Alexis Sanchez produced of a man of the match display as Arsenal won 3-2 at Crystal Palace in their penultimate match of 2017.
The Chilean international has been the subject of intense transfer speculation and could leave in January, or for free in the summer, and his recent performances have been criticised. A player that previously showed so much hunger and desire to win the ball and make the most of it, has looked far from his normal self this season so it was refreshing to see him perform how he did at Selhurst Park.
It was great to see him perform like that and long may it continue. Some fans labelled his performance as incredible and, whilst I agree it was vastly improved, I still don't think he was quite at his best. We have seen some superb displays by Sanchez since he joined the club in the summer of 2014. Don't get me wrong he was definitely the stand out player against Palace and he took his goals very well. Maybe my expectations of him are too high, but having seen him in top form I also know what he is capable of. I'm taking nothing away from his display though, he was excellent. I hope this is the start of a turnaround in form for him as he is a great player and can make key impacts on games as he showed against Palace, with two goals in four minutes to secure three points.
Both sides tried their luck from distance in the opening quarter of the match with Granit Xhaka sending a long-range shot over the crossbar, while Yohan Cabaye's effort sailed just wide at the other end.
Sanchez was looking lively and he combined well with Mesut Ozil before the latter set up Xhaka, whose shot was blocked by the Palace defence. Jack Wilshere's shot was comfortably saved by Julian Speroni soon after as Arsenal continued to create chances. But the Gunners were not to be denied as Shkodran Mustafi opened the scoring after 25 minutes. The German defender reacted quickest to calmly slot the ball home after Speroni had parried Alexandre Lacazette's effort.
Arsenal came close to increasing their lead shortly before the half hour mark as Ozil latched onto a fine through ball by Sanchez, but Speroni reacted quickly to keep out the German's effort.
Wilfried Zaha fizzed a shot narrowly wide as Palace tried to find a way back into the match before Arsenal were soon back on the attack. Lacazette showed great control and footwork to twist and turn past several defenders before firing a shot just wide.
Arsenal were unable to add a second goal before the break as Ozil burst through into the box, but his lay-off was just too strong for Hector Bellerin and when the ball was worked back in Xhaka shot straight at Speroni.
Those missed chances came back to bite Arsenal, albeit temporarily, as Palace levelled the scores within five minutes of the restart. Zaha got the better of Calum Chambers before his low ball into the box was met by an impressive first-time finish from Andros Townsend.
At 1-1 it was inevitable for some Gunners' fans to be feeling nervous that we might crumble or be forced to settle for a draw, but fortunately Jeffrey Schlupp shot into the side netting and, more importantly, Sanchez had other ideas. Lacazette controlled the ball well before teeing up Sanchez, who squeezed a great effort in at the near post to put the Gunners in front after 62 minutes.
Sanchez added a second four minutes later as he latched onto a terrific ball over the top from Wilshere and showed great control before slotting the ball beyond Speroni and into the corner of the net.
Arsenal tried to add further gloss to the scoreline late on, but Speroni produced a great save to parry Bellerin's volley.
Palace wasted a glorious chance to reduce the deficit eight minutes from time when Zaha somehow headed harmlessly wide when it looked easier to have scored.
Xhaka was forced off through injury late on as the game endured a nervy finish. Bakary Sako saw a shot deflected wide in the final minutes of normal time, but Palace made no mistake from the resulting corner as James Tomkins headed home.
Arsenal held on for victory to claim a three-point haul that sees them behind bitter rivals Tottenham by only goal difference and one point off the top four.
OPPOSITION VIEW
Crystal Palace fan Chris Williams believes it was a fair result, but was left frustrated by the performances of certain players.
Williams is, however, delighted with the job manager Roy Hodgson has done since being appointed in September and is hoping for new signings in January.
"Over the course of 90 minutes Arsenal deserved to win but from a Palace point of view it is a shame our unbeaten run of eight games has come to an end," said Williams. "Throughout the whole game Palace only troubled Arsenal during two spells, at the start and end of the second half.
"Once again Wilfried Zaha was a threat but he lacked support. If Ruben Loftus-Cheek or Bakary Sako had their shooting boots on then the result could have been different.
"I am running out of patience with Christian Benteke, I cannot see what benefit he brings the team. It seems his presence on the pitch makes us play a long ball style, but Palace are far more dangerous with the ball on the floor at our feet.
"Roy Hodgson has done a great job since arriving in September; this was only our third defeat in the last 13 games.
"We should not forget that Palace lost the opening seven games of the season without scoring a single goal; so to be 16th in the table is a mightily impressive turnaround.
"It will be interesting to see what players Roy will recruit in January. The squad needs strengthening in all departments after a disappointing summer transfer window.
"But before all that it is the small matter of Manchester City on Sunday. Wish us luck."
MY FINAL THOUGHTS
So is this a sign that Sanchez is getting back to his best? I hope so! Whether he likely leaves in January or the summer or somehow has a miraculous turnaround and stays at the club, we need the likes of him and Ozil in top form if we are to improve our season.
We reacted positively to the equaliser and didn't let it stop us from getting the points, which was good to see, and Wilshere once again had a great game. But we need to tighten things up more at the back and maybe should have killed the game off with our earlier chances before Palace even got their equaliser.
Palace have been in great form under Roy Hodgson so it had the potential to be a difficult away fixture, but we got the result and that's what matters and now we need to focus our attentions to ending 2017 on a high with victory at West Brom.
Whatever happens it has been another mixed year for Arsenal and let's keep our fingers crossed for our big stars staying and also a few new additions arriving in January. We can but hope!
COME ON YOU GUNNERS
Friday, 29 December 2017
Sunday, 24 December 2017
Six-minute goal blitz rescues Gunners
A 3-3 draw against Liverpool may not seem like too bad a result from outside, but when reflecting on the performance there is a big feeling of frustration and questions must be asked about the poor first-half display.
Liverpool took a 2-0 lead in under an hour thanks to goals from Philippe Coutinho and Mohamed Salah and it could have been so much worse if Sadio Mane hadn't missed an open goal.
The defending by Arsenal in the first half was all over the place and how we were still even in the game was lucky. But then came a fantastic quarter of an hour where we turned the game on its head and scored three goals in just six minutes. Alexis Sanchez and Mesut Ozil scored either side of a thumping Granit Xhaka strike.
The football during this spell was sensational, but begs the question as to where on earth this had been in the first half? We are too Jekyll and Hyde at times and not consistent enough. We need to play like that 15 minute spell more often and a lot less like we did in that first half.
Somehow we had turned the game around and were looking good to claim what had previously looked an unlikely win. But it wouldn't be an Arsenal Vs Liverpool fixture without yet more drama and frustratingly we gifted Roberto Firmino a goal 19 minutes from time.
Maybe on another day I'd have happily taken a point, but after how poorly we had played in the reverse fixture at Anfield and how frustrating the first-half performance was this time around and throwing away our 3-2 lead, I can't help but feel irritated.
Jack Wilshere was a real engine room in midfield, while Ainsley Maitland-Niles isn't looking too out of place in the first team lately, but the defence on the whole was disappointing to say the least.
Liverpool lost Jordan Henderson to injury after just 11 minutes, but that didn't stop the visitors from controlling the first half as Coutinho sent a shot wide from outside the box.
Arsenal goalkeeper Petr Cech had to be alert to parry Firmino's header behind for a corner as Liverpool continued to attack. Firmino headed another effort wide before Liverpool opened the scoring after 26 minutes. James Milner released Salah in behind Laurent Koscielny before the Egyptian playmaker's deflected cross was flicked over Cech and in by the head of Coutinho. It was a decent finish by Coutinho, but the deflection gifted the ball to him.
Did this fire us into action and to look for a response? No, if anything it put Liverpool more in control. Some fans from both sides in the pub I was watching the match in thought it was 2-0 after 33 minutes. Firmino curled a great strike beyond Cech and it looked as if it had gone in off the woodwork when actually it was just wide.
Liverpool really should have doubled their lead a minute before the break and the miss was a very big let off for Arsenal. A slip by Koscielny put the visitors in on goal - maybe Salah should have done slightly better with his initial strike, but credit to Cech for spreading himself well to make a decent save. The rebound then fell to Mane, who for some reason tried the spectacular rather than score a simple finish and ended up missing an open goal with an acrobatic effort.
I don't think I was the only Arsenal fan fearing the worst, and wondering if we were going to get a repeat of the Anfield horror show, when Salah doubled Liverpool's advantage within seven minutes of the restart. Cech denied Salah earlier in the second half before the Egypt international got the goal his performance deserved. Firmino and Salah swapped passes and the latter still had plenty of work to do, but the Arsenal defence stood off and made it far too easy for him to calmly score with a deflected strike.
It really had been a terrible performance from us for most of the match so far and then, out of nowhere, it was suddenly game on as Sanchez headed home from Hector Bellerin's cross a minute later.
Suddenly we had woken up and were looking a much better team. We seem to wait too long to kick into gear in games and when we do it can be devastating, but why does it take us nearly an hour to do it?
Our second goal after 56 minutes was well and truly worth the wait. After picking up the ball from Alex Iwobi, Xhaka thumped a powerful strike beyond a helpless Simon Mignolet from 25 yards, although some felt the Liverpool goalkeeper should have done better.
We were looking hungry for goals and just three minutes later we took the lead for the first time in the match. Wilshere showed great endeavour to win the ball back and Ozil swapped passes with Lacazette, latching onto the Frenchman's backheel before dinking the ball over Mignolet.
We had gone from looking all over the place to being in control and suddenly things felt good again, but fans of both sides knew there could still be more goals in this game. After such a great comeback to swing the score back in our favour, we really should have done better at holding onto the 3-2 lead, but it wasn't to be.
Xhaka shot just wide as Arsenal tried to extend their lead, but it was Liverpool who scored the game's next goal and in what were frustrating circumstances for the Gunners. Cech produced a decent save to deny Mane from close-range, before Liverpool's defence did just enough to put Lacazette's effort behind for a corner at the other end.
Cech should have done much better to prevent the equaliser after 71 minutes. The Arsenal goalkeeper got a hand to Firmino's shot that for a split second looked to have taken the sting out of the strike, but instead it merely helped the ball bounce over the line and it was poor from Cech.
Both sides were keen to find a winning goal and Arsenal came close 13 minutes from time as Ozil released Bellerin in the box, but Mignolet reacted well to tip the Spanish defender's effort over the crossbar.
Sanchez forced Mignolet into a save before Salah sent an effort inches wide and it was impossible to see which way the game was going to go. Both sides were showing some great play in attack, but looked too easy to open up in defence so if there had been a seventh goal it wouldn't have been surprising.
Arsenal very nearly snatched a win in stoppage time as Ozil's cross nearly dipped under the crossbar, but Mignolet was on hand to tip the German's effort behind a corner.
OPPOSITION VIEW
Liverpool fan Darren Warburton labelled the 3-3 thriller as "possibly one of the games of the season and of Premiership history" after seeing his side take a point at the Emirates.
"Wow - what a game. Surely a contender for game of the season so far," said Warburton. "I was quietly confident going into the game - as felt Liverpool would have the players to hurt Arsenal on the counter.
"That thought came true as we dominated the first half and chance after chance went begging before Coutinho scored with a clever headed finish.
"Mane had a great opportunity to make it two - with the goal at his mercy he tried to acrobatically volley in and blazed over rather than trying to compose himself.
"Second half Liverpool once again started well. Arsenal showed more going forward, but we caught them on the counter and that man Salah scored again! Albeit with a deflection, but a nice finish.
"Then came the crazy seven minutes where Arsenal suddenly woke up. Scoring within minutes of Salah - Sanchez halved the deficit.
"The lift they needed and Xhaka then scored the equaliser in what looked like a superb strike, but on reflection Mignolet should have saved it. Once again showing why Liverpool need to strengthen their goalkeeping department.
"Arsenal were flying and so were their fans. And in a dramatic turnaround Ozil then made it 3-2 with a lovely finish. Klopp looked shell shocked as did all Liverpool fans. Paying for them missed opportunities!
"That wasn't the end of the action with Firmino then getting the equaliser in the 70th minute.
"You would have thought there were surely more goals to come with 20 mins remaining, but it wasn't to be and the points were shared. Quite possibly one of the games of the season and of premiership history!
"Frustrated not to get a win especially at 2-0 - you have to see that through, but credit Arsenal for showing great grit and determination to come back. A fantastic early Christmas cracker!"
Fellow Liverpool fan Michael John felt disappointed by the result and is hoping manager Jurgen Klopp strengthens the squad in the January transfer window.
"I've not seen much in the way of highlights, but it felt like a disappointing result," added John. "Arsenal were not really in it until that five-minute spell when we gifted them three goals.
"Poor positioning from Gomez and not attacking the cross for the first, a big reminder of how poor Mignolet is for the second, no way he should have let that in, it was straight at him.
"And while the third was well worked, we shouldn't be giving them that much space. To be fair Gomez again for the third should be tracking Ozil, but just stood off and let him through. Klopp needs to get the defence sorted in January or we'll fall further back."
MY FINAL THOUGHTS
The comeback was great, we showed good character for some of the second half and there was some pulsating attacking football at times.
But unfortunately sloppy defending is more what the game will be remembered for. Okay yes Xhaka scored a great goal, but so many of the six could have been prevented. The defence of both sides, particularly us, was poor and not good enough.
We got away with a point this time, but on another day we might not have been so lucky. Again we started the match far too slowly and we need to stop taking so long to wake up as on another day the score could have been embarrassing.
We need to tighten things up in defence and really take the game to our opponents right from minute one, especially at home where we should be producing much better first-half performances than the one we witnessed this time.
Arsenal have two games left of 2017 - trips to Crystal Palace and West Brom. Whilst neither game is easy, as no game is in the Premier League, these are definitely two winnable games, providing we replicate the positive aspects of our last match and not the kamikaze defending as that can get punished far too easily.
After having played half our league matches we lie fifth in the league table and quite frankly that isn't good enough. Nobody is going to catch Manchester City and we are miles off the pace in terms of the title, but with just four points separating us from Chelsea and Spurs in third and fourth we need to start making up more ground.
Merry Christmas everyone!
COME ON YOU GUNNERS
Liverpool took a 2-0 lead in under an hour thanks to goals from Philippe Coutinho and Mohamed Salah and it could have been so much worse if Sadio Mane hadn't missed an open goal.
The defending by Arsenal in the first half was all over the place and how we were still even in the game was lucky. But then came a fantastic quarter of an hour where we turned the game on its head and scored three goals in just six minutes. Alexis Sanchez and Mesut Ozil scored either side of a thumping Granit Xhaka strike.
The football during this spell was sensational, but begs the question as to where on earth this had been in the first half? We are too Jekyll and Hyde at times and not consistent enough. We need to play like that 15 minute spell more often and a lot less like we did in that first half.
Somehow we had turned the game around and were looking good to claim what had previously looked an unlikely win. But it wouldn't be an Arsenal Vs Liverpool fixture without yet more drama and frustratingly we gifted Roberto Firmino a goal 19 minutes from time.
Maybe on another day I'd have happily taken a point, but after how poorly we had played in the reverse fixture at Anfield and how frustrating the first-half performance was this time around and throwing away our 3-2 lead, I can't help but feel irritated.
Jack Wilshere was a real engine room in midfield, while Ainsley Maitland-Niles isn't looking too out of place in the first team lately, but the defence on the whole was disappointing to say the least.
Liverpool lost Jordan Henderson to injury after just 11 minutes, but that didn't stop the visitors from controlling the first half as Coutinho sent a shot wide from outside the box.
Arsenal goalkeeper Petr Cech had to be alert to parry Firmino's header behind for a corner as Liverpool continued to attack. Firmino headed another effort wide before Liverpool opened the scoring after 26 minutes. James Milner released Salah in behind Laurent Koscielny before the Egyptian playmaker's deflected cross was flicked over Cech and in by the head of Coutinho. It was a decent finish by Coutinho, but the deflection gifted the ball to him.
Did this fire us into action and to look for a response? No, if anything it put Liverpool more in control. Some fans from both sides in the pub I was watching the match in thought it was 2-0 after 33 minutes. Firmino curled a great strike beyond Cech and it looked as if it had gone in off the woodwork when actually it was just wide.
Liverpool really should have doubled their lead a minute before the break and the miss was a very big let off for Arsenal. A slip by Koscielny put the visitors in on goal - maybe Salah should have done slightly better with his initial strike, but credit to Cech for spreading himself well to make a decent save. The rebound then fell to Mane, who for some reason tried the spectacular rather than score a simple finish and ended up missing an open goal with an acrobatic effort.
I don't think I was the only Arsenal fan fearing the worst, and wondering if we were going to get a repeat of the Anfield horror show, when Salah doubled Liverpool's advantage within seven minutes of the restart. Cech denied Salah earlier in the second half before the Egypt international got the goal his performance deserved. Firmino and Salah swapped passes and the latter still had plenty of work to do, but the Arsenal defence stood off and made it far too easy for him to calmly score with a deflected strike.
