Arsenal v Burnley. The teams, the beach, the factoids

155 Replies to “Arsenal v Burnley. The teams, the beach, the factoids”

1. Just a note to say that because Arsenal Belgium will be at the game, Walter won’t have time to do a post match report.

   If I’ve still got the energy after a day out with the Untold team (a rare occasion having so many of us at one game) I’ll try and write something about the day when I get back to the midlands – but if not, see you tomorrow.

2. Great post Walter.

   My problem ….

   Here again is where I worry about dear Gunners. Once the stage is set for them to take advantage, especially against a supposed-weaker opposition, they have always disappointed big time.

   It just happened against Bournemouth.

   Hope they don’t stick to that nasty habit today.

   And one player worries me – Bellerin. The Spaniard had been a shadow of himself since he returned from his first injury of the season. He was glaringly culpable for the two of the three goals we conceded against Bournemouth. I hope the Bellerin that comes back today will be the one that started the season.

3. Guess we know which part of Tai’s glass is full and which is empty!!!

4. Haha Phil…for me, always half-full.

5. Bellerin has not fully recovered to full match fitness and full match form at the time he returned to action when he was rushed back as soon as he recovered from the injury he had without allowing the injury to deeply healed up first. Hence, the reoccurring of his injury.

   With this preamble, I had suggested in my previous comment that the quartet of Giroud, Coquelin, Gibbs and Bellerin who have just returned to training this week after getting different kind of injuries should all be rested from starting this Burnley game but be on the bench for it should in case any of them is needed to come on during the match. Le Prof could choose not to starts this quartet for Burnley to reserve their energy and start them for our supposedly difficult away FA Cup match against Southampton next Saturday.

   Our last starts for our last away match at Swansea last Saturday with one change done to them are a very strong starts that are capable of inflicting a heavy defeat to Burnley today at the Ems if Le Prof will agree with my assertion and go ahead to repeat these same starts but Giroud for this our Burnley game today.

   Let me reiterate my starts and bench for this our Burnley game today for the benefit of doubt.

   Starts:
   Cech
   Paulista Mustafi Koscielny Monreal
   Xhaka Ramsey
   Chamberlain Ozil Iwobi
   Sanchez.
   Bench:
   Ospina Bellerin Holding Gibbs Coquelin Welbeck Giroud.

   My starts and bench look on unbeatable, don’t they?

6. I also hope Bellerin is properly fit to play, we have sorely missed his pace as an attacking threat on the right hand side. One of the reasons we have been playing so slowly.

   Here’s to a quick start today and a convincing performance.

   COYG

7. Let’s trust the boss to put the best combination of players on the pitch… Our permutations are frankly worth not much!

8. I would like to see a competent performance from the ref, a quick start from Arsenal and a goal or two from Alexis so that he can make a gap between himself and Ibra. His home record is not as good as the away one so maybe a new banner will get a proper reward from Alexis to our fans.

   We need three points ahead of Watford and especially Chelsea. Burnley have over-achieved a lot this season, kudos Sean Dyche for keeping a team full of Championship-level players above the water. Everyone talk about Howe but it’s Dyche who punches above his weight.

9. Looking at Le Prof’s starts & bench, he has no centreback cover in Holding on the bench. But maybe if the needs arose to make a sub at CB, he’ll move Monreal to CB and brings on Gibbs to the LB as usual. And his starting both Giroud and Sanchez at the same time for the match instead of to start only Sanchez to lead the line and drops Giroud on the bench has made him not start Chamberlain whom I’ve started in my own starts. All the same, his starts and bench are too strong for Burnley to stop them winning this match by 4 goals to nil as I’ve predicted.

10. Its true though, when everyone slips up, Arsenal sometimes tend to do so too, lets hope they are on track today and pleas us all including themselves. 🙂

    Probably the usual pre-talk dooming of Arsenal on the media, i’m listening to meditation music with sound low low, just enough to hear crowd.

    Go Arsenal Go.

11. If Hull beat Chelsea later today which they ought to do if going by what Swansea did to Liverpool yesterday can be an encouragement to them to beat Chelsea, Hull will move up to 19th in the table to drop Swansea back to the relegation zone. But Arsenal will benefit to still behind Chelsea to a reduced 5 points instead of the 8 points they will still be behind them if Hull failed to beat Chelsea.

