Arsenal: Cech, Holding, Koscielny, Gabriel, Bellerin, Ramsey, Xhaka, Monreal, Alexis, Ozil, Welbeck
Subs: Ospina, Mertesacker, Coquelin, Elneny, Iwobi, Walcott, Giroud
—
Arsenal will play Europa League football next season despite a 3-1 win over Everton, but that was the least of their worries after a losing Gabriel and Alexis Sanchez to injury, and Laurent Koscielny to a red card which rules him out of the FA Cup final.
Arsene Wenger recalled Koscielny to the starting XI, opted for Danny Welbeck up front in what was surely a cup final audition, while Gabriel came in for the illness stricken Mustafi.
There was an early sight of goal for Danny Welbeck who couldn’t convert a low Bellerin cross in the second minute, although the ball was slightly behind him.
The home side had started strongly, and were ahead in the 8th minute. Arsenal worked the ball down the left hand side, it broke for Ozil in the box, Welbeck had a tap-in from 3 yards but somehow he missed the ball. Bellerin was alert though, putting home the loose ball to make it 1-0.
The bright start was then rendered disastrous when Laurent Koscielny was sent off in the 14th minute. The Arsenal captain could have few complaints, he flew in on Valencia and got nowhere near the ball, and Michael Oliver issued a straight red which rules him ou tof next weekend’s FA Cup final against Chelsea.
Everton brought on Ross Barkley, and threatened from some dangerous areas, but before the half hour the Gunners had doubled the lead. We played the ball around the Everton area, Welbeck got the end of a deflected shot, the Everton players just stood around, Welbeck played it back to Alexis who tapped it in for 2-0.
The lead might have been extended further when a Sanchez free kick troubled Joel Robles at his near post, and he was thankful his desperate punch deflected out for a goal kick off Welbeck.
At the other end, there was a mad scramble in the Arsenal box, Everton had about five chances to score in 20 seconds, but each time made a mess as each time Arsenal made a mess of clearing it. Eventually the ball ended up with Cech, who was then forced into a good save from a Gueye shot as the visitors cranked up some pressure.
The Arsenal stopper was in good form again, and it was needed as he tipped a Lukaku header over the bar, before getting behind a Valencia effort well. Lukaku had an effort deflected wide when he should have done better, and as the half came to a close news filtered through from Anfield that Liverpool had taken the lead meaning they were in the driving seat for the final Champions League place.
Everton made a half-time change, bringing on Gareth Barry for Gana, and the substitute created a good chance for Lukaku, but the Belgian’s header was tame.
Strong work from Alexis helped open things up for Welbeck, but his shot was well saved by Robles, and the Everton keeper then saved the follow up from Mesut Ozil.
Defensive worries increased when Gabriel picked up an injury, twisting his knee making a challenge, and he had to be stretchered off, gutted at what he knew was probably a bad injury. He was replaced in the 53rd minute by Per Mertesacker, making his first appearance of the season.
The injury to Gabriel was compounded by Liverpool scoring a second goal and third goal against Boro, leaving the Champions League hopes dead in the water.
Michael Oliver then bottled a second yellow for Ashley Williams who had been booked in the first half. He tripped Welbeck but the referee didn’t deem it worthy of a second yellow.
That decision was then made more frustrating when a handball from Rob Holding saw Everton awarded a penalty which Lukaku converted to make it 2-1.
That led to chants of “Stan Kroenke, get out of our club” from the Arsenal fans, before Schneiderlin picked up a yellow for a foul on Xhaka.
"STAN KROENKE, GET OUT OF OUR CLUB" coming from the North Bank.
— gunnerblog (@gunnerblog) May 21, 2017
The referee’s performance prompted Arsene Wenger into a change, taking the Swiss international off and replacing him with Francis Coquelin in the 61st minute.
Again Oliver bottled a second yellow, for Schneiderlin this time, keeping his red in his pocket when the Everton man should have gone. It was a day when not much was going right for Arsenal, and when Alexis went down injured, the final change of the game was made when Alex Iwobi replaced him in the 67th minute.
The worry was that the Chilean was clearly injured, holding his thigh, so this simply added to the worries ahead of next weekend.
Ozil was denied again by Robles after a great pass from Ramsey sent him through on goal, Mirallas shot over, Mertesacker blocked a Barkley effort, and Jagielka headed over from a corner as Everton sought the equaliser.
