Danny Welbeck struck twice, including a controversial penalty, as Arsenal beat AC Milan 3-1 on the night and 5-1 on aggregate in their round of 16 Europa League tie.
Arsenal took a 2-0 advantage into the second leg and both sides had good chances in what was an open match at the Emirates.
AC Milan gave the hosts an early scare inside the opening two minutes as Andre Silva flashed a shot into the side netting.
Arsenal's first chance fell to Laurent Koscielny, but the defender's header looped over the bar before he was forced off injured after just 10 minutes. After the match manager Arsene Wenger confirmed the injury does not seem as bad as it looked and, although it isn't serious,the defender cramped up at the time and couldn't continue.
The Gunners came even closer after 25 minutes when Henrikh Mkhitaryan set up Welbeck, but the striker's effort was well saved by Gianluigi Donnarumma in the Milan goal.
Milan turned the tie on its head and moved to within one goal of Arsenal after Hakan Calhanoglu's superb piercing strike from 30 yards after 36 minutes.
Arsenal raced up the other end to level the match via a controversial penalty. Welbeck got the wrong side of Ricardo Rodriguez after being played in by Mkhitaryan before going down under very minimal contact from the defender. It was very soft, but the penalty was given and Welbeck calmly slotted it past Donnarumma.
Milan wasted the chance to move back in front when Calhanoglu sliced a shot wide before Alessio Romagnoli lofted an effort over the crossbar.
The hosts also missed an opportunity to regain their lead on the night late in the first half as Jack Wilshere's effort was well kept out by Donnarumma.
Arsenal went in at the break at 1-1 and crucially 3-1 up on aggregate, meaning there was no chance of extra time and the next 45 minutes would decide the outcome one way or another.
Donnarumma came to Milan's rescue within seven minutes of the restart as Mkhitaryan latched onto a pass from Mesut Ozil before seeing his shot parried away for a corner by the visiting goalkeeper.
Milan refused to give up and were still creating chances with Suso's shot from the edge of the penalty area sailing just wide, before youngster Patrick Cutrone sent his volley off target.
Nikola Kalinic wasted a glorious chance to get Milan back in the tie after 68 minutes when a swerving cross picked him out in a great position, but the substitute could only send his header straight into the arms of David Ospina.
Arsenal moved 2-1 in front on the night and three goals clear on aggregate with a well-taken, yet fortuitous goal, after 71 minutes. Granit Xhaka powered a long-range shot towards goal and, although he hit it well, Donnarumma should have done better than to allow it to squirm into the net.
The hosts added further gloss to the scoreline five minutes from time when Wilshere ran into the box and clipped a cross in, which Donnarumma spilled and Welbeck was able to head in the rebound.
The lively Wilshere nearly grabbed a late goal for himself as his curling effort sailed just wide, but it didn't stop Arsenal from securing their place in this season's Europa League quarter-final.
QUARTER FINALS
When we got drawn against AC Milan I think many people feared the worst, especially with our poor form going into the first leg, but instead we showed grit and determination to deservedly book our place in the final eight.
There are some excellent sides still left in the competition, most notably Atletico Madrid, so whoever we face it won't be easy.
The other seven sides into the quarter final are Atletico Madrid, Marseille, Lazio, Sporting Lisbon, RB Leipzig, Salzburg and CSKA Moscow.
FC Red Bull Salzburg knocked out out Borussia Dortmund in the round of 16 so certainly can't be underestimated, but I think they would be my ideal pick to face in the next round.
No tie is going to be easy, but I think if we can at least avoid Atletico Madrid then we stand a good chance.
Roll on Friday's draw so we can find out who we will be playing in the quarter final.
MY FINAL THOUGHTS
It is frustrating to think our next game is now not until April's visit of Stoke, so a break of more than two weeks.
We were due to play Leicester next, but that has been delayed due to the Foxes' involvement in the FA Cup. Weirdly the new clash against Leicester at the moment appears to be after the final league weekend of the season is meant to be.
Although the wait for the next game is annoying, at least we got the job done and got through our two-legged tie with Milan!
COME ON YOU GUNNERS
Friday, 16 March 2018
Sunday, 11 March 2018
Gunners sting Hornets to halt league slump
Our league campaign has been a mess, but Arsenal at least managed to end a run of three straight Premier League defeats with a 3-0 win over Watford.
It doesn't paper over the cracks of what has gone before, but it was certainly a much-needed win and Arsene Wenger's 700th for the Gunners.
Arsenal started brightly and came close to opening the scoring after just three minutes when Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang latched onto Mesut Ozil's through ball, but the striker's effort was turned away by Orestis Karnezis in the Watford goal.
The Gunners made no mistake after eight minutes when Shkodran Mustafi headed in Ozil's free-kick for Arsenal's 1000th home Premier League goal - we are only the second team to reach that landmark.
That goal also saw Ozil become the fastest player to reach 50 Premier League assists, which he achieved in just 141 games.
Watford had a great opportunity to level the scores after 12 minutes when Richarlison set up Abdoulaye Doucoure, but his deflected strike was well saved by Arsenal goalkeeper Petr Cech.
Arsenal continued to create chances with Mohamed Elneny passing through to Sead Kolasinac, but Aubameyang couldn't quite get enough on the full-back's low ball into the box.
Richarlison tried to get Watford back into the game, but his free-kick hit a post before Roberto Pereryra blasted the rebound over the crossbar.