12. Come on lads! We need a goal!

13. 16 minutes into the game, Arsenal are yet to convince they’ll score.

14. Samuel:
    They are playing ok, and trying things while being cautious for now.

15. Two deliberate fouls, no cards?

16. Arsenal are playing well. They are making runs but they aren’t quite working out. Still, as fatigue sets in the chances will come.

    Curious end to the half. Burnley were awarded a throw and refused to take it…wasted 15-20 seconds and then the whistle blew.

17. Elbow on Mustafi

18. Moss is a bag horse crap

19. Excuse me Mr Moss, but that elbow into Mustafi’s face was deliberate and red card worthy

20. Yessss!!!

21. Mustafi’s revenge

22. Elbow on mustafi, no red card. Tackle on mustafi in the box, no penalty.

23. Miss is total wanker

24. Moss

25. Xhaka off –

26. Not a red IMO

27. Now comes the stuff of champions, come on Arsenal, come on.

28. The lino’s decision

29. So now Barton comes on

30. Barton v Coqu could be quite confrontational

31. Coq better watch it with his tackles else he’ll be coming off too.

32. Refs a fucking joke send him off

33. Can you imagine how many times Joey Barton would have been sent off, if referees always sent people off for what Xhaka just did?

    I love how commentators start trotting out words like “reckless” at random to prove that something is deserving of a red card when it suits them. How reckless was that tackle really? How dangerous was it, how out of control was Xhaka? Once you ask the actual questions that are relevant, it becomes clear that a red card is harsh, at best, in this case. A yellow would have been completely reasonable and no-one would have complained.

34. We need to keep the ball away from our goal area, its just asking for trouble.
    We have enough skill to keep the ball up field and out the side if pressured.

35. The foul on Giroud in the first half: no card.

    Transparent tilting. Joke refs.

36. Ozil tackled when on a good break, merely a yellow. This is what drives me mad – the challenge was FAR more dangerous than Xhaka’s, proven quite clearly by the fact the tackler has injured himself. His legs are much higher, and the players are at high speed. Why is this considered merely a bad tackle, not a ‘DANGEROUS’, ‘RECKLESS’, and ‘OUT OF CONTROL’ tackle – when it is clearly all three.

37. Just desserts Marney down for a professional foul with Oezil away…yellow…might have been a red.

38. < And most here inside the stadium agree!

39. 2nd time Xhaka has wrongly seen a red card this season…
    Another poor decision by the officials.

40. pgMOB Rules Football (OK?)
    it’s properly funny that after blatant cheating witnessed by all yesterday and today you still have some clowns trying to defend these crooks

41. Burnley almost score (after one of their players elbow Mustafi in the face, from what I saw)… Naturally the referee dealt with it, blowing his whistle and punishing the elbower.

    OH WAIT NO!

42. That’s a red card on Vokes, surely? He knows exactly what he’s doing and hits Mustafi square in the face with the force of his elbow being brought down.

43. Giroud must have taken a knock

44. 7 minutes!?!???

45. 7 minutes?….

46. Seven minutes.

    You can’t be serious.

    The vast majority, no doubt, derives from how long their player was injured for after a cynical foul. Brilliant Moss. Just Brilliant.

47. Amazing 7 minutes…

48. You can’t be serious.

49. clear dive

50. Fucking cheat

51. Congratulations Moss. Congratulations Chelsea. Congratulations Premier League. Congratulations FA.

    It is a penalty, but nothing about this game is legitimate.

52. What the hell is wrong with these English refs??

53. Bent as hell

54. Wenger sent off now

55. Remember when Moss was telling us to hurry up when we time wasted a bit? Well watch this utter hypocrisy.

    It’s time for action. We shouldn’t put up with this standard of refereeing.

56. What is wrong with English Refs? They’re cheats – is the answer. Along with the media who hide their dirty deeds.

57. PENALTY!

    Come on.

58. Rodelero – IT WAS NOT A PENALTY…IT WAS NOT A RED CARD! CHEATS the whole lot of them.

59. It shouldn’t just be a penalty.

    That’s a red card, violent conduct.

    Naturally he stays on, because, he’s wearing blue.