It really had been a terrible performance from us for most of the match so far and then, out of nowhere, it was suddenly game on as Sanchez headed home from Hector Bellerin's cross a minute later.
Suddenly we had woken up and were looking a much better team. We seem to wait too long to kick into gear in games and when we do it can be devastating, but why does it take us nearly an hour to do it?
Our second goal after 56 minutes was well and truly worth the wait. After picking up the ball from Alex Iwobi, Xhaka thumped a powerful strike beyond a helpless Simon Mignolet from 25 yards, although some felt the Liverpool goalkeeper should have done better.
We were looking hungry for goals and just three minutes later we took the lead for the first time in the match. Wilshere showed great endeavour to win the ball back and Ozil swapped passes with Lacazette, latching onto the Frenchman's backheel before dinking the ball over Mignolet.
We had gone from looking all over the place to being in control and suddenly things felt good again, but fans of both sides knew there could still be more goals in this game. After such a great comeback to swing the score back in our favour, we really should have done better at holding onto the 3-2 lead, but it wasn't to be.
Xhaka shot just wide as Arsenal tried to extend their lead, but it was Liverpool who scored the game's next goal and in what were frustrating circumstances for the Gunners. Cech produced a decent save to deny Mane from close-range, before Liverpool's defence did just enough to put Lacazette's effort behind for a corner at the other end.
Cech should have done much better to prevent the equaliser after 71 minutes. The Arsenal goalkeeper got a hand to Firmino's shot that for a split second looked to have taken the sting out of the strike, but instead it merely helped the ball bounce over the line and it was poor from Cech.
Both sides were keen to find a winning goal and Arsenal came close 13 minutes from time as Ozil released Bellerin in the box, but Mignolet reacted well to tip the Spanish defender's effort over the crossbar.
Sanchez forced Mignolet into a save before Salah sent an effort inches wide and it was impossible to see which way the game was going to go. Both sides were showing some great play in attack, but looked too easy to open up in defence so if there had been a seventh goal it wouldn't have been surprising.
Arsenal very nearly snatched a win in stoppage time as Ozil's cross nearly dipped under the crossbar, but Mignolet was on hand to tip the German's effort behind a corner.
OPPOSITION VIEW
Liverpool fan Darren Warburton labelled the 3-3 thriller as "possibly one of the games of the season and of Premiership history" after seeing his side take a point at the Emirates.
"Wow - what a game. Surely a contender for game of the season so far," said Warburton. "I was quietly confident going into the game - as felt Liverpool would have the players to hurt Arsenal on the counter.
"That thought came true as we dominated the first half and chance after chance went begging before Coutinho scored with a clever headed finish.
"Mane had a great opportunity to make it two - with the goal at his mercy he tried to acrobatically volley in and blazed over rather than trying to compose himself.
"Second half Liverpool once again started well. Arsenal showed more going forward, but we caught them on the counter and that man Salah scored again! Albeit with a deflection, but a nice finish.
"Then came the crazy seven minutes where Arsenal suddenly woke up. Scoring within minutes of Salah - Sanchez halved the deficit.
"The lift they needed and Xhaka then scored the equaliser in what looked like a superb strike, but on reflection Mignolet should have saved it. Once again showing why Liverpool need to strengthen their goalkeeping department.
"Arsenal were flying and so were their fans. And in a dramatic turnaround Ozil then made it 3-2 with a lovely finish. Klopp looked shell shocked as did all Liverpool fans. Paying for them missed opportunities!
"That wasn't the end of the action with Firmino then getting the equaliser in the 70th minute.
"You would have thought there were surely more goals to come with 20 mins remaining, but it wasn't to be and the points were shared. Quite possibly one of the games of the season and of premiership history!
"Frustrated not to get a win especially at 2-0 - you have to see that through, but credit Arsenal for showing great grit and determination to come back. A fantastic early Christmas cracker!"
Fellow Liverpool fan Michael John felt disappointed by the result and is hoping manager Jurgen Klopp strengthens the squad in the January transfer window.
"I've not seen much in the way of highlights, but it felt like a disappointing result," added John. "Arsenal were not really in it until that five-minute spell when we gifted them three goals.
"Poor positioning from Gomez and not attacking the cross for the first, a big reminder of how poor Mignolet is for the second, no way he should have let that in, it was straight at him.
"And while the third was well worked, we shouldn't be giving them that much space. To be fair Gomez again for the third should be tracking Ozil, but just stood off and let him through. Klopp needs to get the defence sorted in January or we'll fall further back."
MY FINAL THOUGHTS
The comeback was great, we showed good character for some of the second half and there was some pulsating attacking football at times.
But unfortunately sloppy defending is more what the game will be remembered for. Okay yes Xhaka scored a great goal, but so many of the six could have been prevented. The defence of both sides, particularly us, was poor and not good enough.
We got away with a point this time, but on another day we might not have been so lucky. Again we started the match far too slowly and we need to stop taking so long to wake up as on another day the score could have been embarrassing.
We need to tighten things up in defence and really take the game to our opponents right from minute one, especially at home where we should be producing much better first-half performances than the one we witnessed this time.
Arsenal have two games left of 2017 - trips to Crystal Palace and West Brom. Whilst neither game is easy, as no game is in the Premier League, these are definitely two winnable games, providing we replicate the positive aspects of our last match and not the kamikaze defending as that can get punished far too easily.
After having played half our league matches we lie fifth in the league table and quite frankly that isn't good enough. Nobody is going to catch Manchester City and we are miles off the pace in terms of the title, but with just four points separating us from Chelsea and Spurs in third and fourth we need to start making up more ground.
Merry Christmas everyone!
COME ON YOU GUNNERS
Tuesday, 19 December 2017
Welbeck edges Gunners into semis
The match was boring, the goal was scrappy, but it was job done as Arsenal claimed a narrow 1-0 win over London rivals West Ham to reach the semi-final of the Carabao Cup.
It took a goal by Danny Welbeck three minutes before half-time to settle a match of few clear-cut chances at the Emirates, but it's the result that counts and whoever we draw in the final four it is going to be tough.
Before Welbeck's winner the main chances had fallen to Arsenal, but were little to shout about. The striker saw a shot deflect behind for a corner before Theo Walcott somehow headed wide when in plenty of space in the box.
Arsenal finally made it count late in the first half as Francis Coquelin floated a great ball over to Mathieu Debuchy, who headed it across the area, and at the second attempt Welbeck scrambled the ball in from close range. Welbeck shot over the crossbar soon after as a rather dire first half ended in Arsenal's favour.
West Ham didn't really threaten any kind of comeback, with the visitors only shot of the game coming via Aaron Cresswell's free-kick that sailed harmlessly wide.
The cushion of a second goal would have made it more comfortable for the Gunners, but neither side really looked at the races. The Gunners failed to make the most of a free-kick in a decent position after Welbeck was fouled by West Ham's on-loan goalkeeper Joe Hart just outside the box.
Arsenal held on for the victory and, although it wasn't a great attacking performance, it was a clean sheet and another positive result ahead of the huge league match against Liverpool.
There was concern for the Gunners before the end though as Olivier Giroud pulled up with a hamstring problem during a run and it didn't look too good, so let's just hope he isn't out for too long. Coquelin also limped off in the closing minute of normal time so let's hope he also makes a speedy recovery.
It may not have been a vintage display, but it's the result that matters most in terms of cup progression and we got that spot on at least.
OPPOSITION VIEW
West Ham fan Adam Brown was unhappy with the efforts of his side following their cup defeat.
"It was a terrible and completely boring game to watch," said Brown. "Arsenal should have won 2-0 easy with that Walcott chance.
"West Ham players out of position and half arsed effort most of the game, not much else to say really."
MY FINAL THOUGHTS
It wasn't the performance I was hoping for, but I'm delighted that we are through to the final four albeit of a competition I don't have a massive opinion of.
Obviously I'll be happy if we reach the final and win it as all silverware feels good, but it just doesn't compare at all with the FA Cup, which I am a lot more passionate about. Silverware would certainly be great for confidence though and we need to take the competition seriously. Not only does this present a chance to win a trophy, but looking at the teams left in the competition, it is a chance to get one over on our rivals and try to prove we can match them.
Manchester United and Chelsea have yet to play their quarter-final ties against Bristol City and Bournemouth respectively and the results of those games would affect who I would want to face in the next round, but we must focus on our own game and not that of others. Manchester City needed a penalty shootout to beat Leicester and are the team I most want to avoid in the semi-final.
We must now switch our attention back to the league and a massive clash against Liverpool. We can't afford to drop many more points and we need to prove that we can beat them and not collapse with a whimper like we did at Anfield earlier in this season. Regardless of how our season has gone so far, we have a huge point to prove in this game and Wenger and all the players must stand up to be counted!
COME ON YOU GUNNERS
It took a goal by Danny Welbeck three minutes before half-time to settle a match of few clear-cut chances at the Emirates, but it's the result that counts and whoever we draw in the final four it is going to be tough.
Before Welbeck's winner the main chances had fallen to Arsenal, but were little to shout about. The striker saw a shot deflect behind for a corner before Theo Walcott somehow headed wide when in plenty of space in the box.
Arsenal finally made it count late in the first half as Francis Coquelin floated a great ball over to Mathieu Debuchy, who headed it across the area, and at the second attempt Welbeck scrambled the ball in from close range. Welbeck shot over the crossbar soon after as a rather dire first half ended in Arsenal's favour.
West Ham didn't really threaten any kind of comeback, with the visitors only shot of the game coming via Aaron Cresswell's free-kick that sailed harmlessly wide.
The cushion of a second goal would have made it more comfortable for the Gunners, but neither side really looked at the races. The Gunners failed to make the most of a free-kick in a decent position after Welbeck was fouled by West Ham's on-loan goalkeeper Joe Hart just outside the box.
Arsenal held on for the victory and, although it wasn't a great attacking performance, it was a clean sheet and another positive result ahead of the huge league match against Liverpool.
There was concern for the Gunners before the end though as Olivier Giroud pulled up with a hamstring problem during a run and it didn't look too good, so let's just hope he isn't out for too long. Coquelin also limped off in the closing minute of normal time so let's hope he also makes a speedy recovery.
It may not have been a vintage display, but it's the result that matters most in terms of cup progression and we got that spot on at least.
OPPOSITION VIEW
West Ham fan Adam Brown was unhappy with the efforts of his side following their cup defeat.
"It was a terrible and completely boring game to watch," said Brown. "Arsenal should have won 2-0 easy with that Walcott chance.
"West Ham players out of position and half arsed effort most of the game, not much else to say really."
MY FINAL THOUGHTS
It wasn't the performance I was hoping for, but I'm delighted that we are through to the final four albeit of a competition I don't have a massive opinion of.
Obviously I'll be happy if we reach the final and win it as all silverware feels good, but it just doesn't compare at all with the FA Cup, which I am a lot more passionate about. Silverware would certainly be great for confidence though and we need to take the competition seriously. Not only does this present a chance to win a trophy, but looking at the teams left in the competition, it is a chance to get one over on our rivals and try to prove we can match them.
Manchester United and Chelsea have yet to play their quarter-final ties against Bristol City and Bournemouth respectively and the results of those games would affect who I would want to face in the next round, but we must focus on our own game and not that of others. Manchester City needed a penalty shootout to beat Leicester and are the team I most want to avoid in the semi-final.
We must now switch our attention back to the league and a massive clash against Liverpool. We can't afford to drop many more points and we need to prove that we can beat them and not collapse with a whimper like we did at Anfield earlier in this season. Regardless of how our season has gone so far, we have a huge point to prove in this game and Wenger and all the players must stand up to be counted!
COME ON YOU GUNNERS
Sunday, 17 December 2017
1-0 to the Arsenal
1-0 to the Arsenal and back to winning ways certainly feels good, but we still need to become more clinical if we are to make up ground on the teams around us.
Yet again we created plenty of chances, but didn't really get enough of them on target and it took a sweetly struck volley by in-form Mesut Ozil to settle the contest. We got all three points and that's what matters, but we really need to kill off games earlier. With a tough clash with Liverpool looming the performance needs to go up another few levels.
We had over 70% possession and were in control for long spells, but 1-0 is always a dangerous scoreline and there was a rather nervy feeling in the closing stages of the match. We need to make our dominance count more!
Arsenal started brightly with Alexandre Lacazette's long-range strike forcing a save out of Rob Elliot in the Newcastle goal. Arsenal goalkeeper Petr Cech also had to be alert in the early stages as he parried Jamaal Lascelles' headed effort.
Hector Bellerin saw his shot deflected behind before Alexis Sanchez sent a first-time effort over the crossbar. The chances continued to come and go for Arsenal as Ainsley Maitland-Niles, who looked very lively at full-back, ran through the defence before his powerful strike sailed just wide and skimmed the side netting.
But the Gunners were not to be denied after 24 minutes as Ozil scored the game's only goal, and what a goal it was! Sanchez saw his initial effort blocked and he jumped with Newcastle's Florian Lejeune for the ball before the clearance dropped for Ozil, who showed great vision to thump a volley beyond Elliot.
Ozil has really improved of late which is great to see, but the overall team performance is still lacking that extra killer instinct in the final third. Bellerin and Sanchez both wasted further chances in the first half, while Elliot spread himself well to block Ozil's shot inside the box.
Arsenal continued to pile on the pressure in the second half with Elliot parrying a shot from Alex Iwobi, before reacting quickly to palm the loose ball clear and prevent the Nigeria international from getting to the rebound.
Maitland-Niles and Lacazette both missed the chances that came their way and on another day we could have been made to pay, but Newcastle were not able to take advantage at the other end. Matt Ritchie's shot from outside of the box flew over the crossbar before Jacob Murphy cut inside and forced a decent save from Cech.
Arsenal could have done with the cushion of a second goal, but weren't able to find it. Lacazette latched onto Iwobi's through pass before chipping a shot over Elliot and the crossbar. Iwobi sent an overhead kick off target soon after before seeing his next effort comfortably saved by Elliot.
The Gunners' best chance of a second goal fell to Jack Wilshere - the midfielder latched onto Olivier Giroud's headed assist before his first-time shot was excellently kept out by Elliot.
Arsenal were looking fairly comfortably, but with only a narrow one-goal lead the inevitable nervy finish followed. Joselu's strike from outside of the box deflected narrowly wide and behind for a corner.
Ayoze Perez wasted two late chances for the visitors as Arsenal held on for the victory and all three points
OPPOSITION VIEW
Newcastle fan David Charlesworth was left feeling disappointed by the result that saw his side drop into the relegation zone.
"Much like our recent trips to Manchester United and Chelsea, it felt like we needed to turn up, take our lumps and head back to the north-east," said Charlesworth. "The fact the teams were only separated by a goal is a small consolation as we drop into the bottom three.
"It's difficult to see where our next goal is coming from, let alone the next point. We are in complete freefall and the frustrating thing is this was all so predictable after failing to invest sufficiently in the summer.
"Not to get preachy but I remember the days when our fans were complaining about finishing outside the top four...we sacked Sir Bobby Robson and it can't be denied there have been more bad days than good since then. Moral of the story: be careful what you wish for!"
Fellow Magpies fan Alex Earle also spoke of his frustration, but believes the club may be able to turn a corner if manager Rafa Benitez is given the right money to spend.
"It was a disappointing result," added Earle. "To say Arsenal weren't at their best and we have only got one point in a possible 27 it can only hurt more!
"Chances need to be taken in a side lacking confidence. Give Rafa some money and we may be okay."
MY FINAL THOUGHTS
We have been praised in the past for our free-flowing attacking football and great goals, but goals is something I believe we are not seeing enough of at the moment.
When you look at our ratio of shot count to shots on target or scored in recent games it isn't all that great. We are definitely creating enough chances, but we need to do better at converting them. Against Newcastle it didn't come back to bite us and we got all three points, but that won't happen every time as we have already seen by the recent draws against Southampton and West Ham.
We have a huge home game against Liverpool looming in which Wenger and the players really owe us one after our capitulation at Anfield earlier in the season. In previous seasons I'd probably have taken a draw against Liverpool, but with some of the points we have dropped in recent months and how bad we played against them last time, nothing other than a win will do. We need to prove we can match them.
But before we can even begin to start thinking about that we must focus our attentions on the Carabao Cup quarter-final clash against West Ham, where we need to make home advantage and chances count!
COME ON YOU GUNNERS
Yet again we created plenty of chances, but didn't really get enough of them on target and it took a sweetly struck volley by in-form Mesut Ozil to settle the contest. We got all three points and that's what matters, but we really need to kill off games earlier. With a tough clash with Liverpool looming the performance needs to go up another few levels.
We had over 70% possession and were in control for long spells, but 1-0 is always a dangerous scoreline and there was a rather nervy feeling in the closing stages of the match. We need to make our dominance count more!
Arsenal started brightly with Alexandre Lacazette's long-range strike forcing a save out of Rob Elliot in the Newcastle goal. Arsenal goalkeeper Petr Cech also had to be alert in the early stages as he parried Jamaal Lascelles' headed effort.
