Welbeck vs Leicester. Arshavin vs Barcelona. Over the last 16 years or so, iconic moments at the Emirates have been fairly hard to come by. We are yet to win a league title in our no longer new abode. We have not competed in the Champions League for six successive seasons. Until fairly recently you would hear grumbles from fans older than myself about how the Emirates would never be able to recapture the homely feeling of Highbury. Perhaps one reason for that is the lack of truly iconic moments. Was what we saw in this game an iconic moment? What even is the criterion for a goal or a game to be considered iconic? Does the level of opposition play a role in that? Bournemouth are certainly lowlier opponents than Leicester with whom we were jostling for the title at the time. And they are absolutely no Barcelona. But perhaps what truly defines a moment as iconic is not the event itself but the events that unfold after. In these previous instances we would go on to collapse in the title race and eventually finished ten points behind Leicester. And we went on to lose the second leg in Barcelona, albeit after some harsh refereeing decisions. They don’t sound as iconic now, do they? Or maybe I am simply being cynical and we should just enjoy living in the moment rather than worrying or speculating on what might occur later on.
In terms of the game itself, well it was a roller coaster of emotions. And that’s putting it mildly. Arteta unusually made three changes to the side which thumped Everton less than 72 hours previously. Out went White, Jorginho and Xhaka, in came Tomiyasu, Partey and Vieira. A very attacking line up. Perhaps too attacking, as no sooner had the game kicked off than we found ourselves behind. The away side moved the ball out to the right-hand side, a cross was swung in, Gabriel took a swipe and missed it and the ball found its way to Phillip Billing who scrambled it home past Ramsdale to give Bournemouth a shock lead. My first initial thought was whether it was the fastest Premier League goal ever? We later found out it was in fact the second fastest goal, coming in nine seconds! The fastest was Shane Long after seven seconds for Southampton against Watford in 2019, if anyone was interested. Fair play to our visitors because it was clearly a kick off routine they had worked on and it had paid dividends. 0-1
The crowd did their very best to urge the team on to get a quick response and we nearly got it. Partey won the ball back in midfield and fed Ødegaard who drove into the edge of the box and saw his effort well saved by Neto. Saka then followed in but again Neto was there to block. The rest of the half was attack vs defence. However, Bournemouth remained a threat on the counter. They very nearly made it 2 on the half hour mark. Solanke played in the goal scorer, Billing, whose pass was out of reach for Solanke but it found Outtara who really ought to have scored. However, his effort was superbly blocked by Ramsdale. We then had a handball shout but there was nothing doing. An incredibly frustrating half of football.
The second half began with Arteta making a change. Off came Tomiyasu who has looked off it in recent weeks. On came Benjamin White. We kicked off and continued to dominate possession but remarkably it was Bournemouth who found a second. A corner was whipped in, their one and only corner of the game, but they made it count as Senesi got away from Partey and nodded in to send the away fans into ecstasy. 0-2
They couldn’t believe what they were seeing, and neither could the near sixty thousand Arsenal fans. But they continued to be raucous in support of their side. There was still over half an hour to go. And just five minutes later we had a goal back. Ødegaard whipped in a corner which was half punched away by Neto. The ball was headed back into a dangerous area by Émile Smith Rowe who had come on in the first half for the injured Leandro Trossard and Thomas Partey was there to atone for his previous error to prod home! 1-2
Now the momentum was well and truly with the league leaders. Smith Rowe was replaced by Reiss Nelson. There was some concern of injury but that was quashed by Arteta later on as the plan was for him to get around half an hour. Of course, his introduction to the game was earlier than anticipated due to the Trossard injury. And the man from the Elephant and Castle made an immediate impact. Partey swatted aside a shoal of Bournemouth players like an octopus on steroids and fed Reiss Nelson who swung in a delicious cross on his weak foot which was met by Ben White to volley the ball over the line, despite Neto’s best efforts to prevent it crossing the line. But all eyes turned to the referee whose watch vibrated or pinged. “I’ve got a text” he screeched like an orange Love Island contestant and the text read “GOAL”. 2-2
The noise inside the ground was now reaching deafening levels; We had at least three penalty claims waved away by VAR. Martinelli fired narrowly over after being sent through on goal. The clock ticked over into six minutes of injury time. I should mention that Neto was timewasting at every goal kick and I lost count of the amount of times a Bournemouth player went down feigning injury. In truth, it ought to have been more than six minutes. I’m not even certain the ball was in play for that long. In fact, the first minute of stoppage time was eaten up by a Bournemouth defender lying on his deathbed. Miraculously, he survived. But that timewasting would come back to bite our seaside friends from the South coast.