Back came Arsenal and Ozil cleverly worked his way into the box, only for his shot to be kept out by the outstretched leg of Karnezis.
Watford tried, but failed, to find an equaliser before half-time as Richarlison's header was tipped behind for a corner by Cech.
The cushion of a second goal finally came for Arsenal after 59 minutes as Henrikh Mkhitaryan ran at the defence and played a through ball into Aubameyang, who took a touch to take it past Karnezis and score from close range.
The game very nearly turned on its head two minutes later as Watford were awarded a penalty after Ainsley Maitland-Niles was adjudged to have fouled Pereyra in the box.
Troy Deeney, who said Arsenal players must look at themselves and show 'cojones' after Watford's 2-1 win in October's reverse fixture, stepped up to take the penalty. Fortunately for Arsenal Cech was on hand to dive to his right and palm away Deeney's spot-kick - his first Arsenal penalty save.
Mustafi was forced off with a groin problem after 72 minutes and will have to be assessed before the extent of the damage is known.
Arsenal put the result beyond doubt 13 minutes from time when Rob Holding's excellent through ball found Ozil, whose cutback was saved by Karnezis, but fell to Aubameyang and he set up Mkhitaryan to fire home.
Substitute Danny Welbeck tried to add further gloss to the scoreline late on, but his effort was kept out by Karnezis.
Watford were unable to find a consolation goal meaning Cech kept his 200th clean sheet and becomes the first goalkeeper to achieve that feat in Premier League history.
A much-needed win to halt our poor run of league form, but eight points behind fifth-placed Chelsea and 12 off Liverpool in fourth simply isn't good enough.
OPPOSITION VIEW
Watford fan Paul Caygill believes the best team on the day won at the Emirates and is nervous about the club's next league game away at Liverpool.
"It was a strange game," said Caygill. "In the first 10 minutes we gave too much respect, although there was not too much wrong with the first goal, just a great header.
"Gradually we got a foothold in the game and missed a good few chances as well as Arsenal. When Karnezis, who I felt was our best player, denied Ozil on the half hour that was the game changer.
"I did feel the first 15 minutes of the second half was our best spell of the match, but we didn’t test Cech enough. The killer was the second goal, because it knocked us out of stride, until the penalty.
"That goes in, you could see the crowd getting very nervous. Deeney misses, which considering his comments back in October, is probably ironic.
"That killed the game really and a third was inevitable. Overall the best team on the day won, and we should still be safe, but I’m not feeling confident about Anfield on Saturday teatime on this evidence."
MY FINAL THOUGHTS
With confidence low and things in a mess the recent wins against AC Milan and Watford are a big morale boost for the Gunners.
Even if this is the start of a good run of form it won't stop it from being a poor league campaign, but at least there has been more positives in the last two games in all competitions.
Focus must now quickly switch to the second leg of our Europa League round of 16 tie against AC Milan.
The job is only half done, but after a surprise 2-0 win in Italy the tie is firmly in our favour. I am taking nothing for granted as anything could happen, but I feel better about our chances than I thought I would have done at this stage after being handed a tough draw.
Our next league match will see us travel to Leicester, which will undoubtedly be a tough game, but we need to make sure we produce a decent performance.
COME ON YOU GUNNERS
It doesn't paper over the cracks of what has gone before, but it was certainly a much-needed win and Arsene Wenger's 700th for the Gunners.
Arsenal started brightly and came close to opening the scoring after just three minutes when Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang latched onto Mesut Ozil's through ball, but the striker's effort was turned away by Orestis Karnezis in the Watford goal.
The Gunners made no mistake after eight minutes when Shkodran Mustafi headed in Ozil's free-kick for Arsenal's 1000th home Premier League goal - we are only the second team to reach that landmark.
That goal also saw Ozil become the fastest player to reach 50 Premier League assists, which he achieved in just 141 games.
Watford had a great opportunity to level the scores after 12 minutes when Richarlison set up Abdoulaye Doucoure, but his deflected strike was well saved by Arsenal goalkeeper Petr Cech.
Arsenal continued to create chances with Mohamed Elneny passing through to Sead Kolasinac, but Aubameyang couldn't quite get enough on the full-back's low ball into the box.
Richarlison tried to get Watford back into the game, but his free-kick hit a post before Roberto Pereryra blasted the rebound over the crossbar.
Back came Arsenal and Ozil cleverly worked his way into the box, only for his shot to be kept out by the outstretched leg of Karnezis.
Watford tried, but failed, to find an equaliser before half-time as Richarlison's header was tipped behind for a corner by Cech.
The cushion of a second goal finally came for Arsenal after 59 minutes as Henrikh Mkhitaryan ran at the defence and played a through ball into Aubameyang, who took a touch to take it past Karnezis and score from close range.
The game very nearly turned on its head two minutes later as Watford were awarded a penalty after Ainsley Maitland-Niles was adjudged to have fouled Pereyra in the box.
Troy Deeney, who said Arsenal players must look at themselves and show 'cojones' after Watford's 2-1 win in October's reverse fixture, stepped up to take the penalty. Fortunately for Arsenal Cech was on hand to dive to his right and palm away Deeney's spot-kick - his first Arsenal penalty save.
Mustafi was forced off with a groin problem after 72 minutes and will have to be assessed before the extent of the damage is known.