60. A penalty to us?

61. Fucking helll

62. Heh, he’s offside. Ironic. I don’t really care, because it’s a violent tackle in the penalty area.

63. No red card?..

64. Cool

65. Yeahhhh.
    Stop us if you can now, even with your manipulations. 🙂

66. A truly embarrassing day for the referee, linesmen, and fourth official.

    Niall Quinn is absolutely appalling. “It’s debatable whether it’s a high foot”. His foot is above his own head and his studs are in Koscielny’s head. Niall Quinn’s is as responsible for the shittiness of football refereeing as the media is responsible for Donald Trump being president.

67. Kicks or elbows to arsenal players heads = no card

68. Good win. Well done lads. Moss is still a pile of horse manure.

69. That was a definite goal scoring chance by Kos. So should have been a red

70. You’re right Rodelero he is a giant Cunt

71. Never forget:

    Tough tackle from Xhaka. No danger to player: RED CARD
    Mee kicks his studs into Koscielny’s face: NO RED CARD
    Wenger dares to use words to complain about officiating: RED CARD

72. Everyone inside this stadium booing and heckling the official pgMOB rep after their team has just scored the winner in the last minute.

    You all know why.

73. This team has metal toughness

74. So Kos was offside. In the excitement I missed that. The guy should still have been sent off though. Our midfield is looking a bit bare for the next few games now

75. commentators saying that Wenger is in trouble for pushing the 4th official…

76. Webber should have kicked him in the face it’s ok they tried to do it to koiselny they didn’t get a card

77. Arsene not Webber

78. Not for the first time, it’s very hard to calculate what the result would have been with a fair referee. Our penalty shouldn’t have been, for it was offside. Theirs was fair enough. Xhaka probably would have got a strong yellow rather than a red, as it simply wasn’t dangerous. Mee should have been sent off straight red as that is clearly dangerous and violent, but then I guess the play would have already been called up for an offside? (I’m really not sure on this one, violent conduct surely overrides the fact the play is offside). Vokes, and I think at least one other Burnley player would have been sent off for intentional elbows. Wenger would have been calmly on the touchline, not enraged into a red card (I can’t wait to hear the fallout on that one…).

    What a fiasco. I don’t understand why people consider this good enough. Forget that we won, and it feels good, especially having overcome a great deal of unfairness, but that was a potentially good match wrecked by ineptitude.

79. It’s 15 years of crap rodelero easy for you to say to stay calm Arsene has been cool enough otherwise he would be insane already

80. I think I know why Wenger keeps a low profile, not talking about refs now. What was the red for?

81. If Arsene is going to be in trouble anyway, it’s a pity that he didn’t deck Taylor. Moss obviously competing to replace Dean.

82. Rodelero
    You forgot to mention the not given penalty when Mustafi was brought down.

83. I wasn’t surprised at the amount of added time as the guy who was stretchered off took up around four minutes. The rest was probably down to the substitutions. No time wasting of any note.
    Moss has had his second shit game against us this season now.

84. Wow, what a finish – and what a mess created by the dork in black.

    Is there any real point in the EPL being allowed to continue when the PGMO are, for whatever reason, demonstrating each week that they are unfit for purpose.

    Moss was pathetic today. Yesterday, City were robbed by the thugs in white and the bandit in black – the final score was not the result of football.

    Back to today – well done our guys for sticking at it and getting the win with 10 against 12 for the last quarter of the match.

85. Thank goodness we have close to a full squad because we are going to lose Xhaka again.

86. Given we seem to get a penalty awarded against us every home match – in fact it’s pretty well the only way other teams score, why don’t we play a goalkeeper who can save them. We may as well play Cech only away from him as then we are sometimes playing against strikers rather than the ref.

    And amid all the furore let’s not forget that it’s down to koscielny throwing himself forward in the last minute that we have 6 points against burnley not two. A true fighter.

87. One of the reasons I don’t like us playing after everyone else is the refs will usually know exactly what they need to do depending on how other results would have gone. Today was a good example of this; with everyone slipping up yesterday Moss was determined to ensure we don’t get 3 points. I prefer Saturday 3pm kick offs when everyone is playing.

88. 3 points in the bag (Pray and hope for Arsenal FC because these are the first very conclusive signs of shit housery that the refs are doing against us.)

    lets do a quick summary of Mr. Moss.

