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Saturday November 11, 2006; UEFA Cup Semi Final 2nd Leg

Arsenal Ladies 3 Brondby IF 0

Arsenal: E.Byrne, A.Scott, C.Grant, A.Asante, M.Phillip, K.Carney (G.Davison 80), K.Chapman, J.Ludlow, R.Yankey, L.Sanderson, J.Fleeting.

Arsenal came into this second leg on the back of a creditable 2-2 draw in Denmark the previous week and having already beaten Brondby in the qualifying competition so there should have been no lack of confidence.

They were facing the Danes without the suspended Kelly Smith, however, who had scored both their goals in the first leg so this would undoubtedly encourage the visitors.

Watching Brondby warm up it was noticeable that they were a bigger side than most of Arsenal's domestic opponents and you sensed that the Gunners might be in for a game.

The first few minutes delivered nothing decisive. Brondby made one nice break that looked dangerous only for an attacker to stumble and bring the move to a halt and then Karen Carney set off on a heartening run but when she slipped the ball through for Rachel Yankey her wing partner immediately lost possession.

Arsenal were making a positive start and Anita Asante set another move in motion after remaining calm under pressure and moving the ball on to Katie Chapman who in turn fed Alex Scott making ground down the right wing.

Scott sent in a fierce low centre which was too close to Tine Cederkvist in the Brondby goal but there was still encouragement for Arsenal as the keeper fumbled before gathering in at the second attempt.

In the next attack Julie Fleeting produced a good turn before releasing Yankey down the left but the wingers' ball into the box was cut out at the near post.

Brondby's first real statement of intent was provided by Catherine Paaske Sorensen who showed a couple of quality touches in midfield but then earned herself a yellow card for reacting angrily when caught late by Jayne Ludlow in the centre of the park.

This incident would be more telling than it appeared at first glance.

At this stage it was still an encouraging start by Arsenal and Yankey produced a lovely touch before linking well with Lianne Sanderson but the winger then spoiled the opening by hitting the first defender with her cross.

This would mark the end of Arsenal's bright opening, however, and for twenty minutes Brondby assumed almost complete control.

This spell was doubly disconcerting because not only did the visitors begin to move the ball through the midfield with confidence but the home side immediately betrayed a nervous insecurity in defence.

Kicki Nielsen, surely a girl destined to play football from the moment she was christened, made a good break down the right and although she was outnumbered it took an unconvincing poke into touch from Mary Phillip to bring the foray to an end.

From the throw in Brondby engineered a cross and Majken Pape was on the end of it without managing to test Emma Byrne in the Arsenal goal.

Arsenal betrayed nerves twice in quick succession, first when defending a free kick and then when Phillip sent a pass straight to an opponent with Yankey, the intended recipient, breaking upfield.

This allowed Brondby another attacking opportunity but Stine Kjaer Dimun's attempt was weak and again Byrne was not troubled.

Brondby had certainly found their rhythm in the midfield areas and were enjoying most of the ball with Sorensen and Mia Birkehoj Olsen running the show.

Carney and Yankey had disappeared while Ludlow and Chapman were basically chasing shadows.

Ciara Grant produced a superb interception to snuff out danger on one occasion and then Byrne had to plunge at Julie Rydahl Bukh's feet after a determined run had taken her through the Arsenal defence.

Paaske Sorensen was the outstanding player on the pitch during this spell but she was unable to stop herself from reacting when caught again by Ludlow.

It's easy to be wise when looking on but the Brondby number eight was running circles round Ludlow at this stage and she should have just got on with things with the Arsenal captain reduced to using spoiling tactics.

Instead she was all too eager to get dragged into a scrap and from then on there was only one winner.

It was not just the players who proceeded to turn the game scrappy. The charcoal haired Russian referee now began to run the game in a truly bizarre fashion.

This was highlighted when Rachel Yankey was blocked off making a dangerous looking break up the left flank and the ref gave a free kick to Brondby.

This set the tone for a baffling display.