Hector Bellerin saw his shot deflected behind before Alexis Sanchez sent a first-time effort over the crossbar. The chances continued to come and go for Arsenal as Ainsley Maitland-Niles, who looked very lively at full-back, ran through the defence before his powerful strike sailed just wide and skimmed the side netting.
But the Gunners were not to be denied after 24 minutes as Ozil scored the game's only goal, and what a goal it was! Sanchez saw his initial effort blocked and he jumped with Newcastle's Florian Lejeune for the ball before the clearance dropped for Ozil, who showed great vision to thump a volley beyond Elliot.
Ozil has really improved of late which is great to see, but the overall team performance is still lacking that extra killer instinct in the final third. Bellerin and Sanchez both wasted further chances in the first half, while Elliot spread himself well to block Ozil's shot inside the box.
Arsenal continued to pile on the pressure in the second half with Elliot parrying a shot from Alex Iwobi, before reacting quickly to palm the loose ball clear and prevent the Nigeria international from getting to the rebound.
Maitland-Niles and Lacazette both missed the chances that came their way and on another day we could have been made to pay, but Newcastle were not able to take advantage at the other end. Matt Ritchie's shot from outside of the box flew over the crossbar before Jacob Murphy cut inside and forced a decent save from Cech.
Arsenal could have done with the cushion of a second goal, but weren't able to find it. Lacazette latched onto Iwobi's through pass before chipping a shot over Elliot and the crossbar. Iwobi sent an overhead kick off target soon after before seeing his next effort comfortably saved by Elliot.
The Gunners' best chance of a second goal fell to Jack Wilshere - the midfielder latched onto Olivier Giroud's headed assist before his first-time shot was excellently kept out by Elliot.
Arsenal were looking fairly comfortably, but with only a narrow one-goal lead the inevitable nervy finish followed. Joselu's strike from outside of the box deflected narrowly wide and behind for a corner.
Ayoze Perez wasted two late chances for the visitors as Arsenal held on for the victory and all three points
OPPOSITION VIEW
Newcastle fan David Charlesworth was left feeling disappointed by the result that saw his side drop into the relegation zone.
"Much like our recent trips to Manchester United and Chelsea, it felt like we needed to turn up, take our lumps and head back to the north-east," said Charlesworth. "The fact the teams were only separated by a goal is a small consolation as we drop into the bottom three.
"It's difficult to see where our next goal is coming from, let alone the next point. We are in complete freefall and the frustrating thing is this was all so predictable after failing to invest sufficiently in the summer.
"Not to get preachy but I remember the days when our fans were complaining about finishing outside the top four...we sacked Sir Bobby Robson and it can't be denied there have been more bad days than good since then. Moral of the story: be careful what you wish for!"
Fellow Magpies fan Alex Earle also spoke of his frustration, but believes the club may be able to turn a corner if manager Rafa Benitez is given the right money to spend.
"It was a disappointing result," added Earle. "To say Arsenal weren't at their best and we have only got one point in a possible 27 it can only hurt more!
"Chances need to be taken in a side lacking confidence. Give Rafa some money and we may be okay."
MY FINAL THOUGHTS
We have been praised in the past for our free-flowing attacking football and great goals, but goals is something I believe we are not seeing enough of at the moment.
When you look at our ratio of shot count to shots on target or scored in recent games it isn't all that great. We are definitely creating enough chances, but we need to do better at converting them. Against Newcastle it didn't come back to bite us and we got all three points, but that won't happen every time as we have already seen by the recent draws against Southampton and West Ham.
We have a huge home game against Liverpool looming in which Wenger and the players really owe us one after our capitulation at Anfield earlier in the season. In previous seasons I'd probably have taken a draw against Liverpool, but with some of the points we have dropped in recent months and how bad we played against them last time, nothing other than a win will do. We need to prove we can match them.
But before we can even begin to start thinking about that we must focus our attentions on the Carabao Cup quarter-final clash against West Ham, where we need to make home advantage and chances count!
COME ON YOU GUNNERS
Wednesday, 13 December 2017
Gunners in frustrating draw with Hammers
Dominating possession and the shot count, but yet again we are forced to settle for a point - this time following a goalless draw at West Ham.
An away derby clash is never expected to be easy and on another day maybe a point would have been easier to accept, but we were far too wasteful and for all our dominance the end product was disappointing. Yes, West Ham deserve some credit for defending well, but we really should have done better in attack.
It was great to see Jack Wilshere given his first league start since May 2016 and most of his passing was spot on, but other than that there wasn't too much for us Gunners fans to feel positive about after the draw.
Alexis Sanchez forced an early save out of Adrian in the West Ham goal, but it was in fact the hosts who created the best chance of the first half after 15 minutes. Arthur Masuaku's cross was headed home by Marko Arnautovic, but the referee disallowed his effort for offside. It was a very tight decision, but it looked correct and we were able to breathe a huge sigh of relief.
Ainsley Maitland-Niles, who was one of the few positives to come out of the game for the visitors, shot wide after 22 minutes. Although it was good to see him get a start, I don't understand at all why Sead Kolasinac was left on the bench. Kolasinac has looked a bargain and a decent signing and is not a player who should be among the substitutes, especially for a London derby clash.
Alex Iwobi had Arsenal's best chance of the first half shortly before the half hour mark, but his effort hit the woodwork following good play by Sanchez.
West Ham saw their penalty appeals turned away after Manuel Lanzini went down in the box. Some sections of the crowd believed he had been fouled in the box by Granit Xhaka, but I genuinely felt the Swiss midfielder was merely shielding the ball out of play.
Arsenal began to show more purpose in the second half with Hector Bellerin shooting off target before Olivier Giroud headed just wide soon after. At the other end Arnautovic sent an effort over the crossbar.
The chances continued to come and go for Arsenal as Sanchez's effort deflected into the path of Mesut Ozil, but the German playmaker's half-volley went wide.
The officials spared Arsenal's blushes after 65 minutes when Arnautovic's shot was cleared off the line by Nacho Monreal. Although it was decent defending by the Spanish full-back, maybe things could have ended differently had the flag not gone up beforehand. It looked to have been pulled back for a push on Laurent Koscielny although I have seen some suggestion that it was for offside.
Back came Arsenal and after an excellent headed assist by Giroud, Wilshere controlled the ball in the box, but unfortunately the midfielder fired his shot over the crossbar.
The closest the Gunners came to a goal in the second half was when Sanchez's free-kick was superbly parried by Adrian, but in truth the visitors didn't trouble the Hammers' goalkeeper enough.
Bellerin and Sanchez saw their efforts blocked by the defence as time continued to run out for Arsenal, and it was in fact West Ham who came closest to breaking the deadlock. Substitute Javier Hernandez latched onto a fine pass from Mark Noble before his shot hit the crossbar and bounced just the wrong side of the line.
It was a very big let off for Arsenal on what was a frustrating evening for Arsene Wenger's men, who have now dropped down to seventh in the league and this is simply not good enough!
OPPOSITION VIEW
West Ham fan Adam Brown was pleased with elements of his side's performance and believes a draw was a fair result.
"I think West Ham defended really well, made it hard for Sanchez and Ozil to get anything going," said Brown. "Marko and Hernandez were two huge chances and should have taken them.
"We were so unlucky not to steal it at the end. Although Arsenal controlled most of the game, Wenger should have noticed our defensive compactness against City and Chelsea and planned against it with width to stretch us.
"Both sides missed big chances so a draw seemed fair in the end."
MY FINAL THOUGHTS
We need to start being more clinical in attack and quickly and that is a large factor as to what has seen us drop more points in recent months.
22 shots and three on target is an embarrassing statistic! Yes, creating that many chances is great, but it means nothing if you don't score and there's no point dominating teams if we don't win the match. Arsene Wenger said after that match that he wasn't worried about a lack of ruthlessness and he thinks it will come back again. Inevitably it will come back again at some point, but I am more concerned about the situation, as we don't just need it to return we need it to be consistent and regular.
It is frustrating that Alexandre Lacazette didn't start or even come off the bench until the final eight minutes. Although he reportedly had a hamstring problem, if he was fit enough to make the bench we should have given him longer than eight minutes to make an impact.
Regardless of that the team which started the match was more than good enough to have won it on another day, but the level performance, especially in the final third, wasn't up to the standard that it should have been.
Recently we learnt that our round of 32 Europa League opponents would be Swedish side Osterunds. I am fairly pleased with the draw as that is a very winnable game providing we don't underestimate our opponents and we need to actually take our chances.
We now need to focus our attentions on the visit of Newcastle and a game that I feel is an absolutely must win. I would have thought that anyway, but after two draws in a row we need the win badly and the manager and players need to raise their game to make it happen.
After that we face West Ham again, but this time in the League Cup, and one thing is for sure - if we are to improve on our results we must start improving in the final third and need to be a lot more clinical with the chances that come our way.
COME ON YOU GUNNERS
Sunday, 10 December 2017
Giroud rescues slow-starting Gunners
Before the game I'd have taken a point, but I still couldn't help feel frustrated following Arsenal's 1-1 draw at Southampton.
Once again we were punished for a slow start by conceding an early goal. We at least got a share of the spoils this time thanks to Olivier Giroud's late header, but there was far too much tippy tappy passing again.
We controlled possession and had more chances, but we didn't do enough with it. We passed far too often when some of the time we should have just got a shot in to test Fraser Forster in the Southampton goal.
A point at St Mary's isn't a bad result, but not making the most of periods of dominance leaves me with an all too familiar feeling of frustration.
Although Charlie Austin deserves credit for good control and a calm finish on the half-volley from Dusan Tadic's reverse pass, the defence in the build-up should have been a lot better than it was.
Austin was clearly in confident mood as the striker forced a save from Petr Cech before seeing another shot hit a post and this was all inside the opening 10 minutes.
Once we got going we started to play better, but we really need to work on our starts having conceded early in our last two league matches. We also need to be more clinical with our chances as Alexandre Lacazette tamely shot at Forster in the first half.
Cech kept the score down by tipping over a looping free-kick from James Ward-Prowse, but at the other end Arsenal failed to make the most of their first-half chances. Hector Bellerin's low cross was met by Aaron Ramsey, but Forster made a decent save low and to his left to deny the Welsh midfielder.
Lacazette blazed over the crossbar in the closing stages of the first half, but Arsenal seemed to improve after the break with more attacking purpose in the second half albeit with too much tippy tappy passing. Southampton though were creating the better chances and Arsenal didn't call Forster into action nearly as much as they should have done.
Ramsey dragged a low shot wide, while Oriol Romeu's long-range strike hit the crossbar and Ryan Bertrand somehow sent an effort off target at the other end.
Arsenal came close to levelling the scores five minutes from time, but Forster produced a decent save to punch the ball away from Alexis Sanchez's free-kick. But two minutes from time Arsenal grabbed an equaliser as substitute Giroud glanced a header beyond Forster from Sanchez's cross.
We probably deserved the point, but if we had started the match better from minute one who knows what might have happened. Lessons must be learned and quickly as if this continues we won't always get away with a point.
OPPOSITION VIEW
Southampton fan Mavis John found plenty of reason to be positive with the result.
"When Charlie Austin scored in the third minute, I couldn't quite believe that we could hold onto the lead," said John. "However, as the match progressed, it seemed that we were deserving of our lead - so I was actually disappointed that it finished in a draw.
"The introduction of Charlie Austin into the starting line-up, as opposed to him playing a bit part as a sub, has made a positive difference to Saints - as, indeed, have several other changes Pellegrino has recently made to his starting line-up.
"Saints definitely seem to be playing with more creativity and self-belief, but we still have the problem in many matches of not being able to make the most of our chances and score.
"That happened against Arsenal. However, the fact that we were able to keep Arsenal at bay, even when they really got into the game, is cause for more optimism than we felt earlier in the season."
MY FINAL THOUGHTS
It was a fairly decent result, but definitely not the ideal performance. A slow start nearly saw us come out of a game with nothing for the second week running, but luckily Giroud saved our blushes.
There is no denying Giroud made a great and decisive impact, but with the players at our disposal should we really be having to rely on being rescued by a late goal? Credit must go to Southampton though as it wasn't all about us passing too much and defending poorly at times. Southampton put in some great challenges and battled hard to make it a tough contest and St Mary's is a hard place to go.
We play West Ham twice, in the league and then Carabao Cup, either side of the visit of Newcastle. These are the kind of matches we need to be getting maximum points from if we are truly wanting to challenge the teams around us.
West Ham's recent victory over Chelsea gave us a great chance to make up ground on the current champions, but we failed to do so and we need to start making things count.
Let's hope Arsenal travel to West Ham and show us the kind of performance they put in against Tottenham and not the ones from our last two league matches.
The performance needs to go up another few levels and we need to make sure that this time we start strongly!
COME ON YOU GUNNERS
Once again we were punished for a slow start by conceding an early goal. We at least got a share of the spoils this time thanks to Olivier Giroud's late header, but there was far too much tippy tappy passing again.
We controlled possession and had more chances, but we didn't do enough with it. We passed far too often when some of the time we should have just got a shot in to test Fraser Forster in the Southampton goal.
A point at St Mary's isn't a bad result, but not making the most of periods of dominance leaves me with an all too familiar feeling of frustration.
Although Charlie Austin deserves credit for good control and a calm finish on the half-volley from Dusan Tadic's reverse pass, the defence in the build-up should have been a lot better than it was.
Austin was clearly in confident mood as the striker forced a save from Petr Cech before seeing another shot hit a post and this was all inside the opening 10 minutes.
Once we got going we started to play better, but we really need to work on our starts having conceded early in our last two league matches. We also need to be more clinical with our chances as Alexandre Lacazette tamely shot at Forster in the first half.
Cech kept the score down by tipping over a looping free-kick from James Ward-Prowse, but at the other end Arsenal failed to make the most of their first-half chances. Hector Bellerin's low cross was met by Aaron Ramsey, but Forster made a decent save low and to his left to deny the Welsh midfielder.
Lacazette blazed over the crossbar in the closing stages of the first half, but Arsenal seemed to improve after the break with more attacking purpose in the second half albeit with too much tippy tappy passing. Southampton though were creating the better chances and Arsenal didn't call Forster into action nearly as much as they should have done.
Ramsey dragged a low shot wide, while Oriol Romeu's long-range strike hit the crossbar and Ryan Bertrand somehow sent an effort off target at the other end.
Arsenal came close to levelling the scores five minutes from time, but Forster produced a decent save to punch the ball away from Alexis Sanchez's free-kick. But two minutes from time Arsenal grabbed an equaliser as substitute Giroud glanced a header beyond Forster from Sanchez's cross.
We probably deserved the point, but if we had started the match better from minute one who knows what might have happened. Lessons must be learned and quickly as if this continues we won't always get away with a point.
OPPOSITION VIEW
Southampton fan Mavis John found plenty of reason to be positive with the result.
"When Charlie Austin scored in the third minute, I couldn't quite believe that we could hold onto the lead," said John. "However, as the match progressed, it seemed that we were deserving of our lead - so I was actually disappointed that it finished in a draw.
"The introduction of Charlie Austin into the starting line-up, as opposed to him playing a bit part as a sub, has made a positive difference to Saints - as, indeed, have several other changes Pellegrino has recently made to his starting line-up.
"Saints definitely seem to be playing with more creativity and self-belief, but we still have the problem in many matches of not being able to make the most of our chances and score.
"That happened against Arsenal. However, the fact that we were able to keep Arsenal at bay, even when they really got into the game, is cause for more optimism than we felt earlier in the season."
MY FINAL THOUGHTS
It was a fairly decent result, but definitely not the ideal performance. A slow start nearly saw us come out of a game with nothing for the second week running, but luckily Giroud saved our blushes.
There is no denying Giroud made a great and decisive impact, but with the players at our disposal should we really be having to rely on being rescued by a late goal? Credit must go to Southampton though as it wasn't all about us passing too much and defending poorly at times. Southampton put in some great challenges and battled hard to make it a tough contest and St Mary's is a hard place to go.
We play West Ham twice, in the league and then Carabao Cup, either side of the visit of Newcastle. These are the kind of matches we need to be getting maximum points from if we are truly wanting to challenge the teams around us.
West Ham's recent victory over Chelsea gave us a great chance to make up ground on the current champions, but we failed to do so and we need to start making things count.
Let's hope Arsenal travel to West Ham and show us the kind of performance they put in against Tottenham and not the ones from our last two league matches.
The performance needs to go up another few levels and we need to make sure that this time we start strongly!
COME ON YOU GUNNERS
Thursday, 7 December 2017
Ruthless Gunners finish group stages in style
Jack Wilshere got back among the goals as Arsenal put in an excellent performance to round off the Europa League group stages with an emphatic 6-0 home win over BATE Borisov.
The Gunners didn't have much to play for, but you can only play what's put in front of you and, with qualification and top spot already secure, complacency could have crept in. Arsenal didn't let it affect them and put in arguably their best performance of the six group games as manager Arsene Wenger racked up his 700th win in charge.
