Theo Walcott hit his 100th goal for the club as Arsenal avoided a potential banana skin to progress into the FA Cup quarter-final with a 2-0 win at non-league Sutton.
With only one win this month prior to the trip to Gander Green Lane, there was a feeling of uncertainty about Arsenal despite facing lower league opposition.
Any other year I would have felt super optimistic about this kind of game, but our recent performances haven't been great and we knew just how fired up Sutton would be for this clash.
I genuinely believed we would progress, but I couldn't help but feel wary of the opposition especially in a competition where it has been proven on numerous occasions that upsets are possible. All the more reason why I am delighted at the victory. Yes, as some will argue, it was "only Sutton", but you can only beat what's put in front of you and I'm just glad we avoided any daft slip ups in this game.
As for Sutton they can definitely hold their heads high after that performance. The gulf in class of the squads and with several divisions between the two teams, this was always going to be a mammoth task for the National League side, but they showed no fear and did well to restrict the chances that came our way. We should have probably performed better than we did, but take nothing away from Sutton as it was a decent effort from them.
In a first half of few chances, Arsenal finally opened the scoring after 26 minutes through Lucas Perez. The Spanish forward curled an excellent delivery into the box and, Walcott's attempt to get a touch to it did enough to put off goalkeeper Ross Worner, and the ball went into the far corner of the net. There was an element of good fortune about the goal in some ways, but it was also a great cross from Perez.
Arsenal tried to add a second just minutes later when Nacho Monreal found himself free on the edge of the box, but the full-back took a heavy touch that allowed Worner to make the block before Walcott shot over the bar soon after.
Former Arsenal youth player Roarie Deacon, who was named man of the match by the BBC, then created a half chance as he sent a free-kick into the box. Unfortunately for Sutton nobody was able to get their head to it and the free-kick went wide.
Sutton continued to restrict chances for the visitors, but Arsenal very nearly doubled their advantage five minutes before the break. Walcott made a good break upfield before Alex Iwobi's shot took a slight deflection to take it wide for a corner.
The non-league side almost levelled the scores soon after when Adam May reacted to a poor kick from David Ospina, only to make a meal of it and send his shot wide. But with Arsenal winning just 1-0 at half-time the game was far from over.
Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain came on at half-time to replace Mohamed Elneny, who appeared to have picked up an injury and the Ox certainly injected some much-needed energy into Arsenal's game.
Sutton had a half chance within six minutes of the restart as Bedsente Gomis produced a great turn, but he was unable to get his shot away as he was crowded out by Arsenal shirts.
The longer it stayed 1-0 the more Sutton would fancy their chances of causing an upset, so obviously I was relieved when we doubled our advantage after 55 minutes to more or less put the result beyond doubt. A great move with a nice one-two released Monreal, whose cross found Walcott and Arsenal's captain for the day was on hand to score from close range.
Sutton wasted a great opportunity to reduce the deficit soon after as May unselfishly set up Maxime Biamou, but the French striker's tame effort was straight as Ospina. The non-league side created another chance minutes later as Ospina flapped at a corner, but fortunately for the Gunners' shot-stopper he was let off as Jamie Collins headed over the bar.
The hosts and the lively Deacon deserved to have got a goal from what was a superbly hit shot from Deacon after 65 minutes. The striker unleashed a sublime long-range strike from 25 yards, only to see it cannon back off the crossbar.
Oxlade-Chamberlain came close to adding his name onto the scoresheet when he cut inside from the left in the final 10 minutes, but his shot was well saved by Worner.
Sutton tried to nick a consolation goal in the closing stages, but substitute Bradley Hudson-Odoi saw his shot deflect behind for a corner as Arsenal held on to their two-goal lead.
So Arsenal are now into the quarter-final and will again face non-league opposition in Lincoln City. This is personally a great fixture for me and one I have been hoping would happen in the FA Cup ever since I moved to Lincoln in 2003...and now it finally has! I still hold a soft spot for Lincoln and had they been playing any other side I'd want them to win, but I'll be rooting for Arsenal all the way in this one.
OPPOSITION VIEW
Sutton United fan Max Camilleri was proud of his side despite their cup exit, but fears they may lose star man Deacon, who was reportedly the subject of interest from Fulham in January.
"I'm quite happy about the performance," said Camilleri. "We put in a good fight and I'm so proud of the boys. We played really well and now we can focus on the league.
