Hull 1 – 2 Arsenal, 3 points battled for, Brown leave the party now

14 03 2010

All that is important now is points and results, performances whilst nice are not essential. We need to battle as a team and take the 3 points to keep the pressure on Utd and Chelsea. Things looked good early in the game as we got another pre-15mins goal, this time from Arshavin as he bundled through two defenders then managed to get a shot off. From accounts of the game we looked like we were going to run away with it, but then an offside player was given a penalty. Hull were level. Phil Brown said Sol should have been sent off, not for that challenge, he did make contact but it was hardly scything him down. Oddly Hansen and Shearer agreed on MOTD that it was not red.

The equaliser gave Hull some impetus and they came back into the game. They managed to string passes together and make a few breaks on goal. Had I been watching live I would have been very worried. But yet again the dirty side of football came to the fore, a Hull player went in studs up on Denilson and was booked, whilst this was taking place Boetang and Bendtner appeared to come together – replays showed that Boetang struck Bendtner in the face but both players were shown yellow.

This was not to be the only card Boetang would see, he made a proper Englishman’s challenge on Sagna, right above the knee by planting his foot on the Arsenal player – just like Phil Brown likes to see. Should have been straight red but a yellow was shown.

Arsenal v 10 man Hull should have been easy but they went negative in the second half and we missed two sitters, a draw looked likely. But 3 points was ours, a Denilson shot was parried into the path of the advancing Bendtner who fired home an injury time winner. That might be really crucial come season end. 3 points was ours.

Now onto Phil Brown. Having studied at Allardyce Polytechnic he is not of Premier League calibre. I hope he and his team go down and he never darkens the doors of the Premier League again. Fuck you and your dirty anti-football Brown.

So we keep pressure up at the top of the league, we are joint on points with Chelsea and one ahead of Utd, yes they have a game in hand but they still have to play each other in a game that could take one team out of the title run. We need to keep winning, it doesn’t matter how crap we play, it’s the results from now on in that are important.

Believe Gooners


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Categories : Arsenal, Premier League Away games 09/10

Arsenal 5 – 0 Porto (agg6-2) Super Nic, Super Nasri, Super Arsenal

10 03 2010

In their last two visits to Arsenal, Porto lost 4-0 and 2-0. There was trepidation in some quarters that last night would see Arsenal struggle to overcome the 2-1 deficit we had from the first leg. No Fabregas, no Gallas, our fit striker having had a poor game on Saturday, some said everything pointed towards Arsenal struggling.

However this Arsenal side are putting distractions to one side and just getting on with playing football the way they want and, usually, winning. Despite fast starts, early goals have not been something we had seen this season; a lack of goals inside the opening 15 minutes has been oft commented on, but last night Nicklas Bendtner stepped up and fired home on 10 minutes following a header won by Arshavin then the Russian breaking with the ball. Nerves were settled and we took hold of the game. The attacking play we have come used to continued, chances were being created and had it not been for Porto ‘keeper Helton there would have been more goals early on. Bendtner was to provide our second on 25 minutes, redemption for him and a reward for fans’ patience on Saturday.

But at 2-0 up we knew that a goal for Porto would put the tie level again and our defence did at times look shaky, Sol in particular looked lost a few times and played some poor balls. But we weathered the storm, and going into the break two goals up was welcome tonic for all present.

The possibility of Porto being level in the tie was a little evident in the second half, we started slightly slower than in the first and Porto did seem to pick up play a bit better than we did. They attacked and had a few corners, the most worrying of which was a save on the line at the far post by Samir Nasri, who chested the ball down and Almunia gladly held the ball. This was not to be the only thing of note Nasri would do, shortly afterwards we broke down the Porto right. 3 defenders surrounded Nasri as he entered the box, some excellent footwork saw him round all three, then a shot past Helton into the far corner produced possibly one of the finest goals the home fans have seen in a while, certainly this season. 3-0 to Arsenal, the tie was ours.

Porto knew it, they sat back, but they still attacked. A counter attack from a corner, this time for Arsenal rather than against, was reminiscent of The Invincibles as Arshavin broke with the ball through the middle, he played the ball to substitute Eboue who rounded the keeper to fire home our fourth of the night. Eboue was again involved in the build up to our fifth goal, he was felled in the Porto area and Bendtner dispatched the resulting penalty to complete his first professional hattrick and complete the rout with virtually the last kick of the game.

Bendtner played as well as he did against Burnley, but this time the chances were converted and his 3 goals were good to see and will boost his confidence. I think the reception he got from the fans upon leaving the field on Saturday would have helped. Arshavin was excellent as well, he seems to excel in the European fixtures more so than he does in the Premier League, his trickery and footwork has more time in the European arena. Nasri, magnificent goal aside, was excellent in the “cesc” role and shows he can step into it when required.

So we are into the quarter finals of the Champions League, I hope we are not drawn against either English side (assuming they qualify) as I suspect they will not be beatable over the two legs given our recent performances against them, I also think it would hurt the team less to go out to a strong European side than it would to a domestic rival. I still think the Premier League is our more winnable trophy but am happy to see us progress further in the Champions League.

But we can revel in a demolition of Porto, 3 goals from Super Nic and a fine team performance. Come on you Gunners!!!!!


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Arsenal 3 – 1 Burnley, easy game made to look tough

7 03 2010

Yesterday we faced a Burnley side who have so far only taken 1 point this season away from home. We started well, a flowing game with chances but there was some trepidation, perhaps last week was still in the mind of the players who had all sported “get well soon Aaron” t-shirts before kick off to accompany the numerous banners from fans around the ground.

The game was tighter than form would suggest, whilst Arsenal controlled much of the early possession there was little to show for it, the real flashpoint in the early exchanges was Theo’s reaction to having to jump away from a two footed challenge on him – good to see some mettle from young Theo. Scoring was opened by a sublime piece of play, a looping ball over the back four from just outside of the box by Nasri was collected by Cesc who had played the give-and-go and he was there to slot the ball through the ‘keepers legs. But his magic was overshadowed by being taken off shortly after, only 40 minutes into the game, and going straight down the tunnel.

The second half saw us have a bit more of an impression on the game Walcott created a number of chances for Bendtner but he didn’t have his shooting (or heading) boots on as they all went begging. The crowd however remained on his side, which I think is what is needed in this run in. But all our work was to be undone by a defensive lapse and Burnley equalised.

But the players got stuck in, Theo in particular was playing possibly the best game I have seen him play for us. He was running and playing some fantastic crosses from the right, but again Bendtner did not fully connect, but the next time Theo had a chance from the right he became Mr Selfish and cut across the box then rifled a left foot shot (yes his left) into the far corner. A sublime goal to cap a great performance.

Bendtner was replaced by Eduardo and he got a good amount of applause by the crowd and signalled his appreciation, I would say his equaliser against Stoke was ultimately more important, and more impressive, than any of the goals he should have scored today, his performance bar the misses was good.

But chances continued to be wasted, Eduardo and Arshavin as our other substitute had opportunities to put the game out of sight but didn’t, Burnley could have made it 2-2 but our blushes were saved by poor technique. A late injury time goal was smashed into the back of the net by Arshavin who was sporting a home-made haircut for the occasion.

So it was a victory, 3 points is all we need from our games from now on so we can’t be too picky how we get them I feel. Theo was outstanding today though and was my man of the match, he played brilliantly and I hope he can keep that up till the season end. After the game Arsene said that Cesc has a hamstring problem, the same side as the one he did against Villa, and it will be a late decision about Porto on Tuesday, I don’t think he will play. I would rather not risk him and hamper our title run-in. But we shall see.

However we are still right up there in the title race, 3rd but only a point off the top and equal on points with Chelsea who don’t have a league game this weekend.


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Categories : Arsenal, Premier League Home games 09/10

The players need us, Burnley preview

6 03 2010

Today is another important match, as fans we need to be fully behind the team. Forget the poor performances by certain players, forget the mistakes that have cost goals and results. The team spirit was massively evident in the latter half of the Stoke game following the injury to Ramsey. That spirit needs to continue into the crowd, every home game this season needs a great atmosphere.

Today I think that will be helped by the support for Aaron, he says he is overwhelmed by the support he has received in his official statement, but you can tell he is clearly still distressed by the whole thing and also what is interesting is what (or who) he does not speak of. There will be a number of banners in the ground, REDaction and arseblog have had some made, try and get to the ground early if you can to take a look – I will try and get some photos.

