The fastest but incomplete match report : Arsenal – Norwich 4-1

Posted on by WalterBroeckx

By Walter Broeckx

(updated slightly 8.30 BST, Sunday)

After we found out that co-leader Liverpool dropped points at Newcastle the pressure was even more on Arsenal to win this game. A win would take us 2 points clear of the team in second whatever the results of the other teams.

For the first time we had Özil and Cazorla in the same team. One could expect firework  but as this was a first one I always thought we should not expect too much from the first time.  Players have to get used to each other and their playing style.

And that is what happened at first (at least according to me). Arsenal was on top but Norwich defended well and in numbers. So not much happening in front of goal at first.

But when it happened it was a real magic thing. Wilshere recovered the ball close to the own penalty area, played it out wide to Gibbs who passed it further forward to Cazorla. And then followed a 1-2-3-4 between players that went so quick that even after 3 blurry replays I still don’t know who did what and how. But the final result was that Wilshere was completely free in the middle and could push the ball in the goal with his right foot.

Just like Ramsey? When he starts scoring he can’t stop? Well suits me. A magnificent goal in the buildup and a simple finish thanks to that build up.

The next thing of importance was a clash of heads between Flamini and a Norwich player. By the way Flamini went to ground you could see he didn’t know where he was. He tried to carry on  but was replaced a few minutes later. Ramsey came on for Flamini.

Another big chance for Arsenal when Gibbs took the ball and passed it to Giroud and only an amazing reflex from the Norwich keeper prevented the 2-0.  But then maybe because of losing Flamini the team lost its shape a bit and Norwich came back in the game. Szczesny had to make a great save to prevent Fer from scoring with a shot from distance.

The second half started with Norwich playing further up the pitch and pushing Arsenal back. But the defenders mostly were better than the Norwich strikers yet the feeling was not really comfortable at that time.

But when Ramsey was able to start a break it was Özil who managed to put Arsenal 2-0 up. I loved to talk about the goal but I haven’t seen it as my stream jammed and I could only hear the sound.  Rosicky came on Cazorla who had his first game after many weeks.

Norwich didn’t give up and managed to get one back after a good move on the left flank that finished with a low shot that the unsighted Szczesny couldn’t stop.

The game was open now and both teams looking for another goal. Arsenal threatening with some shots from distance from Ramsey and Özil. With 13 minutes to go Bendtner came on and Giroud went off.

Meanwhile Probert was trying to make an impression by not giving obvious fouls in favour of Arsenal. A clear handball just outside the Norwich penalty area was a very amazingly missed by the ref.  What it now to be exactly as we predicted….

Ruddy, the Norwich keeper was stopping Arsenal from scoring a third goal when Bendtner had a strong shot.

But he had no chance at all when Ramsey came on the ball and dribbled the whole Norwich defence (ok I do get carried away while typing) but he went past 3 and Ruddy could do nothing this time. 3-1 after 84 minutes.  What a player, what a finish. Game over one would think.

But then my stream jammed again and when I returned I found out that Özil had scored again. That was an internet cÖnspiracy against me I think.

It was hard at times and credit to Norwich for making the game difficult.  Probert again refusing us a blatant penalty in the extra time. Oh well, Wilshere almost made up with a curling effort.

A great, but difficult win. And some interesting results as Manchester United only managed a 1-1 draw against Southampton.

Top of the league, say we are top of the league.

PS: if anyone can link me to the Özil goals would be grateful. Now off for my own match this evening.

Recent Posts

57 Replies to “The fastest but incomplete match report : Arsenal – Norwich 4-1”

  4. Magnificent, not at our best at times but what a devastating spell and some amazing goals and performances. What more can be said about Rambo? The view is good from the top, tho a bit of altitude sickness setting in.

  5. Like you I had problems with my stream. I couldn’t make out which Norwich player fouled the Arsenal player. However I heard this ‘The ref didn’t give the penalty because the foul was not intentional!’ So now we know its not bias refereeing.
    So now we know!
    Our fouls are judged as intentional theirs are not!

    I can’t help with your request as had similar probs. However as I write this so I have BBC radio 5 sports report and the action of the first goal has been given. You have 7 days to down the prog and the description come in the 1st 10 mins. worth a listen.

    Happy whistling!

  6. ..great report Walter,– Referee Rosie Probert(33 Duck Lane) seemed to have his eyes closed at the obvious handball and also what looked like a penalty, I thought that it was Captain Cat who was blind!!
    Great to see Ramsey back on fire again! Sure am glad we finished this game of in style..rather than hanging on for a 2-1 victory as we might have done in the last couple of seasons.

