Well, that was interesting.
David Moyes brought a slightly spirited West Ham to the Grove for an evening kickoff against an Arsenal squad that leads the league. The game played out under the watchful eyes of Arsène Wenger, who came to a game for the first time since his departure day in May of 2018 (“Hope to see you soon, well done, bye bye…”). And, this was our first game without talisman Gabriel Jesus, after a seven plus week break for some tournament that was happening in the Middle East. So, no pressure lads.
Writ large, we tonked them. It wasn’t as easy as all that, though, just as some holics thought. While West Ham isn’t going to fool anyone with their approach, their defensive organization and ability to land a punch against the run of play stood them in good stead.
BT8, in his excellent preview, got the team nearly spot-on; only Saliba for his Holding marred the perfection. After five minutes we were ahead after some beautiful passing down the right; unfortunately the goal was called back for offside. It looked like Saka touched it through to Eddie, who was past the last Hammer, before Eddie returned it to Saka to score. For the first quarter hour it was all Arsenal, except for a goal: calm, cool possession, intricate passing play, and lacking the final ball. Arsène must have felt like he was watching an old home movie.
West Ham looked to have nothing other than Bowen breaking down the right on the counter, and maybe some Antonio able to create something from a long ball over the middle. I’d have to call Bowen their man of the match, as he was integral to almost everything they created (Declan Rice who? Oh, that mote of dust in Mø’s pocket?). On 13 minutes Bowen powered up the right side on a break, and fired a shot-or-cross that Ramsdale snagged before it could do any damage.
After another equally-long period of Arsenal dominance, where final balls just didn’t come off, or where last-ditch defending forced a corner or a recycle of the ball. We nearly broke free when Ramsdale bowled out from a save after a Hammer corner, but while Xhaka got it to Eddie his turn and attempt to pass for Saka was cut out by their defense.
And then it happened.
Completely against the run of play, again down their right, Bowen and one of his teammates brought the ball up at speed, and Bowen was tripped by Saliba just inside the box. I say tripped, but it really should be “tripped”. Their feet touched. And Bowen took another couple steps and when he realized he wasn’t going to get the ball, he went down. To the letter of the law it was a foul, so I won’t complain, but those types of foot touches are NOT given all over the pitch all game long. The game would be boring, slow, and unwatchable if they were… Benrahma stepped up and took the spot kick, and Arsenal were behind for the first time at home all season.
Arsenal 0-1 West Ham (Benrahma, 27′)
For the rest of the half Arsenal ratcheted up the pressure, to no avail. Arsène must have been going through PTSD watching the team suffer and work with no response other than excellent effort. In the last decade of his reign how many times were we hit on the counter by clearly inferior team sticking to their gameplan? Too many times.
We completely controlled the last twenty minutes of the half, getting into their box through a variety of routes, to no avail. Gabi kept putting in crosses, then was crunched by Coufal’s follow-through after the defender got the ball; he got the top of Gabi’s foot, though, and it earned him a yellow card. The freekick resulted in nothing, but a corner just before the end of the half led to what could have been controversial in the days before VAR. Fabianski saved a shot from the corner, and the ball was passed to Mø; his vicious slapshot hit Cresswell, and the MWTW Oliver pointed to the spot for a handball. VAR correctly chalked off the call, as the ball clearly hit Cresswell in the head, not in the arm. And then it was halftime.
In the second half Arsenal came out full of purpose, clearly intent to get back into the game and power on to a win. We came at them again and again, winning the ball back almost as soon as we’d lose it, with the outstanding Boxing Day crowd in full voice of support. And they were rewarded when Mø finished a great passing move with a beautiful reverse pass to Saka, who slotted past Fabianski while being played onside by Souček. It capped the number of minutes Arsenal had been behind all season at 82, for now. Game on!
