Gunners embarrassed by City in cup final

Was that really a cup final as it certainly didn't feel like it after Arsenal were thrashed 3-0 by Manchester City at Wembley.

We had less than 50% of the possession during the whole match, but the first 15 minutes or so of the Carabao Cup Final was fairly open. That's about as good as it got as after Sergio Aguero's 19th-minute opener we well and truly fell apart in what was one of, if not, our worst performance of the season.

The manner of the performance was abysmal. I knew it was going to be an incredibly difficult game with league leaders Manchester City, who have outplayed most sides they have faced this season, but the performance we gave was inexcusable.

Regardless of the opposition the players should have been fired up for this contest. It isn't as prestigious as the FA Cup, but is still silverware and the effort shown by the players, with the exception of Jack Wilshere and Sead Kolasinac, was a million miles away from where it should have been.

Arsene Wenger got his tactics wrong and the players didn't show up. The first goal was soft and a poor one to concede, but we should have regrouped and shown more fight to get back into it. Instead we crumbled!

We can't blame playing tougher opposition either as, although City are top class and head and shoulders above the rest of the Premier League, they are beatable. When we beat them in last season's FA Cup semi-final we showed no fear, and a lot more hunger and fight to get the result.

This time, however, we attempted suicidal passes near our own penalty area and gave the ball away far too cheaply. Manchester City made mistakes in the first half and didn't look at their best, yet we still couldn't capitalise and it was far too easy for them to get the result.

It wasn't just any old game, it was a cup final, but you wouldn't have guessed it from our performance! Wenger got it totally wrong and the players were woeful. We should have showed more pride than that in a cup final, but we didn't and it was simply not good enough.

On our day we can be great, but far too many times this season we have been caught out and not been able to muster a response. I'll always love Wenger for what he did in his earlier years and those memories will never been forgotten, but it's time for change.

I think this summer would be the time for a change, but I think it will be more likely the year after when his contract expires.

We have some great talent in the squad, but have failed to hit our full potential too often. Obviously the result hurt, but any team facing Manchester City knew they'd be up against it, and it is more the manner in which we capitulated that is hardest to take.

Even in the closing stages when we should have been throwing the kitchen sink at them to at least get a goal we continued to gift them possession.

Maybe it could have been different had we been more clinical with the great chance that came our way after just eight minutes. We offered very little after that though and deserved what we got. Wilshere, Aron Ramsey and Mesut Ozil combined superbly to set up Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang. Claudio Bravo reacted excellently to make a save with his feet to keep the striker out - maybe he should have done better, but it was great goalkeeping.

Bravo also had a big say in the first goal of the match as his goal kick set up Aguero. Arsenal defender Shkodran Mustafi's feeble attempt to get the ball made it far too easy for Aguero, who then beat Ospina with a sublime lofted finish.

It got worse for the Gunners after 26 minutes when Nacho Monreal was forced off injured, although his replacement Kolasinac was one of the only players not to totally embarrass himself at Wembley.

Going in at half-time at 1-0 down wasn't too bad, but the second half that followed was an absolute disaster!

City lost Fernandinho within seven minutes of the restart, but it didn't stop them from dominating the contest and they doubled their advantage soon after.

Before the second goal though, Arsenal missed a rare opportunity that came their way. Hector Bellerin sent a superb ball over the top for Aubameyang and Bravo missed his clearance, but the Arsenal striker was adjudged to have fouled the Chilean goalkeeper.

City's 58th-minute second saw their captain Vincent Kompany get the goal his performance deserved. Kevin De Bruyne found Ilkay Gundogan on the edge of the box and the midfielder's low strike was diverted in from close range by the Belgian defender.

Seven minutes later and it was 3-0 - Danilo picked out David Silva, who raced past Calum Chambers and slotted a low shot beyond David Ospina in the Arsenal goal.

Kyle Walker was maybe lucky to stay on the field after a very clumsy challenge, but it wouldn't have mattered either way. We were well and truly outclassed and deserved to lose the final.

Arsenal were struggling to create anything and Granit Xhaka's long-range strike sailing over the crossbar is really about as good as the second half got for them, which says a lot. We didn't even look remotely close to getting a consolation and this was well and truly Manchester City's day.

