Arsenal:
                    Lehmann
Hoyte (Flamini 39) Toure Djourou (Walcott 67) Gallas
Hleb (Aliadiere 80) Gilberto Cesc Rosicky van Persie
                     Henry

It all started so well. After 30 seconds Cesc Fabregas was fouled 25 yards out to the right of centre. Thierry Henry chipped it into the box where a defender just managed to clear before it could find the head of William Gallas. It came out to Tomas Rosicky whose goal-bound shot was blocked.

Moments later Johan Djourou was upfield on a terrific run. A defender came to meet Djourou, who ran into him and went down but the ball was long gone, deflected off the defender for a corner.

A couple of minutes later Henry latched onto a great long ball forward, checked back, and tried to feed it into the box for Rosicky, who couldn't muscle through 2 defenders to get onto it, and the through ball was probably a bit strong anyway.

Then on 10 minutes, the visitors got the ball over the halfway line on their right. A long-range ball into the box was deflected off Gallas, trying to block it, and Lehmann couldn't get over quick enough to prevent it going for a corner. The corner was nodded down and goalwards from near the spot, straight towards Lehmann. But Tim Cahill nipped in and got a foot to the ball as it fell, smashing it past Lehmann into the roof of the net. It was their first attack, and virtually their last.

Naturally, we were faced with 10 or 11 men behind the ball for the rest of the game. And, not unexpectedly, we spent most of it trying to pass our way through them.

At the end of a nice long move Rosicky played a 1-2 with Henry in the D, then shot over from the edge of the box. Alexander Hleb did well down the right and found Cesc just inside the box on that side, he brought the ball forward nicely then scuffed his shot a bit, dragging it beyond the far post.

More great stuff on the right from Hleb a few minutes later, keeping the ball in play on the goal-line. He found Cesc again with a similar ball and this time Cesc squared for Henry in the D whose first time shot just trundled through to Howard (in goal for the Toffees having recovered from a virus).

Two minutes later on 21, Henry took the ball off Cesc a couple of yards outside the box and central, and hit a powerful drive which was too close to Howard again, allowing him to parry. It came to Hoyte who got into the box well but placed his shot beyond the far post.

Gallas got himself booked for reacting to a foul, but it was up the other end so I hadn't seen what sparked it.

Gilberto hit a great shot from 35 yards but it hit Henry on the head near the penalty spot and the Mike Riley blew for offside rather unnecessarily (a typical moment for the ref, who moments later stopped Rosicky taking a quick free kick even after an Everton player had clearly been deliberately trying to delay it).

Hleb and Hoyte started combining well down the right, which was good to see since we've been missing the understanding that the Belarussian had developed with Emmanuel Eboue. Hoyte hit a dangerous low ball into the 6 yard area which was cleared desperately. Then we won a corner which Rosicky got a head onto at the far post only to see it deflected into the side-netting. From this corner, Kolo Toure rose to head powerfully goalwards only for it to be cleared off the line - the ball popped up vertically and Howard had to be alert to get up and tip the falling ball over the bar as it dropped towards the goal-line.

Toure hit a very speculative very long-range effort which Howard saved easily, only to spill it almost allowing Henry to pounce.

Hoyte went down holding his back, and van Persie seemed to have a shin problem. Hoyte struggled on after treatment but was soon hobbling off again, replaced by Matthieu Flamini.

Van Persie switched wings with Hleb and hit a great cross over Henry to Rosicky coming in on the left, but his header hit a defender on the chest and was cleared. Fabregas tried a curler which was an easy stop for Howard, but a nice idea.

Right at the start of the second half Rosicky's chip was met by a Henry header just inside the box, forcing Howard into a good save at his right hand post.

Some very nice footwork by Cesc a couple of minutes later, then he sprayed it wide left to Rosicky who cut inside and hit a 20-yard effort just over the bar. Soon after Rosicky gad another effort, volleying into the side-netting. We'd had 20 or so efforts to their one. Cesc made it one more with a great shot which Howard saved high at his left hand post, then Henry headed just wide from van Persie's cross.

Halfway into the second half Theo Walcott came on for Djourou, and went to right back with Flamini going to the left and Gallas moving into central defence. Young Theo did very well there, making a few tackles when needed but getting forward too. An interesting and generally successful experiment, but one which I'd have thought we're unlikely to see when playing a side that wants to attack.

A few minutes later we had the equaliser. Rosicky's dribble won the free kick 20-25 yards out on the right, and van Persie stepped up to fire it over the wall.... Howard got a hand to it but the power took it inside the right post anyway.

We had a few more efforts, and there were a few scrambles up the other end of the pitch (Everton's box). But the most memorable aspect of the rest of the game was the visitors' timewasting. Can't blame them though, nor for celebrating the draw like it was a win.

Arsenal's young team is still looking very good, we just need to score a few more goals, and a bit more alertness at set pieces might help prevent us going behind which would make all the difference.