Morning all.
I didn’t see the game, I seldom do when it’s a Saturday 3pm kick off but I managed to catch some highlights…
How on earth did we win that match? Goodness only knows but lady luck sure was on our side and it was a good job too.
Danny Welbeck was involved in both goals, firstly winning the penalty which Santi Cazorla slotted home and secondly for assist for Giroud having received the ball in an offside position.
The penalty, well sometimes they are given, other times referees have awarded a free kick just outside the box and that’s half the problem with the officiating in the league, there is little consistency but one thing we do know for sure, it was a foul.
As for the offside, well I guess that evened itself out on the day because Mesut Ozil had the ball in the back of the net but was judged to be offside when he clearly wasn’t….
We had a great chance to kill the game off from a wonderful counter attacking move – Ozil was superb in the build up and his perfectly timed and weighted ball through Alexis was just that, perfect but our little Chillean, against all odds, missed the target by centimetres……
We had a few further half chances throughout the game but to be honest, Palace were all over us like a bad rash, closing players down, hitting us with their pace at every opportunity, yet somehow, we held on and held on until finally conceding a goal in the final minutes of the game..
That really was three huge points earned on a bad playing day as as Joe said on HH last night, the pitch was dire and players were slipping over all over the place….
One thing I would say though was someone needs to have a word in the ear of Francis Coquelin for his challenge on one of the Palace players – it was high and wild and on another day with a different referee, he’d have been shown a straight red card. He got lucky, very lucky as he didn’t even get booked. But he did later in the game, as did a few other of our players. Palace weren’t shy either and Joe Ledley was perhaps lucky to be on the pitch when the final whistle blew too.
All in all, I thought we were very fortunate to come away from Selhurst Park with all the points, one could honestly say we didn’t deserve to however, I really don’t care.
How many times have bad decisions cost us a game? Far too many to mention I’d say so in all fairness, we were well overdue something like yesterday and it couldn’t have come at a better time imo…
Take the result as it’s a good one. Hard fought and scrappy yes, but there was a time when we’d buckle and draw or even lose a game like that. And I’d take a performance like yesterdays with three points at the end of it over fancy football, domination yet nothing when the final whistle blows, every day of the week.
Onwards eh, and with Utd getting beaten yesterday, upwards too….
Now we can think about Monaco….
That’s it for today, have a good one…
PERMALINK
Joe
FEBRUARY 22, 2015 AT 10:33AM
Watched the match yesterday in a pub with the Chelsea and Man Utd on at the same time as well it’s been along time since this has happened.
I was not able to enjoy their results like I should have because Arsenal had me on tender hooks right up till the end.
On the pitch it was a disgrace even man utd and Chelsea fans in the pub could not believe how bad it was that’s why I commented on it yesterday.
I think the state of the pitch was deliberate ploy by palace which is wrong and should be looked at by the PL.
I just posted this on the last post
well who says the first foul has to be called, the second foul on welbeck, was clearly inside the area, and why was the defender not sent off, was it not a goal scoring chance, as for him being offside in build up to second goal, the replays with the line shown that I seen actually showed him onside, the last defenders foot was in line with any part of Welbeck’s body that he could score a goal with, Welbeck’s arm was all that was past the defenders leg, and that does not make him offside
Palace swarmed around us very well, but they actually did not have a clear scoring chance all game, yes they had over 20 shots, but a total of 3 on target is the reality, and one of that 3 was little more than a back pass to Ospina. We only got lucky on their very last effort, that hit the post, and for me they got lucky that a foul was not called on the goal they scored. But seeing as fouls by Ledley and other palace players went unpunished all game its was no surprise. How Arsenal had 3 booked and Palace only 1 is beyond a joke. Alexis and Santi were fouled over and over, nearly all our quick break chances were stopped by a foul, but Clattenburg had a mare.
Palace caused us a problem, but only up to a point, you could say their bark was worse than their bite.
Morning all.
I think I saw a similar challenge to the Coquelin one from a Palace player just before we conceded……
Job done, we defended with some gusto so all round a good effort.