Wilshere added to first-half efforts from Mathieu Debuchy and Theo Walcott for his first competitive goal since 2015. Yet again the midfielder impressed and surely he has to start a league game soon. He has certainly given Wenger food for thought and I would much rather see Wilshere start and would put him ahead of both Aaron Ramsey and Granit Xhaka.
We certainly deserve credit for a decent performance as Olivier Giroud and Mohamed Elneny scored after an own goal to complete the rout. But our opposition BATE Borisov looked nothing like the team we had faced in Belarus back in September.
Admittedly we didn't have the toughest of groups, but we got the job done by finishing top of the group and reaching the round of 32.
Arsenal started brightly and could have opened the scoring inside three minutes had Elneny's shot not hit a post. At the other end Mirko Ivanic showed a great first touch before shooting harmlessly off target and that miss proved costly for the visitors as Arsenal soon broke the deadlock.
Debuchy, who hadn't scored since December 2014, fired a rocket of a first-time shot into the corner of the net and what a way it was for the French full-back to end a long run without a goal!
BATE goalkeeper Denis Scherbitski raced out to block an effort from Danny Welbeck before producing a great save to prevent an own goal. But there was nothing the visitors' number one could do about Arsenal's second after 37 minutes. Welbeck took one touch too many and the defender got to the ball, but it was poorly cleared straight to Walcott for an easy finish. Walcott nearly doubled his tally soon after, but his shot was cleared off the line by Nemanja Milunovic.
Arsenal were in full control and added a third through Wilshere two minutes before the break. The midfielder saw a curling shot excellently tipped over the crossbar by Scherbitski, but nothing was to stop him next time around. A good passing move set up Wilshere, who took a few touches before firing home a low shot from just inside the box.
The hosts continued to dominate in the second half and increased their lead to four goals within seven minutes of the restart. Walcott latched onto a pass from Wilshere before sending a low ball across goal, which Denis Polyakov accidentally turned into his own net.
Arsenal continued to attack and it was becoming a question of simply how many would they score? Scherbitski had to be alert as he produced an excellent save to deny Welbeck from point-blank range, but the Gunners didn't have to wait too long for goal number five shortly after the hour mark.
Walcott was fouled in the box before Giroud scored from the spot, but the French striker was soon ordered to re-take the penalty, which he netted again with no problem.
BATE rarely threatened at the Emirates, but the Belarus outfit very nearly fashioned a consolation goal after 67 minutes. Igor Stasevich's turn and shot in the box forced David Ospina into a good save to preserve Arsenal's clean sheet.
Wilshere was once again involved as his pass set up Elneny to curl in a great sixth goal for Arsenal after 74 minutes, before substitute Reiss Nelson saw his effort blocked by the defence.
BATE tried to muster a late response, but Ospina ensured his clean sheet by parrying a shot from Mikhail Gordeychuk.
GROUP H
The Europa League group stages are now over and, although I would have been hoping for a higher points tally, there is no denying we got the job done as we comfortably achieved our objective of winning Group H.
In truth this is the kind of performance we should really have been putting in in the previous five games, but it's the results that matter and four wins, a draw and a defeat was enough to see us through.
The race for second place in our group went right down to the wire with Red Star Belgrade beating FC Cologne by a narrow 1-0 margin to finish as runners-up.
The knock-out stages will present a completely different kind of challenge and, whilst I admire the selection of some of the youngsters in this competition we may need to start using more of our more regular senior players to ensure we progress as far as possible in the Europa League.
MY FINAL THOUGHTS
Looking at the list of possible opponents for the round of 32, Borussia Dortmund and Napoli are the ones I want to avoid, whilst I would prefer not to face Atletico Madrid in any of the next few rounds if possible.
There are no easy games, but there are certainly several sides left in the competition that if drawn against we really should be beating so we could be largely in charge of our own destiny. But that guarantees nothing and we must make sure we don't get complacent and we need to be at our best and avoid any silly errors if this is to be a memorable Europa League campaign.
Before we can even begin to think about who we might draw in the round of 32 we must quickly turn our attentions back to the Premier League. We need to get back to winning ways in the league as soon as we can and the trip to Southampton will certainly be a tough encounter, but one I feel we can get something out of.
We need to keep it tight at the back and be as clinical as we were against BATE and then I'm sure we can beat Southampton. But realistically the game at St Mary's won't be quite so comfortable! It is definitely a winnable game though so we need to go and show them what we are made of!
COME ON YOU GUNNERS
The Gunners didn't have much to play for, but you can only play what's put in front of you and, with qualification and top spot already secure, complacency could have crept in. Arsenal didn't let it affect them and put in arguably their best performance of the six group games as manager Arsene Wenger racked up his 700th win in charge.
Wilshere added to first-half efforts from Mathieu Debuchy and Theo Walcott for his first competitive goal since 2015. Yet again the midfielder impressed and surely he has to start a league game soon. He has certainly given Wenger food for thought and I would much rather see Wilshere start and would put him ahead of both Aaron Ramsey and Granit Xhaka.
We certainly deserve credit for a decent performance as Olivier Giroud and Mohamed Elneny scored after an own goal to complete the rout. But our opposition BATE Borisov looked nothing like the team we had faced in Belarus back in September.
Admittedly we didn't have the toughest of groups, but we got the job done by finishing top of the group and reaching the round of 32.
Arsenal started brightly and could have opened the scoring inside three minutes had Elneny's shot not hit a post. At the other end Mirko Ivanic showed a great first touch before shooting harmlessly off target and that miss proved costly for the visitors as Arsenal soon broke the deadlock.
Debuchy, who hadn't scored since December 2014, fired a rocket of a first-time shot into the corner of the net and what a way it was for the French full-back to end a long run without a goal!
BATE goalkeeper Denis Scherbitski raced out to block an effort from Danny Welbeck before producing a great save to prevent an own goal. But there was nothing the visitors' number one could do about Arsenal's second after 37 minutes. Welbeck took one touch too many and the defender got to the ball, but it was poorly cleared straight to Walcott for an easy finish. Walcott nearly doubled his tally soon after, but his shot was cleared off the line by Nemanja Milunovic.
Arsenal were in full control and added a third through Wilshere two minutes before the break. The midfielder saw a curling shot excellently tipped over the crossbar by Scherbitski, but nothing was to stop him next time around. A good passing move set up Wilshere, who took a few touches before firing home a low shot from just inside the box.
The hosts continued to dominate in the second half and increased their lead to four goals within seven minutes of the restart. Walcott latched onto a pass from Wilshere before sending a low ball across goal, which Denis Polyakov accidentally turned into his own net.
Arsenal continued to attack and it was becoming a question of simply how many would they score? Scherbitski had to be alert as he produced an excellent save to deny Welbeck from point-blank range, but the Gunners didn't have to wait too long for goal number five shortly after the hour mark.
Walcott was fouled in the box before Giroud scored from the spot, but the French striker was soon ordered to re-take the penalty, which he netted again with no problem.
BATE rarely threatened at the Emirates, but the Belarus outfit very nearly fashioned a consolation goal after 67 minutes. Igor Stasevich's turn and shot in the box forced David Ospina into a good save to preserve Arsenal's clean sheet.
Wilshere was once again involved as his pass set up Elneny to curl in a great sixth goal for Arsenal after 74 minutes, before substitute Reiss Nelson saw his effort blocked by the defence.
BATE tried to muster a late response, but Ospina ensured his clean sheet by parrying a shot from Mikhail Gordeychuk.
GROUP H
The Europa League group stages are now over and, although I would have been hoping for a higher points tally, there is no denying we got the job done as we comfortably achieved our objective of winning Group H.
In truth this is the kind of performance we should really have been putting in in the previous five games, but it's the results that matter and four wins, a draw and a defeat was enough to see us through.
The race for second place in our group went right down to the wire with Red Star Belgrade beating FC Cologne by a narrow 1-0 margin to finish as runners-up.
The knock-out stages will present a completely different kind of challenge and, whilst I admire the selection of some of the youngsters in this competition we may need to start using more of our more regular senior players to ensure we progress as far as possible in the Europa League.
MY FINAL THOUGHTS
Looking at the list of possible opponents for the round of 32, Borussia Dortmund and Napoli are the ones I want to avoid, whilst I would prefer not to face Atletico Madrid in any of the next few rounds if possible.
There are no easy games, but there are certainly several sides left in the competition that if drawn against we really should be beating so we could be largely in charge of our own destiny. But that guarantees nothing and we must make sure we don't get complacent and we need to be at our best and avoid any silly errors if this is to be a memorable Europa League campaign.
Before we can even begin to think about who we might draw in the round of 32 we must quickly turn our attentions back to the Premier League. We need to get back to winning ways in the league as soon as we can and the trip to Southampton will certainly be a tough encounter, but one I feel we can get something out of.
We need to keep it tight at the back and be as clinical as we were against BATE and then I'm sure we can beat Southampton. But realistically the game at St Mary's won't be quite so comfortable! It is definitely a winnable game though so we need to go and show them what we are made of!
COME ON YOU GUNNERS
Sunday, 3 December 2017
De Gea masterclass frustrates Gunners
Only one statistic really matters and it went against us as Arsenal suffered a 3-1 home defeat at the hands of 10-man Manchester United.
Over 30 shots on goal and some impressive attacking football could on another day be seen as a big positive, but when you come out of the game with nothing it matters little.
Manchester United goalkeeper David De Gea is considered among the world's best for a good reason and he once again proved his top class ability with 14 saves to keep Arsenal out. It is the most saves by a goalkeeper in a single game in Premier League history and was a major factor in the game.
We were also denied a penalty, which was very frustrating, but we can't simply hide behind this. Yes, it had a big impact on the game, but as Arsene Wenger pointed out we weren't efficient enough. Over half of our total shot count were off target and our disastrous start that saw us go 2-0 down in 11 minutes gave us too much of a mountain to climb. Regardless of the goalkeeping masterclass and penalty shouts, this isn't good enough. There's not much you can do to prevent a fantastic performance from a goalkeeper, but some of the elements in our control, such as defensive errors, could have been avoided.
No matter how good elements of the performance are, it is the result that gets remembered the most and this was certainly a bad one for us! It only took Manchester United four minutes to open the scoring when, after we gave the ball away far too easily, Antonio Valenica powered a low angle drive under Petr Cech.
It soon got worse for Arsenal just seven minutes later when Shkodran Mustafi, who was forced off injured soon after, was caught in possession. The German defender really should have done better and it was a soft goal to concede. But Manchester United deserve some credit for a well-worked finish as Romelu Lukaku and Anthony Martial combined well to set up Jesse Lingard to prod the ball past Cech.
Arsenal tried to find a way back into the match and very nearly got one after a quick break, but somehow the visitors scrambled it behind for a corner. From the resulting set-piece Alexandre Lacazette forced a save out of De Gea before the ball then bobbled wide off the French striker's knee. De Gea was again called into action soon after as he saved Aaron Ramsey's long-range effort.
The Gunners continued to create chances as Lacazette hit the crossbar from close range before Alex Iwobi saw his follow-up blocked and Granit Xhaka shot just wide.
Mesut Ozil's first-time strike was well saved by De Gea before Nemanja Matic made a crucial block to deny Ramsey.
Arsenal were definitely creating enough chances, but they just simply could not find a way to get past De Gea, who produced fine saves in the closing stages of the first half to parry efforts from Hector Bellerin and Sead Kolasinac.
In added time of the first half De Gea kept out a close-range effort from Xhaka, which took a touch off Lukaku, as the visitors continued to frustrate Arsenal.
Arsenal reduced the deficit and got the goal their positive play deserved within four minutes of the restart. Alexis Sanchez dinked the ball over the top for Ramsey, who hit it first time for Lacazette to take a touch and fire the ball beyond De Gea.
But Manchester United very nearly restored their two-goal advantage soon after. Lingard got in behind the defence before his effort was blocked by Cech and it then hit a post.
There was no wonder that Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho labelled De Gea's performance as the "best from a goalkeeper in the world" as the Spanish shot-stopper was simply outstanding. De Gea produced a great save to parry an effort from Arsenal substitute Alex Iwobi, before the same player headed straight at the goalkeeper.
De Gea produced an even better moment of goalkeeping soon after, with a one-handed save to deny Lacazette before somehow keeping out Alexis Sanchez's rebound. It was a truly remarkable double save from a world class goalkeeper!
Those saves proved crucial as, instead of what should have been Arsenal level and back in the game, the Gunners was punished with a third goal from the visitors shortly after the hour mark. Paul Pogba and Lingard combined well before the latter tapped in from close range.
It is not that often a Premier League goalkeeper has to make quite so many saves, but De Gea was determined not to be beaten again as he parried Sanchez's powerful strike from outside of the box.
Arsenal were given hope of a possible comeback when Pogba was shown a red card for a stamp on the back of Bellerin's knee with 15 minutes remaining. It was a nasty challenge and a careless one!
Substitute Danny Welbeck tried his luck eight minutes from time, but his deflected effort was tipped over the crossbar by De Gea. Arsenal were denied what looked like a clear penalty when Welbeck was fouled in the box late on to show that it really wasn't going to be our day.
Ramsey blazed over the bar in stoppage time as Arsenal's day ended in disappointment.
OPPOSITION VIEW
Manchester United fan Aran Scarrott believes the "thrilling" contest at the Emirates showed the difference between the two sides.
"Two different teams with different styles both contributed to a thrilling game to watch," said Scarrott. "I think United were pretty lucky to get the win and I'm sure most Arsenal fans can't believe that they lost.
"In a way I think the game epitomised the Mourinho/Wenger stereotypes. One team were largely uninspiring, but ruthless, the other were attractive but ultimately ineffective."
MY FINAL THOUGHTS
Although this was a very frustrating defeat, I've got to simply hold my hands up and say what a great goalkeeper De Gea is.
Don't get me wrong I rate our goalkeeper Petr Cech and he can be excellent, but De Gea is like a whole different level compared to all the others in the Premier League. But this wasn't only down to the goalkeeper as we were also wasteful in front of goal at times.
We are way off the pace in terms of the title race as we have fallen even further behind leaders Manchester City - sitting fifth and 12 points away from them isn't really good enough. We are only one point behind Liverpool though and third-placed Chelsea are four above us, so we need to work hard on catching the teams around us.
Frustratingly this seems to be another failed title challenge, but if we cut out the silly mistakes and are more clinical there is no reason why we can't finish second or third. But if we are not careful we could slip further behind so we need to make sure we get back to winning ways in the league when we travel to Southampton.
Before we can think about that though, we must switch our attention to the Europa League and our final Group H game at home against BATE Borisov.
We have already qualified for the knock-out stages and secured top spot in the group, so rotation is inevitable, but we can have a big say in who finishes runner-up as only one point separates BATE, Cologne and Red Star Belgrade.
We need to do a professional job and go up another level as this next game isn't just about the result, it is about putting in the right level of performance. Without being disrespectful to the opposition this isn't a match we should be scraping 1-0 and we need to make sure we are more clinical if we are to get a big win.
COME ON YOU GUNNERS
Over 30 shots on goal and some impressive attacking football could on another day be seen as a big positive, but when you come out of the game with nothing it matters little.
Manchester United goalkeeper David De Gea is considered among the world's best for a good reason and he once again proved his top class ability with 14 saves to keep Arsenal out. It is the most saves by a goalkeeper in a single game in Premier League history and was a major factor in the game.
We were also denied a penalty, which was very frustrating, but we can't simply hide behind this. Yes, it had a big impact on the game, but as Arsene Wenger pointed out we weren't efficient enough. Over half of our total shot count were off target and our disastrous start that saw us go 2-0 down in 11 minutes gave us too much of a mountain to climb. Regardless of the goalkeeping masterclass and penalty shouts, this isn't good enough. There's not much you can do to prevent a fantastic performance from a goalkeeper, but some of the elements in our control, such as defensive errors, could have been avoided.
No matter how good elements of the performance are, it is the result that gets remembered the most and this was certainly a bad one for us! It only took Manchester United four minutes to open the scoring when, after we gave the ball away far too easily, Antonio Valenica powered a low angle drive under Petr Cech.
It soon got worse for Arsenal just seven minutes later when Shkodran Mustafi, who was forced off injured soon after, was caught in possession. The German defender really should have done better and it was a soft goal to concede. But Manchester United deserve some credit for a well-worked finish as Romelu Lukaku and Anthony Martial combined well to set up Jesse Lingard to prod the ball past Cech.
Arsenal tried to find a way back into the match and very nearly got one after a quick break, but somehow the visitors scrambled it behind for a corner. From the resulting set-piece Alexandre Lacazette forced a save out of De Gea before the ball then bobbled wide off the French striker's knee. De Gea was again called into action soon after as he saved Aaron Ramsey's long-range effort.
The Gunners continued to create chances as Lacazette hit the crossbar from close range before Alex Iwobi saw his follow-up blocked and Granit Xhaka shot just wide.
Mesut Ozil's first-time strike was well saved by De Gea before Nemanja Matic made a crucial block to deny Ramsey.
