In the immediate aftermath of Arsenal’s 1-0 win over Chelsea at Stamford Bridge, the Gunners players and staff were quick to salute the travelling fans who’d been in full voice throughout the 90 minutes.
The appreciation was mutual. As the supporters worked through a revitalised songbook, the players shared high-fives and laughs, chucked shirts into the crowd and took a moment to soak it all in.
“It’s fucking unbelievable” was how Granit Xhaka described the atmosphere when he faced the BT Sport cameras on the pitch and Mikel Arteta picked up the thread in his post-game press conference.
“It was great,” he said of the noisy Arsenal contingent. “Our supporters have been absolutely phenomenal, they have transformed the club, the energy of the club, that’s my opinion.
“They have transformed the way the team believes in what they are doing. To share that with them away from home is really special.
“I had my family there, I had my son there in the middle of the crowd so it was great.”
After Manchester City’s stoppage time win over Fulham yesterday, the pressure was on Arsenal to respond. All too often in the last 15 years, showdowns with top six rivals have been painful affairs, but that wasn’t the case today.
The Gunners controlled the match from start to finish and while we had to rely on a goal from a set piece, it was a result that was truly deserved. With each passing week, talk of a proper title challenge grows.
While belief in the camp is growing, Arteta isn’t getting carried away.
“Just look at the last six years what Manchester City has done. With the best manager in the world, with the best team in the world. They have shown it consistently in every single competition,” he said.
“We have to be very very respectful of that. We are getting much better as team, we are competing much better. We are getting really good results right now, but this is a long, long journey.
On the performance, he added: “I was really impressed, we are a really young team, but we showed a lot of maturity, a lot of composure, a lot of courage, a lot of determination to play in this stage in the way we’ve played, it’s easy to say but really difficult to do. I think the boys were phenomenal today.
“What is fantastic is to see the team taking another step, today was under pressure, yesterday we lost that spot, we prepared the game to come here and win. But understanding that winning here is a different story, and today the boys they’re done it. I’m really happy because we have managed to get that step.”
The boss also said his players had learned from the 3-1 defeat to Manchester United, which remains our only loss of the campaign.
“We lacked discipline in that game. We lacked the discipline that is necessary in certain moments, to do what you have to do. Because if not, you get punished. I think we learned that lesson really well. Because again I think we played really well there, but it wasn’t enough to win, and that’s the difference – and how top teams do it.”
I definitely was a little bit scared at times when Zinchenko was high up the pitch and Chelsea recovered the ball. United exploited that area at Old Trafford and got 3 goals.
But today it was evident we had a plan for that, even though Mendy directed every goal kick there and Sterling was making his runs. 10/10 for the boss and the boys.
Had to play against the customary extra man at old Trafford. Glad Emery got off to winning start, an extra smile does no harm.
A good ebening to all!
Here something to make your ebening an even better one- A goal from inside his own half by our very own Goldi Poldi:
https://twitter.com/stopthatfooty/status/1588964210599677952?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1588964210599677952%7Ctwgr%5Ef4ad0b7a94523dd5a76152f31c70eb7f61c3fbc5%7Ctwcon%5Es1_c10&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fd-31893981472055571262.ampproject.net%2F2210211855000%2Fframe.html
The Count is back! Uh-uh-ha! Good Ebening! 🧛🏻♂️🎩🦇🦇🦇🦇🦇🦇
No, you have Mikel. We are 11 points clear of United, 13 points clear of Chelsea, 18 points clear of Liverpool..
I’d settle for being 15 points clear of Liverpool later, be a great day then.
That’s a fair point, but I’d settle for being a few more points clear of City at this stage really. Surely, it’s who is closest to us that matters – and City remain very close.
You’re right, hopefully city drops points. Let’s hope and pray. Just two draws 🤲🏻
No need to acknowledge the shit. I see you, good sir.
Our performance tonight left me speechless. The fluidity, structure, composure, discipline and strength in key moments. How far have we come with this team in the past year? Wow.
How I wish Jesus buried that header, would have been one of the goals of the season given the way we one touch ping ponged out of the back
Just watched a recording of the game.
The one touch stuff that preceded that Jesus header was incredible. The purrs from the Gooners were heightened only in volume by a begrudgingly appreciative Stamford Bridge.
Beautiful football has to be applauded – even when it happens against your own team, which for us, thankfully, doesn’t happen that often. You feel like a Dickensian urchin looking through a toy shop window.
Now, we’re the urchins well and truly inside the toy shop with our brand new Zinky, Saliba and Jesus. Christmas has definitely come early.
Wasn’t lost on Jesus.. even after the final whistle, saw him gesture ‘inches’ with his fingers, shaking his head ruefully. He’ll score soon enough, we’re creating the chances.