Thanks Eduardo. Someone was really watching…
Joe, but the pitch is the same for both sides.
You’d think with their pace etc, Palace would want a smooth surface..
Hi Rico,
I was suspect on the pitch condition.
Pace would help on that situation as attacking our guys at speed would have us in trouble, and that’s what happened.
It stopped our passing game.
Worst pitch I’ve seen in years.
eduardo, the replays I saw, albeit not many, DW looked offside but to be honest, I don’t give a toot.. As I said in the post, all too often things like that go against us so either way, we scored, it stood and that’s all what matters.
As for the penalty- my point is there is no consistency, Clattenburg rightly gave the decision imo, but other referees would have given a free kick..
As for the constant fouling, I think both sides were guilty of that and when he could, Clattenburg played the advantage…
Tai, what are you implying?
Hi Scott – agree, the pitch was a shocker and if it was a plan to stop us playing which in all fairness it did, because so many times our passes got held up by a bit of dodgy turf, it backfired on Palace big time.
Also, they aren’t short of players who on a better pitch, would benefit…
That’s true but both sides where not playing the same type of football ours was on the pitch were’s palace was in the air a lot of the time they had 81 long balls in to the box.(some where very good cross’s).
I am sure they spent the last week training on it as well but I think it was set up that way and the pitch did not have to be that way that’s my biggest problem with the pitch.
I wonder are the no rules in the PL on the state of the pitch and the way it’s set up but we won not playing well that’s the good thing.
Yeah… I agree with Eduardo. Rosicky got kicked in the chest/midrift by a Palace player just before they scored, yet nobody mentioned it. And if you don’t have a shot on target until the 82nd minute you don’t deserve much from the game.
Alibo
Perhaps the highlights didn’t show all their long balls, I saw them playing a lot of stuff down our wings and causing Monreal and Chambers a few problems…
No-one is denying the pitch was a shocker and it clearly didn’t help us play our own game but at the end of the game, we won, they didn’t and if it was all part of a cunning plan by Palace, it failed.
3 points and 3rd – and I hope we can stay there until the end of May…
Alibo, do you always think the same when we have 20 odds shots in a game but lose it? 😉
Good Morning Lovelies and Hunkies
Good match report Rico. I saw only the highlights, but from what I saw the report is very correct.
Eduardo…..the defender was not shown a red card simply because although it was a scoring opportunity, DW23 was not direct on goal because he was going slightly to the side. That is why. But the fact remains that Ledley should have been sent off during the game and he was not.
Good for AW with regards the subs. He got them correct, but I would not have gone with 3 CBs. I would have introduced a 2nd defensive midfielder and protected the defence. As it was with 3 CBs they were inviting the opposition to attack us more.
Let’s hope that the spuddies loose while the dippers and Southampton thrash out a draw.
Eduardo…..there is a difference between a Scoring Opportunity and a Clear Scoring opportunity. DW23’s situation was a scoring opportunity but not crystal clear. Since he was not direct on goal and the defender fouled him from the front then that negates the situation as a Clear Scoring Opportunity and demotes it to just a scoring opportunity.
Even a shot from the half way line is a scoring opportunity, but not a Clear Scoring opportunity. So in fairness……will a defender who is on the half way line be sent off for fouling a player who was about to shoot at goal???
I would have liked the defender to be sent off…..it might have made the game easier as it would have entailed a striker being withdrawn to make way for a defender, however Clattenburg got all calls right on this.
Highlights motd didn’t even show the offside given against Özil when he scored then they went on to spend 10 minutes try to say both Arsenal goals should not have been given.
Hi Devil, thanks..
I didn’t think the penalty was a sending off either, he didn’t even get a booking did he?
In fact, Clatteburg missed a few bookings on both sides…
Exactly Joe. But they have their hidden agendas as well. its a good thing that in the CL they do not influence the ref as well.
You don’t think that maybe Clattenburg saw that it was Welbeck with the chance and then dismissed the possibility that it was a ‘goalscoring opportunity’ because Welbz would never have scored! A penalty that someone else would take, viz Cazorla, who was far more likely to score was a fairer outcome. And he did!