"Deacon is just too good for us and I think he will go to the Championship."
MY FINAL THOUGHTS
Banana skin avoided and into the last eight and now....no more games this month! How disappointing! Due to Southampton being in the EFL Cup Final our league game was re-arranged and we have no fixture this weekend.
In some ways that could be seen as a positive as it gives us longer to prepare for our next game - a tough league trip to face Liverpool at Anfield. But it also means the other sides in and around the top four can potentially take advantage of us not playing to move above or further clear of us.
Although I'd much rather be talking about a more serious title race, we are in an all too familiar position in the league and the match against Liverpool is massive in terms of us wanting a top-four finish. We are currently fourth and only one point above Liverpool so it is a match we can't afford to lose.
Also we need to prove we can produce top performances away against teams like Liverpool so there can be no excuses. Arsene Wenger and the lads must make sure they stand up to be counted at Anfield and give us a performance to be proud of.
COME ON YOU GUNNERS
Monday, 20 February 2017
Wednesday, 15 February 2017
Gunners outclassed by Bayern
A second-half masterclass from Bayern Munich left Arsenal's Champions League dream in tatters and all but over following a 5-1 drubbing at the Allianz Arena.
It didn't actually look too bad for Arsenal at half-time after an Alexis Sanchez penalty had cancelled out Arjen Robben's opener. But when Laurent Koscielny was forced off injured within five minutes of the restart it all started to go horribly wrong.
Robert Lewandowski put Bayern back in front before a double from Thiago Alcantara and a late strike from substitute Thomas Muller virtually sealed Bayern's passage into the quarter-final.
Although there is still the second leg to play and Arsenal are capable of beating Bayern at home, I really can't see us getting the result required to overturn this one. Even if we did perform a miracle and score four, I can't see us stopping the German giants from scoring so even if we win the Champions League exit door is once again rapidly looming.
Bayern deserve a lot of credit as they really were excellent in the second half and would probably have beaten whoever they faced on the day, but that also doesn't excuse just how poor we were after half-time.
In fact, had it not been for some excellent goalkeeping from David Ospina the score could have been a lot worse. Obviously we can't give up until it's literally over, but our chances look very bleak.
Bayern took just 11 minutes to set the ball rolling as Robben cut inside before unleashing a sublime 25-yard strike beyond Ospina. It was a top quality strike, but we should have defended better in the build up.
The hosts were enjoying most of the possession, but we did finally threaten when Mesut Ozil's free-kick was spilled by Manuel Neuer in the Bayern goal. Unfortunately no Arsenal player was able to take advantage of the situation to score from the loose ball.
Arsenal gave themselves a real chance of getting something from the tie when a penalty was awarded after Koscielny was tripped in the area. Sanchez saw his penalty excellently saved by Neuer and, although the Chilean made a mess of the initial rebound, he got the ball back to score a well-taken equaliser.
We then started to look more lively and it is almost a shame that the half-time whistle came when it did as we were actually looking decent at this point. Granit Xhaka and Ozil were both denied by Neuer in the latter stages of the first half and Arsenal were beginning to look more confident, but after the break was a totally different story.
To go from a team looking positive at the end of the first half to falling apart in the second was so frustrating to watch. Bayern deserve a lot of credit for how well they played in the second half, but we also should have performed much better than we did instead of looking lost and void of ideas.
Koscielny being withdrawn early in the second half was a huge blow and had a big impact on the match and it wasn't long before Bayern scored their second of the night. Lewandowski headed home Philipp Lahm's cross and before Arsenal even had time to recover they conceded again just a few minutes later. Scorer turned provider as Lewandowski's back-heel set up Thiago to slot home.
Thiago soon added a second with a strike that deflected in off Xhaka and in a little over 10 minutes the score had gone from 1-1 and game on to 4-1 down. It was well and truly embarrassing!
Ospina produced some fine saves to keep the score down as Bayern continued to dominate, but he was unable to do anything about the hosts' late fifth as Thiago set up Muller to side-foot a shot home.
For brief moments it looked like we could have a chance, but for far too much of the game we looked second best and it is an evening we'll certainly want to forget.
ROUND OF 16
Our Champions League participation is almost over for another year and currently hangs by the thinnest of threads.
Had we lost 2-1 or even 3-1, I would feel a bit more confident as winning 2-0 at home is doable. But at 5-1 down I really can't see any way back for us and it looks set to be yet another Champions League exit at the same stage of the competition as last year. It is an all too familiar story.