Arsenal 1-1 West Ham (Saka, 52′)
Roger Waters must have been thinking of a game like this for West Ham’s defense when he wrote “Comfortably Numb”, because we were coming through in waves. Saka outmuscled Rice to a high ball, heading it to Mø, who passed it to Xhaka. Granit found Gabi outside on the left, and once Gabi left his man stranded in the box there was only going to be one outcome: 2-1 to the Arsenal as Fabianski was beaten at his near post by a Brazilian arrow.
Arsenal 2-1 West Ham (Martinelli, 58′)
Suddenly the mood of the crowd was lightened, and Arsène was serenaded with the famous old chant “One Arsene Wenger”. The gaffer must have felt warm to his toes, as well as being happy that we’d turned over the scoreline. There was still work to do, though, and we set about it with an industry that astonished. West Ham was reeling, and couldn’t keep the ball for any meaningful amount of time. Every time we lost it, or they took it, we took it right back. Our pressing was full of intent, cooperation, and delightful amounts of energy, from the entire team.
And then there were three. A complicated team move involving damn near everyone (I even thought I saw MA8 and Arsène on the pitch) circled the D with passes from Gabi to White to Mø, who slipped a delightful pass into Eddie inside the box. Eddie rolled his man and struck a sharp shot into the far corner of the flailing Fabianski’s net. It was all Eddie deserved, he worked harder than I’ve ever seen him in Jesus’s stead, showing how much he has grown in his all-around play this season. He was running full tilt, pressing and harrying West Ham, all the way to the end of the game.
Arsenal 3-1 West Ham (Nketiah, 69′)
That was it, really. We controlled play beautifully, passing the ball with the crispest of confidence. An illustrative moment was when, just before he was subbed in the 87th minute, all Antonio could do was turn in circles as we passed the ball around him again and again. Mø even beat two of their defenders with a nutmeg Cruyff turn away from their trap on the sideline, to much applause. Our captain and MOTM deserved a goal for his sparkling play on both sides of the ball, but his three attempts in the second half were just wide or high of Fabianski’s far post. West Ham offered no real threat until a shot from Fornals in the 94th minute that was well-saved by Ramsdale, just before MA8 symbolically lit his victory cigar by bringing on Mo’neny for Partey.
So a welcome return to league football and another milestone is passed. Our old gaffer will have left the grounds pleased to see that his ex-captain is an able helmsman for the Arsenal caravelle, and that the crew assembled by our management team can win even when it’s ugly-delicious. We took the Hammer’s punch, dove right back into the fray without swaying, and emerged victorious.
Eight points clear of Manchester City on Boxing Day: who would have thought? Revel in it, ‘holics. Let it roll aroud on the tongue like a fine port or Armagnac, savo(u)r it, enjoy it, bathe in it…it’s been a long time since it felt like this to be an Arsenal fan. So, so good.
Excellent report, Scruz, and in double quick time. Plaudits for all in order as it was a team performance. Harder tests to come. But, as you say, we can savour this moment.
Scruz,
I trust you penned this in your new Gooner threads ? It’s a fine encapsulation of events and a very good basis for discussion.
While one would always like Arsenal to win 8-0 with the other side only touching it at kick-offs PL football is not like that. In reality this is almost exactly the sort of workout we needed . We were thwarted in the first half ( I wonder if regulators and lawmakers intend to rule out goals like our first half strike ?) frustrated by a soft pen and the tantalising prospect we might have a soft one of our own.
In the second half we stepped it up beautifully . The passing lanes were open again and some of our stars were in excellent touch .Odegaard is a real talent and he and Partey dominated the second half. I thought Ben White was terrific at rightback and Saliba was a bit risky at times but boy can he play . Eddie got better and bette4 as the gam3 wore on and got a terrific goal.
Two important visitors – Arsene – Bienvenue mon ami – and Mudryk who would have loved to be part of a display like that . I believe a deal will be sorted soon
Fine report of an enjoyable game, well the 2nd half of it was more enjoyable obviously.