    Mustafi clearly fouled from behind in the penalty box = No penalty given by ref. Hypothetical score (1-0 to Arsenal)
    Mustafi scores a clean goal from a legal corner = goal allowed. Hypothetical score (2-0 to Arsenal)
    Xhaka Sent off for a wild tackle (I will consider it correct till Walter provides his expertise) Hypothetical score (2-0 to Arsenal)
    Mustafi was elbowed with a wild swing near the eye by Marney (i think) = No red card given against Burnley player. Hypothetical score (3-0 to Arsenal)
    Coquelin brings down Burnley player in the penalty box = Penalty given correctly for Burnley Hypothetical score (3-1 to Arsenal)
    Mustafi again elbowed in the face very clearly by Vokes (i think) = No Red card given against Burnley. Hypothetical score (3-1 to Arsenal still same because it too late in the match for it to be an advantage for us)

    Koscienly fouled with a kick in the face from an offside position in the penalty box = Wrong penalty (as it was offside initially) thus wrong goal against Burnley. Final Hypothetical score (3-1 to Arsenal)

    To be honest the fact alone that Mustafi was elbowed twice in his eyes with wilds swings, and Burnley got away with any foul shows the highly dubious, suspicious nature of the referee Mr. John Moss and the PGMO+FA (And I am being very very very very nice here on them:D)

89. You win the right way even against the odds, back to where we run nicely. can’t be caught, Chelsea are going well, not much penetration. Granit silly, but nothing, simulation, should be appeal and reverse Wenger and Granit dismissal.

    Couqelin makes absolved, Kos The Boss again, the will to win. Granit will learn that it’s his technique, Wenger also. Not necesssarily big game yet.

    Fingers crossed Kos is fine as he was struggling also, Decent Gabriel, getting accustomed. Flashes of the God Boy (Aaron). nice balance, FA |Cup coes at a good time, with S’hampton bouyant but less gung ho.

    Ozil aforded a little rest. Mustarfi is back and Bellerin eased in again.

    rotation for the next two matches ahead of Chelsea.

    Great performance against the late odds and 3 points bagged against a good Burnely side. they could have had 2 second yellows. but better than seasons gone bye.

    Moss, I have nothing to say, the heat mate, jabber jabber jabber, you know what you all do!

90. A good win for The Arsenal, shame all the talking points are about the officials? It will eventually bring the sport down, and then the idiots who brand this product will scratch their heads and wonder what went wrong?

91. Kos is a penalty it’s a reckless challenge even if it’s off the ball. INtent. danger.

    Mustarfi also a penalty.

    Coquelin, penalty.
    challenge on Ozil, reckless, proven by injury as with out of control, unless he intended to injure himself you suggest. goal scoring opportunity, Mesut left an a free man over, it’s a goal.

    Marney, Lowton second yellow, Mustrfi teice drew a red with iis face. It would have been a pasting otherwise as Burnely conserved for next fixture.

    13 the magi number. Nice to see you alll, looks like newsroom! xD

92. Card count implications. Xhaka to miss four matches due to being sent off already this season and Mustafi now misses one match having received five yellows. Our midfield is down to Ramsey & Coquelin by the look of it. Not the ideal pairing in my opinion, but they’ll hopefully be OK. It’s the game against Chelsea where we could do with all of our players fit & able to play, while in the other games I think we can hack it.

93. Well, it’s obvious where the PGMOL money is for the title. Swarbrick failed to give Hull a blatant free kick in the centre circle and Chelsea immediately broke and scored.

    My understanding of the tunnel incident is that Wenger pushed Taylor’s arm away and said “don’t touch me” twice.

    Wasn’t aware referees were allowed to touch players and/or managers, but this lot seem to do whatever they like!

94. Norman14.
    So why give spurs a point yesterday if they are favouring Chelsea.

95. Simply because they are favouring Chelsea and Spurs (as well as Man Utd) Also, they favour Man City, if playing against us.

    Just a scale of preferences!

96. @Leon

    I think Mustafi isn’t suspended as he had to pick 5 yellow cards in the first half of the season to get a one-match ban. Can’t confirm though.