Bayern were good and deserved their big lead, but we really should have done better and made more of a game of it in the second half. As soon as their third goal went in, you could see that there was no way back.
We were not showing enough fight and desire and, although Bayern is always a tough place for any side in Europe to go, there can be no excuses for that second half.
Barring a miracle, which in truth isn't going to happen, we are out for another year and Arsene Wenger and the majority of the players let us down tonight.
MY FINAL THOUGHTS
The Champions League and Premier League are the most important pieces of silverware, but both look beyond reach this season.
They are the two biggest prizes by far, but that doesn't stop me loving the FA Cup and wanting us to do well in it. If we were to win it I would be delighted, but it also wouldn't hide the fact that we have under-performed in the two biggest competitions.
We need to be fully focused and turn our attentions to the FA Cup now and, although our trip to non-league Sutton should produce a routine win we can't underestimate them or get complacent. We need to make sure we avoid a potential banana skin.
I'm taking nothing for granted, but we really should be winning this one without any problems. Whatever happens won't disguise the woeful display in Munich, but I'd also be truly gutted if we exited a domestic competition I truly love. So let's go out there and make sure we don't let Sutton become FA Cup giantkillers. We need to dominate and get back to winning ways before the mammoth task of the league trip to Anfield to face Liverpool.
COME ON YOU GUNNERS
It didn't actually look too bad for Arsenal at half-time after an Alexis Sanchez penalty had cancelled out Arjen Robben's opener. But when Laurent Koscielny was forced off injured within five minutes of the restart it all started to go horribly wrong.
Robert Lewandowski put Bayern back in front before a double from Thiago Alcantara and a late strike from substitute Thomas Muller virtually sealed Bayern's passage into the quarter-final.
Although there is still the second leg to play and Arsenal are capable of beating Bayern at home, I really can't see us getting the result required to overturn this one. Even if we did perform a miracle and score four, I can't see us stopping the German giants from scoring so even if we win the Champions League exit door is once again rapidly looming.
Bayern deserve a lot of credit as they really were excellent in the second half and would probably have beaten whoever they faced on the day, but that also doesn't excuse just how poor we were after half-time.
In fact, had it not been for some excellent goalkeeping from David Ospina the score could have been a lot worse. Obviously we can't give up until it's literally over, but our chances look very bleak.
Bayern took just 11 minutes to set the ball rolling as Robben cut inside before unleashing a sublime 25-yard strike beyond Ospina. It was a top quality strike, but we should have defended better in the build up.
The hosts were enjoying most of the possession, but we did finally threaten when Mesut Ozil's free-kick was spilled by Manuel Neuer in the Bayern goal. Unfortunately no Arsenal player was able to take advantage of the situation to score from the loose ball.
Arsenal gave themselves a real chance of getting something from the tie when a penalty was awarded after Koscielny was tripped in the area. Sanchez saw his penalty excellently saved by Neuer and, although the Chilean made a mess of the initial rebound, he got the ball back to score a well-taken equaliser.
We then started to look more lively and it is almost a shame that the half-time whistle came when it did as we were actually looking decent at this point. Granit Xhaka and Ozil were both denied by Neuer in the latter stages of the first half and Arsenal were beginning to look more confident, but after the break was a totally different story.
To go from a team looking positive at the end of the first half to falling apart in the second was so frustrating to watch. Bayern deserve a lot of credit for how well they played in the second half, but we also should have performed much better than we did instead of looking lost and void of ideas.
Koscielny being withdrawn early in the second half was a huge blow and had a big impact on the match and it wasn't long before Bayern scored their second of the night. Lewandowski headed home Philipp Lahm's cross and before Arsenal even had time to recover they conceded again just a few minutes later. Scorer turned provider as Lewandowski's back-heel set up Thiago to slot home.
Thiago soon added a second with a strike that deflected in off Xhaka and in a little over 10 minutes the score had gone from 1-1 and game on to 4-1 down. It was well and truly embarrassing!
Ospina produced some fine saves to keep the score down as Bayern continued to dominate, but he was unable to do anything about the hosts' late fifth as Thiago set up Muller to side-foot a shot home.
For brief moments it looked like we could have a chance, but for far too much of the game we looked second best and it is an evening we'll certainly want to forget.