Arsenal were still less than comfortable and it needed a smart intervention from Chapman to deny Sorensen as Brondby threatened again but Arsenal were increasingly able to frustrate the Danes with a foot in here and there and Yankey marked another shift in momentum with a run and low shot that required a save from Cederkvist.

For all their possession and neat play in midfield Brondby were employing just one forward through the middle and at no stage did Pape look capable of getting any real joy against Grant and Asante.

Lianne Sanderson, hitherto almost totally subdued, emerged from a midfield skirmish with clean possession and running at the heart of the Brondby defence with options either side only to be brought back for a free kick in her favour by the referee.

Arsenal's defence had coped pretty well in individual situations but there was no safety in numbers as Asante and Phillip took their time deciding who should take control of a routine through ball and Phillip ended up having to move swiftly at the last moment to clear her lines.

Although Arsenal had been struggling to register as an attacking force centre forward Julie Fleeting had been outstanding. She was the one player in red and white who looked a yard quicker in thought and movement than the opposition and she was continually impressing with her strength, touch and technique against the Brondby central defence.

On the half hour Fleeting, typically, was first to a loose ball and after a neat turn she waited the perfect moment before sending Scott surging forward.

Scott went past the full back and although her centre was cleared the ball came back out to the right wing where Rachel Yankey had moved in support.

Yankey swung over a dangerous inswinging centre which Sanderson went in for with the keeper and the ball ended up in the back of the net. From my position at the far end of the ground it was impossible to tell whether Sanderson had got a touch or not but the reaction of the players suggested it was Yankey's goal.

As far as Arsenal were concerned, however, it didn't really matter. They were in front and the Danes now faced an uphill struggle to deny them a place in the final.

The difference this goal made to the teams was immediately apparent. Brondby's poise deserted them totally and where Arsenal had been uncertain they were now powerful and confident. There seldom seemed any real doubt about the outcome from this point on.

Arsenal were quickly back on the attack but Ludlow sent her effort into orbit after wonderful approach play between Sanderson and Fleeting.

This was a different level of performance from Fleeting than I am used to seeing. Generally she has little to do other than help herself to the rich pickings on offer against inferior teams but here, when her team most needed it, Fleeting turned in the complete centre forwards' display.

Constantly moving the defence around with intelligence and purpose she was always available, never surrendered possession and brought her fellow attackers into play with a series of accurate passes, many of them nice and simple, some of them imaginative and telling.

Her appetite for the game was summed up when she dropped deeper to collect under pressure, turned cleverly and sent Carney away down the right wing with a perfect spread.

Then when Carney's resulting cross was overhit beyond the far post it was Fleeting sprinting wide to recover possession and feed Yankey to send another centre into the Brondby box.

The visitors offered a reminder of their threat when Dimun came inside Scott before laying off into the path of Sorensen but her effort was way off target.

Dimun was looking the liveliest of the Brondby forwards on the left but her preference for her right foot was obvious and she was also facing one of Arsenal's most impressive performers in Alex Scott.

Things were looking better and better for Arsenal and this was emphasised when Sorensen had a nibble at Ludlow off the ball. This was role reversal from earlier on and showed how the balance of power had shifted.

Although Ludlow soon afterwards received one of the referees' baffling yellow cards the fact that Brondby's star player, on this showing, was now trying to upset the opposition rather than get on with her own game only served to increase the feeling that the visitors challenge had been all but extinguished.

Sorensen soon afterwards went straight through the back of Sanderson before fouling Fleeting as the ball dropped loose and could consider herself extremely fortunate to still be taking part in the game as the whistle sounded for half time moments later.

Half Time: Arsenal Ladies 1 Brondby IF 0

The second half began with both sides looking to attack and Ciara Grant did well with an interception and then a block as Brondby looked to get back into the tie.

When play switched to the other end a long ball forward by Mary Phillip had Yankey sprinting clear but again she failed to pick out a colleague with Sanderson particularly well placed.

Dimun had been switched to the right flank for the second half and she sent in a shot from the edge of the box that required a save from Byrne but nothing too severe.