Joking aside, I believe that the Refs have been briefed to try and keep 22 players on the field if at all possible. A dictate that I actually approve of. I prefer a ‘fair’ fight not one that has the referee to thank for any kind of distorted result. I’m not sorry the guy was not sent off yesterday, no matter how much it may have helped us to a far easier win!
It’s ok if you disagree with this point of view. I have a thick skin! I think!
Come on you ‘Ammers….
🙂 Wavy.
I think it was Potter who said that the refs are told to keep it 11 v 11 as long as possible, and if that is the case, I strongly disagree. If a bad tackle warrants a red card, it matters not what time is on the clock, the offending player should be off imo…
Hammers 1-0 up at SHL
Mourinho Just had the best part of two hours on goals on Sunday to put pressure on the FA and pmgol using half truths.
He sits there and try’s to tell the world that Chelsea had only one dicission all year go for them he must be forgetting about the Arsenal game. 🙂
Hammer them. you Hammers…..
It’s on days like this I wish I did have a twitter or Facebook account so I could remind GOS about this but hell even if I did do it they wouldn’t use it.
Paranoid or what 😉
Trouble is Joe, people listen to that dwarf… Lord only knows why…
Coach that is thorny question that you pose???
You may have opened a can of worms even.
The Scoring Opportunity,
Vs
The Clear Scoring Opportunity.
I have many times discussed at length the difference between the two with Adam.
It is a question the troubles us both…
But, what if I bring into the equation, the spectre of the Obvious Scoring Opportunity.
Now ‘that’ could really muddy the waters…
And Adam, on many occasions, had bent my ear about the Definate Scoring Opportunity….
Now you can see how confusing this all can be to an idiot like Robbie Savage…
Especially when one considers the merits of the Absolute Scoring Opportunity…
As opposed to the,
Possible Scoring Opportunity,
It’s am too much Coach… 😉
Rico, the media love him because they love to hear him whinge. It makes good copy. They labour under the misapprehension that he is fundamentally a ‘nice guy’ when it is clear to most normal mortals that if, someone cannot look you in the eye when answering a question or making a statement they are, in all probability either lying to you or deliberately trying to mislead you, a deflection tactic perhaps.
The man is poisonous from the base of his leather soled shoes to the longest greying hair on his head!
He is a contemptuous human being and earns all the contempt that flies in his path/face!
I’m not a great fan you’ll be surprised to hear!
Joe, Mourinho has a point though…
Especially yesterday… 😉
West ham 0-2 up
Wavy, I can’t stand the guy either. A Mr Know it all who sulks and whinges when things don’t go his way – Or someone challenges his view…
No time for him whatsoever!
2-0 🙂 🙂
Even a broken clock is right twice a day. 😉
On yesterday he was right and tackles that can break legs need to be punished severely punished even if they are against a Chelsea player. 🙂
Rico just because I know a lot doesn’t make a now it all. 🙂
Me a …….
Good on the hammers.
Kev….you are more spot on than I am. the obvious vs the clear. difficult to understand for thick headed people like some of the pundits who speak out of their arses and write with their dicks.
but to be honest….Danny was not exactly clear on goal. yes it was a goal scoring opportunity seeing that the ball was in the box but the defender was exactly in the right place to defend it. The problem was that he took the player and not the ball, albeit not viciously or with the intention. the foul was simply a late one. it would have been unfair on him to be dismissed.
Are you short as well Joe… 😉
2-1 now 🙁
The icing on the cake would be if Jenkinson scored the winner for WHU. that would be blisssssssssssssssss!!!!!!!!!!
Totts Penalty, how soft!!
lucky buggers.
well…..two dropped points for the scum.
2-2 – still, 2 points dropped!
Fu*k soft penalty another diving English player.
At least the spuds have dropped 2 points.
Typical of Song though, clumsy…
Rico I am not short in fact I can sit ob a chair and my feet can reach the flow. 🙂
I never trusted Song. Today I like him even more less.