OPPOSITION VIEW
Manchester City fan Joseph Barnes believes his side more than deserved their victory and is already looking forward to seeing the two teams meet again in their next match.

"Sub par Arsenal, superlative City! Only one team was ever going to win it," said Barnes. "How soft is Mustafi claiming a foul from Aguero.

"Big Vinny with the second and a captain's performance from him.

"Arsenal may as well gift City three points on Thursday along with the cup we got gifted."

MY FINAL THOUGHTS
Sometimes in defeat you can at least pick out one or two positives, but there weren't any from this horror of a cup final.

Knowing Manchester City are also our next opponents - this time in the Premier League - is a scary thought and they'll no doubt approach the game in confident mood.

Surely it can't get any worse than this performance though. Wenger and the players owe us a response after that farce, although I'm not sure if we'll get it.

The Europa League could be our only positive this season if we can summon more fight and hunger, but after drawing AC Milan in the round of 16 I don't feel hopeful about our progression.

Whatever happens in the next few months, a response to the final is needed as soon as possible and I don't care if City are the best team in England we must take the game to them right from minute one in the league match.

COME ON YOU GUNNERS

Gunners qualify despite poor home defeat

Arsenal were poor and lost 2-1 on the night against a plucky Ostersunds side at the Emirates, but they still scraped through into the last 16 with a 4-2 aggregate victory.

Graham Potter's men deserve huge credit for putting in a battling display, especially being 3-0 behind going into the start of the second leg. But that also shouldn't hide the fact of how below par we were against our Swedish opponents. If we are to have any slim hope of winning this competition we need to massively up our game.

If we repeat this display in our next match - the Carabao Cup Final against Manchester City - the punishment will be more severe so we need to make sure we bring our A game to avoid being humiliated.

We really should have done far better than we did in the second leg and Ostersunds to their credit showed big improvement and took the game to us. After just four minutes Calum Chambers had to be alert to block Jamie Hopcutt's effort.

Arsenal never really got going as Alex Iwobi sent a shot off target before captain for the night Jack Wilshere saw his shot blocked by the defence.

David Ospina did well to parry Ken Sema's shot before re-gathering the ball at the second attempt, but the Colombian shot-stopper could do nothing about the two quick-fire goals that followed.

Within 69 seconds the Gunners' comfortable 3-0 aggregate lead was cut to just one goal. Hosam Aieshon latched onto a great through ball through the defence before running at goal and firing a shot in off Chambers. It was a very poor goal to concede.

The whole performance was disappointing, but I must give Ostersunds some credit for a very well taken second goal. The impressive Sema turned his marker inside the area before powering a quality finish in at the far post.

With less than 25 minutes of the second leg gone our previously comfortable lead was looking in danger of slipping away, but fortunately Curtis Edwards' long-range strike sailed wide.

Arsenal finally started to create more chances, but without causing too much trouble to Aly Keita in the Ostersunds goal. Welbeck's shot was blocked behind by the defence before the striker saw a header saved by Keita soon after. Wilshere also tried his luck before half-time, but the midfielder's half-volley flew over the crossbar.

Saman Ghoddos saw his free-kick comfortably saved by Ospina as Ostersunds ended the first half 2-0 up and only one goal behind on aggregate.

It was a massive relief when Sead Kolasinac, who was probably our main attacking threat on the night, calmed the nerves by reducing the deficit within two minutes of the restart. Ronald Mukiibi tried to clear a cross from Hector Bellerin, but instead missed the ball and Kolasinac was on hand to fire it home from close range.

Ostersunds nearly restored their two-goal advantage after a flick on by Hopcutt, but Ospina reacted quickly to save it before Mukiibi could get anything on the ball.

Arsenal were certainly not at their best, but they began to create some more chances as the second half wore on. Mohamed Elneny saw his strike excellently parried by Keita before the Ostersunds shot-stopper denied Welbeck and Kolasinac soon after.

As the game entered its final quarter there was still something of a nervousness about Arsenal and the tie wasn't out of sight just yet. Substitute Tesfaldet Tekie saw his long-range shot blocked by Chambers before Dino Islamovic's effort was deflected wide.

Iwobi shot high and wide late on as Arsenal continued to disappoint, but the Gunners nearly snatched a draw right at the death. Welbeck ran into the box and dragged the ball onto his left foot before seeing his shot well blocked by Keita.

