By Walter Broeckx
Arsenal XI: Cech, Bellerin, Chambers, Mustafi, Kolasinac, Elneny, Xhaka, Iwobi, Nelson, Welbeck, Aubameyang
Bench: Macey, Holding, Monreal, Wilshere, Ozil, Lacazette, Nketiah
A nasty first challenge on Nelson from a Southampton player. The ref could have done something with that as it was all about making sure to foul the young player. With all the changes the team needing some time to find each other. Southampton with the first chance but Bellerin could save the goal bound ball and kick it away some 2 meters before the goal line. The resulting corner only half cleared and Chambers this time with a good interception. Southampton using Hughes’s tactics on corner with surrounding the keeper. Why shouldn’t he try it. Marinner will do nothing about it. Arsenal most of the ball but not enough speed and precision to bring down the blue Southampton wall. 0-0 after 15 minutes.
Southampton with a low cross and Mustafi stands still and Long can stick his foot against the ball and score from close range. Mustafi was waiting for Cech but it was his ball. A bad defensive error leading to Southampton taking the lead out of nothing. 0-1 after 17 minutes.
Arsenal with lots of possession but now Southampton even more defending with all their players in front of their own penalty area. So Arsenal have to play around the defence and suddenly Iwobi finds Welbeck in some space in the heart of the Arsenal defence and he flicks it on to Aubameayng who puts it past the keeper. GOAL! 1-1 after 28 minutes. Another goal for the Gabon striker. 6 goals and one assist so far for the new signing. I think no other player in history has been involved in so many goals in only 7 matches.
Arsenal keep the pressure up but Aubameyang his pass to Welbeck is too hard and the keeper is first on the ball. From a corner Chambers has two chances but he misses the inital cross and the his half volley is too weak to trouble the keeper. Xhaka with a free kick but a meter over the goal. Southampton with a short spell of possession in the Arsenal half but then Arsenal win the ball and Iwobi gives it to Welbeck who cuts inside and has a shot that loops over the Southampton keeper. GOAL!! 2-1 to The Arsenal. The shot took a deflection so a slice of luck on that goal but if you don’t shoot you can’t force your luck.
Aubameyang with a good chance but a great stop from the keeper and then Xhaka with a shot in the follow up but another great save from the keeper denies a third goal. Bellerin gets a yellow card for a little pull on the half way line. Iwobi a bith lather with a good shot but again the keeper with an equal save. Cech also with a good save on a shot from distance. Elneny with a vital clearence in front of the goal line. Don’t know if it would have gone in or would have hit the post but don’t take any chances. Still 2-1 after 60 minutes.
Long deflects the ball after a long spell of possession from Southampton against the net but he was clearly offside so his party was ended premature. Nelson goes off and Wilshere comes on after 63 minutes. After some pressure Welbeck wins the ball and is fouled but the ref lets it go and Southampton has a shot from distance but Cech palms it away.
After 70 minutes Aubameyang comes off and Lacazette comes on. Southampton get a free kick and Austin who had just come on scores on the follow up when Arsenal can’t clear their line. 2-2 after 73 minutes.
Holding comes on for Bellerin. Iwobi with a cross to Wilshere and Welbeck misses from 3 meters in front of an open goal. What a miss…. But he makes up fot it… Iwobi twisting on the right flank and then crosses with his left foot and Welbeck heads it home from close range. GOAL!!! 3-2 to The Arsenal after 82 minutes.
Bertrand pulls Iwobi like Bellerin did but no yellow card this time. Cech with a fine save when Tadic has a shot on the turn. Southampton with some pressure in an effort to score the equaliser.
Wilshere pulling the shirt ot Stephens and the Southampton player retaliates and gets a correct red card. Then the ref pulls out a red card against Elneny for the faintest of pushes…. this was clearly a case of compensating from the referee. Maybe Dean whispering something in the ear of the ref?
Arsenal can keep their advantage and another Southampton player goes in the book with a yellow card. Arsenal win 3-2 with a lot of players being given a rest and others getting a good run out.
Thanks for the report Walter.
Watching news stories at Google during the game, there were two headlines of interest. One was about the goal being Cech’s or Mustafi’s fault, and it looked like this headline started probably within a few seconds of the event. How does a newspaper get a headline on the web that fast?
The second headline, was about Reiss Nelson being subbed off and not liking it. And this headline came up well BEFOFRE he was subbed off. Was he subbed off in some other game and was unhappy with it? Why would the news be running this story today?
The Nelson one was when he was warmed up against Watford and wilshere came on as sub ahead of him, so he threw down his bib.
