Ten man Arsenal scored a late equaliser through Hector Bellerin to take a point from what was a remarkable game at Stamford Bridge.
A mistake from Shkodran Mustafi led to David Luiz being sent off and Chelsea taking the lead from the penalty spot. However, Gabriel Martinelli equalised in the second half, and despite Azpilicueta putting the home side ahead late on, the captain on the night curled home a left-footed shot to earn a well deserved point.
Read the Chelsea 2-2 Arsenal report and see the goal here
Here’s how the players rated today.
Ratings
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loving the passion. loving the youth. loving the spirit Arteta is instilling.
Great performance by team. But I still think Mustafi should be sold this January.
Sure, but we need someone to want to buy him…
A makeshift CB in the shape of Xhaka should be better in the future.
What Mustafi has done in the 24th minutes was EPIC, a bad backpass, forcing Luiz to have a red card, then made a useless clearance which hit Luiz/Tammy. This is truly truly EPIC….
From now on, Holdings must start. In case of emergency, put Xhaka as CB.
We all had a warning 2 minutes earlier. And unlike national rail services, it was earlier than expected. Forever a predictable predicament. I’m calling time on him. That was a winnable game.
Well Domenic for the belief, fight and hard work, to earn an away draw with a man down.
We should just give him away
Who would take him even for free? I wouldn’t..
Shout out to all the fans in the away end as well, absolutely dominated the sound in the stadium
UP THE ARSE
Should the blog name changed to arteblog?
The Martinelli goal was anything but lucky!
Kante slipping just when Gabi had overhit the ball was a bit lucky. But the sheer energy, work rate and determination got him the goal.
Blogs may have been referring to the slip by Kante. But you are right about the breakaway and the finish. Way too early in his career to make real comparisons, but the goal was almost Henry-esque.
Exactly – I’m taking nothing away from his execution, but the slip allowed him to get away with a heavy touch. But fuck it, we deserve a bit of luck.
Everything was by design. Martenelli knew Kante would slip if he miscontrolled.
Everything was by design. Mustafi knew Luiz would get a red card and he might get another start
You see it through the charade
Hahaha @Dave cee
Kante panicked to see the powerful run, that’s why he slipped….an epic calamity. The slip was Terry-esque, just like when v Persie run solo years back.
He decided to slip rather than getting nutmeged.
I’m concerned lads… too many (or is that two many) ‘-esques’ in this forum… we’re getting all Dickensian!
I don’t really see the comparison to Terry–it really was Steven Gerrard and Demba Ba.
It.s a young C Ronaldo I see in Martinelli, he has that same look in his eye and on his face that says he means business. Even he is anywhere near as good I.ll be very happy
if he’s anywhere near as good as Ronaldo, he won’t be at Arsenal for long 😀
Or we’ll get a shitload of cash for comfort
Definitely. The speed with which he was running at Kante got Kante to try to anticipate his movement which left Kante wrong footed, hence the fall. Kante expected him to drive to the right and was already moving to that direction to block him him off, but oh sweet sweet Martinelli (please give the kid a 10 years contract)
Along with a truly immense buyout clause (bigger than Neymar’s 200 mil)
I actually think this is true. And it adds a bit to remember that many of us believe Kante is the best defender in the world.
With a little bit of luck, it could be the turning point from drawing to winning.
Kante thought about bringing him down too once he slipped, he reaches his arm out but then just pulls it back slightly and doesnt trip him. Thankfully. Young Martinelli is certainly a bright spark in an otherwise dull season.
Saka was really impressive tonight, great close control and confidence
Under no circumstances should we be looking at Kurzawa.
Saka is unbelievable.
Let me refer to many quotes by a famous manager: “Buying Kurzawa would kill Saka’s career.”
It would give healthy competition and don’t forget hes a French international saka could learn a lot from him
Saka would be a better winger or cam. He can pass, dribble and use both feet. He is small which will cost goals as he keeps playing full back. We are also short on wingers and cam at the moment. Getting a full back and allowing more options in attack would help the team i think.
For much of the game, he an Özil combined well, as the latter fell down to cover for Xhaka.
Xhaka looks good in defense doesn’t he, takes out tacking runners and consequently tripping out of his game. Can marshall the defense like he did today, also has good passing range long and short. Not sure he’ll fancy it though..
We’ve seen him have bad games at cb in a back three last season for a couple games I believe too though. Plus it would leave us even worse in midfield than we already are.