To be honest Wham were very obliging really, provided a well-organized defence first half for us to scrape off some rust and then folded quickly once we upped our game second half, 3-1 flattered them by the end.
thanks, folks.
i just re-watched the second half, and then the interviews after. our lad saka came in on the us feed. i understand he also interviewed on the uk feed. i don’t know how he came across there, but on ours he was humble, clear, and just beautiful. we are so, so lucky to have him on our team.
and i keep thinking that dave would be enjoying this so, so much. we have always said in the drinks, both at dave’s and here, that we wanted to see whomever arsenal put on the pitch play with heart, grit, and graft…and always “remember who [they] are, what [they] are and who [they] represent.”. this team is doing that. with the added bonus of winning, a young team being led by a young coach mixing the lessons he learned from wenger and pep with his own dot ballistic approach.
savo(u)r it…
All of what Ned said at 1.
Also Matt at 3, even just two days after, Wham are so Last Christmas.
*gets coat*
Ollie,
You’ve lit the blue touch paper for Trev!
Although last night was more Slade ‘ Here it is Merry Christmas, everybody’s having fun
Look to the future now it’s only just begun ‘
I was pleased to receive confirmation that our sterling traveller C100 returned safely last night . 8pm kick-offs on Boxing Day mean very late returns for many especially with no trains . I noticed lots of empty seats last night
Ha! Quite right TTG.
Good stuff on C100. Not getting a ticket for last night was the right choice in several ways, not least as no Eurostar train was running at all.
Thanks for the shout out TTG, but I was far from the only ‘holic cheering the lads on last night. Bathgooner was there, as was Clockendrider and 21st Century Gooner. I didn’t see him but imagine Steve T was two blocks along from me in his normal North Bank perch. Anyone else?
Well done, scruz !
No bleak midwinter here then, eh TTG ? What touch paper ?
Odegaard was sensational last night – it’s a word I used in WhatsApp and it’s been repeated everywhere this morning – not that I’m assuming any credit for that, but he simply was.
Very pleased for Eddie who worked his socks off trying to fill some very big boots. I thought he did very well and scored his goal with a classy, top finish. That’s 6 in his last 9 starts – and I also heard someone say he has 11 in his last 11. Seems another really nice lad too – very humble and considered in his comments.
Can’t blame Saliba for the penalty as he was wrong side trying to cover for Gabriel.
Great comeback performance. Another horrible stat to haunt us with but apparently no side has ever had this many points from this many games and not won the league.
Enjoy the ride, holics !
Thanks Scruz for an excellent and raid review which was ready for me as I got home at midnight. It was a wonderful night at the Emirates last night. I heard someone on a radio phone in on the way home claiming it was the best atmosphere of the season. Well it really wasn’t. That was Liverpool at the Scruzgooner/Osaka Matt memorial match earlier this season. The crowd were curiously quiet (by current standards) for the first half hour or so, almost standing back and waiting to be entertained. What got the crowd going was the West Ham goal. From the North Bank nobody could understand why it was a penalty (having watched MOTD Michael Oliver got it right, although we’ve seen more egregious fouls against Arsenal not rewarded). But Benrahma tucked it away and the crowd response was instantaneous and positive. The noise level went up to 11. Everything seemed to go against us in that first half (soft pen, close offside, pen chalked off – all correct decisions) but heads never dropped, on the pitch or in the stands. At half time I, and everybody around me, had no doubt that we were going to win this. And win it we did with three beautiful goals starting with Saka’s calm finish in the 53rd minute. I must admit to my first glance (and Saka’s) being at the lino but no, he was running towards the half way line not raising his flag. The replay showed he was clearly played onside. Then, five minutes later, Saka bullied Declan Rice to win the ball and Martinelli was played in. He advanced towards the six yard box and channeled his inner Van Persie (or Podolski) by absolutely putting his laces through it to blast inside Fab’s near post. Yes you can blame the goalkeeper but the shot was hit with huge pace and inch perfect precision. It was after this goal that the big screen showed that Arsene was in the house. Cue “One Arsene Wenger” chants. And to top the night off a wonderful team goal, finishing in Eddie working out by touch where his centre half was before spinning off his man and firing home. Amid the delirium the words “Bergkampesque” were being thrown around. Truly beautiful football.
I thought Eddie had a great game, pressing, playing well with back to goal, linking up with others. Yes, just like Jesus. There’s the usual excellent match analysis by Mike McDonald on Gunners Town which I’ll link to in another drink. In it, he makes a couple of excellent points about Eddie. Firstly the question should not be “is Eddie good enough to be Arsenal’s centre forward?”. The answer is clearly yes. The question is “ what do we do if Eddie gets injured?”. Secondly he puts the very interesting question “does Jesus automatically get back in the team?”. Eddie showing signs of doing everything Jesus does to bring energy to our front line, plus he is a much more natural goal scorer. Food for thought!
Aside from Eddie so many others played really well. Saka and Martinelli were superb as usual. Odegaard put on an absolute midfield master class from minute one. Ben White was his normal terrific self. Partey was, to steal another word from Mike McDonald, imperious. Apart from their goal, the centre backs soaked up what little pressure there was with ease. Kieran had a good solid game, as did Xhaka and Ramsdale did the needful when required.
West Ham were poor, especially up front. The next two games are far more difficult yet I am still confident. We don’t have the depth in our squad that City do and any serious injuries to the team that played last night will derail our title chances. But these boys ( and I use the word advisedly) are giving us a hell of a ride. Right now, we’re the luckiest fans in the country.
Mike McDonalds excellent analysis. Compliments Scruz’s on the minute review very well.
Thanks for the link to Gunnerstown C100. That man squeezes so many good observations out of a game . Jesus and Nketiah could , on occasions, be a double spearhead, Jesus could play side or as another 10 with Odegaard
The transfer window looks like it’s beginning early . Gakpo is a good signing and I’m
told Chelsea are favourites to take Felix on loan .
Yesterday was a nice way to resume but the next two are very tough . Then we have the Spuds who aren’t in our league
Thanks for the view from the stadium C100 and the link too.
Hohoho Ollie😃
Enjoyed reading your fine report scruz. Coming through in waves, indeed. 😀
That second half was so impressive, and we certainly passed another test in mental toughness in overcoming the adversity of falling behind. Arsene must have been impressed. Suppose he didn’t do apost match presser though, now I am going to read Super Mik’s.
C100@10: Enjoyable, as ever, to get your take from the front lines. You always give us far-flungs the feel of the fabric that we can never get from watching a screen.
Thanks, too, for the Mike MacDonald link. What jumped out to me was his point about Ben White in the last 10 minutes of games and his personality. If that observation is well-founded, I am sure Arteta will drum it out of him in short order. One of the many small but important changes Arteta has wrought is to get the team closing out games safely.
It’s delightful to have the Arsenal back and to read that excellent match report, scruz. Exactly the game I saw though the intrusive dysrhythmic drumming we had to endure in the Clock End clearly didn’t intrude on the US broadcast. It and the penalty conceded were the only blemishes on a very enjoyable evening.
Although the frustrations of the first half and our thoroughly undeserved 0-1 deficit at half time raised the spectre of frustrations past and my pre-match words of caution in response to signs of rampant optimism, our fluid, intricate play and repeated moments of bad luck with the final ball allied to our cool, calm, collected and indeed serene response to going behind (both on and off the pitch) gave considerable cause for optimism. The second half provided the rewards for the quality, determination and belief that each and every man in red and white displayed.
Although every man produced a top level performance, and it fels slightly invidious to pick out individuals, there are several who merit a special mention in dispatches.
