Arsenal sent out a clear message to their title rivals by holding champions Manchester City to a 2-2 draw at the Emirates.
Although the Gunners were unbeaten at home in the league against the three teams finishing above them in the league last season, the heavy away defeats including a 6-3 in Manchester probably left a feeling of nerves among a large quantity of the home crowd.
But Arsene Wenger's men attempted to prove they can hold their own against the likes of City as the hosts really took the game to their opponents. The defending at times wasn't always the best but the attacking play was top class and it was just a shame Arsenal weren't just slightly more clinical on the day. It was also surreal seeing Frank Lampard in the blue of City and not that of Chelsea, it just seems plain wrong....very much like Cesc Fabregas being in the Premier League not in the red of Arsenal.
If I had been told before the match that we would get a point I would have bitten your hand off, so the fact I was left feeling gutted at only getting a draw shows just how well we played. Arsenal had already thrashed City 3-0 in the Community Shield earlier in the season and took the game to City, attacking the champions from the very early stages.
Debutant Danny Welbeck's move from Manchester United to Arsenal raised a few eyebrows and seemed to divide opinion among fans. Although I would've preferred a bigger name with a better goal record, I won't judge Welbeck before he's been given a fair chance. To be fair to the forward, who scored both England's goals against Switzerland earlier in the week, worked hard on his Gunners' debut and very nearly capped it with a goal.
Welbeck was through on goal after just 11 minutes following a poor back pass from David Silva and he produced an exquisite chip to beat Joe Hart, only to be denied by a post. Some have criticised Welbeck for not scoring but I think it was a great effort and he was simply unlucky not to score.
Although Welbeck was unlucky, the miss proved costly and Arsenal were made to pay for the missed chance as Sergio Aguero scored from one of City's few first-half chances after 28 minutes. At the time I was truly stunned by the goal as I felt we had been by far the better side, with City barely having had a shot. But it's results that matter and City had the lead after Jesus Navas had showed great pace to burst down the wing before crossing for Aguero to sweep the ball home.
Rather than implode as we had in similar positions last season, the Gunners showed tremendous resilience and refused to go down without a fight, and their persistence was rewarded. Jack Wilshere, who defied his critics with a truly wonderful display controlling the midfield, levelled matters after 63 minutes. The England midfielder latched onto Aaron Ramsey's pass before racing into the box, beating Gael Clichy and firing the ball beyond Hart at his near post.
Arsenal completed the turnaround 11 minutes later through another of the game's stand-out performers. At times it was easy to forget Alexis Sanchez's attacking position as he worked tirelessly in all areas of the field, attacking with class and tracking back to help the defence when required. Wilshere this time turned provider as his header was met by the sweetest of side-footed volleys from the Chilean forward to send the Gunners' fans into raptures.
It genuinely looked as though Arsenal would snatch a surprise win but seven minutes from time poor marking from a corner allowed Martin Demichelis to head home despite best efforts of Wojciech Szczesny. Although Arsenal deserved far more than just a draw from this game, it could also have gone horribly wrong late on. Aleksandar Kolarov and Edin Dzeko both hit a post before Arsenal fans had a heart in the mouths moment in injury time when former Gunner Samir Nasri had a goal ruled out for offside.
I was initially very frustrated at the draw as the positive performance deserved nothing other than a win. But when reflecting on the game the following day, it is easy to take positives from the game. A draw against the champions is an impressive result. Yes, it should have been more, but we still did well to get a point. It is a shame we couldn't see out the final seven minutes but the spirit the side showed on the day was top class.
The performances of Wilshere and Sanchez were immense and we also remain unbeaten this season. When looking back at the fixtures so far, I can't grumble too much in terms of the results, with the exception of the Leicester game. That really is a game we should be winning. But we are still unbeaten and we didn't crumble as many expected against the champions so there are reasons to be positive at the Emirates. The main negative on the day was losing new signing Mathieu Debuchy to an ankle injury. Early signs are not sounding good and, although we have cover at right-back in Calum Chambers, we don't have too many defensive options and can't afford many injuries.
I am not sure it is good enough to mount a serious title challenge as there is still plenty of room for improvement. We must stop conceding headed goals and need to defend them better, as all our league opponents have bagged one this season. On the other hand, I also won't fully rule out a title challenge as there is also a lot of potential shining from our side and positives to think about so who knows what might happen. Que Sera Sera!
A tricky trip to Borussia Dortmund is next on the horizon for Wenger's men. Realistically a draw would be a great result, but we need to go into the game with the mentality we can get all three points and I definitely think we have the potential to do so if we make sure we take more of our chances. The start of the Champions League group stages is when you know the season is well and truly back so let's hope we start it with a bang.
COME ON YOU GUNNERS
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