    My view on the game:

    -Arsenal showed great resilience and won the game with ten men after a heart-breaking conceded penalty; we didn’t play especially well, Burnley had more sharp shots on target in the first half but Cech was ready to deal with them; we lacked Bellerin to add width in the attack even if Gabby did well defensive-wise; Mustafi excelled and so did Koscielny;

    -Jon Moss probably had a girlfriend who left him for an Arsenal fan and that guy was of Albanian descent; that would explain why he hates Arsenal so much, why he gave second red card to Xhaka this season (both justified though) and failed to see all those assaults at Mustafi;

    -if Mr Wenger pushed Taylor, he will be in trouble,

    -Xhaka should think about his temper; his passing is immense but his brain-farts are Frimpong/Clichy-like; he will be out for four games and our midfield is extremely thin right now with Caz out and Elneny at CAN;

    -comments on the web are exactly the same in both English and South-Slavic language – nobody mentions Mustafi penalty incident, nobody mentions Mustafi’s eyes being elbowed or that assault on Giroud in the first half that wasn’t even a foul but everyone mentions Koscielny’s offside.

97. Footballisfixed has some very interesting things to say about this ref……almost as if someone had a word with him in his earpiece right at the end…..as this game was embarrassing his profession.
    Burnley were allowed a lot of rotational fouling, but two elbows in he same player…quite incredible.
    And how wasn’t the Mustafi pen given?
    Coqs pen and Granits sending off may have been technically correct, tho the SO may have been a bit harsh, one thing for sure, if it were Spurs involved, neither would have been given against them.
    Three points, but it is clear what we are up against, by the look of things, clear to Wenger as well. This is one that went wrong for whoever is the puppet masters of the PGMOL right at the end, but they will be back, they have at least one, and maybe more struggling north west giants to get back in the premier league, and Arsenal are in the way.
    Granit will have to learn, just because he sees other teams getting away with it, he is an Arsenal player, and must never forget that

98. The beauty of the ref giving 7 minutes, yes 7 minutes of injury time, that backfired on Burnley, moss and the Anthony Taylor!! Taylor showing wenger on his piece of paper where the 7 minutes came from. Unbelievable. We have this season had 4/5 minute injury breaks and only got 4 minutes injury time.Moss didn’t want to give the arsenal penalty, and it was the assistant that gave it. Moss’ expression of disappointment once Sanchez scored is all you need to know about what he was trying to do. Well done to the boys for going right until the end. Once ozil and bellerin kick into match fitness again we will be flying. Just watch out for a coq red card in the next couple of games to keep him out of the Chelsea game

99. Clear anti arsenal bias against granit. He played in the Bundeslegia and for Switzerland and was never even booked in the last three seasons except when playing for arsenal.

100. A strange thing about Xhaka’s challenge on Defour was that he was off the ground for a split second so dangerous from that respect and he caught Defour’s feet in a scissors so also dangerous, but Defour went down clutching his shin which Xhaka never did make contact with. He conned Moss in my opinion and really Xhaka should have received a yellow.

101. Lol!

     You’re trying to tell football fans reading this that players get sent off for what Xhaka did in both instances is a common observation?

     If that’s the best you can do then Carry On. By all means. A look and judgment as convincing as the PGMOBs record over the the wknd another wknd where football fans are left to discuss the refs and not the football:

     LOL

102. If you look at the 2 footed challenges from other players go un-red carded then one can ask why Xhaka gets send off and others dont…

103. @Sheworeayellowribbon

     That sarcasm is not needed. I think most people here agree with Xhaka’s red card but don’t agree with double standards when our players are assaulted.

104. Anyone even attempting to explain the cheating from the same offical who showed NO card got the late hack on Giroud (whilst he was attacking, not by the touchline…) is making themselves look like a right old Arsenal hole!

     Transparent

105. Well played The Arsenal

106. I think the seven minutes was about right. The injury to Marney took about four minutes altogether, plus Xhaka’s sending off and the substitutions, three for each side. It worked to our benefit in the end anyway.

107. Agree there Mandy.

     The tv, broadcasters, commentators, pundits, radio, journalists, editors, PFA, FA, news channels, newspapers…

     they all talk about, and make accountability every single day of players, managers, teams, owners, transfers, coaches, stats, rumors, salaries, contracts, personal lives of players, personal lives of manager, etc… to the extent they are able influence minds of many people to inexplicable levels…

     Except for two things… the FA and PGMO (all refs included).

     You wont see anything relating to holding the referees and FA accountable any day. Nil zero nada.

     Nearly every week the refs influence games to the point of changing the outcome of games and nothing is talked about, debated, argued… its all swept under the carpet by the media and all those like a pin drop silence, as if nothing wrong or suspicious happened at all. Its un-bloody-believable.

