Two Words ... Wayne Rooney
21/10/02 | by Mike Shaw

Anyone who has seen the goal that ended Arsenal’s unbeaten streak will sit back and think "wow". Not just because it was Arsenal’s first loss in 30 games (so Forest’s record still stands, phew!). Not just because it was a wonderful goal that was worthy of ending such a run. Not even because it was Everton who turned them over. They’ll go wow because the lad who ended the run is 16. Sixteen? SIXTEEN! It hit me - I’m older than him for crying out loud!

Next week he signs a contract worth £10,000 a week. He earns ten grand a week and he can’t even drive yet! The bigger picture though has to be, how good can this kid become? If he can rattle one past England’s number 1 (only just number 1, but still) from 30 yards at the age of 16…well who knows?

It had looked business as usual when Freddie Ljungberg put Arsenal one up 8 minutes in, the 49th straight game they have scored in. But credit Everton, Radzinski pulled them level with a well-taken equaliser and then Rooney took centre stage. Arsene Wenger described him in the after match interview as “The best English talent I have seen since I’ve been here in England.” That would include Michael Owen, Ashley Cole and several others beside. Not a bad compliment!

Ironic almost that Everton’s win puts Liverpool top of the pile. They beat Leeds 1-0 in a scrappy lunchtime kick-off game, with Salif Diao scoring the only goal, although to be fair Leeds can feel hard done to after creating enough chances to win, never mind get a point. Terry Venables will be a worried man, not least by the chants for David O’Leary to return.

Spurs jump to 3rd behind the top 2, albeit 4 points back. They beat Bolton 3-1 today (Sunday) courtesy of two from Robbie Keane and Simon Davies, Djorkaeff got Bolton’s reply. Leeds will be kicking themselves at not rating Keane higher and he seems to have got back on track after a couple of poor years at Inter Milan and Leeds.

4th are Man U, they drew with Fulham 1-1 at Loftus Road. Marlet gave Fulham the lead, Solksjaer equalised and Malbranque missed a penalty. This brings me onto the subject of Fabian Barthez. His gamesmanship saw Malbranque take a poor penalty and Barthez (for once) was hero for United as he turned it away. He spent several minutes cleaning his boots against a post, despite being booked for timewasting. Say what you will, but it’d be a duller world without him!

Charlton beat Boro 1-0 thanks to Jason Euell’s goal. Boro slip to 5th as a result. Chelsea beat Man City 3-0, Zola scoring twice and Hasselbaink (obviously hearing my criticisms) has found his scoring boots, chipping in with the other. Zola for my money has been a major surprise, its not that I don’t rate him but I saw him as being well past his peak at the start of this season. As usual I’ve been proved wrong, and he’s scored 8 already this season, enough for him to lead the goal-scoring charts.

Speaking of strikers who I thought were washed up, Alan Shearer sits 2nd with 7, having scored twice yesterday as Newcastle went down 5-2 at Blackburn. Dabizas was sent off after just 3 minutes for a handball Jonny Hjelde would have been proud of and when David Dunn put Rovers 2 up inside 7 minutes it looked all over. Shearer pulled it back to 2-2 before Blackburn ran away with things, Martin Taylor netting two and Griffin putting through his own net. Shearer’s goals take his tally to 301, which just shows how long he’s been doing it at the top level, don’t forget he lost almost 18 months of his career to an ankle injury. Credit is due, much as it pains me to admit it.

At the bottom West Ham’s win over Sunderland, 1-0 with Trevor Sinclair scoring, means Bolton are bottom(7 points), Sunderland, Man City and West Ham above them (8 points) and West Brom above them (10 points). The Baggies drew 1-1 in the West Midlands clash with Birmingham. A crazy last 10 minutes saw Tebily sent off for the Blues on 82, a Darren Moore own goal give them the lead on 86 only got Jason Roberts to earn West Brom a share of the points on 87.

Villa take on Southampton on Monday night with Graham Taylor needing a win to get some of his doubters (myself one of them) off his back.

No predictions last week because of the internationals, but next week look for Boro to turn over Leeds, Blackburn to shock Arsenal and Liverpool to fail to capitalise by drawing with Spurs. Goals will come from Zola as Chelsea beat WBA and Ruud Van Nistelrooy as Villa struggle at Old Trafford. On Sunday Everton’s inconsistency will see them lose at Upton Park and Fulham will share the spoils at Southampton. Well we shall see…

So ends a tale of two strikers - Rooney the next Shearer? I seem to remember a certain Mr Shearer shooting to stardom after goals against…Arsenal. To end on a cliché…it's a funny ol’ game!