ROUND OF 16
Our Champions League participation is almost over for another year and currently hangs by the thinnest of threads.
Had we lost 2-1 or even 3-1, I would feel a bit more confident as winning 2-0 at home is doable. But at 5-1 down I really can't see any way back for us and it looks set to be yet another Champions League exit at the same stage of the competition as last year. It is an all too familiar story.
Bayern were good and deserved their big lead, but we really should have done better and made more of a game of it in the second half. As soon as their third goal went in, you could see that there was no way back.
We were not showing enough fight and desire and, although Bayern is always a tough place for any side in Europe to go, there can be no excuses for that second half.
Barring a miracle, which in truth isn't going to happen, we are out for another year and Arsene Wenger and the majority of the players let us down tonight.
MY FINAL THOUGHTS
The Champions League and Premier League are the most important pieces of silverware, but both look beyond reach this season.
They are the two biggest prizes by far, but that doesn't stop me loving the FA Cup and wanting us to do well in it. If we were to win it I would be delighted, but it also wouldn't hide the fact that we have under-performed in the two biggest competitions.
We need to be fully focused and turn our attentions to the FA Cup now and, although our trip to non-league Sutton should produce a routine win we can't underestimate them or get complacent. We need to make sure we avoid a potential banana skin.
I'm taking nothing for granted, but we really should be winning this one without any problems. Whatever happens won't disguise the woeful display in Munich, but I'd also be truly gutted if we exited a domestic competition I truly love. So let's go out there and make sure we don't let Sutton become FA Cup giantkillers. We need to dominate and get back to winning ways before the mammoth task of the league trip to Anfield to face Liverpool.
COME ON YOU GUNNERS
Sunday, 12 February 2017
Sanchez double tames Tigers
Alexis Sanchez struck twice as Arsenal returned to winning ways with a 2-0 win over 10-man Hull, but it is the controversial opening goal that continues to spark debate.
Kieran Gibbs saw his shot cleared off the line, but Sanchez scored from the rebound after 34 minutes despite the fact it appeared to go in off his hand. The ball ricocheted off goalkeeper Eldin Jakupovic on the ground before bouncing off Sanchez's hand and into the net. It was actually a hard one to call.
It did hit Sanchez's hand and, with referee Mark Clattenburg reportedly apologising to the Hull players about the decision after half-time, it is easy to see why Tigers fans are annoyed at the goal being given. The referee's apology should clear up any doubt over whether the call was correct or not, but the laws of the game also causing interesting debate as BBC Sport also looked at.
FA laws state that for a deliberate handball there must be "movement of the hands towards the ball" and the "distance between opponent and the ball" should be considered. The ball did hit Sanchez on the hand, but I don't believe there was any deliberate movement of the hand towards the ball and at that close range I'm not sure the Chilean could have done too much to prevent it. By the letter of the law you could argue a case for the goal, but I must admit we also got a bit lucky with the decision as I can see both sides to this debate. If I was in Hull's shoes I would feel hard done by and it seems they also felt hard done by decisions later in the game, which I'll come to later.
Arsenal started brightly, but wasted the chances that came their way in the opening quarter of the match. Mesut Ozil took too long before getting his shot away, which was blocked by the defence, before Sanchez shot straight at Jakupovic. Hector Bellerin also tried his luck after a fine one-two with Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, but the Spanish right-back's effort went just wide.
At the other end, Arsenal goalkeeper Petr Cech had to be alert to tip Oumar Niasse's header over the crossbar.
Arsenal nearly doubled their advantage within a minute of the restart, but Oxlade-Chamberlain shot just wide. The Gunners were almost made to pay for that miss soon after as Hull hit them on the break. Lazar Markovic went on a great run before crossing for Niasse, but the on-loan Everton striker saw his header excellently parried by Cech.
There was then another controversial moment when Kieran Gibbs was booked for barging into the lively Markovic and bringing him down. Had there not been a foul Markovic could potentially have had a free run on goal as Gibbs was the last man, so the visitors felt the defender should have been given a red card instead. Luck was certainly on our side as it probably should have been a dismissal.
At the other end Arsenal tried to add to their lead, but Alex Iwobi sent his effort over the bar before Theo Walcott shot straight at Jakupovic. At the other end, Hull wasted three headed chances in the final 15 minutes of normal time. Markovic's header was to close to the goalkeeper, with Cech making a routing save before Niasse's effort went into the side netting. Adama Diomande also headed over late on as chances continued to go begging for the visitors.