Lukaku made a bollix of another good chance, and a great Bellerin cross saw Iwobi take the ball down and have a shot blocked as the Gunners found some rare attacking jizz. And the Nigerian international was denied moments later by a good save from the keeper.
Bellerin DESTROYED Barkley with a nutmeg, and as the game entered five minutes of injury time, Aaron Ramsey made the game safe with a quite brilliant goal. He picked up a pass from Ozil on the edge of the box, the Welshman took a touch and curled an exquisite shot into the top corner. Postage stamp stuff. 3-1.
Barkley shot wide, and in the end Arsenal were deserved winners, but it was too little too late for this campaign as the club face a season out of the Champions League for the first time in 20 years.
We did what we had to, but it just wasn’t meant to be. A disappointing end to a disappointing season.
It’s not quite the end yet. We’ve got next week to be disappointed about.
Next week we make John Terry cry in shame.
Unlikely. And that’s the real shame.
Unfortunately, next week we’ll be playing with Per who hasn’t had a lot of match time so far and a Welbeck who has returned to his Man U days – how does this guy miss tap-ins and still call himself a striker??!! He’s the opposite of Aguero in the league and Wenger should try him as a Winger or wing back! I always wanted Per to get some match time along with Lucas particularly during Sunderland game. What if Alexis isn’t ready for that game do we play Theo or both Welbz & OG??!! Eitherways, doesn’t look pretty! Wish Wenger… Read more »
Ot just feels like Arsenal only perform when things are out of their hands. With a man down, we did what with couldn’t do against sp*rs. Unfortunately, it’s not everyday another team favours with a shirty performance to spare our blushes
Did Arsene head straight down the tunnel at the end?
That’s an actual question. Coverage cut out shortly after. Did he come back out for the lap?
James tweeted that he was standing on the touchline not walking around for whatever that’s worth.
No he didn’t join the lap. Poor Gabriel, he had a great game. And nice to see Ramsey back on form just in time for next week. Welbeck isn’t a finisher. Sanchez on the other hand… keep that man!
Well that was an unmitigated disaster
Hahahahah you are quite easily dissapointed aren’t you? Win is a win, especially impressive after going down to ten men. Europa League was something we knew about a long time ago… It was a good game, horrible officiating though… How can you be so inconsistent and not send Ashley Williams out? Ridiculous.
Have to agree, a win is a win. Considering we played most of the match with 10 men….. I’m proud of the team… So it’s Europa, come on we sucked at champions league… So this could be an interesting European adventure. One we have a chance of winning for a change.
Proud to be a gunner…
Frankie, the Internet is not the place to say things like that!!
I really like this comment.
shame, I hold Michael Oliver in high regard but he had a stinker today.
Sure a win is a win but losing two defenders for the cup final is not good …
True. I feel bad for Gabriel, he had an immense game and then he gets this as a reward… heartbreaking.
Well that was a disaster
The win, if anything, gives us some momentum going into the final. However, Kos’ unnecessary sending off and injuries to Gabby and Alexis are a massive setback. Hoping Alexis will be fit for the final, but the way the team, in particular Ozil, played today gives Me hope for next week.
Welbeck’s unselfishness and assist so that Bellerin couldn’t miss the first goal was amazing…
Hope this is the kick up the arse our board needs.
No excuses now.
Kick up the arse to make Arsene sign that extension?
Expensive victory, but great one for all and all for one mentality!
Do you want to purchase some inverted commas Phil? 🙂
Sometimes, the “cliche fits.” It’s been a brutally tough year, we have one game to go, and I’m just taking them one game at a time. I’ll enjoy the off season when silly season begins, but will refrain from putting the boot in until then.
That’s a “no” then Phil?
Well we have been moaning that we get in the top every year. This is more refreshing as it’s at least something different than the dejavu groundhog day usual we are used to. Also glad we are not gonna suffer another season where we are going to be humilated by Bayern or Barcelona. So the future looks bright !!!
I know you’re trying to put a positive spin on it, but I wonder how “refreshing” it’s going to be when we lose our best players in the summer and can’t attract comparable replacements without the CL?
Sarcasm anyone???