    Thought of Adam all the way through the game…

    COYG!!

  8. Thanks Ben L, Giroud with some assists then and Ramsey…what more can you say….

  9. Agreed Walter – still thinking of Adam, hard to come to terms with that very sad news.

    However, a very tough and good win today and a valuable three points. Probert did his best to maintain his reputation.

  10. Is that a title winning side that can score first and then weather a storm (more on that later) and finally put them to the sword?
    I admit I was a bit nervous many times and we need to cut it out, or is it just me that thinks we panic or rest on laurels once we go ahead? we would have conceded and dropped both types of points in times past.
    Since last year I noticed that iwe have that dodgy looking steel about Us. It reminds me of that drunken kung fu style, where he looks drunk but knows exactly what he doing and kicks ass!
    COYG!

  11. The handball…the ball pinged at the Norwich player pretty quickly but he was about 3-4 yards from the ball but his arms were well away from his side, the ball was in the edge of the box.

    The foul on Ozil…The Canary defender slide in, the ball and Ozil went by him and then the defender caught Ozil’s trailing leg as he tried to take the one more step needed to shoot. Ozil falls, Probert shakes his head.

    In the middle third of the game, what with Flamini out, Cazorla out and Rosicky and Ramsey in, the team lost its shape and gave away the ball a great deal. It was only in the last 10-12 minutes that we started dominating again. Some may say that Norwich put us under great pressure but that would be incredibly charitable. Yes, they moved the ball in the middle of the pitch fairly easily but we gave it back to them easily with a number of miscommunications rather than sketchy play resulting from a pressing defence. They had at best a series of hopefully balls played into the centre.

    All in all a good performance from a team that is still growing.

  12. Man, i had a laugh today. Let me explain.
    I watched the match with sound down and listened to talksport to get scores of other matches. Talksport was going on about Arsenal playing pretty one touch football with no finishing was blasting in my ear, meanwhile at that exact moment going into my eyes was the beautiful on touch football with a wonderful finish by Jack.
    Good game, we slowed when we needed a breather, but most always in control, and when Özil scored i was so glad, then Ramsey, and then Özil again. I am happy, more than i expected as i thought it would be 2.0 only. Now for Dortmund on tuesday.
    Onward the Arsenal.

  14. From my seat in the Upper East. Probert looked to be even handed in the first half, ignoring just about all contact from both teams and waving his arms like a windmill at times. In the second half he reverted to type inventing Arsenal fouls near our penalty area and ignoring everything on our players. I thought we should have had at least two penalties and a team better than Norwich could have made more of the opportunities gifted. However enough of that!

    We won with four absolutely fabulous goals. The first a thing of true beauty. Must be up there for best team goal of the year. For the majority of the game we were comfortable and playing well within ourselves then we would put the pedal to the metal and tear Norwich apart. Their keeper made some great saves which we have to admire.

    A great day to be a Gunner. Now a repeat performance for Tursday please.

    COYG

  15. “If Southampton are to compete for a Champions League place then they really need to be beating these mid table sides.”

    Hello mr.Van persie

  16. Great day indeed.
    “If Southampton are to compete for a Champions League place then they really need to be beating these mid table sides.”

  17. Great win for the Gunners, thanks to all our team. This includes AW, the management and the fans. Keep it rocking…

  21. In the transfer window ‘all the experts who know better than Arsene’ were telling Arsenal nay demanding Arsene to spend some big money and buy a proven striker, a centre back and a top goalkeeper.

    So what does stubborn Arsene do?
    He bought a striker, a kid from the French 2nd division. He brought a loan reserve goalkeeper. Resigned a defensive midfielder who once left under a cloud.

    He did look for a more proven striker but failed to sign one, so welcomed back the prodigal a Dane with a big head.

    How stubborn can you get?

    Then as if to intentionally antaganise his his expert critics, what did Arsene do? He did as they demanded, he splashed the cash – on a midfielder. Urg

    Today and in previous games we saw why Arsene can be so stubborn and refuses to follow the advice of his expert critics – because he knows.
    ‘Arsene Knows’ and long may it be so.

  22. Fantastic result, Probert predictably didn’t blow for some blatant fouls against Arsenal, like the handball. But it didn’t matter in the end.

  23. @ Mandy – far from having altitude sickness, I have kicked my shoes off as this is no longer a temporary stay. I feel right at home.

    @ Walter – I agree, that win was definitely for Adam Brogden.

    @ Mick – I loved Ramsey’s goal, I can’t really put into words how happy I am for him. People are starting to talk about him as the complete midfielder I always knew he was and not just him having a ‘good engine’.

