Ask-Bob.com

Arsenal have become the first English team to conquer the Bernabeu, but they seem to have lost their knack of beating Blackburn, who have now leapfrogged them into fifth place.

This was the first time Rovers have taken anything from Arsenal in six Premiership meetings and it was not an especially ugly or over-physical game. Mark Hughes’ well-organized side simply closed down Arsenal’s space, used the ball better and seemed the more willing to roll up their sleeves on a cold, wintry afternoon.

Robert Pires feels Arsenal can show two faces, but a more plausible theory is that in Real Madrid they found their perfect opponents. Rovers were never going to stand back and admire.

Arsenal have an excellent record against Blackburn, despite all the bruises they have picked up in recent seasons, but they knew they were back in Lancashire as early as the 10th minute.

Cesc Fabregas was skipping into the penalty area chasing a return pass from Thierry Henry when he ran into a brick wall called Ryan Nelsen. Referee Uriah Rennie blew for a foul, even though all the defender had done was stand his ground, because Nelsen had managed to stick his face into Fabregas’ and there was only going to be one loser in that collision.

The Arsenal player rolled around on the turf in agony, periodically checking to see whether he had lost any teeth, while the unruffled Nelsen discussed the finer points of the law of obstruction with the referee from an upright position. Arsenal would prefer Real Madrid any time, or any other team who do not play with their faces.

Eight minutes later Blackburn were in the lead, not as a result of more physical aggression, but another outbreak of sloppy defending. When the ball broke down the right wing after Lucas Neill won a header on the halfway line, it was as if no one had warned Arsenal about the pace and predatory instincts of Craig Bellamy.

The striker was on to the loose ball in a flash, before Philippe Senderos had fully sensed the danger. Bellamy then carried it past the centre-half for good measure, cutting into the penalty area and reaching the goalline so that all Morten Gamst Pedersen had to do was anticipate the low cross to the near post and poke it past Jens Lehmann.

It was tempting to say Bellamy had done all the hard work, except that Pedersen injured himself in the act of scoring and played no further part in the game.

There were no more goals in the first half, although there could have been. Andy Todd headed over from a good position when Tugay only half connected with a volley, then Robbie Savage did the same sort of thing to a shot from Steven Reid, attempting to steer it goalwards but succeeding only in stabbing it over the bar.

There were the usual comedy moments from the referee, notably when he watched Abou Diaby scythe down Neill from behind and insisted all Blackburn deserved was a throw.

But the biggest laugh was provided by the ever reliable Savage. His attempt to head a back pass to his goalkeeper, when the ball was only rolling along the ground, is sure to be replayed in video compilations for years to come.

Savage upset the game’s other drama queen early in the second half, the slightest suggestion of a foot left in provoking a predictably furious reaction from Lehmann. The goalkeeper was still incandescent about this provocation when Blackburn next attacked two minutes later, complaining to the referee and taking out his frustration on a blameless Reid.

Lehmann could easily have been dismissed for the petulant shove in the back that floored Reid – it was certainly a case of raised arms and a good deal more of a shove than Liverpool’s Pepe Reina gave Chelsea’s Arjen Robben – though it was essentially harmless and Rennie sensibly showed a lenient yellow card.

In the absence of Freddie Ljungberg, Arsenal brought Pires on for Jose Reyes at half time in an attempt to bring Henry into the game. They might just as well have sacrificed Emmanuel Adebayor, for nothing Henry’s fellow forward tried came off.

He did win a corner after an hour from which Senderos headed narrowly over – just about Arsenal’s only goal threat up to that point.

It took another substitute, Aleksandr Hleb, finally to put Henry into space, only for Fabregas to waste his captain’s inviting pass by shooting tamely at Brad Friedel. That seemed to sum up Arsenal’s day, though at least Friedel was required to make a decent save a couple of minutes later, when Adebayor scuffed his shot in a good position in front of goal.

With Hleb and Pires on the pitch, Arsenal were able to keep Blackburn pressed back for the final quarter. So much so that Hughes left Bellamy on his own up front and replaced Florent Sinama Pongolle with another uncompromising defender in Aaron Mokoena.

This plan not only worked, it almost paid a dividend in the last minute when Bellamy raced clear and forced a good save from Lehmann. A calmer striker might have scored, but Bellamy has never been that.

Man of the match:Craig Bellamy

Made the first goal, could have added a second at the end and bothered Arsenal all the way through. Even when playing up front on his own his presence meant Arsenal could never throw everything into attack.