He’d been pretty good before then Devil… But one mad moment cost WH 2 points…
ahhh yes you are right. but he brings back bad memories of when he WAS in our team and we used to throw away 2 or more goal leads.
bahhhh. mere coincidence surely.
Floor I pad
2-2 is ok, that’s two points the Spuds probably thought that they were gonna get, down the toilet…
The fixtures are coming thick and fast now, LC Final to negotiate and the Europa League…
Yep, I smell the smell of a lasagna moment.
I see Kane has mastered Hazard’s trick of running across in front of a player and falling over when he is touched it was a very soft penalty.
🙂 Kev, a spicy one I hope…
Be honest though, had that been us and Theo went over as Kane did, we’d all be shouting for a penalty…..
Of course Rico… 😀
Mourinho’s comments are the usual deflections that we’ve come to expect from him…
‘Lets talk about anything other than Chelsea’s recent ropey performances and two dropped points yesterday’
Bringing Arsenal into it never fails for those idiots in the media…
Maybe he is seeing Arsenal as a threat, hence pile some attention and pressure on Wenger?
He does have a point, but not much of one as we won the FACup last season and he won fcuk all….
Let’s see where we all are in May…
Did Jose talk about Arsenal then Kev?
Yeah, On Sky Sports, I read about it on NewsNow Rico…
Usual stuff from him…
I’m surprised that anyone is surprised at the rubbish he comes out with, anymore.
Yes Rico but would we get it. 😉
At this moment Arsenal have more points from the last ten PL games than any other team that may change if either Southampton or Liverpool win later on.
Shame he doesn’t concenrate on his his ow shower of s***e Kev.
Who knows Joe, but my point is, we’d sure want it given….. Lol
Lucky Everton… 2-2 in extra time….
hell raising devil should Arteta have been sent off in this fixture last year, his coming together with Chamakh happened 40 yards from goal, for me Welbeck would have been in a good position to have a shot on goal from inside the area and not really a tight angle, how more clear does it have to be to see at least a card, which by the way the guy did not even get.
Dippers 1-0, stunning strike.
3 mins in and Southampton denied two penalties…
Lucky Liverpool, as always…
Second one I thought was a cert… First would perhaps have been soft..
Listening to the game on the radio…
Liverpool sound boring, as usual…
I switched off….
So did I…. 🙂
Saints lose then… We stay 3rd…
yes, third…
but yesterday was awfull
Eduardo….Arteta shoud not have been sent off against Chamack. However he came from behind Chamack, whereas the Palace defender came from the side. Chamack was direct on goal….although he was far out (more near the halfway line than near the goal line). Danny was in the penalty area however he was not facing goal. His direction was slightly away from goal.
That is the difference. However, Arteta should not have been sent off. I am going exactly by the book……however referees bend it according to their agendas.
Yes Jm, but we won 🙂
Good evening by the way.
Watch the incident Eduardo……Danny was more directed to the corner flag than towards goal. the foul happened yes, but its not a red incident. Not even a yellow imo.
http://arsenalist.com/f/2014-15/crystal-palace-vs-arsenal/welbeck-draws-penalty.html
Perhaps a key factor was, there was a Palace defender who was in a position to get across and tackle Welbeck… The guy who gave away the penalty wasn’t the last man….
That is another issue Rico. As I said…..the foul happened, but it was not even a yellow card issue.
How was your day Lady? A good one??
Pretty good thanks Devil, although dreadful weather today. Yours good?
We have 12 games left 7 of those are at home and 5 away 3 of the away teams are currently in the bottom 6.
I’m off guys..
Night all…
Yes Joe, but two home matches are the dippers and chavs….
Gone now….
Yesterday was quite de ja vu ish. Throughout the second half I couldn’t help thinking I had seen it all before , then I realised Wimbledon used to play there.
What the fuck was Ham Allardyce doing yesterday with his substitutions?? 2-0 up and bring on a striker!!
I bet he regrets it now Lee..
Morning to you and all…
Good Morning Lovelies and Hunkies.
Morning Lady.
Seems that Sam and Song fecked up a good WHU result then. Hmmmm. They should get 50 lashes of cat’o’nine tails for that.
good results though yesterday.
