CarlingNet - No 1 for Match Reports

Blackburn v Arsenal 12/10/96 3.00

Blackburn               (0) 0 Arsenal                 (1) 2 FT
                              Wright 3,51

Ian Wright struck at the double to give Arsene Wenger the perfect start to his Highbury reign and turn up the pressure on Ray Harford and his dispirited bottom-of-the-table Blackburn side.

Frenchman Wenger, finally installed as Arsenal boss after weeks of wrangling with Japanese club Grampus 8, saw Wright demonstrate his stunning marksmanship with goals at the start of each half.

It lifted the Gunners back into third place behind Newcastle and Liverpool and extended Rovers' opening to the Premiership campaign to nine games without a win.

Indeed, Rovers boss Harford came under fire from the disenchanted Ewood Park fans, who have seen their team slip from the position of defending champions to relegation fighters in the space of 12 months and called for the manager to pay the price as their heroes stumbled again.

Blackburn, without injured defensive kingpins Colin Hendry and Chris Coleman, had their soft underbelly exposed after just three minutes by an Arsenal goal that was typical in both construction and execution.

Nigel Winterburn's raking diagonal ball from the left was met by a soaring downward header by John Hartson and Wright controlled in an instant before cutting inside Nicky Marker to arc a stunning right-footer high past Tim Flowers.

It was the Arsenal striker's ninth goal of the season and gave Wenger a perfect reminder of the deadly finishing that has seen him top the Highbury goal charts for the past five seasons.

But Blackburn's response would have delighted under-pressure Harford and it certainly won them the backing of their fans in the 24,303 crowd.

Chris Sutton saw his clipped volley from Jason Wilcox's chip forward just fail to beat the imposing figure of David Seaman, while young Beattie's willing running made for an uneasy afternoon for Arsenal's three-man defensive rearguard of Tony Adams, Steve Bould and Martin Keown.

But it was skipper Tim Sherwood who posed the biggest danger to the visitors, with constant runs from deep that were just not being detected.

A 15th-minute header from Sutton's intelligent prod forward looped over Seaman only to land on the roof of the net.

Then just before half-time, he bravely met Wilcox's cross with another header that bounced off Seaman's right-hand post and struck the Arsenal keeper on the back before being scrambled behind for a corner.

In between, Rovers' slick passing continually kept the Gunners on their toes, although Harford's men didn't have it all their own way.

Indeed, Arsenal's greater attacking prowess could have seen the Gunners increase their advantage before Wright took centre stage again.

Both Hartson and David Platt had half-volleys expertly saved by Flowers, while Paul Merson's stream of threaded balls always threatened to unlock the Rovers rearguard as the home side failed to deal with the England midfielder's free role behind the front two.

Wright's busy running was another source of danger and, when Rovers gave him another glimpse of the goal on 51 minutes, the England fringe man took it.

Patrick Vieira's through ball found Wright galloping forward and his first touch left Henning Berg behind and his second left Flowers groping thin air as his 18-yard shot arrowed into the top corner for his 10th of the season.

Rovers' dispirited fans responded by chanting for Harford's head, but their cries petered out as Rovers continued to go forward in search of some reward.

Stuart Ripley, sent on as substitute for the ineffectual Georgios Donis, almost found a way through with a stinging volley from 20 yards that forced Seaman into his best save of the afternoon.

But Arsenal were now looking well in control, their usual defensive efficiency and neat midfield interplay starving the home side of the opportunity to find the foothold which had kept them in the contest until Wright's second goal.