    Bale will never deliver on his price tag, not the player’s fault, but just the way it is.

  24. I hope all you fans who are enjoying Arsenal’s start to the season, will continue your support when things go wrong.
    When the odd blip occurs, please refrain from abusing Ramsey, asking for Arsene’s head and calling for new signings left, right and centre.
    Remember our reputation for being the most fickle fans in the country and prove everybody wrong.

  25. It was a great game and all that’s left is for the critic’s to try and pick apart our game (which is gettting harder to do).

    I have already heard that the real test of this current squad is Dortmund, not Norwich – which is true in a sense, but we still had to perform today and it was a great performance. Wilshere & Giroud’s first goal, was Wengerball at it’s best.

    Shame about Flamini’s injury, hopefully it’s not too bad. he needed to pick up another yellow too, but wasn’t on long enough to do so.

    I kind of feel that Arsenal’s 12th man (the crowd) has started to match the opposition’s 12th man (the ref) a lot more of late. I reckon the great stadium atmosphere has played a part in the teams performance at the Emirates (pat’s self on back).

  26. Although I’ve watched it several times now, the play leading up to that first goal itself is just fantastic; one of the most delightful, most exhilarating passages of football I’ve ever seen. Utterly breathtaking, utterly gorgeous, crowned by Wilshere’s flick that scored the goal.

    Last season I thought this team potentially the best we have had for many years, at the very least least since the 2007/08 season. Great to see them flowering.

  27. Michael Staley. I agree with you that first goal is mesmerising and wonderful to watch.

    Arsene likes midfielders who can score and strikers who can assist. This goal was classic Arsene vision of football.

  28. Arteta is still away from his best form.
    Cazorla is getting slowly there, but started from sctatch.
    Wilshere is coming near the top at last.
    Rosicky is still a bit rusty, but today’s cross reminded me his assist to RvP agaist Stoke 2 seasons ago. Just wonderful.
    Ramsey is at his current top. But sky is his limit.
    Ozil is showing more and more of his abilities. He can play false 9, or even real one. Great header today
    This team can become even better, when the formerly injured players get more minutes. Bendtner is getting better too.

    I can’t wait to see this team put to sword first Liverpool and then crush MU @Old Trafford.

  29. The report on Flamini is a concussion. He apparently was seeing double. The medical staff are not sure how long he needs to rest. Congratulations to the team. Seeing the end of the BBC commentary, the Arsenal game is 3rd on MOTD. One newspaper report said Ramsey only went past 2 Norwich defenders. The BBC report on the “questionable” Chelsea goal, had one opinion from an officiating expert. He waffled on the opinion (it depends).

    Can someone point out a URL which discusses these false and real positions you keep talking about?

  30. I too was thinking of Adam throughout this game…and was so pleased, with that in mind, with the performance, beating Norwich+1, and mostly for two SUPERB goals.

  32. hear hear! today was a glorious game in that while there was a bit more stress at 0-0, 1-0, and later 2-1, man, i’ll be damned if i wasn’t sitting there proclaiming things such as “my kingdom for a goal!” and sure enough chef ramsey stepped up with a late brace to take it from 2-1 to 4-1 in favor of the arsenal.

    early in the pre/season, again new to football let alone arsenal support, i thought that arsenal always attempted to be too cutesy in the box. they always wanted to make that extra pass leading to another pass leading to another which ideally leads to a wide open tap in shot, however this has to be executed fast and flawlessly otherwise the defensive backs will collapse in and get rid of your space. therefore, i said that arsenal needed someone who could step up in the box, see an opening to get a full strength strike @ goal going, and then KICK THE BALL IN THE DAMN NET. yeah it’s fun to watch a flawlessly executed full speed giroud rhythm tap in, but sometimes on the counter/break you wanna have someone like bendtner today finding the requisite space to fully load up and then unload on a proper strike.

    well, b4 today, it was ramsey who stepped up and answered my call. most of his early ~7 goals (gosh, he’s gotta be in that 6-9 range between all competitions now) were him running up into the box and slamming it home as hard as he could, which would either go in or deflect off of a defender and score thanks to the sheer strength of the strike.

    and like i said, believe it or not i think bendtner looked like a competent backup backup striker out there (remember yaya sanogo!) who was keen to set up powerful shots in the box on the break. i definitely wanna see that.