As KEv said…….the games will now come thick and fast for the spuds……hehe
ahhhh. yes. it seems that they are going to have a new stadium after all. I wonder how will they manage to stay afloat with the debt. In which division will they celebrate its opening???
Morning Rico and fellow HHers…
Did anyone catch Gallagher’s comments on Whinger Morinho? lol
Morning Devil, Ts..
I didn’t re Gallagher, what did he say?
Dev- Your boy Adrien Rabiot looked very promising last weekend for Psg…
Monaco look very solid in midfield but they are not scoring goals so we might have a chance if Berbatov has one of his lazy days. lol
Rico…
http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/31580480
Just caught up on the comments, for me the welbeck incident was not a red card, but it had to be a definite yellow imo it was a goal scoring opportunity but not clear ie one on one with the keeper.
As for the match we should have be home and clear well before palaces late surge. Alexis missed a great chance, and ozil had a perfectly good goal disallowed, which motd didn’t bother to show.
Chambers got skinned again lol that kid is definitely not s right back, actually I’m not sure what he is atm.
Tsgh I missed what gallagher said..
Ah, I thought you mean Dermot… lol
Hiya Ginge.
I did not see the PSG game mate. So cannot comment. AW should get him…..but not at Le Coq’s expense. We do need another DM especially now that Arteta is getting older and Flamini is getting tactically and technically senile. hopefully we will get him in the summer.
Hi Kel, in my view it was nice for someone else to call a top manager a whinger…
I decided to stay away from comment on the game yesterday because in my view I thought we were again suspicion in midfield…
The main thing I must add is that we are winning even when we are not playing well…
My concern is that we virtually started with our top in-form XI whilst Palace were missing arguably the strongest and under rated CM in the league; Jedinak…
I know Le Coq has his fans on here but i thought he was very suspect the whole game…
I have always believed without TR07 or even AR16 starting in midfield covering and anticipating proceedings defensively for Le Coq he strides a very fine line! His immature stance of dissenting most referee decisions will soon come back to haunt us in a game I think…
His data in the second half of games is also very poor re. stamina wise for a 23 y.o.. I suspect with the fitness issue the more games he plays the more
Dev- Rabiot scored 2 very good goals..
He reminded me of Edu
Morning all.
Ginge, forget stats and watch… Coquelin is making some incredible tackles and interceptions.
You just hate the French hahahahahaha.
Same here Rico… dermot lol… noel was funny tho mourinhos having a break down lol going on national tv for 4 hrs whinging, Chelsea propaganda. The man is classless imo.
Dev- who would you start in midfield against AS Monaco to counter Toulalan, Kondogbia, Bernardo
and Moutinho…
lol Scott… nah… you getting me confused with Syg. 😛
Abou Diaby is my favourite as you know… I want him to sign a contract for life… (on the mend) of course. 😀
I hear ya tsgh, I also was thinking the same about Le coq dissenting attitude he needs to sort that out imo, because he is a red card waiting to Happen Imo.
I haven’t really took notice of his stamina stats tbh, but i suspect they will improve naturally.
But atm I’m delighted that he doesn’t bomb forward leaving us open unlike flamini who sometimes just abandons ship. atm coq and Ramsey are 1st choice imo. Even tho Aaron is outta form big time he still works hard.
Ginge…..I would go with Coq, TR07 and Cazorla.
Interestingly…..have you read Goal.com’s stats on Cesc? Seems that history is repeating itself and he is running out of steam after Christmas once again. His stats are very poor when they are compared to August – December. And they are very similar to when he was at Arsenal once again.
Would the chavs’ wheels come off now??? now that would be nice to rub it in to Jose!!!!!
Rico- would you like a ‘waffle’ from me as a pre-monaco game post for tomorrow?
Dev- my observations/stats as Wath would like to call them are always on point.. 😛
Without jinxing our Alexis… I mentioned last summer that my only issue with Alexis is that he fails to score belfore March too…
Coquelin gave up a yellow fairly early and never looked in trouble afterwards…..I think you’re being harsh bud.