The Gunners finally put the result beyond doubt as Sanchez netted a penalty in stoppage time. Sanchez ran onto a pass from Ozil before his touch took the ball beyond the goalkeeper and out wide. The Chilean then crossed the ball for Lucas Perez, who had been on the field for less than 10 minutes, to head towards goal and only the arm of Sam Clucas stopped it from going in so a penalty was awarded. Sanchez stepped up and hit the resulting penalty hard and low beyond Jakupovic as Arsenal moved up to third.
Arsenal are only behind second-placed Tottenham, who lost to Liverpool, on goal difference and Chelsea's draw at Burnley means the Gunners are With Tottenham losing to Liverpool and Chelsea drawing at Burnley, Arsenal are 10 points off the league leaders.
OPPOSITION VIEW
Hull fan Richard Madden was left frustrated by the manner of the defeat at the Emirates.
"Given our recent results against Liverpool and Manchester United there was a sense of optimism going into the game at the Emirates and, although the result didn't go our way, it's the manner of the defeat that's more frustrating," said Madden.
"The opening 'goal' should never have stood and the fact that Sanchez actually celebrated it made it even more embarrassing.
"As I said in the corresponding fixture a couple of seasons ago, there's no shame in losing to teams like Arsenal, but it's incredibly annoying when poor refereeing decisions overshadow the actual game."
MY FINAL THOUGHTS
Whether it is from free-flowing football, grinding out an ugly win or needing a slice of luck they all count and we did what mattered most by taking three points against Hull.
In terms of the title race I don't think it will make too much difference as Chelsea are unlikely to drop the amount of points we would need them to lose. It does, however, stop the rut after back-to-back defeats and it was crucial for us to get back to winning ways with a trip to Bayern Munich looming.
Bayern Munich is familiar territory for us having faced the German giants in the Champions League in three of the last four seasons. In last season's group stages we beat them 2-0 at home, but got hammered 5-1 away. In our last encounter in the knockout stages, we lost 3-1 on aggregate.
We have a habit in recent seasons of the knockout stages of a sluggish start in the first leg before a decent comeback in the second leg when it is too little too late. Having home advantage in the second leg could prove crucial this time, but only if we are still in the tie at the halfway stage.
It is certainly doable to get at least a point in the first leg away from home, but only if we put in a performance of the highest quality. If we perform like we did in the recent games against Watford and Chelsea then we are in trouble and could get blown away before we even return for the home leg.
We must make sure we defend strongly and are clinical in attack. It is going to be a very tough game and personally I think either we can nick a 1-1 draw in Germany or we'll lose 2-1 and at least have an away goal.
If we are to make a serious go of the Champions League this year there is no room for error in the knockout stages and we must put in one of our best performances of the season. Now it's up to Arsene Wenger and the players to decide our fate!
COME ON YOU GUNNERS
Kieran Gibbs saw his shot cleared off the line, but Sanchez scored from the rebound after 34 minutes despite the fact it appeared to go in off his hand. The ball ricocheted off goalkeeper Eldin Jakupovic on the ground before bouncing off Sanchez's hand and into the net. It was actually a hard one to call.
It did hit Sanchez's hand and, with referee Mark Clattenburg reportedly apologising to the Hull players about the decision after half-time, it is easy to see why Tigers fans are annoyed at the goal being given. The referee's apology should clear up any doubt over whether the call was correct or not, but the laws of the game also causing interesting debate as BBC Sport also looked at.
FA laws state that for a deliberate handball there must be "movement of the hands towards the ball" and the "distance between opponent and the ball" should be considered. The ball did hit Sanchez on the hand, but I don't believe there was any deliberate movement of the hand towards the ball and at that close range I'm not sure the Chilean could have done too much to prevent it. By the letter of the law you could argue a case for the goal, but I must admit we also got a bit lucky with the decision as I can see both sides to this debate. If I was in Hull's shoes I would feel hard done by and it seems they also felt hard done by decisions later in the game, which I'll come to later.
Arsenal started brightly, but wasted the chances that came their way in the opening quarter of the match. Mesut Ozil took too long before getting his shot away, which was blocked by the defence, before Sanchez shot straight at Jakupovic. Hector Bellerin also tried his luck after a fine one-two with Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, but the Spanish right-back's effort went just wide.