What is it with Arsenal fans that accept mediocrity? We should be winning Bayern, Barca should be praying we don’t meet them in the knock out stages! Not this, we are better than this. Don’t let Arsene or Stan tell us different.
I have supported Arsenal for the 15 years and this is rhe most pain, dissapointment and hurt I have felt. I love Arsenal more then I have loved any girl. Arsenal and Arsene stop letting me down
You’re lucky you weren’t a fan in the 80’s then!
This is nothing. Losing two Cup finals in 3 days in 1980 was about as bad as it gets. Not bothered about missing out on Champions League, apart from it increasing the chance of losing Sanchez, which would be a blow.
Oh dear, mate. It will likely get worse next week, brace yourself. I would argue losing that FA cup to Liverpool, ending the 49 game unbeaten run with a Rooney dive or Barcelona in the CL final were worse moments then not finishing somewhere we don’t deserve to be. Write this year off and move on. All things considered, the thought of Chelsea winning the double at our expense, Spuds finishing second and Kane winning the golden boot with is pretty vomit inducing. Not to mention Liverpool scraping CL at our expense and Man Utd probably winning a European trophy.… Read more »
All looks yellow to the jaundiced eye.
Girls would lead you to pain and disappointment, too. Don’t stop loving would be my suggestion.
I love arsenal than your girl too.
Wow. 15 whole years ?
Im only 24. And I was just a little dissapounted before.
Why Koscienly?????
Because he can be a dick at times.
Maybe if Arsene have given him the Fergie “hairdryer” treatment when he first did things like this?..
Or not of course…:-)
A good win today, but given the context of what preceded it this season very much too little too late. I’m glad this season is over, cup aside. It’s been absolutely abysmal to watch for the most part, with few redeeming moments. My only hope is the failure to qualify for the Champions League sparks change at board level, begging with the appointment of a new manager. Arsene Wenger in the past was a great manager, but no more. The need for a new approach is needed more than ever. He was given a grace period after being awarded a… Read more »
I couldn.t agree more!!
I’d play Giroud at Wembley if that was Welbeck’s audition.
I like Welbeck but if you’re a striker who can’t actually, you know, score then what’s the point? We should be looking to upgrade in the summer. I’d keep Giroud because he’s so important off the bench.
At least Giroud can score tap-ins.
Yeah, and the odd absolute screamer too. Welbeck epitomizes the useful ‘squad player’ role but isn’t productive enough. I’m pretty sure that we’ll be stuck with him & theo again next season… here’s hoping we’re not. We need to be ruthless with certain players.
Should we keep him only for when we play United?
Good question! I say yes but only for as long as Maureen is their manager? 🙂
Could come in handy during next year’s Europa League final.
i like giroud , but welback should start . welbeck cant score , but when we play with giroud we look static and the entire team looks shit . so its either good striker bad team performance , or bad strker good team performance .with alexis free scoring form i’ll take the last option anyday
It shouldn’t be either. Alexis was fantastic as the striker all season until he was taken out. We need either an Alexis quality winger or striker this summer, i’d sell Welbeck and or Walcott to achieve that
Or – its buying a new striker who can actually hit the fucking target!
i cant for the world understand why wenger havent yet bought a good striker .and everytime wenger says this squad is enough to win the league…. its just naive . without a a good striker we are never gonna win the league , regardless of which manager situation
Welbeck is a decent guy. He doesn’t complain when he’s on the bench and tries his best when he’s on the pitch. He’s always been a bit of an Emile Heskey 2.0, though. Faster, more skilled, but… I was crossing my fingers something about him would change when he transferred to Arsenal, but it really hasn’t happened. No fault of his own, he puts in the work alright, but if there’s #9s and False 9s, you could label him an Anti-9. I feel like some manager needs to sit down with him and discuss switching his position permanently to something… Read more »
Have to say I’d take a non-scoring Welbeck starting on Saturday as he will at least cause Luiz and Cahill more problems with his mobility and energy. Solid defences find it much too easy to mark Giroud out of games. Welbeck may lack conviction in his finishing, but you have to wonder whether Giroud would even find himself in those kind of positions given how he’s performed against big teams in the past. Getting a better striker than both is obviously a priority for this Summer though (hey, just like the past two Summers as well! :/ )
Maybe Lucas if he had been given the chance.