I reckon he’d give away even more penalties as CB. He did the Luiz long passes well though.
Fair play – he was decent but he also played Azpi onside for their goal when the others had all kept a tight high line. But then, he ain’t a central defender.
Let them put to many crosses in and switched of for their short corners way to often. at times during the game we rode our luck but taking nothing away from the Arsenal they battled for everything the boys became men
Great spirit, thanks to Martinelli and Bellerin.
Two words. “Huge Balls.”
Co cojones?
The minus 1 was from Deeney
A la Troy Deeney
Mustafi was actually pretty good other than that awful back pass (and a couple of others). He was solid after we scored our first.
And therein lies the issue… Good except the frequent horror mistake which leads to a goal.
Sad but true. I feel really sorry for him as a person but he’s done at Arsenal and hopefully he can re ignite in a team that doesn’t play us.
He’ll never re ignite he’s just a really stinky defender and that’s it
“Feel sorry for him as a person” oh please. Useless cunt. Actually, massively overpaid useless cunt. Last game in an Arsenal shirt. Him and his pal Ozil the ghost. Get both out of there NOW.
Otherwise, great determination and fight back. Arteta fantastic. Loving his influence.
Mustafi is an enigma that must be unravelled.
I felt for Mustuffup as he was having a fair old game – and musta felt like crap after that cock-up, given he’s trying to resurrect his rep with us. But he has an uncanny knack for making his stuff ups at times when they cause us maximum pain! We’d ridden their early deluge on goal and were just beginning to slow the game down a little and and enjoy some possession.
But what a battling comeback (Mustuffup included).
Which sums up every game that train wreck plays.
Holding should have slapped him when he tried to issue some, no doubt moronic, instructions after he came on.
I’d rather have a freshly laid turd play at the back than see that bearded fucknut in an Arsenal shirt again.
As the saying goes ” mustafi gonna mustafi….”
Theres the human part that no player should have to endure the abuse he gets directed. The player part is that hes simply quite an awful player and doesn’t deserve to make the squad would rather literally anyone from other positions or the academy than him. There is no way anyone is gonna buy him and likely this will be a run out contract situation. Luiz you can understand his desperation to stop a goal but really completely dumb to do that so blatantly because the result is almost always – concide goal anyway AND lose a player. We need… Read more »
I counted at least 3 passes straight to opponents prior to his crap pass to Leno. Van Dyk can make the odd mistake but it is just that – odd.
Was gona write something nasty about the defender who we shall not name, but that second half changed that!
Incredible response from going down 2-1! Absolute refusal to loose!! Love it!!
And we have an actuall PLAYER that Klopp is jealous about!!!
When he called Martinelli ‘The signing of the century’, he was pretty much saying ‘I want you to buy Martinelli for me’ to the board.
He can shove his shiny teeth up his arse and do one. We need to hold on to this kid. He’s going to be a star.
I’m still not having that as a red card. It needs to be deliberate for a red nowadays and he pulled out of a challenge initially. He only made the challenge when Abraham showed enough of the ball and looked like a legit attempt at the ball. No way the ref can be 100% sure it was deliberate
Plus, he wasn’t even the last man at the time of the challenge. Mustafi had recovered to the goal line. That’s what he was pointing out to the ref when he saw the card.
Doesn’t need to be the last man, he denied a clear goalscoring opportunity. It’s a red card all day.
What about the double jeopardy rule??? don’t apply to us?
i was wondering about that
thought it was brought in so that you wouldn’t get a red and concede a penalty?
That’s only if ‘accidental’.
Learn the rules, then comment.
Learn what a question mark means mate (and a little common courtesy) – the fella said he was ‘wondering’ and asked a question. You answered him. No need to then diss him?
Not sure it was that clear Blogs – Abraham was stretching, angle was tight and Leno was positioned to cut the angle even further. And – as pointed out – Mustafi was on the goal line.
I thought it was because it looked like more of a professional foul then a legit tackle. I watched it again and he pushed Abraham over quite blatantly
Pretty sure it was a deliberate push, maybe not a clear chance on goal.. short var is what the people want, just make sure it’s tested on Arsenal ?
It was headless, clumsy, not deliberate, plus there was a player on the line, but instantly knew it would be red for how rash it was.
He just needed to slide a few feet to the left for a block, unnecessarily aggressive, mustafiesque
That ball would make anyone but DB10 panick.
