Morning all.
What a bonkers game with a fantastic result for Arsenal by the end. Both teams weren’t at their best in defence, certainly during the first half but it was Arsenal who had the edge in the second. Rob Holding had a shaky start, probably because he barely plays and Ben White and Gabriel struggled to find their form too. Frenetic is the word I used yesterday to describe what I was watching.
Mikel Arteta gave Eddie Nketiah his second start on the trot and there was a surprise recall for Mo Elneny. Honestly, I thought Elneny was superb. Cool calm and collected. Granit Xhaka was very good too. Bukayo Saka, Nketiah and ESR were the goal scorers.
Andreas Christensen gave us a bit of a helping hand for the first goal by playing a terrible back pass which would still be trickling towards Mendy this morning had Nketiah not jumped on it. A cool and calm finish gave us the lead. Within minutes, Timo Werner had equalised. He too had a chunk of fortune as his shot took a deflection before nestling into the net. It was then ESR’s turn to score after a move started by Granit Xhaka in our own half. Saka was the provider, ESR with super hit on the edge of the Chelsea box.
We conceded again. Ben White thought he was fouled in the buildup but Jon Moss didn’t agree and when the ball went into the box, Cesar Azpilicueta tucked it home.
Honours even at the break.
Into the second half and Chelsea’s defence was all over the place. Nketiah was all over the ball like a bad rash in the box before restoring our lead. ESR went close too after bamboozling three Chelsea players but couldn’t find the target and then late in the game, Jon Moss pointed to the penalty spot after Azpilicueta was all over Saka. A quick VAR check before Saka stepped up to blast his kick past Mendy who opted to dive the other way.
Afterwards, Saka said:
I told you before, we wanted to give the fans something to believe in. We’ve done that today. We showed fight and character. It’s a huge result for us.
It is a huge result and boy did the players show a lot of character from start to finish. I loved seeing the goal celebrations too, not because they were over the top etc, as certain people like to suggest, but the players on the bench, especially Lacazette, were quick to get involved. When the Chelsea players turned on Saka at the end, the Arsenal players were there in a flash, sticking up for their mate. Loved it!
I suggested yesterday that when Arsenal are involved in a football match, anything can happen. Against Chelsea, anything and everything happened. Just a day ago, Arsenal were out of the top four race said the pundits/media, this morning, it’s ours to lose again. It’s not of course, not in my opinion. It never has been. At least now though, we’ve got one of the tricky away fixtures out the way with a surprise three points.
I don’t want to take anything away from the result or our attacking performance but Chelsea weren’t really that good. Their problem though, not ours. Mikel Arteta’s team needed a win to break the run of bad results and that’s exactly what they earned. Really earned.
As said, I thought Eddie Nketiah played really well. He was full of running, ready to pounce on the mistake and he scored twice. Mo Elneny did what Mo Elneny usually does. Nothing fancy but steady and reliable. I’d love to know how much ground he covered because he really was everywhere. What about ‘that’ moment in defence when he took control of the ball and calmly played it to safety. That’s experience for you. Experience which has been ignored for most of the season.
Nketiah was the first player substituted which leads me to believe he’ll be starting again on Saturday and I hope he does. He could run rings around Maguire if given the chance. Gabriel Martinelli, the player who replaced Nketiah, looks likely to start against Utd too. Pace and movement will be the way to beat Utd.
After the game, Mikel Arteta said:
What I love is the spirit of the players. When you lose matches you get punched and you get criticised. For these players, I don’t care, it’s so worth it. They are phenomenal people and as a group they are growing and they are really enjoying that. Then, for our people because I know with all the highs and expectations that they had, it’s been really disappointing for them. So for us to win a London derby, away from home, the way we did it, I’m really happy for them as well.
I agree with him. It would have been easy for the players to turn up last night feeling sorry for themselves. To crumble after going ahead twice, yet conceding after each goal was scored. But they didn’t. Heads didn’t drop, players carried on doing what they needed to and in the end, the 4-2 score-line was nothing more than that group of players deserved. Mikel Arteta too.
See you in the comments.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c0rSkx8kdwY
3 minutes that can be watched a lot more calmly than the 96 last night.
Morning Rico. Nice write-up.
As ever, the tenure of Mikel is like a roller coaster ride. Up and down, good and bad.
Beating Chelsea is always a good thing regardless of who is doing it.