Arsenal put the result beyond doubt 13 minutes from time when Rob Holding's excellent through ball found Ozil, whose cutback was saved by Karnezis, but fell to Aubameyang and he set up Mkhitaryan to fire home.
Substitute Danny Welbeck tried to add further gloss to the scoreline late on, but his effort was kept out by Karnezis.
Watford were unable to find a consolation goal meaning Cech kept his 200th clean sheet and becomes the first goalkeeper to achieve that feat in Premier League history.
A much-needed win to halt our poor run of league form, but eight points behind fifth-placed Chelsea and 12 off Liverpool in fourth simply isn't good enough.
OPPOSITION VIEW
Watford fan Paul Caygill believes the best team on the day won at the Emirates and is nervous about the club's next league game away at Liverpool.
"It was a strange game," said Caygill. "In the first 10 minutes we gave too much respect, although there was not too much wrong with the first goal, just a great header.
"Gradually we got a foothold in the game and missed a good few chances as well as Arsenal. When Karnezis, who I felt was our best player, denied Ozil on the half hour that was the game changer.
"I did feel the first 15 minutes of the second half was our best spell of the match, but we didn’t test Cech enough. The killer was the second goal, because it knocked us out of stride, until the penalty.
"That goes in, you could see the crowd getting very nervous. Deeney misses, which considering his comments back in October, is probably ironic.
"That killed the game really and a third was inevitable. Overall the best team on the day won, and we should still be safe, but I’m not feeling confident about Anfield on Saturday teatime on this evidence."
MY FINAL THOUGHTS
With confidence low and things in a mess the recent wins against AC Milan and Watford are a big morale boost for the Gunners.
Even if this is the start of a good run of form it won't stop it from being a poor league campaign, but at least there has been more positives in the last two games in all competitions.
Focus must now quickly switch to the second leg of our Europa League round of 16 tie against AC Milan.
The job is only half done, but after a surprise 2-0 win in Italy the tie is firmly in our favour. I am taking nothing for granted as anything could happen, but I feel better about our chances than I thought I would have done at this stage after being handed a tough draw.
Our next league match will see us travel to Leicester, which will undoubtedly be a tough game, but we need to make sure we produce a decent performance.
COME ON YOU GUNNERS
Thursday, 8 March 2018
Gunners stun Milan with comfortable away victory
It doesn't paper over the cracks, but what a superb result that was for Arsenal to get a 2-0 victory away at AC Milan in the first leg of their Europa League round of 16 tie.
Given our poor form and shattered confidence, and the fact that AC Milan haven't been conceding many goals of late, I didn't feel too hopeful ahead of the game, but Arsenal surprised me.
We travelled to Italy in a torrid run of form which has seen us lose four straight games for the first time since 2002. We really are in a rut, so this unexpected away victory was a pleasant surprise and felt really sweet.
In recent games we have looked fragile, especially at the back, but in Italy somehow we were playing as a more organised and disciplined team, chasing to win the ball back and showing a will to win.
Both sides wasted early chances as Arsenal's Henrikh Mkhitaryan and Milan's Patrick Cutrone both sent shots into the side netting.
The Gunners then broke the deadlock after 15 minutes as Mkhitaryan scored his first goal for the club since his January move from Manchester United. The Armenian midfielder collected the ball from Mesut Ozil before cutting back inside and unleashing a powerful strike beyond Gianluigi Donnarumma. Our opening goal ended a run of 599 minutes without conceding for AC Milan yet somehow we had managed it.
The game was only in its early stages and already we were showing better movement and pace than we had in the whole 90 minutes of our last few matches.
Arsenal continued to pose a threat as Calum Chambers' cross was nearly met by Danny Welbeck, but Milan defender Davide Calabria did enough to put the ball behind for a corner.
At the other end Arsenal goalkeeper David Ospina had to be alert and quick off his line to deny Cutrone.
With just three minutes of normal time remaining Arsenal missed two great chances to extend their advantage. Chambers' powerful strike was excellently palmed away by Donnarumma before the Milan goalkeeper stood his ground to deny Welbeck, who had raced through on goal.
Welbeck then turned provider to pass through to Mkhitaryan, but the midfielder's effort bounced behind off the crossbar.
Suso sent a shot high and wide for the hosts before Arsenal finally got the second goal their performance deserved deep into first-half stoppage time. Aaron Ramsey latched onto a fine pass from Ozil before rounding Donnarumma and tapping the ball into the net.
Where on earth had this come from? To go from being so poor lately to 2-0 up away at a side who have a good defensive record was very impressive, but also frustrating as to why we couldn't have done this more often.
Donnarumma did well to deny Welbeck in the early stages of the second half, but the Gunners weren't made to pay for that miss as Milan wasted all the chances that came their way.
Ricardo Rodriguez sent a volley off target before Ospina produced a great save, rushing from his line to deny Nikola Kalinic.
It is annoying that the defence and goalkeeper haven't shown this level of character more often this season and this result doesn't paper over the cracks, but a 2-0 win in Milan is certainly impressive.
SECOND LEG
Like most Arsenal fans I know the tie is far from over. 2-0 is a great result away from home against a team like AC Milan, but I am certainly taking nothing for granted.
The visit of Watford is before the second leg at the Emirates so we need to turn our attentions swiftly to that, but in terms of our Europa League round of 16 tie I am happy with how it stands so far.
Home advantage should in theory put us in pole position to qualify for the quarter finals, but with Arsenal anything is possible. We have at least given ourselves a great chance though.