    i also like seeing ozil up his goalscoring pace for the german team and arsenal, as go figure that having CR7 front and center might affect your scoring prowess. he’s something like 17goals in 51apps for germany (idk if that counts his goal the other day) and already he’s 3 goals in 6 games for arsenal, so hey now would you look at that…. go figure that mr. “this is mesut how may i assist you?” can score.

    i’m going to prevent myself from babbling endlessly about speculations and conjectures…. suffice to say, this early run of form after the first game of the season has my head in teh clouds however looking @ the table and seeing chelsea tied with the scousers @ 17 flanked by city @ 16 = game on, MFers…. this dortmund game is huge for our CL endeavors, and we’ve got a solid run of PL fixtures… but if arsenal can play a game like today against the scousers, esp @ anfield?

    i’m not going to dream. i’m not gonna babble. shomer shabbos y’all! * pounds table *

  33. Although I don’t usually do it, I am just watching Match Of The Day and have to admit, their reporting seems to have shifted towards the ref a bit more. They have analysed decisions and discussed what the ref should do and given replays etc… I can’t say they are no longer selective of which incidents warrant review but it seems like a step in the right direction. I can only guess it has something to o with the ref reviews and regular criticism of MOTD from UA.

  37. Even the duplicitous Guardian football department (albeit with a new Arsenal beat writer, Pay Doyle) must bow to our brilliance and clinicality: “More please! That is the only appropriate response to a performance like this. Unless, of course, you are one of the teams chasing Arsenal. Arsène Wenger’s men were wonderful, each of their goals a work of beauty. Norwich could not cope. Few teams could. The season is young but if Arsenal continue to attack with such regal aplomb, it will take a special side to oust them from the top of the Premier League.”

  40. @ Mandy Dodd. This Phil Thompson knows how to contradict himself doesn’t he. ‘Arsenal were poor. Those goals they were fantastic. Norwich were brilliant but they couldn’t…….

    Arsenal were all over them in the last 20 minutes.’

    There seems to be a false belief that if you you were a reasonably good player then you are qualified to speak about the game. When most ex players are out of the game because all they know about the game is their own ability, they have no or little understanding about the game other then what they could contribute. Phil Thompson seems to be a classic example of this.

  43. “Nothing negative to report here I suspect….” opening line from Gary Lineker of the Arsenal game analysis on MotD. So the idea is to look for negatives? What a moron.

  44. And in the next line, in his response Hansen comes up with “they have an embarrassment of riches. he has got a lovely problem of who he will pick and who he will leave out…”.

    Ok, is this the same wafer-thin squad we are talking about, Mr Hansen? The same side that tight-fisted AW refused to bolster by adding the necessary 3, 4 or even 5 world class players in the summer? Think I’ll stop watching now.

  45. I’m sorry guys to keep spamming you with my posts on an early Sunday morning, when all you probably wishing for is a quiet, nice lie in:)

    And I know I said I was going to stop watching, sorry but did watch a few more seconds of that crap. So Lineker asks both his fellow ‘expert pundits’ if Arsenal can dare believe. That muppet called Shearer says it’s only 6 games but Chelsea will win it. From hansen came an emphatic ‘No!’. No, they still refuse to imagine us winning this year, despite all they have seen from the team with the best record this calendar year. You also wonder where their belief we will not win it stems from if in a previous line they had been seemed to say this team has an embarrassment of world class riches. I mean, if you acknowledge in one line that you have just watched the best goal from a team with an embarrassment of world class riches, that is playing some of the best football we have seen, then in the next say they will not win the title, where then does that conviction they will not win it come from. How can hansen be so adamant we will not win it. The contrast between the praise he gave us, and his verdict on our chances couldn’t be any sharper. Is he aware of some dark forces that will stop us? . It really makes you wonder.

  46. @ Mandy
    Re Phil Thompson comments i watched the game on a stream and i am a edge of the seat spectator Arsenal were comfortable throughout . It seemed to me they played within themselves lets see what Norwich have got very similar to the secondhalf performance against Napali we can all pick out not so well passages of play within a game NEGATIVE comments can not praise there performance for the whole game lucky they had Ruddy in goal

  47. Mandy: I just warched the video on the link you have and apart from the ‘lack killer instinct’ bits he just describes the game and how for a short time we were a bit shaky bringing memories if when we would collapse and lose/draw.
    Obviously we did and do have that instinct cos we finished them off, but when we play Chelsea or City and we have these periods (they will have noticed that) it will be much harder to overcome they will be better taking their chances for sure. In saying that Jose knows us from last time so assumes we will keep ball the whole time and he can counter, but we are not like that anymore.
    It’s a different team, personnel and luck!
    COYG!!