…if only Lucas was not so prone to injury
Giroud does score against big teams….he’s a decent goal scorer whose only drawback is his inconsistent form
Mate, Welbeck got two assists.
Some will say it’s too little too mate, others will complain about Liverpool game where they should have went down to 10 + penalty against them before the break….
There will be many ways to describe today’s afternoon.
I just want to keep in mind two things :
– Arsenal managed to get 19 time in a row in the Champions League, it’s our record…
– the brilliant 3rd goal…
We’ll see later what the future is about 😉
Let’s not waste time criticising pointlessly before the FA cup final.
COYG!!
Thank you posting that. I was all pukey with the moaners above your post.
As expected. A bridge too far.
Welbeck still misses sitter but what a goal by Ramsey in the end. Good play by Ozil. Stepped up considering we were down to 10 men.
Iwobi was excellent when he came on.
Oliver was typically rubbish. Strong yellow for a bad tackle but not a red so early on and he wasn’t the last man.
And Boro should have had a penalty. you just wonder.
No such thing as a strong yellow.
And it was an awful tackle, nothing at all to do with being last man.
I would say that Oliver was atypically rubbish, unless you mean “typical of referees in the Premier League generally”. He’s usually good when I see him. I do remember him getting some justified criticism earlier on this season, but I think he gets most things right. Williams should have got a second yellow. Schneiderlin I’m not sure – could have deserved one as well. The red card was an awful challenge.
Players played a brilliant game, going down to ten and dominating like that… Ozil take a bow, what a Player. With the big P and cherry on top. Immense.
Injuries are worrying, anybody knows if Mustafi will be available?
Mustafi was ill today so should be fine ?
Thanks pal!
he had some lagsana?
Lasanga I think man.
Lasagna I think mate.
Koscielny seriously wtf?
not the end of the world, but it hey its tough to suck it all in
Watched the Liverpool game and cursed the penalty stolen from Boro which possibly impacted on the turn of the game.
Ultimately it’s on us for being shit this season though. FA Cup next. COYG!!!
Since it seems pretty apparent that Wenger is staying and the board isn’t pursuing anything other than cosmetic changes- hopefully missing the top 4 is the sign to Wenger that things need to change. Unfortunately the evidence doesn’t support him embracing the needed change to really put us back into contention
at least he’s shifted to a 352 tactic. n for the 1st time in a looooooooooong time we could see 4 players in the box when we played tt low cross for the 1st goal, which allowed hector to score when danny missed. if tt’s wat 352 gives us, i say we stick to it! it gives us tt extra man in defence, n this tactic improves granit n aaron’s game. also covers for mesut’s lack of tracking back. very suitable tactic for us. i have hope.
and now wenger will stick with this formatin for the next 10 years
Arsene must respectfully go and the board should change the whole set up. No better time to do this than now. There is so much disappointment inertia that any minor misstep during the season develops in to a full blown crisis. This will continue if the Board persists with Wenger. Next season will be a joke if Wenger remains.
Europa league, here we come 🙁
Hate that we have missed out, hate the mess we are in, hate spuds above us, not confident for fa cup but… whatever happens in the summer we start next season at what is pretty much rock bottom compared to every year since wenger joined. Other than 3 or 4 clubs most would give their right arm to be where we are. So we need to regroup and start again. I doubt we can really do that with wenger but if, as expected, he’s still here then we at least have to try. And I hate most that the man… Read more »
Media celebrating Liverpool winning the Top 4 trophy they use to deride us for. They use to say we should win a cup instead. Here we have a chance to make history (again) with a more prestigious cup than the League cup Moanrinho is trumpeting. Liverpool hardly featured in CL for 8 years. now they are saying we are going to be in trouble becaue we are not in CL? Media. The manufacture of crisis at Arsenal that unfortunately some fans buy into. Making a massive meal of Tony Adams whom Lee Dixon clarified that what his compatriot meant in… Read more »
Oh well. Don’t really give one shit about not finishing in the top 4. Suddenly the CL places are important again because Liverpool are in them. Pffff bollocks. Pundits outdo themselves with their bias agenda sometimes, and have been laughing at our ‘achievement’ for years. Played well, and have been in really good form recently. Bodes well for the cup final although in truth as I said after the spuds game, we deserve nothing this season. We got what we deserved. Also, the referee did his best to stop us, Kos was daft and Gabriel unlucky. He has been playing… Read more »
This summer is going to be crucial. Next season you will have five other good teams battling it out for the title. It’ll be even tougher than this one. Whatever happens this summer in terms of our manager, I hope we improve this squad.
