Sport 20-12-2004 Sol Kick-Starts Arsenal`s Christmas who: Arsenal what: Beat Portsmouth 0-1 where: Fratton Park, PORTSMOUTH when: Yesterday snippet: A rare strike from defender Sol Campbell earned Arsenal a win against Portsmouth at Fratton Park yesterday to leapfrog Everton into second place in the Premiership league table but their there was "little else to enthuse about" after this "unconvincing display," says Russell Kempson in The Times. "Such are the high standards that Chelsea are setting, fans, critics and neutral observers alike expect much more from Arsène Wenger’s side." "Portsmouth had been magnificent for 76 minutes, defending with intelligence and determination and attacking with increasing gusto," according to Henry Winter in The Telegraph. "Steve Stone was outstanding in central midfield, stifling any hint of trouble from Patrick Vieira." "Arsenal, with all their feints and reverse passes, are masters of the unexpected but they surprised even themselves," says The Guardian. "The game was won by a man without a Premiership goal for 16 months and Sol Campbell can hardly have anticipated ending the dearth here, let alone doing so with a 30-yarder." Contrarily, Arsène Wenger did not see it as a dismal one-man victory but a team effort that closed the gap on Chelsea to just five points. "Today showed belief is back in our team because without that, we could not have won," he says, quoted in The Mirror. "Don`t forget, [Portsmouth] beat Manchester United here. As far as I`m concerned, Christmas started today. We have four more games in a very short period of time but we are hungry and determined and all the ingredients are there to make the race very interesting." [... more]

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