AC Milan will be expected to come out for the second leg all guns blazing to try and turn the tie around and with our defensive frailties it can't be ruled out.
Instead of a poor first leg and giving ourselves a mountain to climb we have finally given ourselves a positive foothold going into the second leg.
I won't get too carried away as anything could happen, but the prospect of reaching the quarter-final actually seems even more possible than I had expected, so let's go give it our best shot.
MY FINAL THOUGHTS
A great performance, especially in the first half, and result left me feeling good, but the fact remains that we are too inconsistent.
Taking nothing away from the performance in Italy though as we thoroughly deserved the win.
Although our league campaign and any chance of a top-four finish is virtually already over, if we can replicate our performance against Milan for the rest of the season at least it won't be quite so depressing.
I still feel change would be a good thing in the summer, but at least we have a surprisingly positive result to talk about and our Europa League journey remains very much alive.
COME ON YOU GUNNERS
Given our poor form and shattered confidence, and the fact that AC Milan haven't been conceding many goals of late, I didn't feel too hopeful ahead of the game, but Arsenal surprised me.
We travelled to Italy in a torrid run of form which has seen us lose four straight games for the first time since 2002. We really are in a rut, so this unexpected away victory was a pleasant surprise and felt really sweet.
In recent games we have looked fragile, especially at the back, but in Italy somehow we were playing as a more organised and disciplined team, chasing to win the ball back and showing a will to win.
Both sides wasted early chances as Arsenal's Henrikh Mkhitaryan and Milan's Patrick Cutrone both sent shots into the side netting.
The Gunners then broke the deadlock after 15 minutes as Mkhitaryan scored his first goal for the club since his January move from Manchester United. The Armenian midfielder collected the ball from Mesut Ozil before cutting back inside and unleashing a powerful strike beyond Gianluigi Donnarumma. Our opening goal ended a run of 599 minutes without conceding for AC Milan yet somehow we had managed it.
The game was only in its early stages and already we were showing better movement and pace than we had in the whole 90 minutes of our last few matches.
Arsenal continued to pose a threat as Calum Chambers' cross was nearly met by Danny Welbeck, but Milan defender Davide Calabria did enough to put the ball behind for a corner.
At the other end Arsenal goalkeeper David Ospina had to be alert and quick off his line to deny Cutrone.
With just three minutes of normal time remaining Arsenal missed two great chances to extend their advantage. Chambers' powerful strike was excellently palmed away by Donnarumma before the Milan goalkeeper stood his ground to deny Welbeck, who had raced through on goal.
Welbeck then turned provider to pass through to Mkhitaryan, but the midfielder's effort bounced behind off the crossbar.
Suso sent a shot high and wide for the hosts before Arsenal finally got the second goal their performance deserved deep into first-half stoppage time. Aaron Ramsey latched onto a fine pass from Ozil before rounding Donnarumma and tapping the ball into the net.
Where on earth had this come from? To go from being so poor lately to 2-0 up away at a side who have a good defensive record was very impressive, but also frustrating as to why we couldn't have done this more often.
Donnarumma did well to deny Welbeck in the early stages of the second half, but the Gunners weren't made to pay for that miss as Milan wasted all the chances that came their way.
Ricardo Rodriguez sent a volley off target before Ospina produced a great save, rushing from his line to deny Nikola Kalinic.
It is annoying that the defence and goalkeeper haven't shown this level of character more often this season and this result doesn't paper over the cracks, but a 2-0 win in Milan is certainly impressive.
SECOND LEG
Like most Arsenal fans I know the tie is far from over. 2-0 is a great result away from home against a team like AC Milan, but I am certainly taking nothing for granted.
The visit of Watford is before the second leg at the Emirates so we need to turn our attentions swiftly to that, but in terms of our Europa League round of 16 tie I am happy with how it stands so far.
Home advantage should in theory put us in pole position to qualify for the quarter finals, but with Arsenal anything is possible. We have at least given ourselves a great chance though.
AC Milan will be expected to come out for the second leg all guns blazing to try and turn the tie around and with our defensive frailties it can't be ruled out.
Instead of a poor first leg and giving ourselves a mountain to climb we have finally given ourselves a positive foothold going into the second leg.
I won't get too carried away as anything could happen, but the prospect of reaching the quarter-final actually seems even more possible than I had expected, so let's go give it our best shot.
MY FINAL THOUGHTS
A great performance, especially in the first half, and result left me feeling good, but the fact remains that we are too inconsistent.
Taking nothing away from the performance in Italy though as we thoroughly deserved the win.
Although our league campaign and any chance of a top-four finish is virtually already over, if we can replicate our performance against Milan for the rest of the season at least it won't be quite so depressing.
I still feel change would be a good thing in the summer, but at least we have a surprisingly positive result to talk about and our Europa League journey remains very much alive.
COME ON YOU GUNNERS
Sunday, 4 March 2018
More defensive shambles as Seagulls down Gunners
Losing to Brighton was never going to be easy to accept, but it was the manner of Arsenal's performance that hurt the most after a shambles of a 2-1 away defeat.
The Gunners got exactly what they deserved in an appalling defensive first-half performance as goals from Lewis Dunk and Glenn Murray put Brighton 2-0 up.
Arsenal's confidence continues to dip in a run of torrid results and the visitors didn't even really get going until the closing minutes of the half, so Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang's well-taken goal at least kept the match alive.
