Football: Arsenal complete mission

Arsenal. . . . .2

Crystal Palace. .0

Arsenal win 5-1 on aggregate

IT WOULD have caused a mischievous chuckle or two had ITV been embarrassed, but drop the dead cup-tie was about right. The three goals Arsenal scored in the first leg choked the life out of this Coca-Cola semi-final, and Palace were nowhere near good enough to come back at Highbury last night and haunt the programme planners who opted to screen Ghostbusters II instead.

Starting with the cushion of a 3-1 lead, Arsenal made routine work of claiming a place at Wembley on 18 April for what will be their fifth League Cup final. Their opponents will be either Blackburn Rovers or, more probably, Sheffield Wednesday, who also go into the return two goals to the good.

Any optimism Palace brought to the second leg lasted the seven minutes it took for Andy Linighan's forehead to widen the margin. Ian Wright's 25th goal of the season will have given him special satisfaction, coming against his old club, but it was of less significance than his sixth booking, for dissent, which takes him to within one caution of another suspension.

If he was to cross the referee in any of the next three games, he would be banned for the FA Cup semi-final against Tottenham.

Simon Osborn's penalty at Selhurst Park had given Palace a glimmer of hope, but it was extinguished before they got out of their own half. Arsenal were in front after seven minutes, and 2-0 up after 38, rendering the second half as inconsequential as it was goalless.

Palace were more ambitious than they had been at home, forsaking the timid 5-4-1 formation with which they had tamely surrendered the initiative in favour of an orthodox 4-4-2. Much good did it do them.

Nigel Martyn held a sighter from Wright after two minutes, but was helpless when Paul Merson's corner from the left passed without challenge to the far post, where Linighan scored at close range.

Wright's booking, for disputing a throw-in, disturbed Arsenal's composure momentarily, but they were soon back in charge - of their emotions and the tie. If the short- fused striker ever had any doubts about his move from south to north London, here was complete vindication. His old team came out dressed like Brazil, but played more like Grange Hill.

Twenty-nine one-sided minutes had elapsed before Gareth Southgate's bobbler posed the first threat to the Arsenal goal, demanding a clearance from under the bar by Lee Dixon. Dean Gordon's shot from distance was another welcome show of defiance, but then it was 2-0 on the night, 5-1 on aggregate, and nail-biting stuff it was not.

The Palace defence went AWOL, as is their wont, and Dixon's long throw bobbed via the heads of Linighan and Alan Smith to the far post where Wright shepherded the ball in.

A Palace flurry in the second half never threatened parity on the night, let alone equality overall. In the final of one cup and the semi- finals of another, Arsenal are said by some to have had a poor season. Any other team in the league would settle for such poverty.

Arsenal: Seaman; Dixon, Winterburn (Hillier, 84), Davis, Linighan, Adams, Carter, Wright, Smith (Campbell, 87), Merson, Morrow. Campbell.

Crystal Palace: Martyn; Humphrey, Southgate, Coleman, Young, Gordon, Osborn, Thomas, Watts (Ndah, 55), Rodger, McGoldrick. Substitute not used: Shaw.

Referee: R Milford (Bristol).