Arsenal held on to progress into the last 16, but Wilshere summed up our evening perfectly after the game when he told the club's official website that "we were nowhere near good enough".

ROUND OF 16
If we repeat that second leg performance then our Europa League journey may well be just two more games away from ending.

Napoli suffered a surprise exit but, with the likes of Atletico Madrid, Borussia Dortmund, Lazio and Lyon still in the competition, it is going to be a huge ask if we are going to go all the way in the Europa League.

We are eight points off fourth-placed Chelsea in the Premier League, so our European adventure is definitely our best route for getting Champions League football next season, albeit it a very unlikely one.

But whilst there is still hope, no matter how faint, we mustn't give up, and we need to dramatically up our game in the next round.

Whoever we get in Friday's draw, it is going to be a difficult task in the round of 16 and we are too inconsistent to truly analyse our chances. One thing is for sure though, there is very little margin for error.

MY FINAL THOUGHTS
We did it with a whimper in the second leg, but qualification for the round of 16 was still assured.

We must now forget about it and regroup and put all of our focus into the Carabao Cup Final.

Admittedly it isn't as prestigious as the FA Cup, but it is still the chance of silverware. We will go into the game as massive underdogs and, if we perform like we did in the second leg against Ostersunds, Premier League leaders Manchester City will punish us big time!

Anything can happen in cup football, but City are a superb side so there will be very little margin for error and we will have to make sure we are at the top of our game to stand any kind of chance.

It is hard to see past a Manchester City win if I am being really honest, but it is a one-off cup final game and anything can happen and it will likely come down to who wants it more on the day.

Please Arsenal let it be you!

COME ON YOU GUNNERS

Gunners brush aside Ostersunds in Sweden

Arsenal may not have been at their fluid best, but it was still job done after a 3-0 win in the first leg of their round of 32 Europa League tie at Ostersunds FK.

The Gunners were in control for large spells of the game in Sweden and should really have made more of it, but to score three away from home, regardless of the opposition, sets things up nicely for the second leg.

The starting line-up was probably the strongest we have used so far in the competition, which reflected that this truly is our best route back into the Champions League albeit a very tough one given some of the teams left in it.

Arsenal survived an early scare following a late challenge by Shkodran Mustafi, but fortunately the decision was given in the visitors' favour by way of a throw-in.

From then on the Gunners dominated with Danny Welbeck heading off target before Henrikh Mkhitaryan saw his effort blocked by the defence.

Arsenal continued to pour forward with Mesut Ozil pouncing on a loose ball before clipping it back to Mkhitaryan, but superb last ditch defending saw the Armenian's effort cleared off the line.

But Arsene Wenger's men made the break through after 13 minutes when Alex Iwobi's tame shot was spilled by Aly Keita in the Ostersunds goal, leaving Nacho Monreal to tuck in the rebound.

Ostersunds were struggling to even get beyond the halfway line as Mkhitaryan saw a shot blocked before his next effort was superbly parried by Keita.

Arsenal made their dominance count as they doubled their advantage after 23 minutes following a Sotirios Papagiannopoulos' own goal. A good passing move ended with Hector Bellerin putting the ball in, but it was stopped by the defence. Fortunately for Arsenal the defence gifted it straight back and Mkhitaryan's ball across goal went in off the centre-back.

Mkhitaryan saw a shot comfortably saved by Keita before Ostersunds gradually began to grow into the game. Salisu Abdullhi Gero's header was straight at captain for the evening David Ospina in the Arsenal goal, but the hosts came very close to reducing the deficit soon after. After gifting the ball straight to Ostersunds, Saman Ghoddos saw his volley from the edge of the area excellently tipped over the crossbar by the Colombian shot-stopper.

Ghoddos wasted another chance shortly after the half hour mark as his tame shot was comfortably saved by Ospina, who then kept out Curtis Edwards' deflected strike.

The game was a great chance for Danny Welbeck to prove his worth and put himself into the manager's thoughts for more game time in the Premier League. The recent injury to Alexandre Lacazette and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang being cup-tied leaves Welbeck as Arsenal's main attacking option in the Europa League, but he didn't really take it.