108. I wonder about the Kos’ off-side. The first time NBCSport showed it, Kos is clearly of-side as the line shows. But, at this point the ball has not been kicked. Clearly visible, is Kos moving on-side before the ball is in motion. Thereafter, NBCSport shows just the static line with the clear off-side position, not the full action; and, off-course, the bristling comments. I am certain, a full viewing will show Kos to be onside.

109. That’s seven pens conceded this season….and no doubt many more to come …..we can all see what is going on. Hull have already conceded ten….but double figures is very unusual in EPL history, and make no mistake, we are heading well beyond that number.
     Fortunately, the assistant embarrassed Moss at the end, overruling our pen would have looked extremely suspicious with all that went before.
     Ivan, FFS do a bit more to stand up for your club in the corridors of power and all the committees you sit on, that ref tried to cost us today, discretion is not always the greater part of valour , eg …..when some referees are trying to systematically cheat your club.
     From what I have heard, the crowd really let Moss have it, great…..reminiscent of the home game against Leicester last season, hope they keep it up with some of these refs.

110. I expect Dean for Watford and a goal-less draw, just like happened last season after our late winner against Leicester.

111. 😉

112. *gollum gollum*

113. I just watched Henry and Souness on Sky doing their post match analysis (I use the word analysis in the loosest possible manner). All the sympathy from both of them for Hull. Red card…correct decision, Hull penalty … correct decision, Arsenal penalty… unlucky Hull, Kos was offside. I agree all were correct calls but why no mention of the elbows in Mustafi’s face and no mention of the not given penalty for the upending of Mustafi in the Hull penalty area.
     So well done Sky, distorting the truth yet again.

114. There was another clear push in Alexis’ back in the first half, that should have been another penalty. Alexis jumping for the ball, the defender had no chance of playing the ball, yet he made sure Alexis wouldn’t get a clean header. Selective blindness, but oh well, nothing new.

115. Mick
     Are you having a senior moment? It was Burnley we played today.?

116. Strange, Moss used to be one of our more even handed refs, but something has clearly changed. Yet, even with his bruce the bias, we still tend to win under him

117. –
     http://hwcdn.libsyn.com/p/5/a/5/5a58d0f6e11270a3/arsenal_podcast_arsenal_leaves_it_la.mp3?c_id=13947498&expiration=1485118535&hwt=d846aca6bed4b042cb82be9fde32bf03

     “I wish the referees would be fair…same ref Rojo etc. ”
     Says the normal/average football fan not failing to troll someone else’s blog

118. Finsbury,

     Lonk not working for me, didn’t get what you meant

119. http://footballpurists.com

     Podcast – a review of the match

120. Leon
     LOL…. A very senior moment and it’s only going to get worse with each passing year.
     You got my gist though I am sure.

121. A good hard fought win in the end and we battled well with ten men.I thought the referee got most ofthe major decisions right.What a few on here have to realise that football in this country is a physical game and always has been that is why its the best league in the world to watch unlike in spain italy etc.Players do get caught with arms and elbows because its a contact sport and players need their arms to act as leverage when they jump.Same as players get caught with trailing legs after they have won the ball.Take the physicality out of our game and it would be boring.Some players need to toughen up a bit .When i played in the 80s and 90s the last thing you did was to show the opposition that they had hurt you.Giroud is a big bustling centre forward but must have the pain threshold of a 10 year old girl the way he goes down waving his arms about only to get up 60 seconds later with no ill effects.At one time that was a sure sign that you were seriously hurt but not now.
     And as for you all moaning about the referee ,our winning goal was offside and shouldnt of stood .So much for them cheating against Arsenal.

122. Nik. Like Donald Trump you only see what you want to see.

     If I am wrong then tell us about the fouls by Burnley that were permitted by the ref.

123. If English football is a physical game, why aren’t our players allowed to play this physical game without being carded?

124. There were fouls by both sides missed by the referee.He is human and like everone makes mistakes.Like for our winning goal which was offside.Not that im complaining as it helped us get the 3 points.Some of the posts on here only see one side.

125. Yes, refs are human , but it is strange how human they are on the likes of genuine dirty players, like, Alli, Sissoko, Walker Rose, Wanyama, Rooney, and Rojo, then… two elbows in Mustafis face and an assault on Giroud.
     But you are right, the important thing is, we won.
     Sadly, I expect to see a lot more of this type of refereeing in the coming weeks, and the penalty count against us increasing.

