly shoved Mills out of the 6 yards box for apparent good reason at the second corner. He even won a free-kick for it!

Pires went over just outside the box again, and got nothing again, after he got a nudge in the back from Mills as they chased a through-ball. It might not have been a foul but there was definite contact, so one has to view Mills's "dive" mime to the ref in the context of the comic role he has chosen for himself in this series of matches.

Freddie made it 3 after a he headed a Pires corner in, Mendieta blocked on the line only for Toure to hammer it into the back of the net, but replays confirmed that Freddie's effort had in fact crossed the line.

Boateng got himself booked for dissent after fouling Pires, and shortly after he slid in studs-first on Parlour to get himself sent off. It was one of those where there nothing malicious: he was just trying to recover a ball that he himself had played into too much space.

Bentley, who's bee touted as a future Bergkamp and had come on for him, announced his arrival with a beautiful Bergkap-style goal in the last minute. He received the ball just outside the D. Two touches with his right foot to get it onto his left, and then a delicate chip just under the bar. Schwarzer started to move towards it but then left it, it's possible he couldn't have got it anyway, but you'd want your keeper to make an effort! Perhaps he just knew that Arsenal are supposed to score 4 goals against Boro this season.