At the other end, Arsenal goalkeeper Petr Cech had to be alert to tip Oumar Niasse's header over the crossbar.
Arsenal nearly doubled their advantage within a minute of the restart, but Oxlade-Chamberlain shot just wide. The Gunners were almost made to pay for that miss soon after as Hull hit them on the break. Lazar Markovic went on a great run before crossing for Niasse, but the on-loan Everton striker saw his header excellently parried by Cech.
There was then another controversial moment when Kieran Gibbs was booked for barging into the lively Markovic and bringing him down. Had there not been a foul Markovic could potentially have had a free run on goal as Gibbs was the last man, so the visitors felt the defender should have been given a red card instead. Luck was certainly on our side as it probably should have been a dismissal.
At the other end Arsenal tried to add to their lead, but Alex Iwobi sent his effort over the bar before Theo Walcott shot straight at Jakupovic. At the other end, Hull wasted three headed chances in the final 15 minutes of normal time. Markovic's header was to close to the goalkeeper, with Cech making a routing save before Niasse's effort went into the side netting. Adama Diomande also headed over late on as chances continued to go begging for the visitors.
The Gunners finally put the result beyond doubt as Sanchez netted a penalty in stoppage time. Sanchez ran onto a pass from Ozil before his touch took the ball beyond the goalkeeper and out wide. The Chilean then crossed the ball for Lucas Perez, who had been on the field for less than 10 minutes, to head towards goal and only the arm of Sam Clucas stopped it from going in so a penalty was awarded. Sanchez stepped up and hit the resulting penalty hard and low beyond Jakupovic as Arsenal moved up to third.
Arsenal are only behind second-placed Tottenham, who lost to Liverpool, on goal difference and Chelsea's draw at Burnley means the Gunners are With Tottenham losing to Liverpool and Chelsea drawing at Burnley, Arsenal are 10 points off the league leaders.
OPPOSITION VIEW
Hull fan Richard Madden was left frustrated by the manner of the defeat at the Emirates.
"Given our recent results against Liverpool and Manchester United there was a sense of optimism going into the game at the Emirates and, although the result didn't go our way, it's the manner of the defeat that's more frustrating," said Madden.
"The opening 'goal' should never have stood and the fact that Sanchez actually celebrated it made it even more embarrassing.
"As I said in the corresponding fixture a couple of seasons ago, there's no shame in losing to teams like Arsenal, but it's incredibly annoying when poor refereeing decisions overshadow the actual game."
MY FINAL THOUGHTS
Whether it is from free-flowing football, grinding out an ugly win or needing a slice of luck they all count and we did what mattered most by taking three points against Hull.
In terms of the title race I don't think it will make too much difference as Chelsea are unlikely to drop the amount of points we would need them to lose. It does, however, stop the rut after back-to-back defeats and it was crucial for us to get back to winning ways with a trip to Bayern Munich looming.
Bayern Munich is familiar territory for us having faced the German giants in the Champions League in three of the last four seasons. In last season's group stages we beat them 2-0 at home, but got hammered 5-1 away. In our last encounter in the knockout stages, we lost 3-1 on aggregate.
We have a habit in recent seasons of the knockout stages of a sluggish start in the first leg before a decent comeback in the second leg when it is too little too late. Having home advantage in the second leg could prove crucial this time, but only if we are still in the tie at the halfway stage.
It is certainly doable to get at least a point in the first leg away from home, but only if we put in a performance of the highest quality. If we perform like we did in the recent games against Watford and Chelsea then we are in trouble and could get blown away before we even return for the home leg.
We must make sure we defend strongly and are clinical in attack. It is going to be a very tough game and personally I think either we can nick a 1-1 draw in Germany or we'll lose 2-1 and at least have an away goal.
If we are to make a serious go of the Champions League this year there is no room for error in the knockout stages and we must put in one of our best performances of the season. Now it's up to Arsene Wenger and the players to decide our fate!
COME ON YOU GUNNERS
Sunday, 5 February 2017
Gunners embarrassed at Stamford Bridge
Although a trip to Stamford Bridge is never easy, Arsenal's 3-1 defeat at Chelsea was rather embarrassing.
We knew it was going to be a totally different challenge against the leaders than we had demolished them 3-0 at the Emirates back in September. Chelsea have since been in much better form, while we were looking to bounce back from a shock home defeat by Watford. Instead we produced a largely poor performance to fall further behind the leaders. We are now 12 points behind Chelsea and down to fourth and our league campaign is already fading away and it would take nothing short of a miracle to catch them.