I’ve never seen a top level “striker” fresh air the ball in goal scoring positions as much as Welbeck. And I’ve seen Sanogo…
Play him as a wide forward or move him on.
Unfortunately for Wenger, he’s going to have to get tougher. There is no room for second and third chances for players who are not ruthless enough.
if it were up to me id b getting lukaku to replace giroud, n lacazette to replace welbz.
Lukaku? What a waste of muscle that guy is.
Haha, I was about to post that a fit Sanogo is a lot more use than Danny Welbeck seems to be!
He only scores against Man U. Which, considering present circumstances, could win us a final. I say wrap him up in cotton wool.
What final is this?
Any way we can sign a petition to get Kroenke out of the club? Most fans at the game didn’t really seem arsed. Is this what we do now? Shout a few times when we lose, sing everything is great when we win. The board here are horrendous and they have an autocratic manager who simply won’t leave. Even if Arsenal finish mid table next season, he’ll whip up some excuse to say he’ll reinvent his team. I also doubt he’ll be able to walk away after the next 2 years. He seems obsessed, like a scientist who has created… Read more »
Ridiculous comment
What exactly is ridiculous? Have you been paying any attention to how Spurs and Chelsea have not only blown teams off the pitch, but have managers who are of a new breed of technical excellence and man motivators. Have you forgotten the utter shambles that we have turned into. An owner who openly admits he didn’t buy the club for trophies. A chief executive who filled us with aspirations that we’d be up there with Bayern Munich about 2 years ago. And lastly a manager who can’t tell us pubically whether he is staying or going, when the reality was… Read more »
BTW its not the end to the season yet. We still have the FA cup to fight for. Chelsea may be trumpeted as already winners of the double by the press but they conveniently ignore that if we win it, we will (again) be the most successful club for this prestidgious trophy and Wenger would have won it for the most number of times. how their tune changes. Some years back, we were derided for winning the fourth spot trophy that they are all too willing to heap praise on that prancing tit Klopp. They said we should be winning… Read more »
We are better than L’pool, we should be league contenders, not dragging 4th with them, and to hell with the media. We will have our laugh.
A season that was so promising ended with us playing Europa League football next season. One wonders at this point, if the boys will turn up for the FA Cup Final?
We don’t make anything easy do we?
Roll on the cup final! COYG.
Welbeck butter feet today
Luckily one of his miskicks was so bad it went backwards and set up a goal 😀
Kos foul should have been a yellow, he wasn’t last man back. The Everton fella rolling around like he’d been shot only to come back on the field a minute later didn’t help. HOW did Everton keep all their men on the field? Unbelievable piss poor performance from Oliver.
I loved the team spirit even after we knew Liverpool weren’t going to mess up. Well done lads, let’s win that FA Cup again!
Also, I sure hope Welbz finds some scoring form, should have had a hat trick today.
With less money than Manure, Citeh and Chelski and a manager whose star has very much stopped glowing for some time now, do you see next season being any different?
It has to be.
If we want to hold on to our quality players and hope to sign any quality players then we have to change our mindset. The wage demands will be high as we can’t promise them Champions league football and we have to convince these players that we are a club worth playing for.
In order to do that we HAVE to sign up Sanchez and Ozil as a statement of intent. Letting them go will be a step backwards.
Ozil’s skills on the buildup to the third goal were awesome. He is a joy to watch when on song.
That was a hard win, a great win, and well deserved. The Gunners were heroes all, backs to the wall after Koscielny’s wild tackle — and though it doesn’t make up for the rubbish they played between January and March, it still leaves me feeling as the League season comes to an end that all is not so bad at the Arsenal, on the field at least. Cech was superb, Bellerin was compared by the BBC to Stanley Matthews (!), Xhaka was solid with some brilliant through passes, Monreal a natural wing-back (and not bad as a left back either!),… Read more »
Perfect summary Mike and I found it very easy to read (natural flow) just saying…:-)
I was worried how Mertesacker might perform – it is not about the quality, I think he is a Rolls Royce of a player, even without the pace – but he is rusty and you never know where is he in his rehabilitation process.