Super Mik Arteta
Fantastic win, Thats great Arsenal 🥳
Today is when I believe we can win the league. Every match is a potential win. City will now feel the pressure and bound to drop points.
They probably never thought of us as potential, or else wouldn’t have sold us their two gems. Its time to repay them 😀
Much of it will come down to injuries and depth, and in that area they’re much better-positioned.
But with our best 11, I agree that today was a lightbulb moment. Our fit starters could legitimately play with any team in the world.
Yeah. I know we’ll have to make key signings by January.
without k dive b yesterday they’d be further back!
Seriously?
City away is the game for me. If we can beat them at home then I will believe we are in a legitimate title race that we have a chance of winning. We are currently on an amazing run of form, club record, and this has been the best season in ages. Clearly now a top four side. The impacts from the WC are currently unknown for the second half of the season. I’m sure Mikel will position the team to react in the best possible way when they all reunite. My hope is Mikel recreates this first half Arsenal… Read more »
A lot of football to be played yet – who knows, perhaps a draw at City might be enough? The thing is, everyone in the media is handing Haarland and City the title, but the longer the season goes on and the longer we keep on their coattails or better, then the seeds of doubt will begin to grow and the psychology will kick in. These youngsters of ours just don’t know when they’re beaten and that is fucking powerful. That’s what get us over the line – sheer belief and confidence in ourselves. The rest – City included –… Read more »
* will get us over the line.
I was so disappointed when Arsenal announced the signing of Ben White and Ramsdale. Same when they loaned Saliba to Marseille. I was mad when we failed to sell Xhaka.
How great were those signings in retrospect ?
Said it all..
Good times to be a gooner, the ladies won as well!
On a side note, what has happened to Ronaldo mark 2, that irritating little prick Antony? Is he dropped from ManU’s first team?
Yep, congrats to the ladies on another fine victory.
As for the other men’s teams – it’s great watching the hitherto high and mighty rummaging for scraps, isn’t it? Chelsea have turned into Manchester United, Manchester United have turned into West Ham, Liverpool have turned into Everton and Spurs remain as Spursy and shit as ever.
Lovely. 😊
If we were playing like the end of last season, the reaction would be completely different.
Good to see agent Emery doing the business to push Utd to mid table though:-)
Agent Unai, beautiful to see. Once a Gunner.
Ben White 10/10. England’s loss and our gain if he don’t go World cup
You wait; Southgate will be stupid enough to leave him out, the same way Hoddle didn’t take Ray Parlour and the Arsenal back five in ‘98.
Many managers would be talking about themselves and how their strategies are the reason why the team is doing so well. “It’s great to see the players finally understanding what I’ve been telling them from day one, I knew that we could do it if they bought in to what I’ve been saying, we had great a plan for this game and it worked so well, etc. etc.”
Arteta is giving credit to the fans instead, saying that we have transformed the club, not that he has. Class act.
An interesting observation but I think that the much improved reaction from the fans has a lot to do with there being something very positive on the pitch to react to! Not that long ago really the reaction was different because the team were pretty poor and weren’t raising their performance -despite support from the fans.
it might have been a 5am kickoff here, but the only supporters i could hear throughout were the away fans- stamford bridge is a library, their plastic fans are losing patience and its wonderful to see (and not hear because they’re very quiet and sat on their hands).
Visited England for the first time in my life last week for the champions league match against Chelsea all the way from Zagreb. I expected that we would outvoice them but it almost felt like there were no Chelsea fans present on Stamford Bridge.
It was incredible. Watching on TV all I could hear were the Gooners. It sounded like we were playing at home!
Can’t believe, but am delighted, at the lack of Chelsea support.
Just starting to feel a glimmer of the possibility of a Championship
Hi folks Sorry to have left it so late today – a busy day for our family. Mrs Q and I have just returned from the hospital where one of our beautiful daughters has just given birth to a beautiful baby boy, weighing in at 7 lbs 12 oz. Both mother and baby are doing really well and I have the greatest pleasure in proclaiming his name to you all – Gabriel…!! (Pronounced the Latin American way, the same as our lads). Suffice to say I was keeping an eye on the game in the waiting room tv. My daughter… Read more »
Congratulations.
Thanks mate. 😊👍
Congratulations, Q. Beautiful. Just beautiful.
Cheers Duno! 😊👍
Nice one mate!!
Thanks Sam! 😊👍
Congratulations mate. Gabriel is a great name! Always like your takes mate. COYG
Cheers Sparky. 😊👍
Congrats, enjoy the beautiful and magical time
Thanks Eric. 😊👍
Congrats Q!!! Great name for the grandson! Big lad.
Thanks Santi. Great name – isn’t it just?
That rearranged City game, if arranged for the end of the season could be a nailbiting winner takes all title show down.
I actually fancy us to get at least a draw with them.
We should fear no one now – not even City.
Nah. We’ll have it sown up by then.