  48. I am an edge of my ‘couch’ fan and always shit myself when they score. Maybe I need to watch it again to see how much pressure we really were under.
    Replay in 2 hours! I will get HD and watch it in high def I think now…

  50. One thing I have noticed recently is that the Arsenal ‘resurgence’, at least according to the experts, is entirely due to the signing of Ozil. How about a bit of credit for the rest of the squad and especially Arsene Wenger.

  51. Mick
    Noticed the same too. But how does it explain our excellent run this year dating back to February, well before Ozil was signed.

    On a different note I think a few of us (jambug,Bootoomee?) made some complaints to the BBC over the way the potential penalty shout involving Wilshere & Mulumbu was blanked out from the MotD highlights. I got a response today from the BBC complaints dept saying what I expected them to say anyway. Something along the lines of we can’t please everyone blah blah blah, or some other nonsense to that effect. So while they didn’t tell me anything new, guess the real surprise was that there was a real human being that actually read my complaint at the other end.

  52. Sorry, had a typo in my email and my comment below went into moderation.

    Mick
    Noticed the same too. But how does it explain our excellent run this year dating back to February, well before Ozil was signed.

    On a different note I think a few of us (jambug,Bootoomee?) made some complaints to the BBC over the way the potential penalty shout involving Wilshere & Mulumbu was blanked out from the MotD highlights. I got a response today from the BBC complaints dept saying what I expected them to say anyway. Something along the lines of we can’t please everyone blah blah blah, or some other nonsense to that effect. So while they didn’t tell me anything new, guess the real surprise was that there was a real human being that actually read my complaint at the other end.

  53. AL,

    I got a bullshit reply from BBC too. To be honest,I wasn’t expecting anything better. I was hoping that with more people writing them, we may see less biased editing on MoTD.

    On Ozil being the saviour of Arsenal, it has been repeated to death but it is still untrue. In the Arsenal’s September player of the month poll, Ozil came second with 17% after all the noise and hype while Ramsey won with 72%! I have no problem with Ozil, who is a great player and even a better, humbler person. It is the doomers and the media who in their desperation to claim credit for Arsenal’s performances have been contorting themselves into knots on how Ozil has been responsible for everything good in Arsenal.

    Arsenal have collected more points than any other team in the EPL this calendar year. But the credit belongs to the player who has only been here for one and a half months, according to the idiotic media and some of our moronic fans.

  54. Bootoome

    And as good a start as we have had we gained more points from the same 9 fixtures last year (imaculate at 27 I think) as we have this.

    I don’t think ozil played in any of them did he ?

    Obviously I’m not knocking ozil, the guy is pure class.

    The point is we had a lot of ‘pure class’ last year but it seemed to of passed all but a few by.

    ‘No World class players’. ‘Panic buys’ ‘Second class buys’ Yada yada yada

    Now apparantly we have an abundance of riches.

    Some of us already knew !!!!!

  55. @Al, Bootoomee, got mine, as well; Thursday I think, but to be honest, it looks like a stock reply with a single sentence pasted onto the front to give it the appearance of being connected to what I wrote.

    So out of a mix of pure bloody mindedness and an interest in seeing where it goes, I’ll probably follow up on it.

    @ARESENAL 13, Mick — They’ve been holding that line since September, that we were shit, but now have Özil. The recent extensions are that Özil has single handedly improved everyone else.

    Now we are getting things spreading, so you see the article by Parlour today flagging up Matty’s influence (anyone who risks a concussion for the cause clearly is good), and the ‘sudden’ arrival of Ramsey is starting to be picked up elsewhere.

    I have to wonder if we get to the stage of Reg and the Popular Front of Judea before they actually admit to it being down to the squad we have.

  56. Bootoomee, Rufusstan
    Let’s keep reminding them of their duties each time they display any obvious bias. Who knows, maybe one day someone will say hang on, somethings not right here, or maybe just change things to shut us up. It happened in that movie, The Shawshank Redemption:)

  57. Arsenal 13

    Agreed. I saw that video and wrote this under my You tube handle:

    ‘Pathetic. Arsenal scored more goals last season without VP than the season before with Van Persie! These ex players may have known how to play football but they don’t know the football facts or how to talk intelligently about football.

    Unfortunately I didn’t think to add that our last season run in was not only without a former star player but without the new one.

    When we had one were accused of being a ‘one man team and nothing else and without him we would have been a bunch of losers’

    Now it seems we are to be applauded because we are a one man team. Like they told us we should be. ‘that’s all it wants just one special player. So why don’t Arsene splash the cash?

    Talk about spaghetti junction brains!

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *