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Morning all.

The lunchtime fixture saw Newcastle Utd and Man City draw 1-1. The evening game ended with Liverpool beating Wolves 2-1 thanks to a Salah penalty in the second half. Soft or what?

I know highlights don’t tell the whole story of a game of football but listening to some of the commentary on the wireless (just because I know what one is), Arsenal were all over Leicester City like a bad rash for most of the game.

Gabriel Martinelli opened the scoring around the 20 minute mark when he got on the end of a Jurrien Timber cross. It wasn’t the cleanest of strikes from Martinelli but who cares? A scruffy goal will have done him the world of good, the first of a few more I hope. Martinelli the turned provider for Leandro Trossard to double our lead.

No sooner had the second half kicked off, Leicester City pulled one back. The goal came from a free kick which James Justin got his head to and thanks to a deflection off of Kai Havertz, David Raya was beaten. An hour into the game and it was 2-2. A cross from the left finished with a cracking volley from the same Leicester player.

I thought we’d have to settle for a point which would have been dreadfully disappointing but then four minutes into added time, we struck gold. Well, it was Ndidi who scored but by then, I really didn’t care how the ball crossed the line or who put it there. Just to make sure we’d take all three points from the game, Kai Havertz made it 4-2.

After the game Steve Cooper said they conceded two “typical Arsenal goals” in the first half having spent all week working on how to defend Arsenal’s cutbacks and crosses. “That’s how good they can be,”

Things might have been different though because apparently, Riccardo Calafiori could have been sent off. Having already been booked earlier in the game, brought down Buonanotte as Leicester broke on the counter attack. Perhaps we got away with one there which makes a change. Steve Cooper certainly wasn’t happy, especially as Buonanotte was shown a yellow card for moaning about the referees decision and Mikel Arteta admitted he was worried Calafiori would be our third player sent off in as many league games.

Arsenal bossed the stats in every department and although the game ended 4-2, it could so easily have been 6,7 or 8-2. (76% possession, 36 shots with 16 on target) Leicester’s keeper was certainly in good form.

It took a deflection beat Raya and an outrageously good volley which I doubt Justin will replicate for a long long time, if ever. But, even after surrendering  2-0 lead, this group of players didn’t give up and nor did they panic. Last weekend we saw the defensive strengths but yesterday we saw that will to win by scoring a much needed goal. The fact that so many goal scoring opportunities were either blocked or saved didn’t deflate the players, instead they fought long and hard before finally getting the result they deserved.

Next for Mikel Arteta’s players is PSG on Tuesday night before Southampton travel to The Emirates for another Saturday 3pm kickoff. After that match, international football takes over for two weeks. Then I think we’ll see Takehiro Tomiyasu and Mikel Merino in the squad, the latter sooner perhaps.

Catch up in the comments.

 

 

 

 

 

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