Can’t help on the Cech Mustafi one although I thought Bellerin should have shouted or followed (long?) in as he was blind side of Mustafi.
Nelson had a decent game, as WALTER said the first foul was quite deliberate and designed to discourage him. Should have been a yellow card.. Reiss played safety first for the most part with simple passes and we didn’t see any of his trademark runs at the Southampton defenders but for a first League start I thought he did OK. I thought he looked tired in the minutes before he was subbed.
Thanks Knobby.
Lovely jubbly: another 3 points! Arsenal move with a win from Chelsea, with a whiitrwwash on the cards at Newcastle can S’hampton take heart from the 2 goals in this match? 2 would probably be be another against a Chelsea side with a lot of different agendas and priorities on field. Assist but no goals for Morata, Ceasar and Kante producing a strong ever! The three best players face being stuck there and perform.
I can see The Saints getting three points next Sat and close to if
The interviews seem to indicate that Mhky is out for a couple of weeks at least. Might be back before end of season.
I’m going to guess that PEA was looking a little tired, and Wenger wanted to give Lacazette 20 minutes or so.
And close to five leak at the Toon!
Panic but make sure that 6+1 assist to become the first player to make it 7/7 for direct goal involvement!
Expert rotation, Iwobi and Nelson given responsibility along with Chambers, performing well! Mustarfi is at fault, we are not about covering you mate, get with the program. I might Ben inclined to drip him for the last three in EL!
Check gets this wish with David out, nature take some it course.
Ahead Spurs sit 13 points ahead with Liverpool potentially 10 ahead and facing a siege when City return, tie not over, can perform twice in a row next week, with the FA Cup looming, is that a wall I see, or can they muster the resolve with a squad on the limit in terms of accumulated fatigue? Leicester got help! CL, they can eat anyone with the triumvirate, although, They are now in Coutinho county, Barcalena will make you pass and you can’t!
6/13; AGAIN!
IWIT
COYG
FTQWB
TTGS
She wore several yellow ribbons!
ID money in transit 3/3
So we’re in the semis and pulling Lleipzig would be perfect preparation for breaking down Arhelti, that and breaking down united whilst stopping Pogba, who seems to get what Shaw doesn’t! Interesting that it wa the best, Alexis and Pogba who tuurnws up after because big rejected by City and Smallimg who I would happily snap ups, along with Darnian and Rashford!
So can City turn the tide, they are well capable! Can Liverpool go Asian with it’s the the same attitude that got them three in 16mins, Spurs couldn’t, nor could Juve ultimately.
I think if young ask me its Athletico and us in the final and we win. And should the giants of La Liga avoid each other in the semis, I expect less than Classic el Classico, the will of CR7 against the new pragmatism of Barcelona! I rarely be The against CR7! Even with Messi showings something of that capacity, even if gen is a little more mobile these days than his counterpart!
The crux; who has the will to win!
Sky commentators said that first foul on Nelson should have been a Red card
From my seat in the upper east, and from a video I have just seen, the sending off of Elneny was ludicrous. There was a bit of what we used to call argy-bargy – one player stands very close to an opposition player and shouts at him, so the second player pushes the first away, and the first pushes the second.
If that is now a sending off, then we will have half a dozen sendings off in each game. It was one of the most outrageous dismissals I have seen.
I was however unhappy with Wilshere, he seemed to be getting involved far too quickly in any incident – as if he had come on to be the policeman. But not seeing any “Arsenal five wins in a row” headlines.
That goal was down to Mustaphi every day. He was at the post and should have put the ball into the crowd, if he took the keeper with it so be it. Waiting for another position 1 yard from the goal :- Ludicrous.
From my view it looked like the Elneny decision was down to the linesman . I don’t think Marriner saw it.
The first foul on Reiss Nelson looked like a deliberate assault. Assuming the ref genuinely did not see it (even though some refs may have selective vision, it should be a candidate for retrospective action. It was not only deliberate, but highly dangerous and could have caused serious injury.
No doubt many experts will disagree, since the Southampton man concerned “isn’t that type of player”.
It looked to me like he was following his manager’s instructions.
On a separate note, 2 out of the EPL bottom three have been under the recent managerial influence of Hughes and Pulis.
OT: Mad Club President?