The line-up was interesting and though Ben seemed like a good move at right back to allow Rob to come in, it looked better on paper than it did after 25 minutes. To their immense credit though they improved immeasurably as the game progressed. Mo Elneny, after months of inactivity provided a quality and calm performance by using his experience to make tackles, plug gaps and just provide a level of security and presence. Could he be worth another year? Why not?
Xhaka was quite brilliant I thought. No lunging and desperate tackles and nothing to give Moss the opportunity to reach for his trusty red. His dribble out of our box, complete with nutmeg to initiate the move that resulted in a lovely goal was epic. Martin just never stopped putting it in and his link play gave us a lot of threat and cohesion.
Eddie showed why pace is so vital and how pedestrian we can look without it. The list goes on.
How the hell did Mount get away with his stupid petulance? He’s a good player but he should have gone last night and what can we say about Cesar “the turtle” Apizu…?
What a tool that man is. Spends the whole night shouting nonsense in the refs ear, gives away a penalty, goes mental and ends up offering one of his own fans out for a fight from the safety of the pitch. A knobend par excellence.
Still, it was a great night and the away fans were, by all accounts, sensational. Brilliant and much more of the same please guys.
You were great.
Ha ha Potter, that’s the best way.
Morning to you Adam, all.
Thanks Adam, that’s what makes Arsenal so frustrating. If only we could steady the ship and be more balanced rather than the rollercoaster ride we have to suffer. Perhaps that will only come with additional players signed but I’m not convinced.
Why not indeed re Elneny. I’ve always liked him because he seldom panics, a very good squad player imo. Surely Eddie has to start the remaining fixtures too, I just wonder how much better we might have been if he’d have started the season instead of ending it. He gives us something different, and he’s tigerish in the box.
Mount was lucky, very lucky.
Rico. Yeah, I know what you mean. There’s always an understandable reluctance to get too carried away. But I think that every Arsenal fan really needed last night to give them belief and I hope that the team feel the same way. All the stuff that happens off the pitch needs justification on the pitch and hopefully we saw options for the team last night to compensate for the debilitating effect of two vital injuries.
But it was also the psychological and physical intensity and energy that I liked and that Chelsea simply couldn’t cope with.
Agreed Adam. All the time we’re not scoring goals, moving Auba on will be debated, same with Ozil, Martinez etc but if we were doing good things on the pitch, those kind of names would never pop up. I agree re the energy, the tempo of the way we played made it exciting to watch and I’ve not felt that for a while, even when we were winning. I enjoyed that performance a lot.
Morning Rico.. Nice read! What a game! Eddie scoring a brace against the club that released him – who’d have thought it? Really pleased for him, took his goals really well!
Aww Saka, took guts taking that penalty – and to silence the Chavs (not that there were many there, was there a fire drill? 🤣) like that, was brilliant! Really pleased for him also!
Mount – what a dirty sod.. amazed he only saw yellow!
And Azpilicueta, I can’t stand him, has a face you want to slap! So am happy to laugh at him! 👍
And Tuchel’s excuse – the pitch 🤣🤣 Heard it all now! Couldn’t have happened to a nicer team and a big shout out to our fans – amazing support, as always!
Morning Sue, thanks. I read that from Tuchel, what a plonker. Chelsea can’t sell tickets can they because of the sanctions. I’d so love it if no one wants to buy Roman’s shares.
Yep, the away fans were superb.
Morning Rico, nice read, interesting listening to Mikel commenting on Chelsea and how they changed shape continually throughout the game and obviously how he countered.
Arsenal were, unlike the Palace, Brighton and Southampton games, set up to contain rather than dominate and maybe that suits us with the absence of Partey?
Arteta had gone with the youth and potential of Lokonga in those games but this time went with the less expansive but experienced and reliable Elneny and it suited the circumstances on the night. Maybe recent results forced his hand, maybe Lacazette’s injury was the change of fortune we needed as Eddie had to play, a bit of luck perhaps?
Now Eddie has to perform like that for the remainder of the season, he can be a bit hit n miss but he takes his shots early and I like that in a striker, he’s also greedy and the best strikers are all greedy.
So even at this late stage can Eddie secure a future at Arsenal?
If he can finish as he did last night in the remaining games then why not?
Morning Kev, thanks. Arteta has said the club have big plans for Eddie, Eddie has reportedly said he wants a run in the team. 2+2 makes 4 for once perhaps and he might stay. I’d like to see him stay, especially as European football is likely, if not certain. We’ll need him, otherwise I think we’ll need two strikers in the summer.
