By Walter Broeckx
Not much changes compared to the team that won from Chelsea. Cech as expected in goal and Maitland-Niles playing in the place of the unlucky Bellerin. Iwobi starting in the place of Guendouzi.
Arsenal team at the start: Cech, Maitland-Niles, Sokratis, Koscielny, Kolasinac, Torreira, Xhaka, Ramsey, Iwobi, Aubameyang, Lacazette
On the beach: Leno, Lichtsteiner, Mustafi, Monreal, Elneny, Guendouzi, Ozil
A calm opening 5 minutes from both teams with no real balls in the penalty area from either team. Cech the first keeper to come in action when he had to block Pogba after a one two set Pogba free but the veteran keeper threw himself in the feet and smothered the ball. 0-0 after a very uneventful first 15 minutes.
Sokratis with a bad landing on his ankle needed some treatment. He tried to come back but had to come off in the end and Mustafi came on after 20 minutes. Iwobi with a first real shot but the angle favoured the goalkeeper who could stop the shot. United with a dangerous cross from the right that went past Lukaku and Pogba and then Maitland-Niles could head it away. A cross from Lacazette after a good combination but the keeper could catch the ball. Pawson inventing a foul against Arsenal after a corner. United go in the attack and Alexis is send through and he goes past Cech and scores. 0-1 after 30 minutes.
United counter and Lukaku gives the ball to Lingard who simply scores. 0-2 after 32 minutes. This really is too simple. Arsenal really can’t come up with a good attack so far. A shot from Ramsey goes wide after a deflection. We could do with someone with some invention on the field…. Finally Ramsey with a good action on the left flank and his cross finds Aubameyang at the far post who taps it home. GOAL 1-2 after 43 minutes. A lifeline.
Maitland-Niled with a pass to Lacazette but his shot was straight at the keeper. Arsenal looking for the equaliser in the 3 minutes of extra time. Aubameyang trying to find a teammate but United can clear. A header from Mustafi goes wide. Arsenal really came to live after scoring the 1-2 but couldn’t find a second goal. Let us hope we can continue like we did in the last 5 minutes.
A cross from Maitland-Niles finds Ramsey but the keeper saves his header from short distance. Arsenal pressing forward now but United can keep them from scoring. Koscielny gets a yellow card for stopping a possible dangerous attack from United. Lukaku with the free kick but well over. Lukaku then with a an unfortunate contact against the head of Koscielny in a duel and our captain was bleeding. Özil is standing ready to come on but Arsenal wait a bit to see if Koscielny can continue. Lukaky was stumbling backwards under pressure from Kos who fell on to the ground. Let us hope we don’t lose a second central defender….but alas Koscielny goes off and Cech gets the captains armband…. Iwobi also goes off and Guendouzi and Özil come on. Xhaka going back in the back line now?
Young gets a yellow card for a deliberate handball. But the free kick is cleared. Lacazette with a shot but the keeper with a save. Still 1-2 after 75 minutes.
Lingard gets a yellow card for dissent. Arsenal trying to pass their way in the crowded United penalty area but can’t find the opening. Arsenal lose the ball in the United half and Pogba goes on a long run and shoots. Cech can save it but Martial pushes the rebound in goal. 1-3 after 82 minutes. Arsenal counted dead by United. Kolasinac and Rashford go head to head and both get a yellow card.
10 minutes of extra time given. Guendouzi is given a yellow card for a challenge on Pogba who made the most of it. Pogba doesn’t get a yellow card for a scissor tackle from behind against Maitland-Niles. Arsenal can’t really create anything and play a dissapointing match. Taking Xhaka out of our midfield and pulling him back didn’t help our midfield at all. Putting Monreal on and letting Xhaka play in midfield would have been a better option I think. But who am I of course.
Arsenal lose 1-3 and are out of the FA cup. That is the painful conclusion. Losing 2 central defenders in one match proved too costly.
How to go PEA!
Sokratis was kicked on his left ankle while in the air by Lingard before landing on the same leg.
Lingard gets booked & shows his arrogance but does not get the red he deserves.
United blocking by Pogba & others allowed – its the PGMOL Laws only Arsenal blocks will be penalised.
@menace, lol. I know you’re taking the piss, but let me indulge you all the same. The yellow lingard got was for his remonstrations.
One law for Arsenal another for Pogba the cheating diving pussy.
If anyone still believe it is a fair-playing field, seeing Pogba knee-high scissor tackling from behind and getting away with no card at all should be the last nail on your naivety.