I was hoping Luiz would keep close to him, but allow him to shoot. By that point his angle had worsened considerably and Mustafi looked to be in a good position for a block on what almost certainly would’ve been a tame shot with Abraham under pressure and not much time for backlift
I’ve watched it back lots of times now. It’s a wierd one. Abraham really has taken it too far wide. He would have to really get hus foot around it to get a shot on goal and unlikely to get much power. Irrespective of mustafi on the line a shot would’ve probably hit Luiz. He had actually got his body back goalside and probably at that point could’ve stayed on hid feet but I doubt he thought he’d get that chance and was always committed to trying to block a shot. In the end I think Abraham just opted out… Read more »
I don’t understand Luiz brought the guy down in the box. It’s obvious there is gonna be a goal. Just let be and regroup.
How are you sure Abraham would not have ballooned it outside the stadium. Luiz would have let him be.
Imagine the stick he’d get on here if he’d made no challenge. That said, I think his challenge could have been better. (And still less than the foul on Pepe not given on Saturday)
Yep, that’s what I wanted to see. Harry him, but don’t take such a massive all-or-nothing gamble. Leaving your feet rarely is a good idea in the box.
Thought the bt pundits were a bit harsh on pepe. At 10 men he was a good outlet with his solo dribbles carrying the ball down the right. Could have got in a few times on the break if we’d found the right ball.
think he has improved his defensive work quite a bit. still a long way to go, but he’s putting in the work at least.
Him and Özil in the team together left our midfield way too porous. Chelsea created so much pressure in that first 20 and we couldn’t do anything about it.
More and more Pepe is looking like a player. He’s never going to give you that defensive cover, he’s fucking shit at it.
For me he starts over Öz every week. Just can’t play them together.
Compare his work rate to Martinelli. We need 11 players prepared to shift like our young Brazilian.
Compare anyone’s workrate to martinelli
I actually thought both Lacazette and Saka worked incredibly hard. And the whole side worked a lot harder than Chelsea; it hardly ever looked like they had the extra man.
ignore the pundits, their ratio of truth – story is so shit it’s not worth listening…
This performance reminds me of peak-Wenger Arsenal, when we’d win games down to 10 men which used to happen quite a lot. No panic. Just decent play. 2-3 better players than Ozil, Lacazette and Pepe or better performances and we could win that game. Saka outstanding. He is quite an incredible player who is 18 years old. That means after 2 more seasons experience in the Premiership he’ll be just 20. Frightening. I hope Willock, Nketiah, Guendouzi, Nelson, John-Jules, Smith-Rowe all watch these performances from Bukayo and put that level of application in to their next 6 months. If they… Read more »
Are you serious about Pepe. He was our most dangerous player and arguably the Man of the Match. Actually astounded that he was marked so low.
Pepe was always causing thier defence to panic when he got the ball, he would draw 2 or 3 to slow him down which made space for others, he worked really well. We all want to see him banging in the goals but as we are seeing with Laca you dont have to score goals to be a positive influence on the field. It helps to score but it shouldnt define your performance in the team environment.
No pepe no laca. Who’s going to score the goals then?
Martinelli and Auba when he gets back from his enforced holiday (against Bournemouth next Pl game)
What kind of striker doesn’t score goals though? Literally played up too and had no shots. No goals in nine games, when does it become a problem?
Honestly don’t care if he scores. If the team is putting them away and he’s a part of the collective build up then fine. I just don’t think he does much. Compare to the intelligence of firmino who doesn’t s ore much. Those two flanking him really benefit from his play. Laca doesn’t add to what we do in attack. He’s not a foil for pepe or auba or martinelli, enhancing their game. He’s ok but he’s a number 9. That’s a hugely influential position for any successful top team. Either score goals like auba (who I don’t think is… Read more »
Nearly every team doubles up on pepe now. It’s for other players to take advantage of that. For all of laca’s effort and hard running (which I appreciate is a great quality) there’s nothing he produces that an average forward in the premiership doesn’t. Not saying he’s poor but we could play the leading number 9 from any one of the club’s in the league and if they worked has hard as that they they’d be offering no less than him in quality. Barnes calvert-lewin puki Ings. All average but no worse.
Are you for real comparing Láca to calvert lewin and Barnes? You must not watch much football, Láca is top quality one of best in league and he’s just in a bad run of form at the minute. He just needs one and then he will be banging them in.
