Arsenal stretched their unbeaten league run to 14 games and temporarily went top of the table following a 3-1 victory over Stoke.
Stoke are always a tricky side to play and the visitors took the lead through a Charlie Adam penalty, but fortunately Theo Walcott, Mesut Ozil and Alex Iwobi were all on hand to ensure we took all three points. We have always found it tough away at the Britannia, but home advantage proved crucial once again as we continued our good record at Emirates Stadium against them where it is now nine wins from nine league meetings.
Chelsea's 1-0 win over West Brom sees us drop to second and three points behind the leaders, but there is still a lot of football to be played. We are capable of over hauling Chelsea at the top and equally fading away in the title race. It is important that keep the unbeaten run going and also make sure we don't drop any silly points along the way. The next few games could have a big impact on the direction of our season, but if we are to mount a more serious title challenge we must continue to bang in the goals like we have against Stoke, FC Basel and West Ham.
The three points against the Potters did come at a cost though as Shkodran Mustafi was forced off with an injury and looks set for at least three weeks on the sidelines. He will be a big loss to our defence and I am unsure how we will cope, but maybe this can be Rob Holding's chance to shine. Gabriel has also impressed in his last few games for us, so there are options available and it is hard to say how we will manage without the more solid Kostafi partnership of Laurent Koscielny and Mustafi we have been used to recently.
But before Mustafi left the action both sides created decent chances to score. Stoke defender Marc Muniesa saw his sweetly struck long-range volley tipped over by Petr Cech, while his team-mate Erik Pieters shot wide. At the other end, Walcott saw his effort well kept out by Stoke goalkeeper Lee Grant.
Stoke midfielder Joe Allen then sent an effort off target before a hamstring problem saw Mustafi forced off for Arsenal. Although it was a big blow to lose such an important defender it was good to see Hector Bellerin, who came on in his place, back on the pitch following his return from injury.
Stoke opened the scoring shortly before the half hour mark when they were awarded a penalty as Granit Xhaka's elbow caught Allen in the face. There didn't seem much intent as it looked purely accidental, but Xhaka's arm was raised high and a penalty was awarded, which Adam dispatched with no problem.
Arsenal tried to find a response and very nearly got it when Bellerin played a nice ball across the box and only a crucial intervention from Mame Biram Diouf stopped Ozil getting a clear shot at goal.
The Gunners got themselves back into the game when Walcott equalised three minutes before the break. Sanchez's fine through ball opened up the Stoke defence before Bellerin's cross was fired home by Walcott.
Arsenal nearly completed the turnaround before half-time, but Sanchez and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain both sent efforts just over the crossbar. At the other end, Xherdan Shaqiri's long-range shot was comfortably saved by Cech in first-half stoppage time.
Arsene Wenger's men started the second half well and moved in front within just five minutes of the restart. Oxlade-Chamberlain lofted a superb high pass into the box and Ozil timed his run to perfection to loop a header over Grant.
Arsenal continued to create chances as Xhaka and Oxlade-Chamberlain sent their efforts off target before the latter saw his next strike saved by Grant. Those misses almost proved costly as Stoke came very close to levelling the scores, but substitute Peter Crouch's header was well kept out by Cech.
The hosts gave themselves a two-goal cushion and put the result beyond doubt when substitute Iwobi scored 15 minutes from time. Iwobi passed the ball to Sanchez, who was then brought down just outside the box, but Arsenal played the advantage successfully as the substitute raced into the box and calmly slotted a shot beyond Grant.
Substitute Olivier Giroud came on to make his 200th appearance for the club, but he was unable to cap it with a goal as he sent an effort wide in stoppage time.
It was a great result for Arsenal to keep the good run of form going and also make sure they will complete the calendar year without losing on a Saturday. We just need to make sure we win on Tuesday and Sunday next week!
OPPOSITION VIEW
Stoke fan Debs Graham admitted she always knew it was going to be a difficult match at the Emirates, but was keen not to be too downbeat following the defeat.
"I wasn't expecting a win as we've not won there for years," said Graham. "We started decently & had a couple of chances. The penalty was a silly foul and gave us the lead.
"Both Muniesa and (Marko Arnautovic) Arnie had chances, which at the start of the season we weren't even getting. The two goals either side of half-time killed us off and the second goal came right after we were getting Pieters back on the pitch following treatment.
"Considering how we started the season and how negative our own fans were we've come far. We've got Southampton and Leicester home next where we can pick up points, but then followed by Liverpool and Chelsea away over the Xmas period. Lee Grant has done so well for us this season."
MY FINAL THOUGHTS
After another positive result things are looking good, but we must not get carried away. We have given ourselves a good shot at a title challenge, but we need to be consistent and not let things slip.
The next two fixtures have the potential to be very tricky and not only because they are back-to-back away games. Everton may not be in the greatest form and if we play like I know we can we should win, but there are no guarantees in football and we need to not take Everton lightly, especially as they possess a big goal threat upfront in Romelu Lukaku. After Everton is arguably one of our biggest tests of the season - a trip to Manchester City.
Although I admit it was funny to hear about them being hammered 4-2 by Leicester in their last game, it will definitely not be an easy game. We are in good form and they are playing below par, which in theory means we should be in a good position to take advantage. But I am always wary of playing a side, especially one of the strongest in the Premier League, after they've had a big defeat. They will be hurting and eager to put things right and we have to make sure it isn't against us.
Before we can even think about the big clash at City we must focus on Everton and getting three points at Goodison Park.
COME ON YOU GUNNERS
No comments:
Post a Comment