I ditto that ‘3’ Dev…
Ts, I don’t understand your criticism of Coquelin, without him in the centre of midfield, we’d be really weak imo…
Surely, if you are suggesting that without others like Ramsey (who has been quite average at times this season) or Rosicky, he is a liability, then surely the problem is with Coquelin central playing partner?
As for the questioning of the ref, isn’t that what many fans wanted to see from our players instead of being so soft?
You may have a point Scott…
But several of Arsenal twitter accounts re-tweeted…” Arsenal fans would love Coquelin until he runs out of luck and costs us a game”…
I would go with ……
Ospina
Bellerin, Per, Kos, NAcho
Coquelin,
Wellbeck,TR07, Cazorla, Sanchez
Giroud
I will put on Ozil for one of Danny or Sanchez later on.
Rico- questioning of refereeing is very different to disswent imho…
I am not criticising Le Coq at all.. I am just making an observation from a different angle as I always do… my post at 9:17 was never a criticism… it is just a concern.
Imo Rooney is the best in the league at questioning/ badgering the ref i hate the prick but he has it down to a fine art… Le coq will question the ref then throw his arm up and literally tells the ref to f*** off. think that’s what tsgh meant.
dissent* even
Chhers Kel… I think you described it better than I could ever master…
I would add John Terry to that list of master ‘ref-questioners’.
Last season I use to say the same about Flamini re. his stupid and unnecessary tackles..
How many games did he end up costing us with suspensions etc…
I am just saying AW overlooks certain parts of the game…
AW said he did not think Thuram could have the career he had because he use to pull out of tackles…
Thurams said he was able to go the whole season without receiving yellow cards as a top WC and Euro’s winning CB because if he can’t win the tackle cleaning them he has failed in teh first place…
Solid line-up Dev.. do you think Bellerin will be fit? I know he was on the bench and all
Rooney, Terry, Gerrard.. tsgh all English all carry an influence of authority ie captains… club and country at one point. Big Tony Adams was of that ilk. Atm are English players are nice bunch of lads but not leaders, the ox could be one day tho.
Wednesday would be better Ts.. 🙂
So true Kel… They don’t dive either. 😛
But doesn’t Coquelin just question the ref Ts, I have seen any dissent and I’m sure he’d have been booked by now if he had..
You sure re Coq and the criticism… 😉
Morning all, here’s the thing on Mourinho he got the platform to do what a lot of people want Wenger to do is go to the media and point out the refereeing bias against Arsenal.
Now look at the reaction a different media platform provides the opportunity for a celebrity fan to have a pop at Mourinho but the fact is who’s team is benefitting from Chelsea,s run of dreadful refereeing dicissions Man city.
Now I dislike Mourinho as much as the next person but I am starting to think he has a point. After watching Chelsea games some in their entirety and highlights of others the has been a change to the way Chelsea games have been officiated. They now seem to be officiated the same way Arsenal has for years.
Like I said yesterday he went on GOS and used half truths to make he’s point. But as someone who has for along time thought that the is something very wrong with the way games are officiated in England it’s good to someone anyone even Mourinho shine a light on the issue.
Agree with flamini i think he flew into tackles because in all honesty he had nothing Else in his locker. Where as a player like Morgan can negotiate a game.
Good to see…..
New post up now..
🙂 Rico
Joe- you have a point re Noel… but imho, you are doing Arsenal a major disservice comparing us to chelsea…
For 4 or so season’s have have always believed that the FA help the team they want to help by the fixture slots/arrangements.
Compare our fixtures before and post UCL matches and see who is benefitting from the FA nad refs.
i think Chelsea’s only issue now is that they have less English players in the ‘spine’ of their line-up and so are not offered the same leeway they were given previously..
As kel alluded above, if you look at Chelsea’s ability to question referees as an example, when they had Lampard, when things happened up the field Lampard would handle it thereby not requiring John Terry or cahill to storm upfield…
Some ref’s spend a lot of time talking and joking with certain players during games which in my view should not be tolerated at all but it is over loked by the camera’s…