Team news wise there are some players back from injury; namely Arshavin, Diaby and Denilson, however Sol is out and Gallas remains sidelined so I would expect Sylvester to start. Alex Song is of course missing due to his two match suspension. However the team should be strong enough to convincingly beat a poor Burnley side who are a much different prospect to the team we faced in December. Arsene thinks we are still in the title hunt, and he is right. But our run in might not be the 10 easy games as some predict, there are a few tough games in there as well but as long as we play to our best we can be up there come the end of the season.

Make it loud today gooners.


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Categories : Arsenal, Arsenal Injury News, Premier League Home games 09/10

Arsenal 4 – 2 Bolton, what a comeback!

21 01 2010

By comeback I don’t just mean last night, I also mean having been 11 points behind Chelsea after they beat us and now being level on points with them and top of the league. After that defeat pretty much everyone wrote us off, even I thought we had little chance of being in the mix with the leaders. But football this season is very open, we have had a great run of results that has seen us climb back up there to now and we are top of the table.

Last night though was not all fun as a fan. I arrived at the ground hoping that the two goal margin required to take us top of the league was a mere formality, given the way the players set out I think they had the same mindset. Bolton started pretty well and were closing us down and often first to the ball. We had a few chances but nothing that was really a goalscoring opportunity. Then a swipe at a clearance by the returning Clichy saw the ball end up in the middle of our box, a few headers and the ball fell to a Bolton player and it was in the back of the net. 1-0, this wasn’t meant to be happening.

The crowd were still behind our players and urged them on, but it didn’t seem to transmit onto the pitch. We were still coming off as the second best team and Bolton had plenty of attacks. One such attack was ended by a clumsy challenge from Denilson which gave away a penalty. From my seat on the opposite side of the goal it looked like a penalty and there was no surprise when the ref pointed to the spot. Almunia went the correct way but the ball still ended in the back of the net. We were 2-0 down to these cloggers and only 28 odd minutes had been played.

The first half continued with very poor play from us, many people sat around me were saying this was the worst they had seen us play in a long while, and I have to agree – we were awful. I recall Cesc stood at the restart after the second goal shouting and clapping his hands, but it hadn’t seemed to encourage the players that much. However on 44 minutes the team released the handbrake, dipped the clutch and selected first gear, we were playing at last! Rosicky was fed a ball on the right of their area, took a few paces then smashed it past Jaaskelainen, it looked a great goal live. It was 2-1 just before half time. Maybe, just maybe the comeback was on. The fans got back behind the team and the atmosphere really kicked up a gear.

The second half started much as the first had ended, we clearly had stepped up a gear and the players looked like they thought we could win this. Our passing was better and we began to break down the 5 man midfield that Bolton had brought. Then there was the controversial moment, Gallas challenged  Mark Davies and the Bolton player stayed down (more on this in a bit) and Arsenal played on. The ball broke to Cesc on the edge of the area and he shot into the net. 2-2. We went wild in block 6, I recall my shoulder (which has been sore for fucking ages) hurting even more after jumping around and hugging grown men stood near me. That goal was another for our captain fantastic in what has been a great season for him.

Davies had to be stretchered off the pitch, the crowd did antagonise the situation and with hindsight it probably wasn’t the best thing to do but we have been on the end of many a “hard challenge” in the past when teams like Bolton “get in our faces”. And remember Gallas is a good, honest pro who doesn’t usually go out to injure opposition players.

The impetus was clearly with us and the Bolton players looked dejected after throwing away a two goal lead. We pressed and pressed and I felt that we had plenty more goals in us, the win was on. It didn’t take too long, after a few corners the ball fell to Vermaelen and he got back to his scoring ways by hitting the ball into the net from about 12 yards out, had it not been for Cesc and Alex Song the Belgian would be our player of the season so far. 3-2 in front and more pandemonium in the stands. The crowd were really behind the team and hopefully that had a positive effect on their game.

But at 3-2 I was a bit nervous, whilst I wanted to be top of the league all that was important to me now was the win. Another goal was needed, but we looked to ease up a little and Bolton had a few chances that made it difficult for me to relax. But that goal was to come, Arshavin the scorer this time and it was 4-2, the goal was met with chants of “we are top of the league”.