From the first to the last minute, Ødegaard set the high tempo, pulled the strings and showed exactly why he is Arteta’s captain. He fully deserved his MotM award and was unlucky not to add a goal or two to his tally.
Eddie led the line superbly throughout the game (though he looked knackered at the end – no surprise as he gave everything) with his mobility, interchange, superb first touch and sharp turns and and I cannot imagine a better performance to fill the Jesús-shaped gap in the front line. He more than deserved his superbly crafted goal and simply has to maintain that level of performance now!
Ben White was a revelation and produced one of his best performances in an Arsenal shirt: athletic, strong, adventurous and technically accomplished – clearly there is no justification for fears for his fitness and the impression I get from his interviews that he is a single-minded, independently-inclined young man who doesn’t tolerate fools gladly suggest that a fall out with a somewhat OCD inclined coach (not MA8!) is indeed the likeliest cause of his early departure from Qatar.
Saka and Martinelli were persistently threatening and showed no rust or ill effects from the WC break. As others have said, Thomas was imperious, a few misplaced or telegraphed passes aside. Those not named were simply excellent.
We’re back! Well done the coaching team.
Oh! I almost forgot!
It was wonderful to see Arsène back in his spiritual home. The crowd responded magnificently to his appearance on the big screens and then, after that fulsome tribute to the great man acclaimed our present and future with, “We’ve got super Mick Arteta…!”
Oh to be a Gooner!
Cheers Scruz.
Quite correct C100. We were there. Usual spot, usual seats and the customary great atmosphere.
I must say, an 8pm kick off on Boxing Day is far from ideal. Like many I guess, the travel was a nightmare. Coming through Stratford on the Central Line turned the tube into the knuckle dragger express. How fortunate we all genuinely are.
Typical game of two halves. The first saw 72% possession and one shot on target. The second was just far more dominant and direct. We had a real cutting edge. The majority of the highlights have already documented above, and rightly so, there were many of them. Ødegaard was imperious. Totally outstanding. He looked the one most pissed off that he’d had no competitive football for 7 weeks. What a bargain he’s been. Saliba is a fantastic young talent, but does seem to have a rash mistake in him. I’m sure that is something that will change with both age and experience. Apart from Saka’s all round performance, the fact that he bullied Rice, on more than one occasion, was just awesome to watch. Really pleased for Eddie as well. I thought he looked a bit nervous at times, but soon grew into the game. The collective love from his team mates when he scored just shows how strong this team is as a group.
And then, it was the acknowledgment of the return of the great man himself. So pleased to see him attend a game at long last. His reception was everything I would have expected, but still incredibly heart warming. The photos I have seen since of his reaction, also speaks volumes. As Bath has eluded to above, “one Arsene Wenger,” was followed by “we’ve got super Mik Arteta.” Those moments spoke volumes. It was a fantastic acknowledgement of the great man and all of his achievements. It also recognised that one of his major contributions was the signing of MA8 to give him the start of his Arsenal journey, and the ceremonial handing over of the managerial baton. The master was there to officially recognise his pupil’s graduation.
We have still not yet reached the halfway stage but two good results against Brighton and the Geordies and we really will be in a great place.
We eventually got home at just after midnight. We rounded off the evening with red wine, some excellent cheese, MOTD, and then an hour of the Boxing Day test from the MCG. All of a sudden an 8pm Boxing Day kick off was not such a bad thing after all.
Thanks Scruz this fine and lightning quick report and also for C100 and Steve T for painting the athmosphere to here.
What bath@16 said.
The second half was heart warming even touching. Everything just clicked. The togetherness, the spirit, the love of the game and the bond between the team and the fans easily came through the TV.
Only One Arsene Wenger… we have Super Mik Arteta
Ohh to be a gooner
COYG
Excellent post paired with excellent tastes…Armagnac (chef’s kiss).
Lone Star: good to see you in.
A performance like that deserved a review like this. Excellently done Scruz!
