League

Emirates Stadium
Spectators: 7500 (Terracing: 5875, Seating: 1575, VIP seats: 50) The field was rather wet after several days of rain when Gus Short took the kick off in the first half of the match. If Ralf Naylor had kept his shot down it would have been a goal in the 9th minute. The ball went over the crossbar and out instead. In the 11th minute Luizinho Furtado shot on, it seemed, an open goal, but Edward Harper saw the ball coming and threw himself on it before it passed the goal line. Ralf Naylor sent away a hard shot on goal in the 19th minute, but the ball went just over the crossbar and out. A very good chance. After 22 minutes, Jack Jobling mouthed his way into the referee's book. The tension between the Arsenal FC and the Gillingham players grew even worse after the yellow card. In the 22nd minute, one of Arsenal FC:s players had the ball in front of the goal but got pushed and fell. The referee felt it was an obvious case and blew a penalty for Arsenal FC. Ian Griffin went to the wrong direction when Scott Moody was taking care of the penalty kick which however missed the goal. Gus Short struck a weak shot in the 30th minute. Ian Griffin didn't even have to move as the ball rolled over the line well wide of the goal. A wasted opportunity for Gillingham. Ian Griffin came out of the goal in the 32nd minute to try and stop a shot by Gillingham's Sam Brindley . But to his dismay, Sam Brindley quickly shot the ball in between his legs and into the goal making it 0-1. The audience thought a goal was coming when Pocho Lavezzi got free with Edward Harper in the 38th minute, but the goalkeeper managed to catch the ball with a huge effort. With an all-out effort, Arsenal FC's Edward Harper threw himself towards the right post 39 minutes into the match and grabbed hold of the ball from Luizinho Furtado, which otherwise would have been placed in the net. Edward Harper was in the perfect position, and the defense had done a good job marking him, but Luizinho Furtado showcased his skills and made a perfect shot to score 1-1 in the 42 minute of play. Edward Harper made a wonderful reflex save on a shot from Luizinho Furtado in the 46th minute of play. Pocho Lavezzi sent away a hard shot on goal in the 47th minute, but the ball hit the crossbar and went out. A very good chance for a goal. After the first half the score was level. The break gave the players a chance to catch their breath, whilst the managers went over the tactics with them again.

The wind increased when Ralf Naylor made the kick off in the second half. In the 52nd minute Pocho Lavezzi shot on, it seemed, an open goal, but Edward Harper saw the ball coming and threw himself on it before it passed the goal line. During the 57th minute of the match Sam Brindley completely mistimed his tackle and brought down his opponent. The referee gave Sam Brindley a yellow card, his second in the match, which meant he could no longer take part in the game. The supporters of Arsenal FC booed when Gillingham was adjudged a doubtful freekick after 59 match minutes in a wonderful position. Gus Short didn't get a good kick on the ball. After some careless play in the Gillingham defense, Luizinho Furtado kicked a shot that curved into the net to the right of Edward Harper . The Gillingham fans voiced their displeasure as they felt that Edward Harper should have stopped the shot. After 72 played minutes Arsenal FC got a freekick which was hit by Seth Bateson. After 75 played minutes, Arsenal FC's Phil Hirst shot from a long distance, and at first it looked like the ball was going into the goal, but the goalkeeper Edward Harper came through and got his fingers on the ball before it flew over the goal line. He then quickly gripped the ball tighter before the forwards in Arsenal FC reached it. Pocho Lavezzi's shot was meant for the net just under the crossbar, but Edward Harper read the situation well and was quickly in position to make a wonderful save in the 79th minute of play. Pocho Lavezzi fired away a screaming shot towards the goal in the 82nd minute, but the shot went just over the crossbar without Edward Harper having to interfere. If Pocho Lavezzi had kept his shot down it would have been a goal in the 85th minute. The ball went over the crossbar and out instead. The audience was convinced that Ralf Naylor's extremely hard shot when he got free in front of the goal was going in, but Edward Harper was relentless in the 86th minute of the game. Thanks to some nice foot action and superb ball handling Ralf Naylor in the 93rd minute a chance for a shot on goal. With an extended leg and a bit of luck Edward Harper prevented the ball from getting in the gole. The supporters of Arsenal FC booed when Gillingham was adjudged a doubtful freekick after 97 match minutes in a wonderful position. Gus Short didn't get a good kick on the ball. Arsenal FC's supporters were delighted with their team's performance and swarmed onto the pitch at the end of the match to celebrate the victory with the players.