Arsenal were definitely creating enough chances, but they just simply could not find a way to get past De Gea, who produced fine saves in the closing stages of the first half to parry efforts from Hector Bellerin and Sead Kolasinac.
In added time of the first half De Gea kept out a close-range effort from Xhaka, which took a touch off Lukaku, as the visitors continued to frustrate Arsenal.
Arsenal reduced the deficit and got the goal their positive play deserved within four minutes of the restart. Alexis Sanchez dinked the ball over the top for Ramsey, who hit it first time for Lacazette to take a touch and fire the ball beyond De Gea.
But Manchester United very nearly restored their two-goal advantage soon after. Lingard got in behind the defence before his effort was blocked by Cech and it then hit a post.
There was no wonder that Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho labelled De Gea's performance as the "best from a goalkeeper in the world" as the Spanish shot-stopper was simply outstanding. De Gea produced a great save to parry an effort from Arsenal substitute Alex Iwobi, before the same player headed straight at the goalkeeper.
De Gea produced an even better moment of goalkeeping soon after, with a one-handed save to deny Lacazette before somehow keeping out Alexis Sanchez's rebound. It was a truly remarkable double save from a world class goalkeeper!
Those saves proved crucial as, instead of what should have been Arsenal level and back in the game, the Gunners was punished with a third goal from the visitors shortly after the hour mark. Paul Pogba and Lingard combined well before the latter tapped in from close range.
It is not that often a Premier League goalkeeper has to make quite so many saves, but De Gea was determined not to be beaten again as he parried Sanchez's powerful strike from outside of the box.
Arsenal were given hope of a possible comeback when Pogba was shown a red card for a stamp on the back of Bellerin's knee with 15 minutes remaining. It was a nasty challenge and a careless one!
Substitute Danny Welbeck tried his luck eight minutes from time, but his deflected effort was tipped over the crossbar by De Gea. Arsenal were denied what looked like a clear penalty when Welbeck was fouled in the box late on to show that it really wasn't going to be our day.
Ramsey blazed over the bar in stoppage time as Arsenal's day ended in disappointment.
OPPOSITION VIEW
Manchester United fan Aran Scarrott believes the "thrilling" contest at the Emirates showed the difference between the two sides.
"Two different teams with different styles both contributed to a thrilling game to watch," said Scarrott. "I think United were pretty lucky to get the win and I'm sure most Arsenal fans can't believe that they lost.
"In a way I think the game epitomised the Mourinho/Wenger stereotypes. One team were largely uninspiring, but ruthless, the other were attractive but ultimately ineffective."
MY FINAL THOUGHTS
Although this was a very frustrating defeat, I've got to simply hold my hands up and say what a great goalkeeper De Gea is.
Don't get me wrong I rate our goalkeeper Petr Cech and he can be excellent, but De Gea is like a whole different level compared to all the others in the Premier League. But this wasn't only down to the goalkeeper as we were also wasteful in front of goal at times.
We are way off the pace in terms of the title race as we have fallen even further behind leaders Manchester City - sitting fifth and 12 points away from them isn't really good enough. We are only one point behind Liverpool though and third-placed Chelsea are four above us, so we need to work hard on catching the teams around us.
Frustratingly this seems to be another failed title challenge, but if we cut out the silly mistakes and are more clinical there is no reason why we can't finish second or third. But if we are not careful we could slip further behind so we need to make sure we get back to winning ways in the league when we travel to Southampton.
Before we can think about that though, we must switch our attention to the Europa League and our final Group H game at home against BATE Borisov.
We have already qualified for the knock-out stages and secured top spot in the group, so rotation is inevitable, but we can have a big say in who finishes runner-up as only one point separates BATE, Cologne and Red Star Belgrade.
We need to do a professional job and go up another level as this next game isn't just about the result, it is about putting in the right level of performance. Without being disrespectful to the opposition this isn't a match we should be scraping 1-0 and we need to make sure we are more clinical if we are to get a big win.
COME ON YOU GUNNERS
Wednesday, 29 November 2017
Gunners terrorise Terriers at Emirates
Mesut Ozil scored one and set up two as a dominant Arsenal powered past plucky Huddersfield with a 5-0 win at the Emirates.
The German international has had to endure a fair amount of criticism in recent seasons, but his performances have improved of late and his return from illness saw him play a key role, especially in the four-minute spell that won the game for Arsenal.
It was a great result for the Gunners, who have now scored 20 goals in seven home games and conceded just four. It was also a 12th successive home league win and things are looking up for Arsenal, who are fourth in the table. But the victory came at a cost with Alexandre Lacazette, who opened the scoring against Huddersfield, being forced off injured at half-time. In his post-match press conference Arsene Wenger revealed the French striker had a groin injury and could be out "for a while". The injury will rule him out of the upcoming visit of Manchester United, which is disappointing news.
Olivier Giroud came off the bench to score twice to prove he can be worthy back-up for his international team-mate, but Lacazette's absence will definitely be felt and let's hope he makes a speedy recovery.
Lacazette took just three minutes to get on the scoresheet after he latched onto Aaron Ramsey's flicked pass to calmly slot the ball beyond Jonas Lössl in the Huddersfield goal.
Although Arsenal were in control Huddersfield did have chances in the first half, but Aaron Mooy's free-kick was headed off target by Mathias Zanka.
Lacazette very nearly grabbed his second of the evening when his chipped effort headed towards goal, only to be denied by a superb last-ditch clearance by Huddersfield defender Martin Cranie The ball fell kindly for Sead Kolasinac, but somehow the Arsenal full-back put his shot over the crossbar.
Huddersfield refused to give up and Colin Quaner broke free, but fortunately for Arsenal the midfielder didn't make a good enough first touch and Laurent Koscielny was able to deny him with a sliding block.
Quaner had an even better chance as he ran at the Arsenal defence in the early stages of the second half, but Petr Cech reacted excellently to deny him with a save with his feet. Cech also palmed Steve Mounie's deflected strike onto the crossbar and just over, but Arsenal were still in control.
Giroud wasted a great chance when he rounded the goalkeeper and saw his shot hit a post. But the French striker had better luck after 68 minutes when a great team move and some quick one-touch passing saw Giroud score from Ozil's cross.
Ozil set up yet another goal soon after as he set up Alexis Sanchez to smash home a great effort on the half volley. Provider turned scorer when Ozil latched onto Ramsey's through ball and ran into the box to calmly finish beyond Lössl.
With just three minutes left on the clock Arsenal added further gloss to the scoreline as Giroud scored from close range following excellent work and control in the box by Kolasinac.
Five goals to increase the goal difference and now just a point behind Chelsea and closing in on second-placed Manchester United, who we play next. Maybe, just maybe, things are looking up for us. But I won't get carried away as I know just how easily things could change for us either way. This can at least give us a big confidence boost going into the massive clash against Jose Mourinho's men.
OPPOSITION VIEW
Huddersfield fan Andy Dixon was disappointed by the result, but has urged his side to focus on the upcoming "bigger match" against Everton.
"It's a tough ask to have a fixture at Arsenal three days after facing the league leaders," said Dixon. "No team would choose that.
"The early goal was discouraging, but there was resilience until three quick-fire goals killed the game.
"It's a disappointing result, but games against the likes of Arsenal aren't going to define our season. We're on 15 points, same as Everton, who are our next opponents, so that's the bigger match for us.
"If we beat them, we'll be back in the top 10 in the country."
MY FINAL THOUGHTS
Huddersfield have done themselves proud so far in their first campaign in the Premier League and, although the result went against them, I think they will be okay and stay in the top flight for another season.
We are 12 points behind Manchester City, who are head and shoulders ahead of the rest, and I don't expect us to catch them. However, we need to make sure we still try to mount a serious challenge and I would like to think we can at least challenge the teams around us for second place.
There is still a long way to go though and we need to make sure we don't get complacent or our hard work will be undone. We are above the likes of Liverpool and Spurs and need to keep it that way. Wins like the 5-0 against Huddersfield are always great, but we need to make sure we continue the fine form and for Mesut Ozil to produce more of the same.
Home advantage should hopefully make a big difference to us against Manchester United and if we can produce the same kind of dominant performance that we did last time we met at the Emirates I'll be happy. However, I'm not feeling all that confident and know that Manchester United are very tricky opponents and have a knack of being annoying against us, so there is no margin for error and we'll have to be at our best to get a result.
It may only be one game and it won't define our season, but it could have a big effect on the team confidence so we need to do everything in our power to make sure we get the points.
COME ON YOU GUNNERS
The German international has had to endure a fair amount of criticism in recent seasons, but his performances have improved of late and his return from illness saw him play a key role, especially in the four-minute spell that won the game for Arsenal.
It was a great result for the Gunners, who have now scored 20 goals in seven home games and conceded just four. It was also a 12th successive home league win and things are looking up for Arsenal, who are fourth in the table. But the victory came at a cost with Alexandre Lacazette, who opened the scoring against Huddersfield, being forced off injured at half-time. In his post-match press conference Arsene Wenger revealed the French striker had a groin injury and could be out "for a while". The injury will rule him out of the upcoming visit of Manchester United, which is disappointing news.
Olivier Giroud came off the bench to score twice to prove he can be worthy back-up for his international team-mate, but Lacazette's absence will definitely be felt and let's hope he makes a speedy recovery.
Lacazette took just three minutes to get on the scoresheet after he latched onto Aaron Ramsey's flicked pass to calmly slot the ball beyond Jonas Lössl in the Huddersfield goal.
Although Arsenal were in control Huddersfield did have chances in the first half, but Aaron Mooy's free-kick was headed off target by Mathias Zanka.
Lacazette very nearly grabbed his second of the evening when his chipped effort headed towards goal, only to be denied by a superb last-ditch clearance by Huddersfield defender Martin Cranie The ball fell kindly for Sead Kolasinac, but somehow the Arsenal full-back put his shot over the crossbar.
Huddersfield refused to give up and Colin Quaner broke free, but fortunately for Arsenal the midfielder didn't make a good enough first touch and Laurent Koscielny was able to deny him with a sliding block.
Quaner had an even better chance as he ran at the Arsenal defence in the early stages of the second half, but Petr Cech reacted excellently to deny him with a save with his feet. Cech also palmed Steve Mounie's deflected strike onto the crossbar and just over, but Arsenal were still in control.
Giroud wasted a great chance when he rounded the goalkeeper and saw his shot hit a post. But the French striker had better luck after 68 minutes when a great team move and some quick one-touch passing saw Giroud score from Ozil's cross.
Ozil set up yet another goal soon after as he set up Alexis Sanchez to smash home a great effort on the half volley. Provider turned scorer when Ozil latched onto Ramsey's through ball and ran into the box to calmly finish beyond Lössl.
With just three minutes left on the clock Arsenal added further gloss to the scoreline as Giroud scored from close range following excellent work and control in the box by Kolasinac.
Five goals to increase the goal difference and now just a point behind Chelsea and closing in on second-placed Manchester United, who we play next. Maybe, just maybe, things are looking up for us. But I won't get carried away as I know just how easily things could change for us either way. This can at least give us a big confidence boost going into the massive clash against Jose Mourinho's men.
OPPOSITION VIEW
Huddersfield fan Andy Dixon was disappointed by the result, but has urged his side to focus on the upcoming "bigger match" against Everton.
"It's a tough ask to have a fixture at Arsenal three days after facing the league leaders," said Dixon. "No team would choose that.
"The early goal was discouraging, but there was resilience until three quick-fire goals killed the game.
"It's a disappointing result, but games against the likes of Arsenal aren't going to define our season. We're on 15 points, same as Everton, who are our next opponents, so that's the bigger match for us.
"If we beat them, we'll be back in the top 10 in the country."
MY FINAL THOUGHTS
Huddersfield have done themselves proud so far in their first campaign in the Premier League and, although the result went against them, I think they will be okay and stay in the top flight for another season.
We are 12 points behind Manchester City, who are head and shoulders ahead of the rest, and I don't expect us to catch them. However, we need to make sure we still try to mount a serious challenge and I would like to think we can at least challenge the teams around us for second place.
There is still a long way to go though and we need to make sure we don't get complacent or our hard work will be undone. We are above the likes of Liverpool and Spurs and need to keep it that way. Wins like the 5-0 against Huddersfield are always great, but we need to make sure we continue the fine form and for Mesut Ozil to produce more of the same.
Home advantage should hopefully make a big difference to us against Manchester United and if we can produce the same kind of dominant performance that we did last time we met at the Emirates I'll be happy. However, I'm not feeling all that confident and know that Manchester United are very tricky opponents and have a knack of being annoying against us, so there is no margin for error and we'll have to be at our best to get a result.
It may only be one game and it won't define our season, but it could have a big effect on the team confidence so we need to do everything in our power to make sure we get the points.
COME ON YOU GUNNERS
Sunday, 26 November 2017
Late penalty drama gives Gunners victory
We left it late against Burnley yet again as Alexis Sanchez's penalty guided Arsenal to a 1-0 win at Turf Moor.
In both of last season's meetings we needed a stoppage time winner - a controversial goal by Laurent Koscielny at Turf Moor and a Sanchez penalty at the Emirates - so understandably Burnley were left feeling frustrated.
Although I agree the penalty was soft this time around and maybe Aaron Ramsey went down too easily, there is also no doubt that Burnley defender James Tarkowski did push the Welsh midfielder.
Even if it wasn't given, Arsenal were denied a bigger shout for a penalty earlier in the game when Hector Bellerin was fouled in the box by Robbie Brady.
Arsenal enjoyed more possession and shots, but both sides had the same number of shots on target which was only two. A draw would possibly have been a fairer result, but obviously I am delighted with the win. If I was in Burnley's shoes maybe I'd feel hard done by, but I think if they were in our shoes their view on the penalty could also be different.
The result is just what we needed and lifts us above Liverpool and Tottenham into fourth place, but credit must go to Burnley for being very hard to break down. They are seventh in the table on merit and Sean Dyche is doing a very good job at Turf Moor and I genuinely wish them all the best for the rest of the season (apart from when they visit the Emirates of course).
Arsenal started brightly with Sanchez sending a shot wide after just seven minutes, but the Gunners had a big stroke of luck soon after. Ashley Barnes appeared to be pushed by Nacho Monreal in the box, but luckily the flag had already gone up for offside before that. Had it not been for the offside a penalty could have been given, so it was a let off.
Burnley midfielder Johann Berg Gudmundsson came close to breaking the deadlock when he got the better of Monreal, but his powerful strike was excellently tipped onto a post by Petr Cech.
The Arsenal goalkeeper produced another decent save to deny Jeff Hendrick, while Ramsey and Monreal both sent shots off target at the other end.
Cech ensured the scores remained goalless going in at the break when he saved Robbie Brady's free-kick to put it behind for a corner.
Arsenal striker Alexandre Lacazette tried his luck from outside of the box within six minutes of the restart, but Burnley goalkeeper Nick Pope got down well to save the France international's effort.
The Gunners saw a decent penalty shout turned down following Brady's foul on Bellerin before Lacazette and substitute Jack Wilshere both saw their shots deflected behind for a corner. But there was still time for more drama in stoppage time as Sanchez scored from the penalty spot despite Pope diving the right way.
The match will certainly continue to cause more debate, but there is one thing for sure - it was a big three points for us!
OPPOSITION VIEW
Burnley fan Chris Horner believes his side deserved at least a point at Turf Moor, but he is pleased with his side's progress this season.
"A draw would've been a fair result overall," said Horner. "Burnley controlled the first half and Arsenal did a lot better in the second half.
"The referee made a few puzzling decisions and I'm not sure if it was a penalty (I haven't had a clear view of it yet). It seems we don't have much luck playing against them in recent games.
"This season has been brilliant so far and to be disappointed in losing out on the chance to go into the top four shows how far Burnley have come in a short space of time."
MY FINAL THOUGHTS
It may have been a slightly fortunate three points, but we have to be delighted to have got the result and we must make sure we kick on from here.
Arsenal are only one point behind Chelsea and four behind second-placed Manchester United, who we welcome to the Emirates in a week's time.
But before we can even think about the clash against Jose Mourinho's men we must focus all of our attention on the next league match and the visit of Huddersfield.
Huddersfield are up in 11th, which is a very credible position for a newly-promoted side, and we have to make sure we don't take them lightly. The Terriers have already beaten Manchester United and it took a late goal for them to lose against leaders Manchester City.
Home advantage should prove enough for us on the day, but we can't take anything for granted. Burnley deserve credit for being a decent defensive unit, we wasted too many chances and need to be a lot more clinical if we are to put any kind of pressure on the teams around us.
COME ON YOU GUNNERS
In both of last season's meetings we needed a stoppage time winner - a controversial goal by Laurent Koscielny at Turf Moor and a Sanchez penalty at the Emirates - so understandably Burnley were left feeling frustrated.
Although I agree the penalty was soft this time around and maybe Aaron Ramsey went down too easily, there is also no doubt that Burnley defender James Tarkowski did push the Welsh midfielder.