Walcott and Vela were introduced late on to keep the attacking threat up, and we nearly got a fifth; Arshavin and Walcott broke, Theo was in the clear but Arshavin was very selfish and took a shot. Theo went ape shit at him, he was screaming at him during the ensuing corner, which is fair enough as that should have been a goal for Theo which would have really wrapped the night up for us. But no bother we won 4-2 and are top of the league!

Now going back to the Gallas challenge. It didn’t look too bad at full speed but these things often don’t when the players are close together. There were calls for Arsenal not to play on, but against Everton they played on, and more importantly later on in yesterday’s game a Bolton player went down and BOLTON played on – you have to play to the whistle, it is the ref who stops the game. Afterwards Arsene said this:

“I am sorry if the (Gallas) tackle was not good. I apologise.”

No doubt there will be a backlash against this, but I doubt Gallas meant to cause a severe injury, he doesn’t have that reputation. We have been on the receiving end of a number of hard challenges from physical sides like Bolton, Blackburn etc in the past, perhaps it is time we showed that we have that tough edge to our game.

Diaby limped off late on, it looks like he has a calf injury which was caused by a kick in the first Bolton game, but this is a worry as he has been a good player in our sparse midfield lineup.

But we can revel in being top of the league for a few days. We are well clear of 4th place at the moment and properly in the title hunt. It’s good to be a Gooner!


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Categories : Arsenal, Arsenal Injury News, Premier League Home games 09/10

Bolton 0 – 2 Arsenal, three important points won

18 01 2010

Our 2-0 win yesterday was a vital one; firstly games up north against physical sides are not our forte – we usually struggle to get a draw or the game ends in defeat, secondly the “new manager” effect was not all it was cracked up to be for the cloggers from Bolton, lastly it meant we are still in the race for the title.

I was a bit nervous as I sat down to watch the game, we hadn’t played well against Everton and I was worried if Cesc was fully fit. Bolton did start brightly and we looked off the pace, second to tackles and shaky at the back. League debutant Eastmond looked ok, if a little nervous which is fair enough. But Traore at left back started poorly and was exploited a number of times, this continued for most of the game. Clichy made a substitute appearance and going by Traore’s recent form his return cannot come soon enough.

Bolton did have the ball in the net, only for it to be ruled offside, the linesman on that side did make some odd decisions – some offsides missed while others given incorrectly. We also had one good penalty shout – but to be fair to Phil Dowd from his angle I doubt he could be certain it WAS a penalty so he cannot give it in the circumstance.

The game had an edge to it, Bolton started to get chippy and foul us. Cesc came in for some rough treatment, the game did start to boil over and Rosicky was lucky to stay on after a petulant trip brought a yellow card – I am sure Dowd produced a red from his pocket before issuing yellow. Our goal though came from some intricate play, a crowded box would see many players struggle to find space, but Cesc did and played a ball to Eduardo who then returned it and the shot was rifled into the back of the net. To be leading 1-0 at half-time was not an injustice.

Cesc bossed the game. We so clearly miss him when he is gone. His skill and vision are incredible, even little Jamie managed to have something positive to say about him! He setup and scored our first, yes his work did make the goal before Eduardo’s layup. He needs to stay fit between now and the end of the season, if that means using him sparingly in some of the lesser games then so be it. The run of games coming up require him to be at the top of his game.

Our second goal, after halftime, came again from good work from Cesc. He made a turn whilst being challenged but managed to play the ball away before falling to the ground, unlike a few of our players – Arshavin and Vermaelen in particular who stay on the ground for a bit looking around when they feel they have been fouled, Cesc was up again and got the ball back and broke for space, the ball was passed to Eduardo (who Owen Coyle says was offside, it was a very close call) and the Crozillian lofted a ball into the 6 yard box. Arshavin missed it but Fran Merida was on hand to slot home his first Premier League goal. 2-0 and the game was ours.