Although the result was disappointing, it is the manner of the performance that hurts the most. Getting points from this fixture was never going to be easy, but the lack of fight on show and the fact we didn't create too many decent opportunities is a big cause for concern.
The Gunners, in fact, started well and it looked fairly positive for the first quarter of the match, with Alex Iwobi having a shot deflected wide early on. At the other end Gary Cahill sent a header over the bar, but as soon as Marco Alonso's 13th-minute opener went in we fell apart and were outclassed by the league leaders for most of the rest of the match.
There was slight controversy surrounding the opener as, after Diego Costa's header hit the crossbar, Alonso beat Hector Bellerin to the ball to nod in the rebound. Alonso elbowed the defender in the face in the process, but I don't believe there was any malice in the challenge and even though some saw it as a foul I don't have too many complaints about the goal. The challenge did, however, force Bellerin to be withdrawn from the action with Gabriel coming on in his place.
Costa fired a shot into the side netting and Pedro was denied by a save from Petr Cech as Chelsea threatened to add to their lead.
Arsenal wasted the opportunity to level the scores after 37 minutes when a dinked ball over the top was met by the head of Gabriel, but the defender's effort was well tipped over by Chelsea goalkeeper Thibault Courtois. The visitors wasted another chance in first-half stoppage time when Mesut Ozil found himself in space in the box, but the German international's tame shot was comfortably saved by Courtois. Ozil maybe should have crossed it back in for one of his team-mates running in and we really should have made a lot more out of what was a decent opportunity. It was a big waste, but at least we were only 1-0 down at the break as it could have been a lot worse.
Chelsea controlled the second half and could have doubled their advantage within five minutes of the restart had Eden Hazard not sent his effort high and over the bar. But the Belgian made no mistake soon after as he ran from halfway, beating Francis Coquelin and Laurent Koscielny, to score what some described as a great solo goal. Although it was a decent goal, I also can't help but think that it was a lot more down to very poor defending from the Gunners than excellent attacking play. Hazard did well, but the defending was unacceptable and we really should have done better.
Danny Welbeck looked lively when he came on and I wish he had been introduced sooner or maybe been given a start. The striker got his head to Shkodran Mustafi's cross, but Courtois got down excellently to push his effort past a post. From the resulting corner Mustafi sent a header wide. That was about as good as it got for us in a game in which we were largely on the backfoot.
Former Gunner Cesc Fabregas then turned our afternoon from bad to worse when he lobbed Petr Cech following a poor kick by the Arsenal goalkeeper.
Substitute Olivier Giroud headed home from Nacho Monreal's cross late on to at least end our long run without a goal at Stamford Bridge, but it didn't prevent a poor result or hide what had been a woeful performance. Mustafi then tried his luck soon after, but his header was comfortably saved by Courtois to complete a terrible afternoon for Arsenal.
OPPOSITION VIEW
Chelsea fan Paul Boulter was happy with the result and feels it was a rather routine win for his side.
"It was unexpectedly comfortable for Chelsea," said Boulter. "Arsenal looked like they were up for it, but once Alonso scored the goal, I couldn't see Arsenal getting back into it.
"I don't think there was a foul on Bellerin, Alonso was at speed and Bellerin should have been stronger. It was a stroll in the park at times, Arsenal huffed and puffed, but there was no end product.
"For the first time I actually feel confident of Chelsea getting our title back. Same old for Arsenal I'm afraid. No fight, no instruction. I think Wenger needs to leave for Arsenal to get back to where they were."
MY FINAL THOUGHTS
Our title hopes were already slim, but had we managed four to six points this week we would have at least given ourselves some hope. But instead defeats to Watford and Chelsea left any slim hopes in tatters and the recent performances have been simply not good enough.
Although we are mathematically still in it, we realistically have no chance and we deserve to be where we are in the table after our current poor performances.
We will have to up our game dramatically to avoid any slip ups in our next league match when Hull visit the Emirates before the mammoth task of the trip to Bayern Munich for the first leg of our Champions League tie.
The players and the manager need to take a long hard look at themselves after this week and a big improvement is needed.