And then you see him flying in tackles, making crucial interceptions and almost grabbing a goal for himself. Welcome back captain!
Just saw the Chelsea title ceremony, never seen one before, been an arsenal fan since 2005….Doesnt look like I will watch one that I like for a long time.
That was a game played with real spirit by the Gunners, albeit in what turned out to be a lost cause.
Proud to be a Gooner.
Too little too late, can’t really gob off about Boro not being given the pen cos we left ourselves with too much to do. Now, while Wenger should leave, and take that fucking prick Kroenke with him, he wont, and we all know this week he will say how we have more points than last season so we have improved. Seems he is the only one who can’t see what everyone else can. This club needs big changes over the summer. Not sure that Usmanov would be the one to fix them, but everyones opinion is very much he can’t… Read more »
Looserpool have got to qualify for the League section of the CL yet and Spuds with the best attacking record and best defensive record have won as much as we have this season….and we may still win more. Enjoy your season in the sun Spuds. See if you can get knocked out of 2 European competitions again next year.
Boy! Let us just admit, we are no where even as good as they are. Hopefully a lot of their players fuck off to greener pastures in the summer.
But the moment they are definitely a level above us, which is depressing to even think about.
Just hope when Wenger sits smugly in front of the press with his smarmy, arrogant face on, declaring ’20 years of success and 1 year missing out by 1 point is not failure’. Someone points out ‘NO, it’s 13 years of no Premiership wins + 20 of no European Cups, is that success oh sad mega rich millionaire one.?
Boro should’ve had a pen? Kos sent off for an often yellow card offence? Williams and Schneiderlin both escape red? I can’t wait for what beauties that await us in the final? Well done for the effort today lads, but nothing will convince me we ain’t getting shafted by mike Riley and his boys.
Great use of smileys, have a thumb
Started supporting Arsenal in the late 90’s. Never seen Arsenal play in the Europa League. Infact never ever watched a match in the Europa League. This already feels like an era of an era at Arsenal.
Playing in the Champions League has been extremely useless for us except for the fact that American muppet was making some extra bucks.
This is definitely a kicking up our ass. Going to be an extremely interesting summer. Hopefully things change for good. But I have got to admit my doubts that it will.
We reached, and lost the UEFA Cup final in 2000!
Started following in the Late 90’s when I was around 4 or 5 years old. Don’t remember much to be frank. Never have come across that stat as well!
i dun care if it’s europa so long as alexis, ozil, ox n co sign da thing! we know the team hasnt performed well enough this season. we r all disappointed. we know Wenger needs to bear some responsibilities. should Wenger leave this season? who’s better tt we can get in? or can we give Arsene 1 more season to make right the mistakes this season? He’s been loyal to us. at his peak he rejected barca, real, bayern, france for us during our emirates project, when our wallet was tight n he had to sell all those players. can… Read more »
I share your sentiments, mostly, but can’t see Alexis, Ozil, or Ox signing for us now. That’s the most painful part of this–knowing this summer is probably going to be one massive step backwards, and therefore next season likely worse than this one.
Honestly i know most wanted UCL but europa league is a challenge as well. I hope we can go all the way next season for Europa.
The team better take the Europa League seriously next season and try to get a trophy out of it. If you’re gonna be a big fish in a small pond then I expect you to eat everything else in the water.
But that bit of Özil magic creating the Ramsey goal, oof. A perfect example of what effect the crowd can have on the team as he had just been applauded and was still being cheered after taking a corner.
Well, I think today proved two things about Michael Oliver. Not only is a cheat, he’s a fucking wimp as well!
It serves the team right you shouldn’t have to rely on other results we should of been in the top four a long time ago but we just aren’t good enough.
We are in the shit Cup next year which will be a very bad thing as we will have too many games and will probably not compete in the league again.
Proud of the team for today. The last goal (entire sequence from corner to ramsey’s shot) was truly special. Hector looked back to his best too, even before the nutmeg.
what a relief. let’s treat this final like a fresh start and put this league campaign behind us as we get behind the team for next weekend!!!!
Michael Oliver is a joke- you don’t make that many officiating errors without intent.
What a shit day. What a shit season.