Even if it wasn't given, Arsenal were denied a bigger shout for a penalty earlier in the game when Hector Bellerin was fouled in the box by Robbie Brady.
Arsenal enjoyed more possession and shots, but both sides had the same number of shots on target which was only two. A draw would possibly have been a fairer result, but obviously I am delighted with the win. If I was in Burnley's shoes maybe I'd feel hard done by, but I think if they were in our shoes their view on the penalty could also be different.
The result is just what we needed and lifts us above Liverpool and Tottenham into fourth place, but credit must go to Burnley for being very hard to break down. They are seventh in the table on merit and Sean Dyche is doing a very good job at Turf Moor and I genuinely wish them all the best for the rest of the season (apart from when they visit the Emirates of course).
Arsenal started brightly with Sanchez sending a shot wide after just seven minutes, but the Gunners had a big stroke of luck soon after. Ashley Barnes appeared to be pushed by Nacho Monreal in the box, but luckily the flag had already gone up for offside before that. Had it not been for the offside a penalty could have been given, so it was a let off.
Burnley midfielder Johann Berg Gudmundsson came close to breaking the deadlock when he got the better of Monreal, but his powerful strike was excellently tipped onto a post by Petr Cech.
The Arsenal goalkeeper produced another decent save to deny Jeff Hendrick, while Ramsey and Monreal both sent shots off target at the other end.
Cech ensured the scores remained goalless going in at the break when he saved Robbie Brady's free-kick to put it behind for a corner.
Arsenal striker Alexandre Lacazette tried his luck from outside of the box within six minutes of the restart, but Burnley goalkeeper Nick Pope got down well to save the France international's effort.
The Gunners saw a decent penalty shout turned down following Brady's foul on Bellerin before Lacazette and substitute Jack Wilshere both saw their shots deflected behind for a corner. But there was still time for more drama in stoppage time as Sanchez scored from the penalty spot despite Pope diving the right way.
The match will certainly continue to cause more debate, but there is one thing for sure - it was a big three points for us!
OPPOSITION VIEW
Burnley fan Chris Horner believes his side deserved at least a point at Turf Moor, but he is pleased with his side's progress this season.
"A draw would've been a fair result overall," said Horner. "Burnley controlled the first half and Arsenal did a lot better in the second half.
"The referee made a few puzzling decisions and I'm not sure if it was a penalty (I haven't had a clear view of it yet). It seems we don't have much luck playing against them in recent games.
"This season has been brilliant so far and to be disappointed in losing out on the chance to go into the top four shows how far Burnley have come in a short space of time."
MY FINAL THOUGHTS
It may have been a slightly fortunate three points, but we have to be delighted to have got the result and we must make sure we kick on from here.
Arsenal are only one point behind Chelsea and four behind second-placed Manchester United, who we welcome to the Emirates in a week's time.
But before we can even think about the clash against Jose Mourinho's men we must focus all of our attention on the next league match and the visit of Huddersfield.
Huddersfield are up in 11th, which is a very credible position for a newly-promoted side, and we have to make sure we don't take them lightly. The Terriers have already beaten Manchester United and it took a late goal for them to lose against leaders Manchester City.
Home advantage should prove enough for us on the day, but we can't take anything for granted. Burnley deserve credit for being a decent defensive unit, we wasted too many chances and need to be a lot more clinical if we are to put any kind of pressure on the teams around us.
COME ON YOU GUNNERS
Thursday, 23 November 2017
Gunners secure top spot despite defeat
It didn't exactly reach the dizzy heights of our recent win over Tottenham as we slumped to a disappointing 1-0 defeat at Cologne, but we still ended the night by sealing top spot in Group H of this season's Europa League.
But when you are playing a side bottom of your group, and without a league win in the Bundesliga this season, surely you would expect better than what we saw in Germany.
In the end the match was decided by Sehrou Guirassy's 62nd-minute penalty after the French striker was fouled in the box by Arsenal defender Mathieu Debuchy. Guirassy sent David Ospina the wrong way as his spot-kick went straight down the middle.
The result keeps Cologne's hopes alive of qualifying for the knockout stages as they moved level on points with second-place Red Star Belgrade.
In some ways this could be seen as a worrying result with Arsenal once again proving their lack of consistency going from a great performance to a not so good one. We certainly weren't at our best, but we had enough chances to have got something from the game if we hadn't been so wasteful in Germany. However, with qualification having already been assured maybe it was somewhat inevitable that the players were too casual. There are no excuses and we should have been more fired up, but I do wonder whether that played a part and affected our game. I really hope we are fired up and put the performance level up several gears for the trip to Burnley.
Ainsley Maitland-Niles was involved in most of Arsenal's chances in the opening half an hour. The full-back was denied by Timo Horn after just two minutes before later setting up Jack Wilshere, whose header was saved by the Cologne goalkeeper.
The 20-year-old also set up a chance for Calum Chambers after an excellent run, but the defender's volley was saved by Horn.
At the other end Jhon Cordoba tried his luck early on, only to be denied by an excellent save from Ospina who tipped the ball round the far post.
Francis Coquelin twice went close to breaking the deadlock for Arsenal - the French midfielder sent one shot just wide before his next effort hit a post.
Arsenal continued to try yet fail with the chances that came their way as Danny Welbeck shot wide before Mohamed Elneny's long-range strike was saved by Horn.
Shortly after Guirassy scuffed a shot straight into the grateful arms of Ospina, the Cologne forward scored the decisive goal of the match. It was a soft penalty, but it was still a clumsy foul by Debuchy who pushed his fellow Frenchman in the box.
Arsenal tried to force an equaliser and four minutes later a chance came their way, but Wilshere, who later headed over the bar, saw his effort from outside the box well beaten away by Horn.
The Gunners really should have done better when Olivier Giroud latched onto the ball over the top from Wilshere and beat the offside trap. But the French striker was thwarted by an excellent recovery tackle from Cologne defender Jannes Horn.
Substitute Reiss Nelson nearly mustered a special equaliser for Arsenal but, after a brilliant dribble through the home defence, the youngster saw his shot well parried by Horn. Wilshere kept the move alive, but his cutback was scrambled away before substitute Eddie Nketiah could apply the finish.
There was still time for Arsenal to fashion one final chance in stoppage time as Wilshere's powerful strike from outside the box was excellently tipped over the crossbar by Horn.
It was Arsenal's first defeat in this season's Europa League and, although it wasn't critical or too damaging, it is definitely the kind of performance we will want to avoid repeating in the knock-out stages.
GROUP H
With qualification secured before the match the priority was all about finishing top of Group H and we did just that despite the poor result.
Assuming we avoid any hiccups we should beat BATE Borisov in the final round of group matches, especially with home advantage, and if that does prove to be the case then the race for second will all be decided by one match.
Red Star Belgrade, who drew 0-0 at BATE, and Cologne are level on both points and goal difference so the result in Serbia will decide who finishes as runners-up to the Gunners.
Although top spot is now secure we cannot get complacent and hopefully we will be keen to get back to winning ways in Europe. If we were to slip up BATE Borisov, who lie bottom of the group, could yet qualify and we need to make sure that doesn't happen.
MY FINAL THOUGHTS
It was a very poor result, but fortunately not too damaging, and I really hope when we travel to Burnley we can get back on track and find the level of performance we produced against Tottenham.
Although there are no easy games in the Premier League and you never know what might happen, we really need to be looking at getting nothing other than a maximum six-points haul from the trip to Burnley and the final game of the month at home against Huddersfield.
Being more clinical at taking chances will prove key as, although we weren't at our best in Cologne, we could have snatched a win had we been more efficient in front of goal.
Burnley are this season's surprise package in the league and I certainly didn't expect us to be locked level on points and only separated by one place when we faced each other. But the facts don't lie and it certainly has the potential to be a very tricky game, so there's no excuses and we need to make sure we are fired up with every player ready to make the club proud like they did against Tottenham!
COME ON YOU GUNNERS
Sunday, 19 November 2017
Dominant derby win for Gunners
Many fans wanted a response and for players to step up to the plate and some even feared the visit of our bitter rivals, but the entire starting XI raised their game as Arsenal claimed a dominant 2-0 win over Tottenham.
Admittedly the free-kick that led to our opening goal was rather soft, but we thoroughly deserved the victory and most of me felt very positive after the match. However it did beg the question of why we don't perform like this more often? Arsene Wenger and the players got things defensively and tactically spot on! The hunger and desire was superb, Mesut Ozil massively upped his game in a man of the match display and defenders Laurent Koscielny and Shkodran Mustafi were immense.
Does this performance and result mean all is fine at the club now? No it doesn't as we need to perform like this on a more consistent basis first, but it certainly was a joy to watch and maybe, just maybe, we can use it as a catalyst to push on positively for the rest of the season. Whether or not we will is another story.
We took the game to Spurs straight from the kick-off and one of the things that impressed me most was that, even after half-time, we didn't let the performance dip. I was half expecting Tottenham to come out for the second half with renewed confidence, but we didn't give them chance to get going. Yes, they were poor, but that was partly because we didn't allow them to get into gear and put in a solid defensive performance.
Arsenal started brightly with Alexandre Lacazette firing a shot over the bar early on, while Harry Kane shot straight at Petr Cech at the other end.
Lacazette was denied twice in quick succession as Spurs' goalkeeper Hugo Lloris raced off his line to thwart his international team-mate. A combination of Davinson Sanchez and Eric Dier then prevented the French striker from prodding in Hector Bellerin's low cross.
Spurs were on the back foot, but still had chances to have broken the deadlock with Christian Eriksen's shot hitting a post and Cech saving Kane's headed effort.
Those missed chances proved costly as Arsenal opened the scoring when Mustafi headed home from Ozil's free-kick after 36 minutes. Spurs were not happy at the award of the free-kick and some also felt the goal was offside. Alexis Sanchez was adjudged to have been fouled by his Spurs' namesake Davinson and admittedly there didn't seem to be too much in it, but there was nothing wrong with Mustafi's header that capped a great performance by the German.
It got even better for the Gunners six minutes later when Bellerin released Lacazette before the Frenchman set up Sanchez to control the ball and fire home from close range. There were appeals for offside, but I genuinely felt Lacazette was level even though it was a very tight call that could have gone either way.
The confidence at which we were dominating our rivals was superb and it was arguably Mustafi's best performance in an Arsenal shirt, with the German producing a superb tackle to deny Kane in the box early in the second half. Mustafi's centre-back partner Koscielny also impressed and the defensive duo were solid at the back.
It is hard to find any fault with this display, but it is a shame we couldn't add to our lead. 2-0 can be a dangerous scoreline, but credit to the players for how they pressed and denied Spurs as the visitors surprisingly didn't really ever look like mounting any kind of comeback.
Eriksen tried his luck from outside the box shortly after the hour mark, but his shot sailed harmlessly over the crossbar.
Sanchez sent a shot over before later being denied by a decent save from Lloris as Arsenal failed to find a third goal.
It could have made for a nervy finish had Cech not produced a top quality fingertip save to deny Dier, but Arsenal remained on top with Lloris reacting well to keep out Sanchez late on.
Substitute Alex Iwobi sent a shot wide in stoppage time, but it didn't stop Arsenal from running out worthy winners.
There was still time for Tottenham to nearly muster an equaliser, but once again Mustafi produced an excellent block to deflect Son Heung-min's effort over the crossbar.
OPPOSITION VIEW
Tottenham fan Nicholas Walsh admitted his side had been second best on the day at the Emirates.
"What a complete and utter shambles,!" said Walsh. "Time after time we left ourselves exposed at the back and, in particular, on the right hand side.
"Key players went missing and, with the exception of a few minutes of the 90, Arsenal completely dominated.
"Some fans may hang on to the fact that the first goal was suspicious. Should it have been a free kick? Perhaps not. Was it onside? Definitely not. Did it change the outcome of the game? Certainly not the game I was watching.
"Arsenal may well be our bitter rivals but in this match we found ourselves to be tactically, physically and mentally inept. Quite the opposite to Arsenal, in fact. So for now we wait for a true power shift in North London...it could be a long, hard slog. #WengerOut #COYS"
MY FINAL THOUGHTS
The performance and result against Spurs was spot on, but the key question is can we replicate this on a more regular basis? Only time will tell, although I am not sure we will be consistent enough.
Although we are only down in sixth, only goal difference is keeping us behind Liverpool and just one point separates us from Spurs. Second-placed Manchester United are in fact only four points ahead of us, but leaders Manchester City are still way out in front.
Focus must now switch to the Europa League. Qualification is already assured, but top spot is still to be finalised. Although we are currently at the top of Group H we haven't mathematically secured it yet, but a win at FC Cologne would ensure we do just that!
Cologne's hopes of qualification aren't over just yet so we have to make sure we don't get complacent. I'm sure we can get a result and it is important that we build on the Tottenham performance and result and prove it wasn't a fluke.
Our next Premier League game sees us travel to this season's surprise package Burnley, who currently lie in seventh and just one place below us. If we play like we did against Spurs then we should get all three points, but we definitely can't take the Clarets lightly and need to bring our A game to Turf Moor.
There are no easy games in the Premier League, but with Manchester United on the horizon in a few weeks we really need to be looking at taking maximum points from Burnley and Huddersfield in the upcoming matches.
COME ON YOU GUNNERS
Admittedly the free-kick that led to our opening goal was rather soft, but we thoroughly deserved the victory and most of me felt very positive after the match. However it did beg the question of why we don't perform like this more often? Arsene Wenger and the players got things defensively and tactically spot on! The hunger and desire was superb, Mesut Ozil massively upped his game in a man of the match display and defenders Laurent Koscielny and Shkodran Mustafi were immense.
Does this performance and result mean all is fine at the club now? No it doesn't as we need to perform like this on a more consistent basis first, but it certainly was a joy to watch and maybe, just maybe, we can use it as a catalyst to push on positively for the rest of the season. Whether or not we will is another story.
We took the game to Spurs straight from the kick-off and one of the things that impressed me most was that, even after half-time, we didn't let the performance dip. I was half expecting Tottenham to come out for the second half with renewed confidence, but we didn't give them chance to get going. Yes, they were poor, but that was partly because we didn't allow them to get into gear and put in a solid defensive performance.
Arsenal started brightly with Alexandre Lacazette firing a shot over the bar early on, while Harry Kane shot straight at Petr Cech at the other end.
Lacazette was denied twice in quick succession as Spurs' goalkeeper Hugo Lloris raced off his line to thwart his international team-mate. A combination of Davinson Sanchez and Eric Dier then prevented the French striker from prodding in Hector Bellerin's low cross.
Spurs were on the back foot, but still had chances to have broken the deadlock with Christian Eriksen's shot hitting a post and Cech saving Kane's headed effort.
Those missed chances proved costly as Arsenal opened the scoring when Mustafi headed home from Ozil's free-kick after 36 minutes. Spurs were not happy at the award of the free-kick and some also felt the goal was offside. Alexis Sanchez was adjudged to have been fouled by his Spurs' namesake Davinson and admittedly there didn't seem to be too much in it, but there was nothing wrong with Mustafi's header that capped a great performance by the German.
It got even better for the Gunners six minutes later when Bellerin released Lacazette before the Frenchman set up Sanchez to control the ball and fire home from close range. There were appeals for offside, but I genuinely felt Lacazette was level even though it was a very tight call that could have gone either way.
The confidence at which we were dominating our rivals was superb and it was arguably Mustafi's best performance in an Arsenal shirt, with the German producing a superb tackle to deny Kane in the box early in the second half. Mustafi's centre-back partner Koscielny also impressed and the defensive duo were solid at the back.
It is hard to find any fault with this display, but it is a shame we couldn't add to our lead. 2-0 can be a dangerous scoreline, but credit to the players for how they pressed and denied Spurs as the visitors surprisingly didn't really ever look like mounting any kind of comeback.
Eriksen tried his luck from outside the box shortly after the hour mark, but his shot sailed harmlessly over the crossbar.
Sanchez sent a shot over before later being denied by a decent save from Lloris as Arsenal failed to find a third goal.
It could have made for a nervy finish had Cech not produced a top quality fingertip save to deny Dier, but Arsenal remained on top with Lloris reacting well to keep out Sanchez late on.
Substitute Alex Iwobi sent a shot wide in stoppage time, but it didn't stop Arsenal from running out worthy winners.
There was still time for Tottenham to nearly muster an equaliser, but once again Mustafi produced an excellent block to deflect Son Heung-min's effort over the crossbar.
OPPOSITION VIEW
Tottenham fan Nicholas Walsh admitted his side had been second best on the day at the Emirates.
"What a complete and utter shambles,!" said Walsh. "Time after time we left ourselves exposed at the back and, in particular, on the right hand side.
"Key players went missing and, with the exception of a few minutes of the 90, Arsenal completely dominated.
"Some fans may hang on to the fact that the first goal was suspicious. Should it have been a free kick? Perhaps not. Was it onside? Definitely not. Did it change the outcome of the game? Certainly not the game I was watching.