Into the 7th minute of added time, we had yet another corner which was headed away but only as far as Riess Nelson who chested the ball down and lashed it in with his left foot on the half volley. 3-2
Cue utter pandemonium and chaos. The Arsenal substitutes and many members of staff invaded the pitch in celebration in pure elation, joy, and relief. Arteta punched the air and ran down the touchline in ecstasy. There were grown men in the North Bank in tears. The emotion of it all was too much for some. A few people had left the stadium having resigned themselves to a disappointing draw. They tried to get back in. It was just complete chaos. Talk about a shift in emotions. How important could that goal be on 28th May? Only time will tell but for now it was celebration time in North London. Well, the red half anyway.
And for Reiss Nelson of all people to get the goal. Once upon a time he was the Golden Boy of the Hale End golden generation. He has since been put into the back of the picture due to the emergence of Bukayo Saka and Emile Smith Rowe. He spent last season on loan at Feyenoord and he seems to have done a lot of growing up. In the past he had talked about not taking his career as seriously as he should but he appears to have taken it up several gears this season. He is yet to start in the league this season. He has played just 85 minutes all year. But my goodness, has he made the most of those minutes! That’s three goals and two assists in his very limited game time now. His contract is up in the summer. Much like Eddie last year, he is at a crossroads in his Arsenal career. He is playing for a new contract right now and at the minute he is earning it. If he keeps this up there’s no reason why he shouldn’t get a new deal. Expect him to start on Thursday.
The party continued as the Arsenal fans sauntered down Holloway Road, Blackstock Road and the Seven Sisters. The Emirates has never seen scenes like this. It has never seen atmospheres like this. This was not a North London Derby. This was not a big clash with a big six rival. This was a category C game against a newly promoted Bournemouth. But this is how it is every week now. Perhaps for the first time since we moved into our State-of-the-Art arena in 2006, it is beginning to feel like home.
But back to my original point regarding iconic moments. This really did feel like one. I’ve never seen the Emirates celebrate a goal like that. Not on that scale. This is just the latest in a series of late winners we have enjoyed since the World cup. For those that say this is unsustainable, well, we are winning games in all sorts of different ways it seems. On Wednesday night we swatted aside Everton with ease. This one was nowhere near as straightforward. But it was certainly more satisfying. Something very special is brewing at this great football club. And we are very lucky to be witnessing it. We are going places. Whichever way this season ends, we will be talking about it for years to come. It’s been a season of drama. Perhaps some would call it iconic? Only time will tell. It is up to us now how this game ends up getting defined in the history books. Another “where did it all go wrong?” moment? Or yet another game where we proved our eventual champions credentials? I cannot wait to find out how this tale unfolds….
Cheers 21CG! Fantastic report, made me relive every moment of it less than 24h later. Spine still tingling. What a team, what a club. Absolutely magic and I’ve never seen an atmosphere like that.
Superlative report 21CG. That is of the very highest quality and it was an absolute pleasure to read.
Especially well done as I suspect you may have sunk a few celebratory lemonades yesterday. Well earned all round.
I love this side!
UTA!
I was in India when Welbeck scored against Leicester and I remember watching it and going nuts. I thought it could prove to be the moment the championship swung to us. It was HUGE!
However, funnily enough, as our challenge fizzled out and we failed to win in a season when we really should have been champions, the Welbeck goal dimmed more and more in my mind.
As much as it was amazing at the time, it is massively diminished in my memory because it came to nothing.
It will be interesting to see how this goal shifts in my mind depending on what happens at the end of the season but I won’t be surprised if it remains special even if we don’t win the league as it seems to me to be a marker of the growth of a team on the right path that will only get better and better (in a way that the Welbeck goal wasn’t- it was just a great moment from a team that was lacking in many ways)
An excellent report, 21CG. It captures the whole experience. That’s a game and a winning goal that will live long in the memory whatever the future holds but here’s hoping it’s enhanced by silverware at the end of this season.
WDYG
Cheers 21CG! Excellent, iconic 🙂 report about a truly iconic game. Woww I’m still over the moon. Nelson for admiral :). It was somehow a sure thing that we won’t panic, won’t give up keep going until the end and boy we just did it.
And BennyBlaco’s goal just wow.
COYG
21CG
That was a quite wonderful report of a marvellous game. Nothing gives the exhilaration that a comeback and a winner like that creates . At this stage of the season there are banana skins ( to quote Scruz) everywhere and anywhere . We adroitly avoided them on Wednesday but slipped over in nine seconds yesterday.
We must avoid the temptation to pick too strong a team on Thursday because Fulham is a MUCH more important game
Maybe Eddie can return but Reiss should start as should Kiwior . Playing two games in 72 hours or less when the opposition aren’t playing is asking too much .
Great analysis of the game 21CG but also a very interesting point about the Emirates becoming home . It will always truly be home after this season
Great report from the North Bank 21CG and very funny. Love the line about Partey being like an octopus on steroids. I have not experienced such high emotion at a game for many years. From the moment when, with the echoes of North London Forever still fading, we went one nil down, to that last crazy laser targeted shot from Reiss Nelson, this was an incredible afternoon. I remarked to my son at half time that I couldn’t remember a time we had so dominated a half, yet been one nil down (and, truth be known, it could have been 2-0 down but for a brilliant save by Ramsdale). Yet we still believed. Even when a sloppy piece of defending allowed a goal from a corner, the dominant opinion around me was “right, 35 minutes left, we can absolutely do this”. The crowd got louder and louder. There were very few of the normal player chants, just cries of Arsenal, Arsenal, and a visceral urging on of the team. We were rewarded by the two goals to equalise, the second from a lovely piece of work by sub Reiss Nelson to allow Benny Blanco to hit it sweet as at Neto, almost knocking the Bournemouth keeper into row three. I love that moment when the referee taps his watch, like you are ten minutes late for a meeting, and then points to the centre circle. Ten minutes of normal time left. Surely we would do it now? We attacked and attacked but Bournemouth defended well and the ball just wouldn’t go in. Six minutes of injury time. Numerous Bournemouth players decided now was a good time for a little lie down. As the six minutes approached the noise got even louder, even as our belief began to ebb a little. And then the ball drops to Reiss, who, as calm as in a kick about at Colney, controls it beautifully and then, with his wrong foot, strikes it sweet as a nut into the top right hand corner in front of the North Bank. Lord Nelson of the Emirates.
Cue absolute, utter, complete, pandemonium. Everybody hugging everybody else. My son, who was one place to my right, ended up 15 places to my left. He’s 6’3” so the momentum to carry him there must have been incredible. Noise that would have horrified health and safety officials. Seemingly every Arsenal staff member on the pitch. All The Hale End lads hugging Eddie. “We are top of the league” ringing out. Very few left until every last player had finished waving to us and even then, there were tens of thousands still there ten minutes after the final whistle left. We walked out and over the Danny Fizman bridge towards Highbury Crescent where our car was parked and every face had a broad smile on their face and those who were not singing were animatedly discussing the game. Floated home down the A1 listening to a delicious combination of thrilled Arsenal fans and dejected Spurs fans on the phone in. Home. Take away curry. Beers followed by whiskies. Watched the full Sky rerun followed by MOTD. What. A. Day.
Only football can do this. I love my bloody football club.
The game! Animatedly discussing the game!
A delightfully well-pitched report, 21CG, and with a Faberesque touch of not treating triumph as the imposter that it is. Nelson’s goal’s place in the pantheon will be determined by what the table looks like at the end of the season. That said, even through a screen, the sheer pandemonium of the place came through loud and clear after it went in. There is nothing like a last-gasp winner.
I didn’t think Tomiyasu had had as torrid a first half as you and Arteta did. However, there is no getting away from the fact that Saka is more effective when Ben White is playing right back. Benny Blanco is now the only member of our first-team squad to have scored in all of the top four divisions.
Big shout-out to Ramsdale, too, for his crucial first-half save from Ouattara.
C100@7: Every far-flung will be saying, Oh, to have been there that day.
21cg that’s an outstanding and highly evocative report of a game that you couldn’t make up. You conveyed us far-flung fans to the stands at the Emirates and the streets surrounding in a way that multiplied the pleasure of seeing Nelson’s volley thump into the top corner of the goal. 👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼
Mike McDonald on top form again .
I always pick up at least one very good point from his blogs each week. This week his simple comment that this season is already special even if we don’t win the league . That’s true but I desperately hope we do and the more I read about the chicanery at the Emptihad the more I believe we deserve it
Some great drinks but a particular shout out to C100 who like 21CG takes us deep into the pandemonium . Sensational
And just in case we were getting too euphoric the hairy one is pissing on our chips again
Steve , who wrote the article demolishes the wafer-thin argument very well so no further comment is required but really if wanking was an Olympic sport Keys would have multiple gold medals
The women’s team have gone 2-1 up, after being a goal down, in the League Cup final against Chelsea.
For those in the UK, it is live on BBC 1.
Blogs on top form today, too.
TTG@12 I remember well the ‘Ferige time’ some time ago when Manure chased the game there was always time for them to get something out of it. They were relentless and fought for it just as we did.
COYG
Hey! Arsenal ladies just won the Leauge Cup! Well done!
COYG
Well played to the Women’s Team!
First trophy of the season!
Congrats to the Women’s Team!
Also, well done Manure holding Poo to a single touchdown at Anfield!
Well after today’s results Liverpool are 21 points behind Arsenal and 21 points above Southampton.
So much for the so-called title contenders
This is great analysis of the celebrations (paywall):
https://theathletic.com/4277043/2023/03/05/arsenal-celebrations-bournemouth-nelson/
Congratulations to the Arsenal Women on their League Cup triumph!!!
An excellent and thought provoking review, 21CG. I’m sorry that I didn’t quite make into the seat next to yours. A bad one to miss.
Wot bt8 said @22 and wot KS said @20!
Catching up on some reading this sunny Monday morning….
Thanks 21CG, inspired report on a great day.
Same to c100 @7 and thanks for the links @11 and @12 to
Ned and TTG.
Well done ladies 🏆
The kid with Arteta at the end still cracks me up
Hey there Matt! Aren’t you supposed to be asleep at this hour? 😂
Great drink c100 @7
Finally, Garth Crooks is not enjoying the rise of the Gunners: “With every goal and victory celebration Arsenal are inching their way towards an elusive Premier League title. Meanwhile the prospect of them winning this thing is becoming unbearable. Is there no one who can save us from this perpetual agony?” 🤣🤣🤣🤣
It appears that “title contenders” Manchester United have suddenly dropped to 14 points behind league leaders Arsenal, as well as trailing the Gunners by a grand total of 28 in goal differential. It seems like a ke only yesterday that they were hot on our hells. ten Hog out!
heels, too
No easy games in the Premier League. Other cliches are available.
However, I am not sure which will be worse, the pundits’ favourite being tonked or Klopp re-ascendent.
Congrats to the women’s team on their League Cup win. No mean feat when they are without their top two strikers because of long-term injuries.
Thanks, 21CG – great report recapturing a crazy day.
There’s nothing like a last minute winner – especially coming back from 0-2 down. One more great moment I remember at the Ems, even if the season did not produce a title, was when Bacary Sagna headed one in against Tottenham in 2012 to get us back in the game. He ran straight into the net, stuck the ball under his arm and ran it right back to the centre spot – get on with it, there’s a game to win here !
Oh, the man who played in the assist for Sagna ? Mikel Arteta.
Hey bt8, it was bright and early for me on a Monday morning, about 8AM so not actually uncivilized but not quite Burlington Bertie either 😉
Yeah, I read a couple of reports on Manure’s amusing humiliation that said their title challenge is over. What challenge? It was over the moment they got a flattering 3-2 defeat at The Arsenal. Hopefully, we can read no more about that or a nonsensical coach of the year award. To be fair ETH has done ok, got rid of some dross, dropped the useless criminal etc but they are still mostly second raters and he has a long way to go before he’s even close to the job done by MA at The Arsenal.
Seems it’s a groin injury for Leo, I haven’t heard how long he will be out.
Pity as he has been doing well so far but at least we have got Eddie back
for Thursday I think, Jesus in the near future and now ESR and Reiss raring
to go. I read some negative views on ESR after the game but personally
I thought he did well all things considered – and importantly he gave us end
product with a good assist for the first goal. Will get better but already productive
is great for me – I am not sure what people expect sometimes.
Agree with Ned @8 on Tomi too, I thought he played ok, a very noticeable mistake
when he miskicked an intended cross straight out but in general he was fine.
Since the World Cup, MA has rotated/subbed more at right back than the other defensive
positions combined I think. There may be fitness / injury issues we’re not aware of.
I suppose I should clarify I’m not saying Tomi is playing as well as last season…..
OM@34: It may well be that the way we played last season suited Tomi better. But there is a chemistry between Saka and White that doesn’t seem there with Tomi.
Evocative, atmospheric report 21CG of a match that would retain its ability to flood our neural circuits with excess serotonin just by being recalled in gloomy days for years to come.
Other than the victory itself, the most satisfying aspect of the performance was a wonderfully balanced combination of urgency and calm among the players. We have had four late victories this season while trailing first — Fulham, United, Villa and now the Cherries — and the last two particularly I think would instil a tremendous belief by the team in the philosophy that as long as they keep doing the right things — without panic, without losing shape or discipline — until the very last second they will find a way to win most football matches. Along the way there would naturally be those exceptions that are said to prove the norm, but this kind of unshakable faith in the inevitability of the right outcome when backed by the rigour of “right behaviour” (to quote Mikel) has a self-perpetuating force.
And it was lovely to see Reiss showing a glimpse of his abilities on the ball again. One of the brightest of his generation in the Arsenal academy, the way he had started his loan at Hoffenheim (now seems so many years ago, football moves fast) then it seemed only a matter of time before he would come to fulfil his promise. It hasn’t quite materialized that way, but this team, this manager, this coaching staff, and the health of our club right now may just offer the perfect combination for him to find his way back to where he was originally destined to be.
I’ve read that Kieran Tierney may be looking for another club in the Summer having lost his starting position to Zinchenko, as Tomiyasu did to White on the other side. I hope both players will stay and fight for their places because they have been great assets to the club in previous seasons. Depth, unity and persistence are what makes a club able to challenge for the top, and there is no better example for them to look to than Nathan Aké, who sat on the Manchester City bench for a couple of seasons before claiming his spot on their back line this season, having already proven his ability to play effectively in the Premier League by starting nearly 100 matches for Bournemouth earlier in his career. Circumstances can change quickly through injuries and various other factors so patience can come in handy for players in their current situation.
Dr F
Very good point
We came from behind to win once last season and equalised once ( at OT) when we eventually lost
This season we have come from behind to win several times as Dr F says and equalised again at OT before losing and against Citeh before losing. But that’s a massive progression that speaks to the increasingly tough mentality and growing maturity of the players . And particularly adding Zinchenko and Saliba , Jorginho and Trossard.
I’m interested to see if Richard Keys criticises Brentford for their OTT celebrations tonight It’s only Fulham after all!
Bt8
I do really like Tierney but I think the issue is that we play differently with him at left back . Zinchenko had developed this remarkable gift of emerging all over the pitch and the second half on Saturday showed how much more White brings to right back than Tomi. I suspect Arteta wants players in those positions to bring similar gifts and will seek different players
bt8,
Agree with you on our full backs, we have a fine falter of full backs just now, probably the best as a group since I started supporting.
If we go as MA wants in terms of squad quality in every position then I suppose we will have the same issue every year. Left wing is starting to look crowded just now!
Good problems to have I guess, compared to a couple of seasons back anyway.
Thanks TTG @38.
TTG/bt8/Matt: I find the variability in our fullback options is exactly what a team that wants to challenge in England and in Europe need. Tomi by his very high standards is having an uneven season especially after the World Cup. But he has already put in a few key performances— left back against ‘Pool to completely nullify Salah, against ManU at home a second half masterclass to make Rashford (who was giving White a tough time) completely ineffective. And I suspect he will play the Europa matches. Next year, assuming we are in CL, we would need two top class full backs on each side and Tomi provides so much tactical options, not to say at his best he is an excellent defender and would get better.
I love Zinchenko, and what he has brought in the squad in terms of technical control, tactical maturity, attitude, inspiration. But especially in CL against the very best sides the “wandering conductor” role he plays will need to become less adventurous as really top level wingers will attack the space on Gabriel’s left much more productively. We will need him to play a more traditional interpretation of the left back role and in that version Tierney can be a valuable player. High quality full backs aren’t easy to find and given that we have to play at our best every three days next season I expect all four of them to contribute significantly. However whether Tierney himself would want to stay as the “second choice” is a different matter. He may take this as an opportunity to complement his already accomplished game by getting closer to Zinchenko in the Zinchenko role.
bt8@37: I read in one of the scurrilous European publications that Tierney was on a list of six players we would sell in the summer if we got a decent offer. I agree it would be a shame if he chose to leave. We have a mix of styles among our ‘falter of fullbacks’ (©OM) that will prove useful next season as we navigate the various competitions. Dr F.’s point about the CL testing the Zinchenko role is well made.
It looks like there will be a new wrinkle in the Holics Ropey League season beginning in game week 35, the (I think) first ever HolicsRopeyLeagueCup which has its very own web page already:
https://fantasy.premierleague.com/leagues/427239/cup-not-started
Bt8
Thanks for revealing this it had passed me by . I have to say that the Holic League is a tough proposition with many very wily contenders who know the game well. I did win a few less competitive versions a few years ago but a lot of very good players have piled in now .
I play in two leagues of about the same size and am comfortably leading the other but trailing in fourth in the Ropey!eague this season as it stands. The top four trophy is all I can aspire to I suspect and that will be a hard task. It underlines how well the denizens of this bar understand the game
Good news via arseblog news that Trossard may be back before the interlull and Jesús may be ready to be on the bench for the home leg against Sporting Lisbon. No update on Eddie though. It looks like we will be playing a ‘very false nine’ in Lisbon and against Fulham in Martinelli, Vieira or ESR.
When Trossard was at Brighton, he had two spells out with a groin injury of 47 and 25 days respectively, so we should be cautious regarding a quick return. It seems that he sensibly came off as soon as he felt a problem, which might shorten his absence.
Martinelli through the middle with Nelson wide and Cozier-Duberry on the bench might be Arteta’s best option, although with Matt Turner presumably between the sticks, playing Rambo as a marauding nine would be an imaginative option. 🙂
Ned,
The original owners of the Faltering Fullback might want to dispute any copyright 😉
But I certainly share the general hopes that we can hang on to them all for next season.
Better than I’d hoped on Trossard, I wonder what squad we can put together for the Lisbon trip. Play Eddie, rest Gabi? I hope to see Kiwior for his debut but we’ll see as MA could actually change the whole back 5 if he wanted to, but that is quite a big risk.
I don’t think we will see Jesús, Eddie or Trossard in either of the next two matches, maybe three. We have to be inventive though given the way Jesús and Trossard have played the role of ‘centre forward’, I imagine that Martinelli, Vieira or ESR will be called on to replicate that role. The re-emergence of an invigorated Reiss Nelson to allow another wide option is a timely bonus. Given the multiple sources from which we have scored goals, our current CF injury crisis may not be as fatal as it appears at first thought.
The excellent young prospect Cozier- Duberry was taken off at half-time for the U21s last night . That suggests at least the bench for him in Lisbon . He looks a real talent
Maybe Thursday will bring this team
Turner
Tomi Holding Kiwior Tierney
Jorginho Xhaka
Nelson Vieira Cozier- Duberry
ESR
We could field a reasonably strong bench
Think I’ll hit that one straight for a single.
Akpom topping the goalscoring in Championship this season https://theathletic.com/4240511/2023/03/07/chuba-akpom-middlesbrough-efl-arsenal/?source=user_shared_article .
In this interview he makes a pertinent observation that his loan spells were not really thought out well when he was developing with us and if it were today he might have had a different arc to his career.
Hope ‘Boro wins a promotion and he gets to play a season or two of PL.
21cg, great report, and points. i’m sure it will continue to be regarded as one of this season’s defining moments, much like eddie’s heeltap to beat manure and saka’s penalty to beat liverpool. i daresay the most important thing is the earthquake-created bonding that happened between the players, between the fans, and within arsenal as a whole entity. *that* is what we carry forward, regardless of result, *that* is what should be the germ that spreads and grows and brings the feeling of family and shared success we’re enjoying game by game. oh, how i wish dave were around to enjoy it, but i have a feeling he’s loving it with holicdad and terry and cba and everyone else.
as well, having been in your seat at the liverpool game (thank you again, forever!) the general feeling of amazement and disbelief that we’d won and were still top of the league permeated the crowd and its responses to the gameplay. i don’t think anyone, then, thought we’d be where we are today (hoped, of course, but…manchester city). the energy in the crowd was electric, and i have to believe that in the intervening months that electricity has grown and become something akin to one of tesla’s coils, focusing the energy and channeling it into each of our players. the away crowds do the same, perhaps more impressively given their numbers. in both cases it has to be disheartening to the opposing squads to feel that kind of energy blocking that from their own fans. it’s why liverpool away and city away are going to be such mountains to climb, after already being tough hauls.
i’ve now watched the last ten minutes a couple dozen times, and from our goals a dozen. i want to put in a word for partey. while his first half wasn’t particularly bad, it wasn’t off-the-charts brilliant, either. his second half, especially after they scored their second on his mistake, was so, so good i would love to watch a compilation of just those moments. he was everywhere, passing was nearly perfect, scored the goal by staying in a great pocket of space for esr to hit, and made tackle after tackle, interception after interception, sprint full-tilt to track bournemouth runners, dribbling into and out of trouble, and on and on. so, well done thomas, you were absolutely central to getting us to 97 minutes on a draw for reiss to leather the cherry on top.
one other thing about the crowd: while occasionally, especially earlier in the game, there were player songs being sung, “arsenal” and “greatest team” were the two chants i heard most in the last 45 minutes (including stoppage). and “super mik”. that’s a crowd getting behind the whole team, geeing them on, and supporting the management and their decisions. i mean, how right did mikel get the substitutes? esr for trossard was forced, but bringing xhaka on when he did, and obviously nelson, were great calls in both timing and result.
i expect to watch this game as long as a replay remains on peacock, but just the events of the second half. i want to memorize all the motions in the plays, even the ones we missed shots or were blocked off or were cleared. we were SO good as the half progressed, and even better once we drew level. credit to bournemouth for keeping it there as long as they did, but our heads NEVER dropped and our effort NEVER flagged. such a pleasure to watch, to support, to share…COYG!!!
Re: TTG @44. A previous incarnation of Muckers did win the Ropey League but it feels like aeons ago now that managers like OM seem to have the inside scoop on winning things at the tip-top level. Muckers may be setting their sights on becoming a cup team if top four doesn’t work out. 🥇
Well in Ollie for a coolly taken half ton.
Well in for the half-ton, Ollie.
OM@47: I got the reference but I think you can rightfully claim credit for making it a collective noun.
TTG@49: I would expect one or both of Saliba and Gabriel to start. Sporting will be no pushovers and Arteta will take this game seriously. There is a very good chance Cozier-Duberry will be on the bench as 12 subs can be named in Round of 16 matches onwards.
scruz @52, well said, sir. another inspired change by MA8 was the addition of Benjamin White. Tomi wasn’t firing on all cylinders. Naughty Benjy added considerably to our right sided vim and vigour.
TTG @49, I am afraid that I’ve heard that Crozier-Duberry was crocked in that game.
Nicely timed half ton Ollie
👏👏
A place for Joel Ideho, then, if Crozier-Duberry doesn’t make it. The Academy is as short of fit forwards as the first-team squad.
@55 in that case I will happily claim it Ned!
bt8, TTG,
Plenty of time yet for High Bar to throw away the lead…….
Thanks bt8, I see it’s possible to win the double now 🙂
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>