Guile, panache, verve, patience, solidarity … the adjectives are endless. Everybody played their part very well, but my man of the match goes to Ødegaard for his complete mastery and impeccable leadership, and a special mention to Eddie for stepping up with a combination of confidence, craft and class that would have definitely eased the anxiety around Jesus’s absence.
And it was so wonderful to see the man who is responsible for introducing many of us far-flung gooners to the magic of the Arsenal back where he will always belong. There is only one Arsène Wenger!
What Dr F. said @22.
One of the many good parts about Ødegaard’s sumptuous reverse nutmeg and half turn is that Bowen is left stamping thin air rather than Ødegaard’s ankle, which looked like the intended target.
Skills of a ballet dancer on display above.
Didn’t make a lot of ground this week as all the leading teams won but it was still good to see us back playing well.
What bt8 said above about Ode. I was doubtful when we first got him, as I was about Aaron, Tomi and Benny. I hope The Arsenal never employ me as a scout😂😂
The three points from the Spammer game were vital given the need to regain our momentum and playing style, the huge challenge of our forthcoming match schedule and the results of the teams behind us but the big pluses for me this week were Eddie’s performance and goal and the sight of Le Boss in the Directors’ Box.
Totally agree, Bath.
It was time for Arsene to allow a new manager to take over and if he couldn’t let go the love of his life, to be replaced, but the way it was done was awful after all he had done.
It was wonderful to see him back and applauding goals like nothing had changed. The fans reaction was excellent, as were the words of Mikel Arteta who pleasingly has the confidence to welcome a continuing presence from Arsene.
It’s such a shame that Wenger hasn’t felt inclined to attend the Emirates since he left but, hopefully, that relationship, like so many others at the club under Arteta, can now be repaired.
Talk about a confused (confusing?) transfer strategy, Chelsea “have agreed a deal to sign the striker David Datro Fofana from the Norwegian side Molde.” (according to The Guardian)
Didn’t Chelsea just sign a Fofana from Leicester?
bt8@29: There are at least another six Fofanas playing in Europe for Chelsea to add to their collection: Seko (Lens), Youssouf (Monaco), Mamadou (Amiens), Yahia (Angers), Moryke (Samsunspor) and Guessouma (CFR Cluj). They would then have to replace Potter with Gueida, who is the brother of Mamadou and Guessouma and manages Lyon’s B team, or Mohamed (no relation), who is the assistant manager of Stade Reims B.
Interesting, especially for silver members.
Cheers C100. Interesting. Let’s see if things improve next season. But let’s win the league first. 🙂
RIP Pele.
RIP What a player and an icon for an entire nation and an entire sport.
Ned, Many thanks for your 30, that certainly clears things up considerably. 😀
What bt8 said @34. RIP Pele. We lose another giant of the sport.
The Fofana who was playing for France in Qatar appears to be Youssouf of Monaco.
https://www.goal.com/en-us/news/who-is-youssouf-fofana-former-pizza-delivery-boy/bltf0a047274588aa99
Sad news about Pele. What an amazing player. RIP
I watched Pele on a black and white television in 1958 when he destroyed Sweden in the World Cup Final. In 1970 he was the most exciting player I had ever seen and in 1975 my friend played against him in the NASL. My friend was a good non-league player who was thrown into his first game without any practice with his teammates against the Cosmos . He found himself marking Pele who scored in the first minute! He went on to score a hat-trick . My mate says he was extraordinarily pleasant, a perfect gentleman but he was berated by his new coach for not kicking the great man. My friend said he literally couldn’t get near him but if he had been able to he was glad he kept his integrity and played him fairly .
In my view the greatest player of my lifetime . If you think Maradona was hacked to pieces watch Portugal v Brazil in the 1966 World Cup at Goodson Park . Utter butchery
RIP great man
Thanks for the link C100 @31, it was a good, balanced piece.
Not an easy problem to solve at all
For those who would relive TTG’s youth…
>>>>>>>