I agree, I think he’s shown a steady improvement over the last few games and you can see he is playing with more confidence. He loses it occasionally dribbling, the odd shitty pass but his dribbling and pace are a real asset.
Pepe was often the lone man upfield and carried us down the pitch on his own often taking 2-3 chelski players with him and still keeping the ball. Thought it was terrific play for us being a man down
How is it that Mustafi keeps playing his way into this team? Have we nothing at youth level to promote because he is beyond a liability. I even believe we should stick Xhaka there against Bournemouth. Luiz is banned so Holding/Sokratis and Xhaka.
If Arteta plays Mustafi again then it is on him when the inevitable happens.
Amazed you are getting down voted for that.
Top post. Couldn’t agree more. The fans – and the players – will only take so much more from a player who clearly isn’t good enough. More fool the manager if he continues to pick him and watches him screw up more precious points.
Maybe he exells in training? And in match enviroment his feeble football mind gets overrun?
Sokratis Ill, Chambers crocked, Holding still coming back from injury. Of course he had to start. Imagine he doesn’t, we play holding and he gets crocked as he’s not ready to play 90. We’d be in an even worse situation. Arteta has to manage the reality, as sub optimal as it is….
What happened to that giant lad we had coming through the academy? If and when he made the same kind of mistakes that Mustafi is making at least we could say he was gaining experience. Fuck it, at this point we should just name a training dummy over Mustafi.
They sold belik
Everyone blaming the big German buuuuut Luiz has conceded the most penalties of any player in PL is also a liability very clumsy and rash well past his sell buy date… 7 mil lol what a joke
Auba was right about Pele sorry I mean Martinelli. It’s his attitude that’s everything. Please let’s play Auba through the middle when he’s back and keep this gem in the left side of our attack.
on the left side*
Most excited I have been watching Arsenal for ages. Loved the support from the traveling fans. Loved the sheer bloody effort the team put in. Love that we never gave up. Loving Arsenal, all over again.
The atmosphere in the away fans was still there, even when we went behind (each time).
Arteta has really turned things around.
Extremely harsh on Mustafi. Made a huge mistake for the goal but like the team showed character to come back and defend well whilst under the cosh for the rest of the game. Look he probably will feel his career with Arsenal is over at this point, and a fresh start would suit both parties, but I would give him more credit than a 2/10 for his role in this battling performance.
He cost us a man, a goal and any realistic chance of winning the game. He was also terrible for their second.
I mean, I saw the blocks and the clearances, fair play. But that’s a bit like a bloke pissing on your sofa after he set it on fire.
Holding was also at fault for the goal. He was ahead of Mustafi and he let the ball go right past him. All he needed to do was stick out a leg. It was at a comfortable height too. But, Mustafi still let Azpiliqueta pass him easily.
Just watched it again. It was Lacazette initially who let it go which put Holding off.
And Granit played Azpi onside when the others had stepped up. Number of issues all contributed… sums up our last few seasons
He didn’t cost us a man. That was all Luiz.
Yes, Mustafi’s ridiculous mistake had nothing to do it ?
Luiz still didnt have to get himself red carded, he is completely at fault for that one
Mustafi’s ridiculous mistake should probably have cost us a goal, though not certainly. Luiz made the goal even more likely and put us a man down. When other defenders have made mistakes equivalent to Mustafi’s in conceding a goal, (for example, Monreal or Bellerin sticking his foot out to concede a penalty), they never received this sort of rating. Obviously–and decisively in terms of his future at Arsenal–Mustafi has done it much more often. But you are rating his performance in this match, not for his career.
But it’s not really like a bloke pissing on a sofa he’s set on fire, which would be to laugh about the situation. It’s like a bloke helping to put out a fire when he’s probably thinking everyone wants him to piss off. For the second goal he’s absolutely exhausted and gets caught by two blues coming into play from offside positions. In the end he’s out there in red, he wants to prove he can do it even after the obvious. I don’t pity him I look at him as a proper grown up who is trying to take… Read more »
Clearly we’ve tried. He won’t go because he likes his wage. Fair enough but that’s his decision. He could’ve stepped away from this cauldron and earned what he’s worth which is FAR less than he’s getting. He tries but I’ve NEVER known an individual to make so many mistakes that directly lead to not just goals but actually to the outcome of the game. From winning positions to drawing or from drawing to losing. And from positions of little danger. As a man he seems like a decent honest chap trying his hardest but he chose the money when he… Read more »
Mustafi’s mistake caused a world of trouble and is unforgivable for a centre back at this level, but don’t you think Luiz’ decision making ultimately cost us a man? Don’t get me wrong Luiz should have done all he could legally but if the ball had ended up in the net at that point in the game, with 11 men, it wouldn’t have been the end of the world…
Guess you didn’t see his assist though, for Martinelli, that was more than just a clearence, also, while I’m here, you give laca a 6 yet only 5.5 on the weekend where he made several key passes And worked his socks off, inconsistently badly rating Laca. Do some homework.