Can’t wait for the VAR to come. Oh wait I’m told it was “in action” tonight…
@Vince this is the PIGMOB VAR… not a real VAR
hummmm another loss owing to the officials and not owing to our team’s ineptitude…well I never. Still it was only the FA Cup and we know how useless that trophy is
When Baille elbows Lacazette in the throat 5 yds from the goal line & VAR doesn’t catch it … it must be ineptitude … as was the backing into Kos by Lukaku resulting in Kos on the floor and a backwards step on Kos’s face …. certainly ineptitude.
Sadly we never looked likely to win tonight but that can’t excuse a craven performance by the match officials
I couldn’t understand the manager when he had to take off Koscielny and then pulled Xhaka back and put Guendouzi on.
By pulling Xhaka out of midfield you weaken our defence and you weaken our midfield.
I think he should have brought Monreal on. He has played at centre back last season and was very good at it. And more important is that Nacho is a player who as a defender has digged us out of a hole in the past. Remember the semi final against Man City a few years ago when he scored the equaliser.
I think Emery should have made a straight swap Kos-Monreal in stead of mixing everyones position.
Also bringing on Özil…. I think everybody knows that Özil is someone who has to start or leave him on the bench. When he is on the field he can dictate the pace of the game more. When the pace is set he is having trouble to adapting to the pace.
We’ve had a few weird substitutions lately, and last night again. It had to be Monreal on for Koscielny. Ozil must start – someone who can pass forwards, run with the ball, create chances. I’d like to see Mavraponos get a game on Tuesday – very promising player.
Pawson is clearly on an upward career path at pigmol. Very obedient for his masters plans. That assistant on the far side never gave Laca anything.
@Les Williams Yes, pigmol VAR. Last time they sabotaged it deliberately so it wouldn’t work, now they just don’t want it at all. Imagine Dean and Atkinson having their 99% correct decisions being reviewed.
I did not see the match so cannot comment on it, but with UE supposedly being a cup expert, our going out of both cups at home hardly augers well for the future.
I appreciate that losing Socatratis after 20 minutes was very likely to be the deciding moment, nevertheless, another defeat is another defeat.
I am quickly losing interest in this season and my disquiet at our new manager just increases.
The 22 game run seems to have acted as a smokescreen to the fact that for many of those games were pretty poor, but succeeded because our opponents were even poorer.
I am happy with our win last week, but not in the manner of it. To have less than 40% possession in a home game smacks of the parking the bus attitude we have criticised so much.
The style that UE seeks is the one that prevents the opponents from playing, rather than the attacking style we are used to and prefer.
Has anyone wondered why UE was so keen to leave PSG, when he had limitless funds to buy who he wanted?
Could it be that he left before he was pushed?
Whilst I accept that it was time for a change, but I wonder whether we may have made a mistake here.
I for one think we have seen more than enough of Gendouzi this season. He seems to be UE’s go-to man, and yet I see very little from him that impresses me.
4th place is a distant dream and seeing the teams left in the EC, I cannot see us winning it.
Jjgsol
If you had seen the game or even gone to the game you would have recognised what a drastic difference it made to the game losing Sokratis. We were dominant and should have buried Utd but in the final third the final ball, overplaying or a wrong choice cost us dearly. Emery needs at least one transfer window to maybe get in the players he needs to implement his style. The gamesmanship of Young was shocking too but he was allowed to waste time, steal yards at every throw in by the referee and be a general tw*t. Horrible player.
Amid the confusion that followed the lost of his 2 centrebacks, Emery must have lost his mind when he brought on Guendouzi for Koscielny instead of him to have brought on Elneny or Monreal who have played at centreback successfully in the past for Arsenal when used there and leaves Xhaka where he was playing in the midfield.
Why did he even remove the Arsenal workaholic left winger Iwobi for the less workaholic player Ozil who he should have starting the match centrally at the number 10 in the first place? His removal of Iwobi who was not tiring nor injured has led to the cutting off of Arsenal forceful hard work efforts at the left wing in the match. Which if left in place to continue could lead to Arsenal scoring again in the match from the workaholic efforts work from the left wing being manned by Iwobi. Shouldn’t Emery have introduced Ozil for Ramsey if he must bring on Ozil into the game who Emery should have known that he plays well when he start than when he is used as a substitute? Has Emery often tossing with his Arsenal starts making and substitutions marking at past way now into the 2nd half of the season shows that he is yet to understand the Gunners very well and how he should them starting games and playing them as substitutes in games for Arsenal? Which if he does will always be bringing the best out of them on a regular basis in matches for Arsenal.