The 3 points we gained were very important. Win our game in hand over Utd and we climb above them, win the game by more than 2 goals and we go top of the league (albeit having played one more than Chelsea). To be top at this stage puts pressure on the other two. We are clearly back in this fight, many may say it’s the other teams failings that have got us there. And yes it partly is, but our form has been great and in the past we have slipped up and let many in as well. If we can continue this form for another few months things will be looking very good come the season end.

However there are a few injury concerns. Nasri missed the game due to a late hamstring injury and Eduardo was rumoured to be seen limping getting onto the bus, I did notice Eduardo hold his ankle later in the game so perhaps he has a knock. More no doubt over the next few days. So we look to Wednesday, we face Bolton again, home advantage should help us even more. Come on Arsenal!!


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Categories : Arsenal, Premier League Away games 09/10

Arsenal v Bolton preview, snow, injuries, transfers

6 01 2010

Tonight should be when we play our game in hand, at home to Bolton, but the snow that fell last night and is still falling might put paid to that. Cardiff last season was called off, primarily due to the conditions underfoot for fans making their way to the ground. I will update on here and twitter if there is any change to the status of the game. Either way I doubt I will head into London, I don’t fancy a night sleeping on a platform at Waterloo if I can’t get home!

Owen Coyle might have taken over Bolton, strange choice, so they may get a boost from that. But this is a fixture where 3 points should be a given. We are at home and playing well. On the injury front Andrey Arshavin and Denilson are fit to start, which is a massive boost for us and Arsene could see Denilson fill the Song role whilst he is on ACN duty. Cesc however is still not fit and some press reports said yesterday his injury might take a few more games to heal, either way I want him fully fit for the big games and would rather he missed a few more smaller ones to help that happen.

On the transfer market Arsene wants to buy early, which is nice but won’t overpay for players (thanks Citeh). I would hope a couple of players come in, he had a wry smile in the post-game interview on Sunday. Here’s hoping!

That’s it for now, will update as and when any snow game announcements are made.


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Categories : Arsenal, Premier League Home games 09/10

Portsmouth 1 – 4 Arsenal, it’s halfway through the season

31 12 2009

Last night saw our 19th game of a 38 game season. Compare our points tally to where Utd and Chelsea were on 19 games and we are second in the league. Many had written us off both before and during this season. But the fight has been there, most of the time, and Arsene has never lost faith in his young squad of players, even when the going has been tough.

Last night the fight showed. We arrived at Portsmouth to face a team who have an uncertain future, I’m not convinced they will finish the season if the reports of their financial troubles are so accurate, they had defeated Liverpool and given Chelsea a good game. It wasn’t going to be easy for us. We were also without Cesc to help inspire the team to victory, Cesc will be out for around 10 days it was said last night. But not to worry, we had Song, Diaby and Ramsey in midfield. The young trio played with conviction and muscled against a strong middle 5 from Portsmouth and came out of the game on top.

Our opening half hour saw some good play from us but Portsmouth had a few early chances, they would be able to trouble us. Eduardo had an early oppurtunity, but as is his form and to be fair the difficulty in getting a shot away it was a chance spurned. However Eduardo was to get his second goal in two games, a free kick outside the area took a deflection of Kaboul and was in the back of the net. That is now 3 in 3 from set pieces as well. We continued to press Portsmouth and their heads began to drop, they stopped trying. The was epitomised when our second of the game came, we had loads of time for Eduardo on the left of their box to create a pass, via Ramsey, which gave Narsi plenty of time to fire home. 2-0 at half time and all was looking rosy.

Richard Keys and former gunner Paul Merson were not convinced in their half time analysis. “Remember they were two up at West Ham” was one quote, yeah we were but I think a LOT has been learnt since that game.

Our third was to come from Ramsey, he won the ball back about 40 yards from their goal. Turned one player then rifled a shot home, a fantasic goal that any one of our top players would have been proud of. Who says we are short in midfield when we have players like that to come in? Portsmouth got a conciliation goal but we added a fourth via the continually impressive Song with a header at the back post, he is in fine form at the moment and we will miss him during the ACN.

So the season is half over, if I am honest I didn’t expect us to be this close at this point. A couple of transfers in January and, well who knows. Arsene said last night something all gooners should hear;

“If we don’t believe, nobody will”


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Categories : Arsenal, Premier League Away games 09/10

Arsenal 3 – 0 Aston Villa, Cesc Fabulous

28 12 2009

Yesterday we played an important game against some tough opposition. Whilst it was a great team performance, in reality one player turned the game around. Cesc was a substitute having not fully recovered from his injury, I said in my preview that I didn’t want him risking for fear of being out for a longer period of time. However that gamble well and truly paid off for Arsene.

The first half was a pretty evenly matched game of football, whilst we had the upper hand with chances for Eduardo and Arshavin neither player capitalised on them and there was always the threat from Villa with Agbonhalor and his pace ready to exploit us at the back. But we kept things tight in defence and our midfield looked strong. 0-0 at half time was probably a fair reflection on the efforts from both teams, some decent passages of play but neither team fully taking advantage.

The second half started with a similar flow to the game compared to the first half, however we didn’t have that key player to unlock Villa. However all that was to change on the 56th minute, Denilson was replaced by Fabregas. Cesc was immediately in the game and Villa didn’t stand off him, they knew what a threat he possessed. His runs from the middle of the park often drew more than one player towards him opening up the game for us, and also often brought a foul. A foul was how the game was to change, felled just outside the Villa box a freekick was to present us with what was a game changing moment. Fabregas stepped up to the ball and curled an exquisite shot into the left of the goal, they joy on Cesc’s face as he ran to the fans (the picture at the top of this post which can be downloaded here on the official website) was clear to see. He is loving playing for Arsenal at the moment and clearly loves the club, I hope that can continue for many years.

Villa, who had played well now had to attack if they wanted to get anything from the game. As they opened up a bit our second goal was to come. A run down the right from substitute Theo was matched by a run from Cesc through the middle, a lovely pass from Theo gave Cesc the opportunity to make it 2 – he didn’t need a second chance as he dispatched the ball into the net. We were ecstatic, as was Arsene, but this turned to worry as Cesc clutched his hamstring. Arsene said after the game;

“We don’t know yet whether it is a recurrence of the pull or whether it is just scar tissue. We will know more about it tomorrow [Monday].

“If it is scar tissue it is a few days, if it is a recurrence of the pulled hamstring it is three weeks.”

Our captain was removed on 84 minutes but he had won us the game. A game changing performance, and possibly something he needed to show himself and the football world to convince that he is truly a great player. Cesc won us the game with his two goals. Abou Diaby scored a third late on, to cap yet another great performance, both Diaby and Song were exceptional. 3-0 in our second consecutive league game, both times the opposition manager said the score was unfair on them……well that’s what the score reads so get on with it.

Aston Villa had already beaten Liverpool, Utd and Chelsea this year and had only not scored in the opening day of the season. They had never been beaten at the grove, but a great performance from Arsenal and some magic from Cesc put paid to that. We took advantage of Chelsea’s slip up, and since they defeated us we have taken 13 points from 15 – is that the form of a poor side who will struggle to make the top 4? I don’t think so. Our late Christmas present was delivered by the team and it has been a great month for us in the league, win our game in hand and we are a point behind Chelsea, out of the title race now are we?

Attention turns to Cesc now, his injury should be confirmed at some point today but I doubt we will hear anything from the club until tomorrow. It also looks like Denilson might be out injured as well, which may force us into the market for a midfielder in January. Portsmouth are next up, on Wednesday, but we can sit back in our post-Christmas glow and be happy that we had a great victory over a tough team yesterday.


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Categories : Arsenal, Premier League Home games 09/10

Arsenal 3 – 0 Hull, Hey mr tangerine man…..

20 12 2009

Hey mr tangerine man, it’s pretty clear to me,

That Arsenal are far better than Hull Ci-ty.

Yesterday Phil Brown returned to the grove, the match opened with a handshake (which was I am sure for effect shown on the big screens) between the two managers. In what was probably the coldest weather I can recall watching football, I sat with my Dad in the upper tier above my usual seat in block 6. The game started reasonably well for Arsenal, but Hull were pretty resilient and after a few minutes you could see that two games close together giving an element of fatigue and the absence of Fabregas meant we looked short of ideas and impetus to break down Hull. The game started to have a tempestuous edge to it when Stephen Hunt (most famous for his “challenge” on Petr Cech) bundled into Almunia after play had stopped, the Spanish keeper ran over to remonstrate with Hunt, the referee also spoke to the player. But it had little effect as he made two or three further challenges that warranted bookings.