He didn't have too many chances, but should have done better with those that he did. The England striker sent an effort over the bar before seeing another shot saved by Keita, although that one was pulled back for offside.

During a decent counter attack Welbeck maybe should have passed it to his team-mate Iwobi, who had made a great run, but instead he dithered and lost the ball.

At the other end, Ken Sema's free-kick was saved by Ospina before Ghoddos sent a shot into the side netting following a lapse in concentration by Arsenal. Mkhitaryan shot just over the crossbar as Arsenal took a comfortable 2-0 lead in at the break.

Keita failed to hold onto a ball in from Mohamed Elneny within 11 minutes of the restart, but fortunately for the goalkeeper his defence bailed him out to clear the danger. But Arsenal didn't have to wait too long to extend their lead as Ozil added the third goal shortly before the hour mark. The German international exchanged passes with Mkhitaryan before stroking the ball beyond Keita who got something to it, but couldn't stop it from crossing the line.

The second half wasn't very lively in terms of chances as Elneny sent a long-range effort over the cross bar after 64 minutes.

Ostersunds were handed a great chance to reduce the deficit in stoppage time when Tesfaldet Teki was fouled in the box by Hector Bellerin, but Ospina dived low to his right to save Tom Pettersson's penalty.

Maybe the scoreline should have been more, but 3-0 away from home is still a decent result, especially as we have struggled on our travels on a number of occasions this season.

SECOND LEG
FA Cup weekend is looming and the fact we have no game reminds me yet again of our embarrassing exit at the ends of Nottingham Forest.

This also means our next match is in fact the second leg of our round of 32 Europa League tie. Fair play to Graham Potter, who made eight Premier League appearances for Southampton, for the great job he has done at Ostersunds FK, but barring anything ridiculous we should progress without any real problems.

Being already three goals to the good should mean we are more or less into the last 16, but we need to make sure we take nothing for granted and we put in a performance to be proud of at the Emirates.

Admittedly the opposition isn't the greatest, but we need to really go out there all guns blazing and get another big morale boosting win.

With the likes of Borussia Dortmund, Atletico Madrid, Lyon, Napoli and Lazio still in the competition, going all the way is going to be a huge ask so we need to go out there and prove what we are made of.

MY FINAL THOUGHTS
It is hard to think too far ahead in the Europa League and we need to just take each game one at a time.

We are capable of going all the way, but assuming we cruise into the next round it could also falter at the next hurdle.

Depending on the draw there is the potential for some very difficult ties in the last 16 and there will be little margin for error, so we will need to be more clinical with our chances.

After the second leg is the big task of the Carabao Cup clash against Manchester City, where we will be huge underdogs, but we need to not give up hope and replicate our performances from some of our recent Wembley finals.

COME ON YOU GUNNERS

Kane header denies Gunners in NLD

Harry Kane was the difference as Arsenal lost the North London derby 1-0 in what was a less than happy return against bitter rivals Tottenham at Wembley.

The Spurs striker missed a few other decent chances, but his brilliantly taken 49th-minute header proved decisive as the host controlled the second half.

The first half was a fairly even affair with both defences on top at a ground where Arsenal have won some big games in recent years. But the Gunners barely had a look in after Kane's goal. Any NLD defeat hurts, especially with Spurs now seven points above us in the table, but for me the most disappointing fact of all is that we mustered only one shot on target in the whole match.

Petr Cech kept the score down with some key saves, but was unable to change the outcome of the game, while he also had a moment of madness with a poor kick that almost cost a goal.

Although this was always going to be a tough game, on paper the Arsenal line-up looked exciting, especially with new signings Henrikh Mkhitaryan and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang both starting. With the likes of this duo, Mesut Ozil and Jack Wilshere on the pitch, it had the potential to be great, but in truth we barely threatened in attack. Being denied by a tight offside call and forcing one decent save out of Hugo Lloris is about as good as it got for us.

Kane looked to be in on goal after just nine minutes, but fortunately for Arsenal Shkodran Mustafi was on hand to make a crucial challenge to put the ball behind for a corner.

One of Arsenal's best moments of the first half came when Wilshere produced a defence-splitting pass for Aubameyang. I genuinely thought he was onside, albeit very narrowly, but the linesman raised his flag and the attack was halted.