126. The comments here make me laugh a bit.

     This site has been calling for tackles just like Xhaka’s to be reds for years. The ref reviews ding officials that don’t give reds for less than that every week…but now, it’s a terrible call.

     It’s all well and good to want consistency from our referees, as it’s pretty clear that we rarely see it. We should be holding ourselves to the same standards, however, and asking for this community to be consistent in its observations.

     Moss missed a clear Arsenal penalty, but awarded one that shouldn’t have stood. He got the Burnley pen correct. Xhaka’s card was borderline red-worthy IMO (and I think I’m usually a lot more lenient of heavy challenges than the majority here), but like Diego Costa and his penalty shouts this year, the player’s deserved reputation is going to make it far more likely that borderline calls go against him more often than not. That’s 100% on Xhaka, unfortunately, and it’s going to take a long time to shake the reputation he’s developed with the referees. Hell, even Wenger acknowledged that it was a red, today.

127. And I fully expect that the ref review will back up Moss on the red card decision

128. “I wish the referees would be fair…same ref Rojo (first half clump on Giroud no card)etc. ”

129. @Scuba…You have a point – we should be consistent in what we call a penalty even when we commit them…we however see that we don’t get those calls. That is what galls. And, as a team that more often than not has the initiative and the ball, you would think that we would be getting more penalties than we get…but we don’t. Our numbers seem to indicate that last year, Leicester got away with thuggery and diving in equal measure and this year so are SP*rs and the Redmancs. But you are right, our points will only be listened to by neutrals if we are constantly honest.

130. Scuba,

     I was at the game and said immediately after Xhaka’s tackle that it was a bad one. I wasn’t surprised at that red card at all and won’t argue against it..

     There were at least three Burnley challenges that were worse and between them earned only two yellow cards. There were the two elbows on Mustafi and the foot high challenge on Kos that earned our penalty and the attack breaking foul on Özil. There were also two other penalties at least that we should have been awarded.

     It is the double standards applied by referees that gets me every game. Arsenal are always punished to the maximum allowed and our opponents to the minimum possible degree.

131. I think pgmol and there ref want to be celebrity’s!! they want attention,they want to make headlines!!! players,manager’s pundits,have shined for along time now I think they’re in for any reasons but to be in the headlines!!! but will the media endorse them?or they go Hollywood?

132. Piss off elsewhere you twonk

133. Just fuck off you troll

134. You can fuck off elsewhere as well knob

135. Amazing how many bellends are on here cos they are so disappointed we didn’t lose

136. @ NIk by 8.10 pm comment. That mentality is d reason why the English national team is mediocre and would be below par at international tournaments.

137. Mojola, you are by far, to kind to the England team

138. It is clear that Keith Hackett is a t***er.

     He is calling for a 6 game touchline ban in the Telegraph (http://www.telegraph.co.uk/football/2017/01/22/arsene-wenger-must-pay-heavy-price-disgraceful-behaviour-touchline/). The article says that Wenger was sent off for pushing a referee (not true…it was for verbal dissent). He is acting as if it has been proven that AW pushed Taylor. Camera angles are all from behind Taylor so we can’t see what actually happened. Wenger for his part denies it and other reports have said that Wenger twice pushed Taylor’s hands away as THE REF tried to push Wenger.

139. Keith Hackett…..along with Riley, the head of the ref body that allowed SAF to select referees for Utd.
     The man is an embarrassment. That said, I am sure they will hit Wenger in any way they can.
     I just wish Wenger would sign up for two years or whatever offered to get rid of any false hopes the PGMOL , MSM and football establishment have of forcing him out

140. Mandy & GGG

     The fact that fa/referees have had caused a legal case against Arsene Wenger due to their false allegation of violence/physical harm on the referee by AW, shows how much they all hate him and Arsenal FC. and that happened 16 years ago…just imagine now. link below

     http://www.blog.woolwicharsenal.co.uk/archives/9152

141. GGg that’s a disgrace

142. @Usama Thanks for the reminder. MOTD coverage was OK today but they just had to bring up the number of red cards that Arsenal have received under Wenger. The number of course was given without context and seemed to show that AW’s teams get a lot of red cards (hence are dirty). No mention of the duration of his tenure nor any comparison to anyone else.

143. WOO HOO , HOO ! Well done guys and against all manner of attempted pitch tilting . Three very hard fought but deserved points .