Sorensen's first complaint of the second half came after Fleeting had given her a nudge, I told you she was having a good game, and Brondby's fulcrum was back in troublemaker mood rather than playmaker mood.

Suddenly Lianne Sanderson lifted a superb ball out to Yankey whose first touch was sublime and this time her centre did find a target, Karen Carney at the far post who had all the time in the world to take a touch and drive low past Cederkvist.

Sanderson had been far from her best but she is the type of player who can make the difference with one moment of absolute quality.

She is also a very intelligent footballer. Although Yankey's delivery had been erratic it was clear that she had the beating of her full back at will. Whenever Sanderson had the chance she looked to supply the rampant winger.

Almost immediately another instant pass from Sanderson had Yankey skinning the defender before centring for Fleeting to head just wide.

Things threatened to turn really ugly when Sorensen piled into Ludlow and there seemed to be something happening off the ball as play progressed with Alex Scott looking particularly keen to seek retribution.

Scott, who looks to have a bit of a mean streak, was being resrained by colleagues as a Brondby full back then went sailing through Yankey to receive one of the referees' more understandable cautions.

Another wonderful through ball from Sanderson then had Yankey looking to go through on goal but on this occasion the covering defender was just about strong enough to deny her.

Brondby appeared to have given up the ghost but a fine pass from Gitte Andersen sent Dimun away for a shot which had power but flew into the side netting from the right hand angle of the area.

This seemed to perk up the visitors, however, who were also boosted by the fact that Sorensen now spent a ten minute spell actually playing football and she imediately looked a class act again.

She worked her way into space in the midfield before picking out the overlapping Bettina Falk and her centre gave Dimun a clear chance. From ideal position she made poor contact, however, and the ball lobbed gently into Byrne's arms from point blank range.

Brondby then replaced the full back that Yankey had been skinning and the winger promptly flew past her replacement to show that it wasn't going to make any difference who was facing her.

Sanderson produced yet another peach of a pass to release Yankey but after waltzing beyond Marianne Lovendorf she again let herself down with her centre with colleagues filling the box.

This was becoming a recurring theme and I thought one bloke in the crowd down that side was going to offer the England winger some choice advice as he kept barking "Rachel, Rachel" in that direction.

When I finally heard him shout "Put your coat on properly" I realised it was a different Rachel in need of instruction.

Sorensen sent Dimun away but her centre was just too high for Pape to do anything other than send in a token header towards Byrne.

Gitte Andersen strode out of defence to fire at Byrne from 35 yards but the power meant little as the ball flew straight at the keeper.

Jayne Ludlow remained a combative figure in the midfield but there was a worrying moment when one of her enthusiastic challenges almost sliced Julie Fleeting in half but fortunately there was no damage done.

Ludlow almost offered the perfect apology with a ball in which just evaded the centre forward at the far post before a thrilling move involving Chapman, Gemma Davison (on for Carney), Sanderson, Yankey and Fleeting did not produce a fitting finish from the centre forward.

Davison was quickly into her stride and fed Yankey for a crisp cross shot which Cederkvist fielded well before Brondby almost grabbed a late goal back when Byrne fumbled a right wing centre but recovered to tip away Pape's header from the rebound.

Therefore it was left to Arsenal to round off the scoring in injury time with a cracking goal from the most deserving scorer.

Sanderson sent Davison away down the right and moved forward for the return on the edge of the box. Jayne Ludlow was also arriving in support and fancied it herself, Sanderson stepped over the ball and Ludlow whipped in a fine shot that beat Cederkvist all ends up only to strike the underside of the bar.

Arriving right on cue was Julie Fleeting to cap an outstanding display with a clinical header from point blank range.

Moments later the final whistle went and Arsenal Ladies were able to celebrate one of their finest achievements. Now they will have to wait until April next year to try and complete the job.

Here's hoping.

Final Score: Arsenal Ladies 3 Brondby IF 0

Star Player: Julie Fleeting

Just an outstanding all round display from the centre forward.