Spurs wasted the chances that came their way in the first half with some poor headed efforts. Cech comfortably saved the efforts from Christian Eriksen and Eric Dier, while Kane's flew over the crossbar.

In a half of few chances Hector Bellerin tried his luck five minutes before the break, but the Spanish defender's effort failed to cause any real danger to Lloris in the Tottenham goal.

The game's only goal came in the opening minutes of the second half as Kane rose highest to power a great header beyond Cech from Ben Davies' cross.

From that point onwards Spurs bossed most of the rest of the game and really should have doubled their advantage soon after, but somehow Kane headed wide.

Although Spurs were on top, the fact they kept wasting chances gave Arsenal a glimmer of hope as Eriksen's free-kick was tipped over the crossbar by Cech. But the Gunners failed to capitalise on the few opportunities that came their way and the closet the came to scoring was when Lloris parried Wilshere's curling effort after 68 minutes.

Tottenham continued to enjoy the better chances, but both Dele Alli and Erik Lamela sent their shots off target. Those missed chances really should have come back to haunt Spurs, but substitute Alexandre Lacazette missed two great chances for Arsenal late on. The striker had time and space when the ball came to him from Bellerin's cross, but somehow he managed to blaze his first-time effort over the crossbar. Lacazettte then latched onto a through ball from fellow substitute Alex Iwobi soon after, but this time he shot wide in what was a big let off for Spurs.

That really should have seen us nick a point against our rivals in what was Nacho Monreal's 200th appearance for the club, but in truth Spurs annoyingly deserved their victory.

We outclassed them in a 2-0 victory at the Emirates back in November, but unfortunately this latest performance was nowhere near to that standard.

OPPOSITION VIEW
Tottenham fan Anthony Rayment believes his side were more than worthy winners and weren't caused too many problems at Wembley.

"Arsene Wenger spoke recently about balancing attack and defence," said Rayment. "It seemed that Arsenal in the first half tried to soak up Tottenham pressure and defend solidly and then hit fast on the counter.

"The counter never seemed to happen however and, although Spurs were frustrated, Arsenal were not much of a threat.

"Second half Spurs did what they did against Liverpool and piled on relentless pressure. Kane getting his goal early was vital as it meant Arsenal had to come out, which plays right into Spurs' hands.

"Tottenham should have had a few more with Arsenal's keeper being their best player. It would have been criminal if Arsenal had stolen a point at the death and Spurs deserved the win.

"Tottenham look odds on to get top four, but I have no idea about Arsenal. Everything behind the front three looks a mess away from home and top four looks very hard for them now."

MY FINAL THOUGHTS
Not only do any defeats to Spurs hurt a lot, but we also have to wait a long time before we can attempt to get back to winning ways in the league as the next outing isn't until next month.

Focus must now switch to the Europa League as our next two matches are the two legs of our round of 32 tie against Swedish side Östersunds FK. We go into the game as huge favourites and really should be winning both legs, although with Arsenal you just never know what is going to happen next.

Of course we need to make sure we don't underestimate Graham Potter's side, who have reached this stage of the competition on merit, but this is virtually our only chance of getting Champions League football next season. It is a long shot as there are still top sides left in the tournament, but we have to take it very seriously.

The two-legged tie and the Carabao Cup Final clash against Manchester City are the remaining games left in February, so this month will decide if we can at least get any trophies this season. Let's at least make sure we do this bit right!

COME ON YOU GUNNERS

Gunners smash Toffees on Aubameyang debut

If you'd told me before the game Aaron Ramsey would get a hat-trick, with three assists for Henrikh Mkhitaryan and a debut goal for Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, I may not have believed you.

Arsenal did just that though in what was a thumping 5-1 win over Everton at the Emirates. If this is a sign of things to come then maybe things are finally on the up and we can have a strong final three months of the season.

But no matter how good we were against Everton and how pleasing on the eye it was, it doesn't paper over the cracks of some very poor results including the recent defeat at Swansea.

It is typical that this is one of the few matches I missed, although I have now caught up on it, and to get three goals inside the opening 20 minutes is fantastic. I won't get carried away as it is just one result, but I'm certainly going to enjoy it. Losing players including Alexis Sanchez and Olivier Giroud was tough, but Mkhitaryan and Aubameyang have at least given us reasons to feel optimistic.