COME ON YOU GUNNERS
We knew it was going to be a totally different challenge against the leaders than we had demolished them 3-0 at the Emirates back in September. Chelsea have since been in much better form, while we were looking to bounce back from a shock home defeat by Watford. Instead we produced a largely poor performance to fall further behind the leaders. We are now 12 points behind Chelsea and down to fourth and our league campaign is already fading away and it would take nothing short of a miracle to catch them.
Although the result was disappointing, it is the manner of the performance that hurts the most. Getting points from this fixture was never going to be easy, but the lack of fight on show and the fact we didn't create too many decent opportunities is a big cause for concern.
The Gunners, in fact, started well and it looked fairly positive for the first quarter of the match, with Alex Iwobi having a shot deflected wide early on. At the other end Gary Cahill sent a header over the bar, but as soon as Marco Alonso's 13th-minute opener went in we fell apart and were outclassed by the league leaders for most of the rest of the match.
There was slight controversy surrounding the opener as, after Diego Costa's header hit the crossbar, Alonso beat Hector Bellerin to the ball to nod in the rebound. Alonso elbowed the defender in the face in the process, but I don't believe there was any malice in the challenge and even though some saw it as a foul I don't have too many complaints about the goal. The challenge did, however, force Bellerin to be withdrawn from the action with Gabriel coming on in his place.
Costa fired a shot into the side netting and Pedro was denied by a save from Petr Cech as Chelsea threatened to add to their lead.
Arsenal wasted the opportunity to level the scores after 37 minutes when a dinked ball over the top was met by the head of Gabriel, but the defender's effort was well tipped over by Chelsea goalkeeper Thibault Courtois. The visitors wasted another chance in first-half stoppage time when Mesut Ozil found himself in space in the box, but the German international's tame shot was comfortably saved by Courtois. Ozil maybe should have crossed it back in for one of his team-mates running in and we really should have made a lot more out of what was a decent opportunity. It was a big waste, but at least we were only 1-0 down at the break as it could have been a lot worse.
Chelsea controlled the second half and could have doubled their advantage within five minutes of the restart had Eden Hazard not sent his effort high and over the bar. But the Belgian made no mistake soon after as he ran from halfway, beating Francis Coquelin and Laurent Koscielny, to score what some described as a great solo goal. Although it was a decent goal, I also can't help but think that it was a lot more down to very poor defending from the Gunners than excellent attacking play. Hazard did well, but the defending was unacceptable and we really should have done better.
Danny Welbeck looked lively when he came on and I wish he had been introduced sooner or maybe been given a start. The striker got his head to Shkodran Mustafi's cross, but Courtois got down excellently to push his effort past a post. From the resulting corner Mustafi sent a header wide. That was about as good as it got for us in a game in which we were largely on the backfoot.
Former Gunner Cesc Fabregas then turned our afternoon from bad to worse when he lobbed Petr Cech following a poor kick by the Arsenal goalkeeper.
Substitute Olivier Giroud headed home from Nacho Monreal's cross late on to at least end our long run without a goal at Stamford Bridge, but it didn't prevent a poor result or hide what had been a woeful performance. Mustafi then tried his luck soon after, but his header was comfortably saved by Courtois to complete a terrible afternoon for Arsenal.
OPPOSITION VIEW
Chelsea fan Paul Boulter was happy with the result and feels it was a rather routine win for his side.
"It was unexpectedly comfortable for Chelsea," said Boulter. "Arsenal looked like they were up for it, but once Alonso scored the goal, I couldn't see Arsenal getting back into it.
"I don't think there was a foul on Bellerin, Alonso was at speed and Bellerin should have been stronger. It was a stroll in the park at times, Arsenal huffed and puffed, but there was no end product.
"For the first time I actually feel confident of Chelsea getting our title back. Same old for Arsenal I'm afraid. No fight, no instruction. I think Wenger needs to leave for Arsenal to get back to where they were."
MY FINAL THOUGHTS
Our title hopes were already slim, but had we managed four to six points this week we would have at least given ourselves some hope. But instead defeats to Watford and Chelsea left any slim hopes in tatters and the recent performances have been simply not good enough.
Although we are mathematically still in it, we realistically have no chance and we deserve to be where we are in the table after our current poor performances.
We will have to up our game dramatically to avoid any slip ups in our next league match when Hull visit the Emirates before the mammoth task of the trip to Bayern Munich for the first leg of our Champions League tie.
The players and the manager need to take a long hard look at themselves after this week and a big improvement is needed.
COME ON YOU GUNNERS
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