I mean consistently, you clearly have never played upfront blogs. So I guess I’ll let you off.
At the point he did his typical fuck up, he single handedly turned the chances of us winning from about 33% to 1%. He could have been flawless for the rest of the game (he wasn’t) and he would still be the biggest factor in us not winning. The 2/10 is merited I’ve just got no sympathy left for him at this point. Ok he tries, but we’ve tried to move him on every summer since he arrived but he just won’t budge – preferring to stay and ‘prove’ himself. He has every right of course but I have little… Read more »
He’s still not halfway to the number of points Almunia cost us by himself.
Lol, Almunia, another disaster class. I still think of him as the ghost between the posts
Comparing those two, is like having to choose between vomit and shit flavoured ice cream. The only good choice being neither.
At this point, if he refuses to move on or no team is interested in him, I would send him to Hale End and have him supervise the conditioning sessions of the kids in the academy. That way he won’t be able to cost the first team any more points.
He needed a hattrick to get clean out of that one, as a defender you can’t just do the ole…oh we’ll get em next time.
The forgiveness comes from the fact the team rallied to get that result.
Mustafi deserves no credit…. no I take that back. He should be relegated to the U19 squad or stay at home
London is red. Up the Arse. We are unbeaten in 2020!
Unbeaten this decade too.
Get Medley in for Mustafi, literally anyone else at this point.
Mustafi- assist for matinelli goal, great defensive header out of the box.
Hahahaha Mustafi was horrible but I was thinking the same thing when I saw that it was Mustafi that played the ball out to Martinelli ?????
Not an assitst…no way, it’s cynical eaven to suggest that
If you consider a defensive pass that allows for a 67 yard solo goal an assist, then yep, he got one
let’s not forget Emery got rid of Bielik – what we wouldn’t give for that backup now.
Good game. Decent result. Time to start racking up some wins now.
6 points in 6 games for Arteta is a decent return considering what he inherited and the nature of the games.
But the next 3 games against Burnley, Newcastle and Everton. We need to get at least 7 points out of them.
Saka is getting better and better Martinelli is some player and will be huge for us but special praise after all the shit for Mr Granit Xhaka tonight! He was tremendous at the back could it become a regular thing under Arteta? Great shift from everyone and a bit of passion underpinning it! Final thoughts? Please don’t buy a French “on the wane” leftback!!!
The problem with Xhaka at cb is he’s still kind of needed in midfield. I’m not a fan of the weaken one position to potentially strengthen another thing. I’d rather Medley was given a shot
And yeah I kind of hope that Saka focuses on developing as a left back. He’s a natural! And might find it easier to make an attacking impactthere as full backs typically enjoy more space. And with Nelson, Martinelli and Smith Rowe we’re kind of stacked with prospects who can play left wing
Amazing effort by the boys! Imagine what Lacazette must be thinking “everyone else just needs 1 shot to score a goal, even our right back!”
Also anyone else notice Mount and Guendouzi little fued has continued from the last time we played them?
John Terry is going to dream about falling on his face tonight as he chases after Martinelli.
Q: How the f is that second Chelsea goal not offside???
Because Xhaka was about 3yds behind them all.
I thought it should have been offside too. Not for Azpilicueta but for Abraham…he’s in the 6 yard box, in an offside position when the ball whizzes past him…surely his interfering with play!
I thought the same thing- It looks like Holding thinks about going for the ball but stops, as someone is just behind him? He thinks it’s another defender? (turns out to be Abraham) Anyways- he ends up hesitating, we know the rest. This rule of “interfering with play” leaves a lot to be desired. No matter how you look at it, Holding Hesitates. Whether it’s due to him thinking that another defender is covering in behind him or he thinks it’s a Chelsea player and is in an offside position (Therefore he won’t attack the ball) – it’s still, to… Read more »
I don’t think this was interfering with play. That said, the passive offside has gone way too far in some situations. On a free kick from say 30 yards hit towards the penalty spot, five attackers break towards the goal and four of them are a bit too quick and are offside. But the ball is headed by the one who breaks a moment later, and is onside and the goal is good. But how could the keeper and the defenders ignore the four who were (barely) offside? In that situation, the goal is always given (at least in England–not… Read more »
So many wonderful performances – Saka, Bellerin, Torreira even Xhaka (start him there next match) and ofcourse Martinelli – The Boss.