Lewis Hamilton and Serena Williams investing in Chelsea?
I thought Lewis was an Arsenal fan…
Rico.. only ST holders allowed, yes, but watching them all leave was hilarious… they dish it out, but they certainly can’t take it!
Watch this space, hey? As I thought MA had big plans for AMN also…
Fully agreed Rico, Eddie should stay and compete with Balogun for the PL bench and the starting spot in cup games. Nevertheless the 3 of them should split 5000-5500 minutes among them (even if at all games Arsenal will play with a single striker), but with some extra minutes an 1500-2000-2500 allocation could be on the cards, where even 1500 minutes could be enough for a young player to develop himself, and the 2500 minutes are not too many to cause injury or burnout.
But the arrival of one striker is expected and necessary, I hope he will be a great player for a reasonable amount of money; and a salary that wouldn’t disrupt the dressing room unity.
Is there a better sight Sue? Lol
I know what you mean re Eddie, actions speak louder than words..l
Ten Hag appointed Man Utd manager.
Not good timing for us if he’s in now rather than the summer.
Depends on the deal and Eddie’s thoughts I guess Pbarany. I don’t think he’ll want to be on the bench for another season. I wouldn’t be at all surprised to see him at Brighton with Potter.
Just in time to play us , always the way . However it’s from next season which makes Rangnick a dead man walking. It will be interesting to saee if they get that new manager bounce.
Phew, Ten Hag begins at Utd after the new season.
Rangnick was a strange appointment. He’s a DOF isn’t he, not a manager.
Confirming Ten Hag’s appointment from the end of the season probably ensures their continued chaotic stumbling. Rangnick will be ignored by the “big name” egocentric players and the rest will do what they have been doing all season, sweet f**k all.
There could not be a better time to play them.
Hope you’re right Cicero.
There are 2 things that concern me about Man u match, 1 Man u player will want to prove them self for the new coach knowing he will be looking who to keep and sell from know until the end of the season – 2 the short turn around of 3 days from Chelsea to Man u match.
Congratulations Ian Wright on your hall of fame
I bet Ten Hag is concentrating on Ajax for now Geoff.
Never heard of Ten hag but noticed Ajax are on top of there ladder
On Ten Hag:
He is a good coach, and he is a kind guy devoted to football. Pep told only nice things of him, but we know Pep, he is a kind guy too.
So he is a fine coach, probably better – and definitely more experienced – than Arteta. But he isn’t that great. His side is truly excellent, but the market value of Ajax is about the sum of the next 3 top clubs (#2-#4: PSV Eindhoven, Feyenoord and AZ Alkmaar) combined. So winning the Dutch league is less of a big result and more of a minimum expectation. Ajax’s challenges lie elsewhere, mostly in Europe. Where they are capable of performing beyond expectations even against superior teams from the very top of Europe, but they are also prone to lose games against smaller teams they are supposed to beat, as well as not being able to defend a huge advantage from the first leg.
This season they are 4 points clear of the table with 5 games to go, but they lost the cup final against PSV Eindhoven, and after winning all 6 group stage games in the CL with remarkable performances against German superclub Borussia Dortmund and Portuguese champion Sporting, they failed to defeat Benfica and exited the competition after loosing at home.
So the jury is still out on how Ten Hag would perform in a league when he doesn’t have the largest squad and best players, he shouldn’t be underestimated either.
Morning Arteta fans, morning Rico, PB, I’m not sure that I’d refer to Borussia Dortmund as a ‘superclub’, Bayern yes but Dortmund, nah. The Bundesliga is like the Scottish Premier League imo, with two big clubs who almost always make european football due the competition they face in their own league, but we’d never call Celtic or Rangers by the term superclub I’d imagine. Big clubs yes, but financially minnows in a european sense.
Would you say that Dortmund are a bigger club than Arsenal or Tottenham for example?
To me Real, Bayern, Liverpool (currently), Man Utd, Barcelona and possibly Man City could be considered superclubs.
Does that all seem a pedantic argument? 🙂
I don’t think Ten Hag can truly be judged in the English game until he’s been in the job a while. I read he likes to build teams/squad with young players who he can coach and improve. He might turn out to be perfect for Utd who like us, needed a total rebuild after Fergie left. Utd have imo thrown a lot of money around to fix things but it hasn’t worked. Whether Utd fans afford him time or not to rebuild though is another matter. Not that I care one bit. 😀
New post up now
Morning Kev.