     I was expecting the red card and the penalty against the Arsenal – so nothing new there. Was surprised by the 7 minutes of extra time, but it may have backed fired spectacularly.

     Not surprised that AW did not want to be touched by those disgusting men in black – not with their tainted hands !

     And the usual ‘them’ apologists on here – just suck it !

     Up the Gunners !

144. Top quality commenting by the single sentence warrior late last night.
     And this blog is supposedly read by millions.

145. GoingGoingGooner

     You’re right, the pushing was instigated by Taylor who appeared to be trying to guide Wenger away from the tunnel entrance (but as far as I know he’s not allowed to touch a player or manager), and Arsene reportedly said “don’t touch me” and tried to shrug him off. I don’t think the FA will make much of this incident to be honest. Handbags etc……..

146. 12 things to always remember:

     1. The past cannot be changed.
     2. Opinions don’t define your reality.
     3. Everyone’s journey is different.
     4. Things always get better with time.
     5. Judgments are confessions of character.
     6. Overthinking will lead to sadness.
     7. Happiness is found within.
     8. Positive thoughts create positive things.
     9. Smiles are contagious.
     10. Kindness is free.
     11. You only fail if you quit.
     12. What goes around comes around.

147. What is clear to me is that the majority of posters on this blog have never played the game of football or have any understanding of English Football and the way it is played.And if that makes me racist or zenophobic so be it.

148. 3 points to the Arsenal despite the corrupt cheating bastards from the PGMOL. In the first 20mins Defours had kicked Xhaka deliberately & then pushed him & the mother f’in Moss doesn’t red card him. I knew what was going on before & knew what was happening during the game but stayed calm because I was watching the game in a restaurant full of holiday makers.

     This whole FA & PGMOL thing is such a disgraceful show of British fair? play. Makes the Russian drug cheating pale into the shadows.

149. Nik – you are super intelligent & should be a rocket scientist.

150. Nik,
     Yes you are racist if you think that football in England is somehow different from the rest of the world, because were British, or do we have a seperate set of laws for the game in England. Total bollocks you thick twat.
     As for playing the game, it does not make the slightest difference if you have played or not, just the level of knowledge about the laws. Something you are willfully ignorant of, as anyone with the will can learn about the laws of the game. Only a stupid wanker like you would come out with a comment like that.
     You sir are a bigot (look up the word in the dictionary if you don’t know what it means), and as such deserve to be ridiculed on this site, filled as it is with people from all walks of life, religion and culture. So why don’t you crawl back under the safty of your racist blanket you prick, and masterbate over the thought of Brexit.

151. As if the rules in England are different elsewhere. What a tosser.

152. This nik guy is either a deliberate idiot or a retard. God he thinks with his asshole…his “opinions” stink.

153. “as anyone with the will can learn about the laws of the game”. Yes even some referees.

154. @ Nik – Why is it that when people like you make comments to try and put down the admins and members of this blog, it’s practically always based around the fact that you think they aren’t English and therefore know nothing about the English game nor are real supporters? It’s almost as if you have no actual argument and are just being an ignorant arsehole for the sake of being an ignorant arsehole.

     You do realise that’s exactly what the Sun said about Wenger when he first arrived in England? And how utterly embarrassingly wrong were they about that? So you do realise that your thought processes and intellectual capabilities are about on the same level as headlines in the Sun? It doesn’t really get much worse than that, mate.. Is it not a bit humiliating to think the same way that the Sun wants everyone to think? Because literally everyone with half a brain takes the piss out of the Sun, so where does that leave you?

155. @Leon liked your piece, Mandy is getting it, delivering crosses and DannyWhites puts it into the roof of the net. You saw his face, body language 85% communication non ******!

     Arsene defended his personal space after being approached aggressively, shouldn’t have accepted, we are gentlemen with attitude! Granit made minimal contact, it’s a dive, not address in the course of the game, Granit is a red, that incident only ocured due to poor offiiciating.

     Derby matches belong to the core squad, Coq, Ramsey and Jack flanked by Ozil and Iwobi with Alexis up top. 31st Jan 2017 don’t forget the day we won the title.

     13 is the maginc number.

     He looked like someone had told him his nanna was going into that pool of crocodiles.

     Bet on corners, red cards, yellows, extra time………….. the odds, do di mats.