Marca is reporting that the President of Sporting Lisbon, has suspended 19 members of his first team. I can’t account for one name in the list, but it would appear that Sporting Lisbon now only has 10 active players. Hopefully they have a good youth system.
http://www.marca.com/en/football/international-football/2018/04/07/5ac8903346163fc2258b4567.html
6 DF André Pinto
15 DF Lumor Agbenyenu
18 GK Romain Salin
19 DF Douglas
22 DF Jérémy Mathieu
25 MF Radosav Petrović
27 MF Josip Mišić
28 FW Bas Dost
77 FW Gelson Martins
82 GK Pedro Silva
===Suspended by Club President===
1 GK Rui Patrício (vice-captain)
14 MF William Carvalho (captain)
4 DF Sebastián Coates
5 DF Fábio Coentrão (on loan from Real Madrid)
Gelson Fernandes?
92 DF Cristiano Piccini
9 FW Marcos Acuña
16 MF Rodrigo Battaglia
20 FW Bryan Ruiz
8 MF Bruno Fernandes
40 FW Fredy Montero
13 DF Stefan Ristovski
37 MF Wendel
7 FW Rúben Ribeiro
88 FW Seydou Doumbia (on loan from Roma)
11 MF Bruno César
17 FW Daniel Podence
66 MF João Palhinha
93 FW Rafael Leão
Why were Xhaka and Chambers in short sleeve shirts when the rest wore long?Thought it was tradition for all to wear the same kit.
Southampton player commits a foul Arsenal player verbally complains. Several Southampton players push Arsenal players around so an Arsenal player pushes one back. As a highly paid professional referee how do you manage this within the rules of the game
(a) you book all players who pushed (you’d have the discretion to do so but, in my opinion, that would be silly
(b) you don’t book any players because it would be unfair to single any body out (that would make sense)
(c) book the player who started the problem (that would be very reasonable but maybe not necessary)
(d) completely ignore the rules of the game and leap at the opportunity to send off an Arsenal player. Answers on a postcard….
PS When Southampton players do the same thing on two different occasions in the next few minutes do you send them off or wave play on……………..ffs
It was not a great performance but more than adequate to win (unless you listen to the media of course) but given Marriner’s performance we could have easily come out of this pointless
6 wins on the trot! Keep it going boys. The media doesn’t sound too impressed by that and hence silent about it!
The Nelson incident was early in the game & quite honestly I cannot remember what happened. There were several incidents of Long fouling that should have been cards but the PGMOL selective vision comes to the fore. Jack was being taunted & provoked and should be above it all but when the officials ignore all the fouling, I suppose a fuse goes somewhere and the fire takes over. Despite it all the result was 3 points to the Arsenal.
Jim Carroll
08/04/2018 at 9:21 pm
Good observation. I didn’t notice but will check it out & tweet the Arsenal as it is tradition to wear the captain choice.
The shirt thing explained.
https://museumofjerseys.com/2016/10/28/arsenal-kind-of-break-with-tradition/
We won without our most creative players (Mesut, Aaron, Micki) and without our two most reliable defenders (Kos and Nacho). I think that should be considered as a good day in the office.
@Gord
I watched the highlights from the game between Atletico Madrid and Sporting tonight and I was surprised with how the game could have gone either way. Sporting shot themselves into the feet with number of idiotic mistakes similar to Mustafi’s in today’s and some other games this season. Ex-Liverpool player Coates was the worst culprit but ex-Barcelona Mathieu wasn’t much behind. On top of that, they had two absolute sitters that they should have scored from.
Good recovery , showed bottle, shame about elneny card, but sadly predictable.
Some good attacking play, but work needed in defending , at times
When is Mike Dean going to retire?
Sadly, even when he does, bet he is still kept on in an influential role.
Apparently he switched his allegiance from a merseyside giant to tranmere at a certain juncture in his career , then developed a soft spot for the spuds, all this happening as he served a ban from the game for fronting a gambling firms advertising campaign.
You couldn’t make it up, unless you were run by Mike Riley and Scudamanc
Regarding the sleeves issue. I’ve noticed recently that most of the players are wearing a sleeve beneath the short sleeve ro give the effect of a long sleeve. Silly really.
Anybody notice the foul on Mustafi at 71 minutes to give Southampton a free kick? Remarkably similar to Aguero’s FOUL not called on Mustafi in the League cup final. Now it’s a foul of course. “Trying to put off the leaper” instead of just simply “standing his ground.”
Going back to my 7.44 , I thought it was the linesman but it could easily have been our old friend Dean.
I thought for once I would give my readers a view of what it is like to plough through the comments we get each day and explain why there are automatic systems on this site that deal with a lot of these comments. As we all know, no automatic system is perfect, and if you find a comment not published sometime, when you think it should be, please reflect on the fact that we are bombarded by stuff like this every day.
And yes, this was sent to Untold Arsenal which has published over 7500 articles…
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