"Arsenal may well be our bitter rivals but in this match we found ourselves to be tactically, physically and mentally inept. Quite the opposite to Arsenal, in fact. So for now we wait for a true power shift in North London...it could be a long, hard slog. #WengerOut #COYS"
MY FINAL THOUGHTS
The performance and result against Spurs was spot on, but the key question is can we replicate this on a more regular basis? Only time will tell, although I am not sure we will be consistent enough.
Although we are only down in sixth, only goal difference is keeping us behind Liverpool and just one point separates us from Spurs. Second-placed Manchester United are in fact only four points ahead of us, but leaders Manchester City are still way out in front.
Focus must now switch to the Europa League. Qualification is already assured, but top spot is still to be finalised. Although we are currently at the top of Group H we haven't mathematically secured it yet, but a win at FC Cologne would ensure we do just that!
Cologne's hopes of qualification aren't over just yet so we have to make sure we don't get complacent. I'm sure we can get a result and it is important that we build on the Tottenham performance and result and prove it wasn't a fluke.
Our next Premier League game sees us travel to this season's surprise package Burnley, who currently lie in seventh and just one place below us. If we play like we did against Spurs then we should get all three points, but we definitely can't take the Clarets lightly and need to bring our A game to Turf Moor.
There are no easy games in the Premier League, but with Manchester United on the horizon in a few weeks we really need to be looking at taking maximum points from Burnley and Huddersfield in the upcoming matches.
COME ON YOU GUNNERS
Sunday, 5 November 2017
City too much for under-par Gunners
Alexandre Lacazette definitely made an impact when he came on, but was unable to prevent Arsenal from going down to a disappointing 3-1 defeat at one of the title favourites Manchester City.
Before kick-off many Gunners' fans were left wondering why on earth the summer signing from Lyon wasn't starting in such a big match. Why spend around £50 million on a striker of Lacazette's calibre to then not start him in a game against opposition as good as City? One player doesn't make a team and I'm not saying this alone decided the result of the match, but it certainly raised a lot of questions. The striker scored within nine minutes of coming off the bench and who knows what would have happened had he been on the pitch for longer.
Personally I would also like to have seen Jack Wilshere, who came on for the final 12 minutes, play a much bigger part in this match as he seems to have been really chomping at the bit lately and when on form he is still a great player.
What made the defeat all the more frustrating is that City didn't even have to hit top gear against us to get all three points. We made it far too easy for them and when we sloppily gave the ball away we didn't seem to show too much hunger to get it back. Petr Cech made some excellent saves to keep the score lower than it could have been, but other than the goalkeeper very few of our other players impressed at the Etihad.
We actually started the match quite brightly despite not creating many early clear-cut chances, but as soon as the first goal went in we struggled to find much of a response.
Alex Iwobi sent a volley off target early on, while Sergio Aguero shot over at the other end before Cech came to Arsenal's rescue. The experienced shot-stopper produced a fine diving save to keep out Kevin De Bruyne, but we failed to clear our lines properly. We gave City far too much space as the ball was worked back to the Belgian, who played a one-two with Fernandinho before scoring with a decent low strike into the far corner.
The hosts wasted a great chance to double their lead when they broke clear two on one, but Raheem Sterling opted to shoot instead of passing to Leroy Sane sooner and his eventual ball across went harmlessly off target.
Cech had to be alert to make another decent save, this time to prevent Laurent Koscielny from accidentally putting the ball into his own net.
City were good value for the lead, but Arsenal did come close to levelling the scores on the stroke of half-time only to see Aaron Ramsey's strike well parried by Ederson.
We had been second best in the first half, but there were signs of weakness in the City team. They were not at their fluid best and looked beatable if only we could reach our top form and produce an excellent second-half performance, but unfortunately we didn't do anywhere near enough.
Arsenal's hopes of a getting back into the game were dented further when City doubled their lead within five minutes of the restart. Sterling went down under a challenge from Nacho Monreal before Aguero sent Cech the wrong way from the resulting penalty. Sterling went down far too easily in my eyes, but it was still clumsy by Monreal to make a challenge like that in the box.
The visitors tried to find a way back into the game and very nearly did soon after - Ederson spilled a shot from Iwobi before Ramsey bundled the ball over the line. But the Welshman was rightly pulled back for a foul on the goalkeeper.
Lacazette reduced the deficit after 65 minutes as Iwobi and Ramsey combined to set up the French striker to power a shot beyond Ederson.
Manchester City were very quickly back on the attack and only a fine save by Cech denied Gabriel Jesus and prevented the hosts from increasing their lead. Cech was called into action again soon after, producing another decent save to deny De Bruyne.
City were not to be denied a third goal, although it did arrive in controversial circumstances. David Silva set up substitute Jesus to score from close range, but in my opinion it should have been ruled out for offside. I think the referee got this call very wrong and had it stayed at 2-1 we may have been able to snatch an unlikely point. Instead, the goal completely knocked any last bit of stuffing out of us and ended any faint hopes of a comeback.
I don't think the referee's call was to blame for the defeat though as we were simply second best on the day and didn't test Ederson nearly enough in the City goal. If Lacazette and Wilshere had both been on from the start things maybe could have been different, but we'll never know and the manner of the defeat remains very disappointing.
We gave the ball away far too easily at times and instead of then tracking back some players appeared lazy and sluggish and didn't do enough to even attempt to win it back. This is why the defeat felt all the more frustrating and, although I concede City are overall the much better side, we could have given ourselves more of a chance if we'd approached the game differently.
OPPOSITION VIEW
Manchester City fan Joseph Barnes was critical of Arsenal following his side's home victory.
"I think Wenger came to get beat," said Barnes. "He should have started Lacazette! It was nothing exceptional from us and we didn't need to get out of third gear to beat a poor and uninspiring Arsenal side.
"City's signing of the summer was Ederson and gives us the confidence to play under pressure even if he did have a wobble when Ramsey tried to Nat Lofthouse him into the net! Who's going to stop us now?"
MY FINAL THOUGHTS
Wrong team selection and approach to the game, along with a frustrating refereeing decision, ultimately cost us against Manchester City.
When you are playing a team of City's calibre you have to dig deep and produce an excellent performance, but instead we made it far too easy for them and, if you are going to gift City the ball as many times as we did, it was inevitable we would be punished.
With the intentional break coming up our manager and players really need to take a good long hard look at themselves. Being down in sixth as early as November is simply not good enough and things need to change.
Facing Manchester City was always going to be tough and, in fact, had we lost, but played really well I could have accepted the result and put it down to being unlucky on the day. But that wasn't the case and we simply weren't up to the challenge on the day and that is why the result is harder to take.
Our next match is back at home at least, but it is a very difficult challenge as we host our bitter rivals Tottenham. This match is about a whole lot more than three points. It is about proving a point to Tottenham and getting one over on them. We simply can't give them the bragging rights or we'll never hear the end of it. The balance of power is continuing to shift in North London and I don't like it one bit, so we need to go and prove to them that despite our poor start to the season this is our derby to win!
We need to get our season back on track and the manager and players should have no problems getting motivated for this fixture. It is a game we simply have to win, but whether we will or not is another matter! Let's hope we can bounce back with one hell of a huge performance!
COME ON YOU GUNNERS
Thursday, 2 November 2017
Gunners progress despite drab draw
The performance wasn't pretty, but Arsenal's goalless draw against Red Star Belgrade was enough to secure their passage into the last 32 of the Europa League with two games to spare.
The result also puts the Gunners in pole position to finish top of Group H as they hold a five-point lead over the second-placed Serbian side going into the remaining matches.
Arsenal started the stronger of the two sides with Theo Walcott seeing an early shot deflect over the bar. Ainsley Maitland-Niles then set up Olivier Giroud, whose shot was saved by the legs of Milan Borjan soon after.
A great run by Joe Willock saw the youngster set up Giroud, but the Frenchman was once again denied by Borjan in the visitor's goal. Although Arsenal enjoyed more possession, it was in fact the side from Serbia who enjoyed the best chances of the first half.
Slavoljub Srnic's shot was palmed over by Matt Macey in the Arsenal goal before the young shot-stopper produced an even better save to tip Vujadin Savic's header onto the underside of the crossbar.
Richmond Boakye wasted a big chance for Red Star Belgrade on the stroke of half-time when he shot wide after having been played through on goal.
Arsenal improved after the break but, in truth, the second half wasn't much of a spectacle either with a goal-line clearance the closest the hosts came to scoring.
Within two minutes of the restart Giroud shot over the crossbar from outside the box, while Srnic shot straight at Macey at the other end.
Arsenal had shouts for a penalty turned down when Jack Wilshere went down in the box under a challenge from Savic, before an attempted cross was blocked by the hands of the same player. Savic slid in for the ball and knocked it onto his hand and there wasn't much he could have done about it, so it would have been harsh had it gone against him.
The Gunners best chance of the second half fell to Wilshere shortly after the hour mark. The midfielder burst into the box and clipped the ball over the goalkeeper Borjan, but somehow Damien Le Tallec managed to clear his effort off the line acrobatically.
Chances came and went for Arsenal as Giroud shot wide before Walcott sent a header off target.
It was good to see another youngster, Eddie Nketiah, get a run out for the final 22 minutes, but he was unable to have the same impact he had in our Carabao Cup win over Norwich.
Boakye missed another good opportunity for Red Star Belgrade when he shot wide of the near post nine minutes from time.
Arsenal left it late to win the away fixture against the Serbian outfit, but there was no drama this time as both Rob Holding and Francis Coquelin sent efforts wide in the final minutes.
Arsenal's youngsters not looking out of place in the starting line-up on a European night, whilst also securing qualification into the knock-out stages, are about the only positives I can take from a dull game.
GROUP H
With qualification into the last 32 now secure focus will switch to the race to finish top in Group H.
Arsenal currently lie in pole position and, although performances haven't been as majestic as we have sometimes seen from the Gunners in the past, we have got the job done with three wins and a draw.
Those results give us a five-point lead over our nearest challengers Red Star Belgrade, but our next Europa League opponents Cologne aren't out of it yet either. Cologne beat BATE Borisov 5-2 to give them their first win of the campaign and they are actually only two points behind Red Star Belgrade.
It is all in our own hands and barring anything silly we really should be finishing top of this group without any problems. However, the race for second looks like it is going to be very close and we could have a big say in it!
I still find it difficult to get too excited by the Europa League and, although it is great to see some youngsters coming through, we really need to up our performance levels in the remaining group matches.
MY FINAL THOUGHTS
It may not have been the ideal performance, but we got the point that was needed to secure qualification and also kept our unbeaten home record intact.
Focus must now immediately switch to the Premier League and to two huge and very difficult back-to-back matches. A trip to title favourites Manchester City is next on the horizon and, although I know we have a chance of getting something if we play to our best, the match makes me nervous. Manchester City are in great form and are a very difficult team to stop. We cannot afford any of our silly defensive lapses and we may not get too many chances either, so we must be clinical on the day if we are to get anything. The odds are stacked heavily in Manchester City's favour, but I guess you never know.
It is important to get a decent result against City, not only for our points tally, but also to boost confidence ahead of what will be as equally as tough a match against our bitter North London rivals Tottenham two weeks after. Gone are the days where I feel super confident ahead of these games. As much as we don't like it we are no longer clear favourites, but surely home advantage can at least give us a slight edge...but we have to make it count!
A nervous few weeks await us so let's just hope we have something to celebrate by the end of it and still have our pride intact!
COME ON YOU GUNNERS
Sunday, 29 October 2017
Kolasinac proves key to victory
Sead Kolasinac once again proved his worth for Arsenal as he scored one and set up another in their 2-1 home victory over Swansea.
The Gunners didn't have it all their own way and fell behind to a goal from Sam Clucas before Kolasinac, who joined the club following the expiry of his contract at Schalke this summer, levelled the scores early in the second half. Kolasinac then set up Aaron Ramsey for the all-important winner against an opponent that has proved to be a banana skin for us in the past.
Kolasinac puts in good solid displays each time he puts on the shirt and was definitely a bargain in my eyes. He seems to show no fear and always gives his all and has already popped up with some crucial goals. Kolasinac scored the crucial equaliser in the Community Shield victory over Chelsea and also in the home win over FC Cologne in the Europa League. He's not afraid to get stuck in and looks an excellent addition and his contribution against Swansea means he now has a combined five goals and assists in his first six home matches at the club.
Kolasinac was substituted 12 minutes from time due to what manager Arsene Wenger describes as a repetition of a muscle injury in his hip, but it sounds like his withdrawal was more of a precaution with the club hopeful he will be available for the next league match. Hopefully he won't be out long as he has already established himself as a key figure in our defence.
The overall team performance wasn't perfect, but we did what was needed most and got the result and all three points. We could have put the result beyond doubt earlier in the match had we been better with our finishing in the early stages.
Arsenal wasted three chances inside the opening 10 minutes of the match. Ramsey saw an early effort blocked by the defence before Alexis Sanchez saw his low strike comfortably saved by former Gunner Lukasz Fabianski. Fabianksi was forced into another save soon after, but it was rather routine as he easily held Per Mertesacker's header.
Sanchez then sent a shot wide from distance and those missed chances came back to bite Arsenal as Swansea took the lead after 22 minutes. Tammy Abraham's well-timed pass released Clucas to run in behind Hector Bellerin to slot the ball home for his first goal for the Welsh club. The Lincoln-born midfielder missed the chance to add a second goal when he shot wide five minutes before the break.
Both teams had chances to score in the closing stages of the first half, with Fabianski producing an excellent one-handed save to tip over Sanchez's powerful effort. Arsenal goalkeeper Petr Cech reacted quickly to block Jordan Ayew's strike out for a corner after the Swansea man had robbed Metersacker of possession in the box.
Arsenal improved in the second half and turned the game on its head with two goals in seven minutes. Mesut Ozil's pass was blocked, but the ball rolled across the box and Kolasinac was on hand to power it home for his first Premier League goal within six minutes of the restart.
Abraham very nearly put Swansea back in front immediately as he had the ball in the net at the other end, but his effort was ruled out for offside.
Laurent Koscielny headed wide from a Sanchez free-kick soon after, but Arsenal made no mistake with their next attempt as Ramsey gave them the lead for the first time in the match. Granit Xhaka played a long ball over the top to Kolasinac and scorer turned provider as the defender cut it back for Ramsey to score his 50th goal for the club. The goal would have been all the more frustrating for Swansea fans what with Ramsey being a former player of their bitter rivals Cardiff.
At 2-1 it was still a dangerous scoreline with more than enough time for Swansea to get back into it and we really should have made more of the chances that came our way. Ramsey sent an effort high and over the bar before Alexandre Lacazette shot straight at Fabianski.
Arsenal then came close to scoring from a counter attack as Ramsey set up Hector Bellerin and the defender stretched to get a foot to the ball, but his effort hit the crossbar and bounced over.
Swansea weren't out of it yet as Abraham tried to get the Welsh side back in the game, but after a good first touch and control his shot on the turn went wide.
Olivier Giroud was unable to make a decisive impact as the substitute twice sent shots wide, with the second effort grazing the side netting, but Arsenal held on to their lead to take the points.
OPPOSITION VIEW
Swansea fan Tim James was surprised by the margin of the result at the Emirates and still believes manager Paul Clement is the right man for the job.
"This was pretty much the result I expected," said James. "We no longer have Sigurdsson and Llorente and it's difficult to see where our next goal is coming from.
"I was surprised that we took the lead and I hope this represents the turning of a corner for Sam Clucas.
"I think Clement is still the man to take us forward and I hope he gets some backing in January.
"We had our own injury worries coming into this game and I'm surprised that the result was as close as it was. I can't comment on the game itself, but there seems to be positive signs there."
MY FINAL THOUGHTS
For the third consecutive game we came from behind to win and, although that shows great character it does pose the question why we keep falling behind?
Yes, no team is ever going to take the lead in every single game and it is inevitable to fall behind sometimes, but our defence can be too vulnerable and some of the goals conceded this season could have been avoided. That is among the reasons why we are not in a serious challenge for the title and we are already fifth and nine points behind leaders Manchester City.
We need to tighten things up at the back and also be more clinical in attack. The chances we missed weren't easy sitters or anything like that, but they can still be a decisive difference between winning, drawing or losing a game.
With a trip to title favourites Manchester City up next in the league, followed by a derby match against Tottenham, we need to make our chances count. These are two huge games head and ones we need to avoid losing if we are to stand any chance of doing anything this season. If we turn up and play the way we can when we are at our best then we could maybe, just maybe, do well in these games. But I just can't see it happening, well not in both games anyway, and I fear us crumbling in one of them. So let's just hope the team can prove me wrong and go out there and put out two massive performances!
But before then our focus switches to the Europa League and the visit of Red Star Belgrade. It took a late goal from Olivier Giroud to beat them in Serbia and we will need a much-better display this time. Let's hope the team can deliver just that and put us a step closer to qualification into the knock-out stages.
COME ON YOU GUNNERS
The Gunners didn't have it all their own way and fell behind to a goal from Sam Clucas before Kolasinac, who joined the club following the expiry of his contract at Schalke this summer, levelled the scores early in the second half. Kolasinac then set up Aaron Ramsey for the all-important winner against an opponent that has proved to be a banana skin for us in the past.