Barca are supposedly sniffing around for Auba, after tonight they might well be sniffing around for Martinelli as well. Not even for Messi swap!
Man, those stars are harder to work properly than a clit. ARSENAL, ARSENAL, ARSENAL
Maybe you need more practice
I use the same technique for both. Start with a gentle tap and tickle then just get frustrated and bash the fuck out of it.
Works eventually.
Ratings are spot on. The performance of Saka compared with Luiz and Mustafi just makes it even crazier that we’re looking to bring in a so-so left back instead of investing at CB which desperately needs strengthening. Also, it’s insane how good Martinelli looks, what a player we have on our hands!
I disagree with Mustafi’s rating. He made a terrible back pass that cost us a goal and a man. But the character to pick himself up afterward deserves a 5.
He took a thunderball in the nuts to blocking a shot… he kind of deserved it.
Great result aft playing w 10 men with more than an hr to go. We really need a proper center back above anything else.
We play with 10 men every week when Ozil starts. 9 when Ozil and Mustafi line up.
Yes we all know Mustafi had another classic Mustafi game and he is at fault for that backpass. But Luiz should take some responsibility and be rated a 2 as well for getting himself sent off. With heaps of time left to play, going 1-0 down shouldnt of been an issue and did not justify the tackle. Poor on his part. Just put pressure on him so he doesnt get a clean shot away and hope ya can be there for any rebound of the post or he just misses. At 70th minute maybe, at the 26th minute no way… Read more »
It’s a reaction!!! not a response to a quiz question!!! If Abraham scores everyone would be on Luiz for not stopping him! Blaming Luiz is like blaming guns for crime!
Luiz isnt to blame for the goal. He needs to be criticised though for being red carded. He did not need to do what he did. It was a poor decision to make from an experienced defender. If your going to criticise players for the dumb shit they do, then Luiz needs criticism for that effort too.
So….. Xhaka is the (short term) answer at centre half? He sure as hell looked good there. We finally found a place where his lack of athleticism isn’t such a drawback!
I really would be interested to see how Ceballos would do with the same lineup and replace Ozil.
In my opinion Xhaka, Saks and Martinelli get a 10. I am worried about Pepe. I thought he was poor. I was so angry at Mustafi. I genuinely thought it was over. Great fight back which needs to be underscored.
Am I the only one who witnessed Sakas mis hit cross? The one where he had all the time in the world, we had 3 in the box and he smashed it for a throw in? Or is the 8 rating because we are a defensive team and are expectations are so low we dont expect anything going forward?
Crap pass in the attacking 3rd and it doesnt really get much airplay, do one in the defensive 3rd and its lynchings allround. The end result of the pass is what defines the fans view of it all. Mustafi wouldnt of been so crucified if the result wasnt a red card and a goal against…. cause he played well for rest of the match.
I can’t even begin to understand your post here fella.
What’s the ratio of defenders to attackers when playing a defensive vs offensive pass?
What’s the expected success of a cross into the box vs a 25 yard pass back to the goal keeper.?
Saka’s mis-hit cross might have been gash but there is no comparison with Mustafi’s latest clusterfuck.
@ausdrexler “mustafi played well rest of the game”?!!! What the fucking fuck game were you watching? Yet another Absolute bombscare performance from the club clown.
That was in the first five minutes of a “must win” game. The 18yr old boy was a little too fired up. There were seasoned professionals that mishit crosses in the game today too. Saka got better and better as the game went on.
he’s 18, playing out of position, and even when he had a great game you choose to focus on one mistake. give him a break ffs
No David, you’re just the only one to make an issue of it.