Just before half time things did turn ugly, from our seats we saw a Hull player fall to the ground and then the rest of the players on the pitch bundled around Nasri, I thought I saw arms flailing as if it were a punch. Again Hunt was the main Hull agitator. Sylvestre was the boxing buddy, and carried the part off pretty well shielding Nasri. The replay on MOTD shows that Nasri stood on the Hull player’s (Garcia I think) foot, it was not a stamp. He might have meant it but we don’t know. Both Nasri and Hunt were booked after the melee.

Following on from this some rash challenges started to fly in and the ref had his whistle in his mouth almost permanently. He gave us a perhaps generous free kick after Diaby was felled. Nasri and Denilson stood over the ball, then Nasri joined the wall. In time honoured tradition of current Arsenal free kicks I expected this to go straight into the wall, but then, something magical happened.

Denilson hit a perfectly placed free kick into the net. It was fantastic. We were 1-0 up just before half time. After the game Arsène said “Denilson was not going to take the free kick”. Well I am glad he did!

As the players left the pitch there was some afters as they entered the tunnel, but no further bookings came of this. However I am not sure if Cesc’s clothing antagonised any of the Hull staff so we will have to wait for the report from their lawyers on that one.

The second half started with us on the front foot, Hull now needed to attack us and we had the chance for an early goal when Arshavin fed Eduardo, he really should have put it away but his current lack of match practice and form conspired against him sadly. Not long after this Hull were awarded possibly the softest penalty in football history (even Brown admitted it was soft after the game) when Fagan went down in our area. I was not confident at this point, Almunia has not played well of late and his ball distribution in the game was again poor. However he made a great save from the penalty and Hunt missed the follow up. I laughed at him.

Almost immediately after the penalty miss we were up at the other end, Diaby made a play in the left of their area and sent the ball across the Hull goal for Eduardo to tap in, he didn’t look that happy when he scored but perhaps his form is playing on his mind. The game was pretty much ours now with half an hour remaining. Hull provided little resistance beyond that point and we took full control of the game, some press reports say we struggled but I certainly disagree as did my non-Gooner father who I feel gave a balance view on the game.

But another goal was to come, Diaby danced through the Hull defence and scored a great goal. 3-0 to the Arsenal. “Stand up if you hate Phil Brown” and “Tango whats the score” reverberated around the stadium, much to our, and I suspect Arsène’s, amusement. Theo and Aaron Ramsey were introduced as subs which I think meant our front 6 players were under 23, a great thing for the future of the club. Theo had a chance late on when he chipped the advancing keeper only to see it go agonisingly just past the post, thankfully this was met with chants of his name from the crowd rather than something else.

So it was 3 points, which was great given Utd losing earlier in the day. We are now 2 behind them with a game in hand (at home to Bolton on the 6th Jan) but Villa are pretty close behind and I suspect our next game at home against them will be a very tough test. A few players did well today, the midfield trio of Song, impressive as ever, Denilson, a great goal and some good tackles, and Diaby, one of his better games, were the key today. Yes they didn’t have the creativity that Cesc has but they all put in solid performances, Diaby needs to work on his first touch still but he continues to develop. If he can erase the poorer moments of his game and be more energetic like he was in spells today then he can be a mainstay in this team. Almunia also did well; he has been criticised, and rightly so, of late. His ball distribution was poor for the first hour today, but the penalty save gave him a much needed confidence boost and after that he looked more settled, he made a good save late on as well. He might not be a top top keeper but he is what we have at the moment and he needs our backing all the way. Eboue again impressed at right back, I think that should be where he plays from now on. Rotate him and Sagna so we don’t have a right back injury crisis like that on our left.

So we are still in the hunt at Christmas, this season is far from over and I can see Chelsea, Utd and sadly us lose at least 2 or 3 games more before the season end. But we can revel in our third place in the table and be glad our board have the confidence in what our manager is doing and don’t make any rash mid-season sackings like two other money laden clubs seem to have as their model of how they think football should be run.

Come on The Arsenal


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Categories : Arsenal, Premier League Home games 09/10

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