Kolasinac puts in good solid displays each time he puts on the shirt and was definitely a bargain in my eyes. He seems to show no fear and always gives his all and has already popped up with some crucial goals. Kolasinac scored the crucial equaliser in the Community Shield victory over Chelsea and also in the home win over FC Cologne in the Europa League. He's not afraid to get stuck in and looks an excellent addition and his contribution against Swansea means he now has a combined five goals and assists in his first six home matches at the club.
Kolasinac was substituted 12 minutes from time due to what manager Arsene Wenger describes as a repetition of a muscle injury in his hip, but it sounds like his withdrawal was more of a precaution with the club hopeful he will be available for the next league match. Hopefully he won't be out long as he has already established himself as a key figure in our defence.
The overall team performance wasn't perfect, but we did what was needed most and got the result and all three points. We could have put the result beyond doubt earlier in the match had we been better with our finishing in the early stages.
Arsenal wasted three chances inside the opening 10 minutes of the match. Ramsey saw an early effort blocked by the defence before Alexis Sanchez saw his low strike comfortably saved by former Gunner Lukasz Fabianski. Fabianksi was forced into another save soon after, but it was rather routine as he easily held Per Mertesacker's header.
Sanchez then sent a shot wide from distance and those missed chances came back to bite Arsenal as Swansea took the lead after 22 minutes. Tammy Abraham's well-timed pass released Clucas to run in behind Hector Bellerin to slot the ball home for his first goal for the Welsh club. The Lincoln-born midfielder missed the chance to add a second goal when he shot wide five minutes before the break.
Both teams had chances to score in the closing stages of the first half, with Fabianski producing an excellent one-handed save to tip over Sanchez's powerful effort. Arsenal goalkeeper Petr Cech reacted quickly to block Jordan Ayew's strike out for a corner after the Swansea man had robbed Metersacker of possession in the box.
Arsenal improved in the second half and turned the game on its head with two goals in seven minutes. Mesut Ozil's pass was blocked, but the ball rolled across the box and Kolasinac was on hand to power it home for his first Premier League goal within six minutes of the restart.
Abraham very nearly put Swansea back in front immediately as he had the ball in the net at the other end, but his effort was ruled out for offside.
Laurent Koscielny headed wide from a Sanchez free-kick soon after, but Arsenal made no mistake with their next attempt as Ramsey gave them the lead for the first time in the match. Granit Xhaka played a long ball over the top to Kolasinac and scorer turned provider as the defender cut it back for Ramsey to score his 50th goal for the club. The goal would have been all the more frustrating for Swansea fans what with Ramsey being a former player of their bitter rivals Cardiff.
At 2-1 it was still a dangerous scoreline with more than enough time for Swansea to get back into it and we really should have made more of the chances that came our way. Ramsey sent an effort high and over the bar before Alexandre Lacazette shot straight at Fabianski.
Arsenal then came close to scoring from a counter attack as Ramsey set up Hector Bellerin and the defender stretched to get a foot to the ball, but his effort hit the crossbar and bounced over.
Swansea weren't out of it yet as Abraham tried to get the Welsh side back in the game, but after a good first touch and control his shot on the turn went wide.
Olivier Giroud was unable to make a decisive impact as the substitute twice sent shots wide, with the second effort grazing the side netting, but Arsenal held on to their lead to take the points.
OPPOSITION VIEW
Swansea fan Tim James was surprised by the margin of the result at the Emirates and still believes manager Paul Clement is the right man for the job.
"This was pretty much the result I expected," said James. "We no longer have Sigurdsson and Llorente and it's difficult to see where our next goal is coming from.
"I was surprised that we took the lead and I hope this represents the turning of a corner for Sam Clucas.
"I think Clement is still the man to take us forward and I hope he gets some backing in January.
"We had our own injury worries coming into this game and I'm surprised that the result was as close as it was. I can't comment on the game itself, but there seems to be positive signs there."
MY FINAL THOUGHTS
For the third consecutive game we came from behind to win and, although that shows great character it does pose the question why we keep falling behind?
Yes, no team is ever going to take the lead in every single game and it is inevitable to fall behind sometimes, but our defence can be too vulnerable and some of the goals conceded this season could have been avoided. That is among the reasons why we are not in a serious challenge for the title and we are already fifth and nine points behind leaders Manchester City.
We need to tighten things up at the back and also be more clinical in attack. The chances we missed weren't easy sitters or anything like that, but they can still be a decisive difference between winning, drawing or losing a game.
With a trip to title favourites Manchester City up next in the league, followed by a derby match against Tottenham, we need to make our chances count. These are two huge games head and ones we need to avoid losing if we are to stand any chance of doing anything this season. If we turn up and play the way we can when we are at our best then we could maybe, just maybe, do well in these games. But I just can't see it happening, well not in both games anyway, and I fear us crumbling in one of them. So let's just hope the team can prove me wrong and go out there and put out two massive performances!
But before then our focus switches to the Europa League and the visit of Red Star Belgrade. It took a late goal from Olivier Giroud to beat them in Serbia and we will need a much-better display this time. Let's hope the team can deliver just that and put us a step closer to qualification into the knock-out stages.
COME ON YOU GUNNERS
Tuesday, 24 October 2017
Super sub Nketiah rescues Gunners
Eddie Nketiah came off the bench to rescue Arsenal as the Gunners recovered from a goal behind to beat Norwich 2-1 after extra time in the Carabao Cup.
Arsene Wenger once again opted to favour youth more than experience in the League Cup and, whilst it was great to see the likes of Reiss Nelson and Ainsley Maitland-Niles start, I was initially concerned by the lack of seniority on the bench. I was wondering who on earth we could call on should the game not be going in our favour in the closing stages. How wrong I was! Step forward Nketiah, who took just 15 seconds to make his mark on the game.
But before Nketiah's decisive introduction it had been a very poor showing by Arsenal. Take nothing away from Norwich though, they battled valiantly and put their bodies on the line in defence and had deserved their lead.
We also got lucky with a few decisions, but this game will be remembered as Eddie's day. It may only be the League Cup, which is a competition that admittedly I fail to get too excited about until the semi-final or final stages, but you can only beat what's put in front of you and I am pleased we are into the next round.
An opposition fan did briefly have me worried after the final whistle when he showed me a tweet from a journalist stating that we may have broken a substitution rule. Original rules had stated that you can only make one additional substitution in extra time, but we made two, so I genuinely began to wonder what the backlash might be. But from what I understand the rules were tweaked at some point since their introduction, so no wrong doing has been done and let's hope that's the end of it.
Back to the match and in truth the first half was rather forgettable for us with very few decent chances. Although we enjoyed most of the possession we just couldn't make it count. Alex Iwobi curled a shot over after 13 minutes, but our best chance of the half fell to Rob Holding soon after. The defender rose highest to get his head onto Theo Walcott's corner, but Norwich goalkeeper Angus Gunn produced a fine save to tip the defender's effort over for the crossbar.
Apart from Mario Vrancic dragging a shot wide Norwich hadn't really threatened too much either, but the visitors opened the scoring with a very well-taken goal after 34 minutes. Josh Murphy latched onto a fine through ball from James Maddison before bursting through on goal and dinking the ball over debutant Matt Macey in the Arsenal goal.
Macey was in the thick of the action again soon after, but this time he came out on top by excellently parrying Nelson Oliveira's curling strike.
Walcott saw his low strike saved by Gunn as Norwich maintained their slender 1-0 advantage going in at the break.
Olivier Giroud headed over from a Jack Wilshere free-kick within five minutes of the restart and Arsenal really didn't look anywhere close to scoring.
Arsenal had a big let off five minutes later when Mohamed Elneny received a yellow card for his foul on Oliveira. Some sections of the crowd felt it should have been a red card as the Egyptian stopped Oliveira from bursting clear. There is a chance the man behind him might have been able to catch the Norwich man, but Elneny may still count himself lucky to have stayed on the field.
The Gunners survived another scare as Macey saved Murphy's header before palming away a dangerous cross from the same player soon after.
Arsenal continued to try and push forward in search of an equaliser, but Norwich battled hard throughout and threw themselves in the way to block some shots on goal.
Norwich could have extended their lead if they had been more ruthless with their chances but, fortunately for Arsenal, Oliveira, Murphy and Vrancic all sent shots off target.
It looked like it just wasn't going to be Arsenal's day as Walcott curled a shot wide and sent a header over the crossbar as the game entered its final 10 minutes.
Luckily 18-year-old Nketiah, who was making only his second senior appearance, had other ideas! The young forward had barely been on the field when a corner from Walcott was flicked into his path for him to prod home. What an introduction!
Arsenal had chances to win it in normal time, but were unable to convert them as Gunn kept out Wilshere before substitute Chuba Akpom shot wide.
Nketiah scored his second and the decisive winning goal six minutes into extra time. Walcott's low strike was turned behind for a corner by Gunn and from the resulting set-piece Nketiah powerfully headed home to send the home supporters into raptures.
Arsenal nearly increased their lead in the first half of extra time, but Gunn produced a decent save to deny Giroud.
Nketiah came close to completing what would have been a memorable hat-trick after the restart, but his shot was well saved by the legs of Gunn.
With eight minutes of extra time remaining Norwich were left incensed by the referee's decision not to award them a penalty. James Husband appeared to be fouled in the box by Mathieu Debuchy - it would have been a soft penalty had it been given, but there is no denying there was contact. Norwich had another chance soon after, but Yanic Wildschut sent his effort wide.
Arsenal finished extra time strongly as substitute Joe Willock blasted a shot over the bar before Nketiah also curled an effort off target. But the Gunners held on to book their place in the quarter final after what was a very gutsy display by their Championship opponents.
OPPOSITION VIEW
Norwich fan Sam Foulger believes there is still exciting times ahead for his side, who he felt were unlucky not to get anything out of the game.
"I wasn't there tonight, but by all accounts we played incredibly well," said Foulger. "I don't miss the biased Premier League refereeing. Elneny should have gone and a clear penalty was not given. It wasn't a corner for the goal as the ball hadn't gone out of play.
"It shows how far we have come under (Daniel) Farke to push any sort of Arsenal team. Only four changes following the derby on Sunday, so to put in those minutes was impressive.
"We are still in a process of transition under the new management structure, but there are exciting times ahead."
Fellow Canaries fan Adam Edwards was also feeling upbeat by the events at the Emirates before extra-time had kicked off, saying: "It was an unexpected scoreline following Arsenal's great performance against Everton. Hopefully Norwich's form will continue in the league."
MY FINAL THOUGHTS
We got lucky at times and needed the help of one of our young superstars to bail us out, but ultimately we got the job done by getting the result and progressing through to the next round.
I have always preferred the FA Cup to the League Cup by a big margin, regardless of how we have performed in either competition, but I'm still pleased we got the right result.
Focus now switches back to the league and the visit of Swansea, which has the potential to be a very tricky match so hopefully we can maintain our impressive home record.
With a trip to Manchester City looming next month we need to make sure we take the level of performance up several levels as that will be a different test entirely.
But for now let Eddie Nketiah have his day! He well and truly bailed us out and he deserves to take the headlines!
COME ON YOU GUNNERS
Arsene Wenger once again opted to favour youth more than experience in the League Cup and, whilst it was great to see the likes of Reiss Nelson and Ainsley Maitland-Niles start, I was initially concerned by the lack of seniority on the bench. I was wondering who on earth we could call on should the game not be going in our favour in the closing stages. How wrong I was! Step forward Nketiah, who took just 15 seconds to make his mark on the game.
But before Nketiah's decisive introduction it had been a very poor showing by Arsenal. Take nothing away from Norwich though, they battled valiantly and put their bodies on the line in defence and had deserved their lead.
We also got lucky with a few decisions, but this game will be remembered as Eddie's day. It may only be the League Cup, which is a competition that admittedly I fail to get too excited about until the semi-final or final stages, but you can only beat what's put in front of you and I am pleased we are into the next round.
An opposition fan did briefly have me worried after the final whistle when he showed me a tweet from a journalist stating that we may have broken a substitution rule. Original rules had stated that you can only make one additional substitution in extra time, but we made two, so I genuinely began to wonder what the backlash might be. But from what I understand the rules were tweaked at some point since their introduction, so no wrong doing has been done and let's hope that's the end of it.
Back to the match and in truth the first half was rather forgettable for us with very few decent chances. Although we enjoyed most of the possession we just couldn't make it count. Alex Iwobi curled a shot over after 13 minutes, but our best chance of the half fell to Rob Holding soon after. The defender rose highest to get his head onto Theo Walcott's corner, but Norwich goalkeeper Angus Gunn produced a fine save to tip the defender's effort over for the crossbar.
Apart from Mario Vrancic dragging a shot wide Norwich hadn't really threatened too much either, but the visitors opened the scoring with a very well-taken goal after 34 minutes. Josh Murphy latched onto a fine through ball from James Maddison before bursting through on goal and dinking the ball over debutant Matt Macey in the Arsenal goal.
Macey was in the thick of the action again soon after, but this time he came out on top by excellently parrying Nelson Oliveira's curling strike.
Walcott saw his low strike saved by Gunn as Norwich maintained their slender 1-0 advantage going in at the break.
Olivier Giroud headed over from a Jack Wilshere free-kick within five minutes of the restart and Arsenal really didn't look anywhere close to scoring.
Arsenal had a big let off five minutes later when Mohamed Elneny received a yellow card for his foul on Oliveira. Some sections of the crowd felt it should have been a red card as the Egyptian stopped Oliveira from bursting clear. There is a chance the man behind him might have been able to catch the Norwich man, but Elneny may still count himself lucky to have stayed on the field.
The Gunners survived another scare as Macey saved Murphy's header before palming away a dangerous cross from the same player soon after.
Arsenal continued to try and push forward in search of an equaliser, but Norwich battled hard throughout and threw themselves in the way to block some shots on goal.
Norwich could have extended their lead if they had been more ruthless with their chances but, fortunately for Arsenal, Oliveira, Murphy and Vrancic all sent shots off target.
It looked like it just wasn't going to be Arsenal's day as Walcott curled a shot wide and sent a header over the crossbar as the game entered its final 10 minutes.
Luckily 18-year-old Nketiah, who was making only his second senior appearance, had other ideas! The young forward had barely been on the field when a corner from Walcott was flicked into his path for him to prod home. What an introduction!
Arsenal had chances to win it in normal time, but were unable to convert them as Gunn kept out Wilshere before substitute Chuba Akpom shot wide.
Nketiah scored his second and the decisive winning goal six minutes into extra time. Walcott's low strike was turned behind for a corner by Gunn and from the resulting set-piece Nketiah powerfully headed home to send the home supporters into raptures.
Arsenal nearly increased their lead in the first half of extra time, but Gunn produced a decent save to deny Giroud.
Nketiah came close to completing what would have been a memorable hat-trick after the restart, but his shot was well saved by the legs of Gunn.
With eight minutes of extra time remaining Norwich were left incensed by the referee's decision not to award them a penalty. James Husband appeared to be fouled in the box by Mathieu Debuchy - it would have been a soft penalty had it been given, but there is no denying there was contact. Norwich had another chance soon after, but Yanic Wildschut sent his effort wide.
Arsenal finished extra time strongly as substitute Joe Willock blasted a shot over the bar before Nketiah also curled an effort off target. But the Gunners held on to book their place in the quarter final after what was a very gutsy display by their Championship opponents.
OPPOSITION VIEW
Norwich fan Sam Foulger believes there is still exciting times ahead for his side, who he felt were unlucky not to get anything out of the game.
"I wasn't there tonight, but by all accounts we played incredibly well," said Foulger. "I don't miss the biased Premier League refereeing. Elneny should have gone and a clear penalty was not given. It wasn't a corner for the goal as the ball hadn't gone out of play.
"It shows how far we have come under (Daniel) Farke to push any sort of Arsenal team. Only four changes following the derby on Sunday, so to put in those minutes was impressive.
"We are still in a process of transition under the new management structure, but there are exciting times ahead."
Fellow Canaries fan Adam Edwards was also feeling upbeat by the events at the Emirates before extra-time had kicked off, saying: "It was an unexpected scoreline following Arsenal's great performance against Everton. Hopefully Norwich's form will continue in the league."
MY FINAL THOUGHTS
We got lucky at times and needed the help of one of our young superstars to bail us out, but ultimately we got the job done by getting the result and progressing through to the next round.
I have always preferred the FA Cup to the League Cup by a big margin, regardless of how we have performed in either competition, but I'm still pleased we got the right result.
Focus now switches back to the league and the visit of Swansea, which has the potential to be a very tricky match so hopefully we can maintain our impressive home record.
With a trip to Manchester City looming next month we need to make sure we take the level of performance up several levels as that will be a different test entirely.
But for now let Eddie Nketiah have his day! He well and truly bailed us out and he deserves to take the headlines!
COME ON YOU GUNNERS
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