Arsenal improved in the second half, but other than one superb save from Brighton goalkeeper Mathew Ryan, we really didn't trouble the Seagulls enough.
Credit to Brighton for doing a number on us and Colombian winger Jose Izquierdo was very impressive, but we should be doing far better in games like this.
The fact that many fans including myself weren't feeling as confident as we should have been ahead of this kind of fixture shows just how bad things have got and confidence is at an all-time low.
Mesut Ozil's body language in the first half looked that of someone disinterested in the match and, although I don't want to over analyse something like this as it could be misinterpreted, it is rather worrying.
Arsene Wenger has to take a huge portion of the responsibility for the shambles we saw out there, but the players also need to take a long hard look at themselves for that performance.
Arsenal wasted a few early opportunities as Alex Iwobi's shot was blocked by the defence before Ozil sent an effort over the crossbar soon after.
Those misses chances proved costly as Brighton opened the scoring after seven minutes - Shane Duffy headed the ball down from a corner and Dunk was on hand to turn the ball home.
Petr Cech had to be alert to save a shot from Pascal Gross before Dunk sent his next headed effort over the bar as Brighton continued to push forward.
Although we were a goal down we were having some decent possession, but what was disappointing is how little we were doing with it and on too many occasions we gifted the ball to them. Before this match we had only scored 15 goals in our last 14 away league games and that is a truly unacceptable statistic.
Cech made another save to keep the score down before Duffy sent a header over the bar, but Arsenal's number one goalkeeper was unable to do anything about Brighton's second goal after 26 minutes. Sloppy passing gifted possession back to the hosts and Murray peeled away from the disappointing Shkodran Mustafi to head home Gross' cross.
Gross wasted the chance to extend Brighton's lead when he shot straight at Cech and it took until around the 37 minute mark for Arsenal to start to threaten in attack. Ryan produced a decent save at his near post to deny Henrikh Mkhitaryan before the Gunners finally got on the scoresheet two minutes before the break. Granit Xhaka cleverly picked out Aubameyang, who flicked the ball into the net from close range.
Arsenal very nearly grabbed an equaliser in first-half stoppage time, but Laurent Koscielny's effort hit a post. Had the first half gone on longer maybe we could have turned it around as we were finally starting to play, but the chunk of the game that preceded this was far too woeful.
The Gunners showed more intent in the second half, but didn't produce enough quality in the final third. Mkhitaryan saw his effort comfortably gathered by Ryan, before the Australian goalkeeper produced a superb save to keep out Ozil's swerving shot from outside of the box.
Ryan made a rather routine save to keep out Mustafi before clawing Aubameyang's effort to safety. It was another important save, but the fact we didn't force Ryan into action more often is a big cause for concern.
There was a big talking point when Sead Kolasinac put in a strong challenge on Ezequiel Schelotto, who had to be substituted soon after. There wasn't any malice in the challenge, but as the full-back had already been booked he could maybe count himself lucky not to be punished further.
Brighton more than deserved to be ahead, but wasted some decent chances to put the result beyond doubt. The impressive Izquierdo shot wide before Murray was later put clear, but luckily for Arsenal he didn't have the pace to cause more damage.
Arsenal tried in vain to get back into the game as Mkhitaryan's shot deflected behind for a corner.
Brighton then put the ball in the net for a third time, but Murray's effort was rightly disallowed for offside.
Time was fast running out for Arsenal and their disappointing afternoon was summed up with four chances wasted in the final minutes of the match.
Substitute Eddie Nketiah's header was straight at Ryan before Ozil saw his effort deflected behind by Brighton full-back Bruno. Jack Wilshere sent a shot off target before officials signalled seven minutes of stoppage time.
We failed to use the extra minutes effectively, although came close to snatching a point at the death. Substitute Hector Bellerin headed the ball back across goal for Aubameyang, but the striker's shot on the turn was well saved by Ryan.
Cech's tweet after the match summed up the performance where he admitted you can't win a game away from home in the Premier League when you concede two goals like he did. As he rightly pointed out "the team fought back, but the damage was done". The damage has been done in the first half too often lately and it isn't good enough.
OPPOSITION VIEW
Brighton fan Kevin Ticehurst was over the moon after what was a great victory in his side's bid for survival as the Seagulls soared up to 10th in the table.
"Absolutely amazing, I’m literally still in shock," said Ticehurst. "Every time we came forward we looked like we were going to score, we had six shots on target in the first half.
"We looked so so dangerous going forward, we panicked when Arsenal got in or round our 18 yard box. Not sure how Kolasinac has stayed on the pitch!
"We punished every misplaced passed Arsenal did and caused so many problems at the back.
"Wenger will be gone now for sure. This result is huge for us and I see it as another three points towards safety!"
MY FINAL THOUGHTS
Although we have had a poor 2018 teams like Chelsea have been dropping points, which to some could have meant an opportunity to close the gap and a fighting chance of fourth. Instead we have imploded and stay sixth, with seventh-placed Burnley only five points behind us.
The season can't end quick enough and the Europa League presents our best chance of getting any kind of consolation out of a torrid campaign.
The two-legged round of 16 tie against AC Milan, sandwiched either side of the visit of Watford, now increases in magnitude and the performance will have to improve drastically if we are to avoid another drubbing.
Milan are beatable, but I don't feel that hopeful ahead of the tie. On our day we can be devastating, but those days are coming far too rarely these days and our frail defence has been at the fore instead.
Wenger needs to change tactics as he has got things horribly wrong and the players need to take a long hard look at themselves and show more pride in the shirt.
I can't help but feel nervous ahead of the trip to face AC Milan and I just hope that the Gunners can somehow prove me wrong.
I'll never forget the good times Wenger gave us earlier in his reign, but our consistently dire performances of late can't go on and change is needed.
Focus needs to switch 100% to not giving ourselves a mountain to climb in the second leg. We need a fast strong start and to take the game to the Italian outfit.
COME ON YOU GUNNERS
The Gunners got exactly what they deserved in an appalling defensive first-half performance as goals from Lewis Dunk and Glenn Murray put Brighton 2-0 up.
Arsenal's confidence continues to dip in a run of torrid results and the visitors didn't even really get going until the closing minutes of the half, so Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang's well-taken goal at least kept the match alive.
Arsenal improved in the second half, but other than one superb save from Brighton goalkeeper Mathew Ryan, we really didn't trouble the Seagulls enough.
Credit to Brighton for doing a number on us and Colombian winger Jose Izquierdo was very impressive, but we should be doing far better in games like this.
The fact that many fans including myself weren't feeling as confident as we should have been ahead of this kind of fixture shows just how bad things have got and confidence is at an all-time low.
Mesut Ozil's body language in the first half looked that of someone disinterested in the match and, although I don't want to over analyse something like this as it could be misinterpreted, it is rather worrying.
Arsene Wenger has to take a huge portion of the responsibility for the shambles we saw out there, but the players also need to take a long hard look at themselves for that performance.
Arsenal wasted a few early opportunities as Alex Iwobi's shot was blocked by the defence before Ozil sent an effort over the crossbar soon after.
Those misses chances proved costly as Brighton opened the scoring after seven minutes - Shane Duffy headed the ball down from a corner and Dunk was on hand to turn the ball home.
Petr Cech had to be alert to save a shot from Pascal Gross before Dunk sent his next headed effort over the bar as Brighton continued to push forward.
Although we were a goal down we were having some decent possession, but what was disappointing is how little we were doing with it and on too many occasions we gifted the ball to them. Before this match we had only scored 15 goals in our last 14 away league games and that is a truly unacceptable statistic.
Cech made another save to keep the score down before Duffy sent a header over the bar, but Arsenal's number one goalkeeper was unable to do anything about Brighton's second goal after 26 minutes. Sloppy passing gifted possession back to the hosts and Murray peeled away from the disappointing Shkodran Mustafi to head home Gross' cross.
Gross wasted the chance to extend Brighton's lead when he shot straight at Cech and it took until around the 37 minute mark for Arsenal to start to threaten in attack. Ryan produced a decent save at his near post to deny Henrikh Mkhitaryan before the Gunners finally got on the scoresheet two minutes before the break. Granit Xhaka cleverly picked out Aubameyang, who flicked the ball into the net from close range.
Arsenal very nearly grabbed an equaliser in first-half stoppage time, but Laurent Koscielny's effort hit a post. Had the first half gone on longer maybe we could have turned it around as we were finally starting to play, but the chunk of the game that preceded this was far too woeful.
The Gunners showed more intent in the second half, but didn't produce enough quality in the final third. Mkhitaryan saw his effort comfortably gathered by Ryan, before the Australian goalkeeper produced a superb save to keep out Ozil's swerving shot from outside of the box.
Ryan made a rather routine save to keep out Mustafi before clawing Aubameyang's effort to safety. It was another important save, but the fact we didn't force Ryan into action more often is a big cause for concern.
There was a big talking point when Sead Kolasinac put in a strong challenge on Ezequiel Schelotto, who had to be substituted soon after. There wasn't any malice in the challenge, but as the full-back had already been booked he could maybe count himself lucky not to be punished further.
Brighton more than deserved to be ahead, but wasted some decent chances to put the result beyond doubt. The impressive Izquierdo shot wide before Murray was later put clear, but luckily for Arsenal he didn't have the pace to cause more damage.
Arsenal tried in vain to get back into the game as Mkhitaryan's shot deflected behind for a corner.
Brighton then put the ball in the net for a third time, but Murray's effort was rightly disallowed for offside.
Time was fast running out for Arsenal and their disappointing afternoon was summed up with four chances wasted in the final minutes of the match.
Substitute Eddie Nketiah's header was straight at Ryan before Ozil saw his effort deflected behind by Brighton full-back Bruno. Jack Wilshere sent a shot off target before officials signalled seven minutes of stoppage time.
We failed to use the extra minutes effectively, although came close to snatching a point at the death. Substitute Hector Bellerin headed the ball back across goal for Aubameyang, but the striker's shot on the turn was well saved by Ryan.
Cech's tweet after the match summed up the performance where he admitted you can't win a game away from home in the Premier League when you concede two goals like he did. As he rightly pointed out "the team fought back, but the damage was done". The damage has been done in the first half too often lately and it isn't good enough.
OPPOSITION VIEW
Brighton fan Kevin Ticehurst was over the moon after what was a great victory in his side's bid for survival as the Seagulls soared up to 10th in the table.
"Absolutely amazing, I’m literally still in shock," said Ticehurst. "Every time we came forward we looked like we were going to score, we had six shots on target in the first half.
"We looked so so dangerous going forward, we panicked when Arsenal got in or round our 18 yard box. Not sure how Kolasinac has stayed on the pitch!
"We punished every misplaced passed Arsenal did and caused so many problems at the back.
"Wenger will be gone now for sure. This result is huge for us and I see it as another three points towards safety!"
MY FINAL THOUGHTS
Although we have had a poor 2018 teams like Chelsea have been dropping points, which to some could have meant an opportunity to close the gap and a fighting chance of fourth. Instead we have imploded and stay sixth, with seventh-placed Burnley only five points behind us.
The season can't end quick enough and the Europa League presents our best chance of getting any kind of consolation out of a torrid campaign.
The two-legged round of 16 tie against AC Milan, sandwiched either side of the visit of Watford, now increases in magnitude and the performance will have to improve drastically if we are to avoid another drubbing.
Milan are beatable, but I don't feel that hopeful ahead of the tie. On our day we can be devastating, but those days are coming far too rarely these days and our frail defence has been at the fore instead.
Wenger needs to change tactics as he has got things horribly wrong and the players need to take a long hard look at themselves and show more pride in the shirt.
I can't help but feel nervous ahead of the trip to face AC Milan and I just hope that the Gunners can somehow prove me wrong.
I'll never forget the good times Wenger gave us earlier in his reign, but our consistently dire performances of late can't go on and change is needed.
Focus needs to switch 100% to not giving ourselves a mountain to climb in the second leg. We need a fast strong start and to take the game to the Italian outfit.
COME ON YOU GUNNERS
Thursday, 1 March 2018
Gunners concede three against City again
A second defeat in under a week to Manchester City and a chance wasted to cut the gap on fourth-placed Tottenham after a disappointing 3-0 defeat at the Emirates.
Going into the match I always knew it was going to be tough against a side outplaying most teams that stand in their way this season, but that kind of result at home is unacceptable and simply not good enough.
For the first 15 minutes we played far better than we did in the whole match against the same opponents in the Carabao Cup Final less than a week ago.
Manchester City goalkeeper Ederson was quickly off his line to stop Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang getting to Aaron Ramsey's through ball early on.
Ramsey, who was Arsenal's only decent performer on the night, was in the thick of the action again when he squared the ball for Danny Welbeck. The ball hit Vincent Kompany before Ederson pounced on it to cut out the danger.
Arsenal continued to create chances as Henrikh Mkhitaryan latched onto a pass from Mesut Ozil, but the Armenian's effort was comfortably saved by Ederson.
The Gunners' decent start was then very quickly undone as Manchester City opened the scoring after 15 minutes. Leroy Sane was one of City's stand-out performers and he ran at the defence before setting up Bernardo Silva to curl the ball inside the far post.
Arsenal tried to find a way back into the game, but Granit Xhaka's free-kick was saved by Ederson before the Brazilian goalkeeper kept out Ramsey's powerful strike.
Although the result was unacceptable from Arsenal, especially at home, City deserve huge credit for some of their unplayable and sublime attacking in the first half that was worthy of winning any game.
City effectively ended the contest by doubling their advantage after 27 minutes when a great passing move ended with David Silva lifting the ball over Petr Cech at his near post.
The visitors added a third shortly after the half hour mark when a slick passing move ended with a tap in for Sane. It was an excellently worked goal, but conceding three goals at home should not be happening to a club like Arsenal and shows just what a mess we're in at the moment.
There is a reason why City have a 16-point lead over nearest challengers Manchester United and when they are at their best nobody can stop them, but the lack of spark and fightback from us is inexcusable.
I hope when Arsene Wenger eventually goes, fans look back and reflect fondly on the good times, but enough is enough we need change and cannot go on like this.
Replacing the likes of Thierry Henry, Dennis Bergkamp, Robert Pires and Patrick Vieira was always going to be a huge ask. Yes, the players we have now are not close to that calibre, but they are still more than good enough to perform better than we have been doing lately. The players need to buck their ideas up massively and Wenger needs to think about his next move. Change in the summer would allow for a fresh start and at the moment we head into each game almost dreading what might happen next.
Back to the match, and it could have been 4-0 before half-time had Cech not come to the rescue with a great save to deny Sergio Aguero from closer range.
Arsenal tried to muster a response in the first half but, other than Ramsey's shot deflecting behind for a corner and Ederson saving Xhaka's long-range shot, we didn't offer anywhere near enough in attack.
We were handed a lifeline within seven minutes of the restart after being awarded a penalty when Nicolas Otamendi kicked the back of leg of Mkhitaryan. Up stepped Aubameyang, but there was not enough power on the striker's spot-kick and Ederson kept it out with a diving save.
Arsenal dominated possession for the first 15-20 minutes of the second half, but without really taking advantage of it. Aubameyang sent a volley wide after nice build-up from a corner, but the Gunners really didn't offer enough in the final third.
For all our dominance in the second half, City still looked the more likely to score and nearly did through Aguero, but his powerful low strike was turned away by the outstretched hand of Cech.
City ran out comfortable winners as the mess at Arsenal continued.
OPPOSITION VIEW
Manchester City fan Joseph Barnes believes his side took things up another gear from their recent cup-winning performance against the Gunners.
"The first half is City proving we are better than the team that beat Arsenal at the weekend," said Barnes. "Sublime football with a cutting edge that is a class or two above anything else in the league.
"Going forward is superb, but a lot has to be said for the back line. Otamendi finally looks a player. Kompany back amongst the best in the league and the icing on the cake is the best sweeper keeper these shores have ever seen. Ederson could play centre mid...
"On Arsenal, Aubameyang has no confidence. Lacazette, I know he's injured, but he has no confidence, Welbeck no confidence, Ozil no confidence...Wenger has to go!"
MY FINAL THOUGHTS
This season has been our worst under Wenger and a truly painful one.
Although I don't think we will progress much further in it, the Europa League could at least offer a consolation, so we really must go all guns blazing in that competition and get things tactically spot on.
If we can fluke a spot in the Champions League via the Europa League route it would be a hell of a consolation, but I still wouldn't be happy as this season has been terrible and totally inexcusable.
We travel to Brighton in our next match and, although it is one we should win, the fact I am not 100% confident really says it all.
The performance levels definitely need to go up several notches!
COME ON YOU GUNNERS
Going into the match I always knew it was going to be tough against a side outplaying most teams that stand in their way this season, but that kind of result at home is unacceptable and simply not good enough.
For the first 15 minutes we played far better than we did in the whole match against the same opponents in the Carabao Cup Final less than a week ago.
Manchester City goalkeeper Ederson was quickly off his line to stop Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang getting to Aaron Ramsey's through ball early on.
Ramsey, who was Arsenal's only decent performer on the night, was in the thick of the action again when he squared the ball for Danny Welbeck. The ball hit Vincent Kompany before Ederson pounced on it to cut out the danger.
Arsenal continued to create chances as Henrikh Mkhitaryan latched onto a pass from Mesut Ozil, but the Armenian's effort was comfortably saved by Ederson.
The Gunners' decent start was then very quickly undone as Manchester City opened the scoring after 15 minutes. Leroy Sane was one of City's stand-out performers and he ran at the defence before setting up Bernardo Silva to curl the ball inside the far post.
Arsenal tried to find a way back into the game, but Granit Xhaka's free-kick was saved by Ederson before the Brazilian goalkeeper kept out Ramsey's powerful strike.
Although the result was unacceptable from Arsenal, especially at home, City deserve huge credit for some of their unplayable and sublime attacking in the first half that was worthy of winning any game.
City effectively ended the contest by doubling their advantage after 27 minutes when a great passing move ended with David Silva lifting the ball over Petr Cech at his near post.
The visitors added a third shortly after the half hour mark when a slick passing move ended with a tap in for Sane. It was an excellently worked goal, but conceding three goals at home should not be happening to a club like Arsenal and shows just what a mess we're in at the moment.
There is a reason why City have a 16-point lead over nearest challengers Manchester United and when they are at their best nobody can stop them, but the lack of spark and fightback from us is inexcusable.
I hope when Arsene Wenger eventually goes, fans look back and reflect fondly on the good times, but enough is enough we need change and cannot go on like this.
Replacing the likes of Thierry Henry, Dennis Bergkamp, Robert Pires and Patrick Vieira was always going to be a huge ask. Yes, the players we have now are not close to that calibre, but they are still more than good enough to perform better than we have been doing lately. The players need to buck their ideas up massively and Wenger needs to think about his next move. Change in the summer would allow for a fresh start and at the moment we head into each game almost dreading what might happen next.
Back to the match, and it could have been 4-0 before half-time had Cech not come to the rescue with a great save to deny Sergio Aguero from closer range.
Arsenal tried to muster a response in the first half but, other than Ramsey's shot deflecting behind for a corner and Ederson saving Xhaka's long-range shot, we didn't offer anywhere near enough in attack.
We were handed a lifeline within seven minutes of the restart after being awarded a penalty when Nicolas Otamendi kicked the back of leg of Mkhitaryan. Up stepped Aubameyang, but there was not enough power on the striker's spot-kick and Ederson kept it out with a diving save.
Arsenal dominated possession for the first 15-20 minutes of the second half, but without really taking advantage of it. Aubameyang sent a volley wide after nice build-up from a corner, but the Gunners really didn't offer enough in the final third.
For all our dominance in the second half, City still looked the more likely to score and nearly did through Aguero, but his powerful low strike was turned away by the outstretched hand of Cech.
City ran out comfortable winners as the mess at Arsenal continued.
OPPOSITION VIEW
Manchester City fan Joseph Barnes believes his side took things up another gear from their recent cup-winning performance against the Gunners.
"The first half is City proving we are better than the team that beat Arsenal at the weekend," said Barnes. "Sublime football with a cutting edge that is a class or two above anything else in the league.
"Going forward is superb, but a lot has to be said for the back line. Otamendi finally looks a player. Kompany back amongst the best in the league and the icing on the cake is the best sweeper keeper these shores have ever seen. Ederson could play centre mid...
"On Arsenal, Aubameyang has no confidence. Lacazette, I know he's injured, but he has no confidence, Welbeck no confidence, Ozil no confidence...Wenger has to go!"
MY FINAL THOUGHTS
This season has been our worst under Wenger and a truly painful one.
Although I don't think we will progress much further in it, the Europa League could at least offer a consolation, so we really must go all guns blazing in that competition and get things tactically spot on.
If we can fluke a spot in the Champions League via the Europa League route it would be a hell of a consolation, but I still wouldn't be happy as this season has been terrible and totally inexcusable.
We travel to Brighton in our next match and, although it is one we should win, the fact I am not 100% confident really says it all.
The performance levels definitely need to go up several notches!
COME ON YOU GUNNERS
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)