Our attacking force now looks stronger again, but I still feel we need to strengthen the defence if we are to truly mount more of a title challenge next season. Things are still far from perfect, but the link up play between Mkhitaryan and Aubameyang is certainly exciting and this was one hell of a win. Fingers crossed it can be the start of a great run of form.

It took just six minutes for Arsenal to open the scoring and what a lovely move it was. Mesut Ozil, who has just signed a new contract with the club, set up Aubameyang, whose clever pass found Mkhitaryan for the Armenian to cross for Ramsey to score from close range.

Mkhitaryan's long-range effort hit a post soon after, while Aubameyang's shot deflected behind for a corner as the Gunners looked hungry for goals.

The next goal didn't take too long to arrive and after 15 minutes Arsenal had doubled their advantage. Ozil's corner was flicked on by Shkodran Mustafi for his fellow defender Laurent Koscielny to head in.

Ramsey added his second five minutes later as his shot from the edge of the box deflected in beyond Jordan Pickford following great play from Alex Iwobi and Ozil.

At the other end, Cuco Martina shot harmlessly wide before former Gunner Theo Walcott, who only left us earlier in the month, wasted arguably Everton's best chance of the first half. The forward ran towards goal and looked odds on to score after getting the better of Nacho Monreal, but Mustafi denied him with a superb sliding cover tackle.

Arsenal increased their lead eight minutes before the break as Aubameyang latched onto a pass from Mkhitaryan before dinking the ball over Pickford.

It could have been more for the Gunners before half-time, but Monreal saw his header hit a post before sending a deflected shot wide for a corner. Monreal was forced off sick at the break with Sead Kolasinac coming on in his place.

Everton nearly reduced the deficit within six minutes of the restart following a fine ball into the box by Walcott, but Oumar Niasse's effort hit a post.

Mkhitaryan continued to look lively for Arsenal in the second half, but he wasted the chance to get his name on the scoresheet when he shot straight at Pickford following a good exchange of passes with Ozil.

Everton grabbed a consolation goal after 65 minutes as substitute Dominic Calvert-Lewin headed in a cross from Martina, but Arsenal soon resumed control by restoring their four-goal advantage. Mkhitaryan once again provided the assist as his pull back was met by a low first-time strike from Ramsey, who completed an excellent hat-trick.

Shortly before that goal the hosts lost goalkeeper Petr Cech to a calf injury, so David Ospina played the final 20 minutes and it is unclear as of yet how long the Gunners' number one will be out for.

Everton substitute Tom Davies tried to help reduce the deficit further when he set up Calvert-Lewin, but his fellow substitute shot harmlessly wide as Arsenal romped to victory.

OPPOSITION VIEW
Everton fan Paul O'Neill was left feeling unhappy with the performance and is not convinced by new loan signing Eliaquim Mangala, who joined the club from Manchester City.

"Absolutely terrible performance from the boys in the first half," said O'Neill. Thankful we only drew 1-1 in the second half - 'politician response'.

"What an embarrassing first half, the Emirates dominated the Blue boys and it was gutting. Class told and some amount of millions from Wenger eventually paid off.

"I'm grateful eventually we got a goal, but if Everton want to challenge the top boys we can't start like that anywhere for the first 20 minutes.

"Mangala is a prime example of why you should never sign a Premier League reject from any club. Clueless and absolutely no presence for the first 20 minutes.

"I felt sorry for Williams when he tried to positionally dictate what was going on. A fair result we all move on."

MY FINAL THOUGHTS
If that is a sign of things to come then brilliant! But I am well aware that anything could happen in the final months of the season and we still have plenty of work to do.

If there was ever the performance you wanted to prepare for the upcoming NLD, it would be this one so from that point of view it was very positive and the new signings certainly look great. It was also excellent to see Ramsey get three goals as it will boost his confidence and hopefully he can show more of the same in the upcoming matches.

A trip to our bitter rivals Tottenham is next up and presents a completely different challenge. If we can play like that, or replicate the performance from the reverse fixture against them, then it could be a special day, but I am taking nothing for granted.

It will be a tough game so there is no margin for error! This isn't just about three points, this is the NLD, so there are no excuses for the whole squad not to be fired up for this one! Let's go do this!

COME ON YOU GUNNERS