There was a familiar kind of emotionally distressing Arsenal of old that’s really not good for a man’s heart. Between being bitterly disappointed by our start to infuriated by the error that led to the penalty to elated by the equaliser to defeated by going behind again to absolutely fucking bouncing off the walls after Bellerins goal…phew! So proud of the boys today but fuck am I exhausted! But it’s really apparent that there’s the foundations for a genuine team under Arteta, whatever about what and where we are lacking, what we’ve gained is a man with a plan and… Read more »
leno was absolutely outstanding, a 7 is an insult for such an impressive display. boy goalkeepers’ hard work goes unnoticed. ozil was invisible yet again, we looked like playing with 9 until guendouzi came in. still can’t wait for us to get rid of him
Am here just to give a shout out to Pepe. I think he worked hard too and his ability to draw defenders to him helped us in general. (if only Laca had stayed on side, when he dragged those 4 Chelsea players to him…)
I would also like to suggest that Pepe’s run along side Martinelli helped to “unsettle” Kante and perhaps played a part in the slip. It also showed his desire to score a goal.
Anyways, What a match! Credit to all the boys and the manager.
He’s still not PL fit though – fades badly in the last 20
Incredible spirit, incredible comeback. I aged about 16 years today and it was totally worth it. Not to put a damper on anything, as I see this as more of a credit to Saka – but he has to be preferred to Ozil as the 10 once we have some fit fullbacks. I’m not critiquing Ozil at all – but his speed of play and strength is nowhere near Saka’s at this stage of his career. His close control is excellent too. The boy is deserves to stay in the side when Tierney/Kola are back. Also 100000/10 for the Chelsea… Read more »
Leno has to be at least an 8, his saves kept us in the game.
Xhaxa is….impressing me at the moment.
I want to give some love to Xhaka. What he did was unbecoming, but I can only imagine the game plans Unai Emery was drawing up. He is now a completely different player. He’s fighting for the badge, he’s working his socks off, and he is a leader on the pitch.
Xhaka was the most reliable CB we’ve had play this season.
As Roy Keane says, ‘Mustafi, to me that sums up his career in a nutshell at Arsenal, you have to hit the pass’ , ‘That’s why that guy there is not good enough for Arsenal.’
What just happened? 1) Leno – Kept us in the game with two superb reaction saves. 2) Bellerin – welcome back! And timely too. Captain for the day and took the game by the scruff of the neck ala Sagna when it needed to be. Had a torrid time all afternoon, I believe Arteta was toying with subbing him off since he only just came back in fit, but thankfully not bc he speculated cut inside onto his weaker foot (Jorginho let him believing as such) but the shot somehow was very well placed and sneaked its way past everyone… Read more »
Watched the game at 34,000 ft whilst flying back to South Africa… the other passengers must’ve thought I was an absolute loon with all the fist pumping, swearing and hoots of joy! Martinelli and Saka, wow! And Captain Bellerin, what a boet!
Top fight shown by the lads, take a bow.
Three words though: fuck off, Muttface. Dumb c**t. OK, that’s five which, incidentally, is five more points than that shit-for-brains deserves in the ratings. How many sleeps till this moron leaves?
No sane manager would start this piece of journeyman shit in their team, that’s the problem. We’re stuck with this bozo the clown character until his contract is up.
Anger mananagement anyone?
The future is great. It’s left to the FEC to support Arteta in the market come Summer.
10/10 to Laca jumping in and mimicking Martinellis celebration. I know he’s not scoring much, but you can see how much he wants to succeed. One of the best moments of the game, seeing the low-on-luck senior player celebrating with the junior teammate with such passion. He just keeps working his arse off, and I just love him.
Arteta is definitely the correct choice. I was advocating him before and after Emery and i think we have to give him 4/5 windows to create his own team
I’m sorry but the appraisal of Mustafi is highly questionable, and I think somewhat sensationalist. He lost Azpilicueta for the second goal? Watch it back, Saka is next to him and doesn’t go back with him, Lacazette pulls out of clearing the ball, and Holding as the first man should make a better fist of cutting it out, but no mention of any of those. I am by no means trying to say that Mustafi is a great defender, he is not, he’s a pretty poor defender but it seems that he is subject to far greater scrutiny than any… Read more »
And, on another night – most other nights – when we don’t happen to convert both of only two attempts on goal AND Kante doesn’t inexplicably collapse, Xhaka isn’t the hero but instead is massively criticised for singularly defining the offside line, allowing Azpilicueta to score the winner. Just another example of fan fickleness.
Im here for the Mustafi comments
Maybe We’ve adopted Mustafi and it’s morally wrong to abandon him.
Mustafi doing his best to ensure nobody wants him.
Laca works extremely hard, but at what point do you say that no goals in nine games is a problem?