By Walter Broeckx
Özil back was the main news before the match. As a result Iwobi dropped back to the bench. None of the other injured players made it for this match.
Arsenal starting line up : Cech, Chambers, Mustafi, Holding, Bellerin, Maitland-Niles, Xhaka, Wilshere, Özil, Alexis, Lacazette.
On the beach: Ospina, Mertesacker, Coquelin, Elneny, Welbeck, Walcott, Iwobi.
The first dangerous moment was an Alexis free kick that went off the wall but went wide with a stranded Courtois. Both teams playing rather careful from the start. A dangerous looking cross from Alexis but the ball just went behind Özil. Chambers then with a total black out leaving the ball for Morata when he thought it was a team mate I think. Morata one on one with Cech but he put the ball wide. Cech then going down well on a low cross and doing well to hold on to the ball. Still 0-0 after 15 minutes.
Maitland Niles being tripped in the Chelsea penalty area but of course no penalty given. Arsenal continue the attack and Alexis shoots hits the left post, the ball goes along the goal line hits the right goal post and then Courtois can gather the ball. How unlucky…. Courtois did got a hand to the first shot so a great save. Replay unsure if Moses tripped Maitland Niles deliberately but his knee surely touched the foot of Maitland Niles. There was contact as the pundits like to say. We all know what the result would have been at the other end. Özil to Lacazette who shoots on the turn but Courtois with a sublime save on the low shot in the corner. Arsenal having dominated for some 10 minutes but failed to score. Chelsea then with a good pass to Bakayoko but Cech punches the shot over the goal. Chambers with a bad pass to Wilshere who was looking the other way but the shot from Hazard was blocked by a few defenders. Still 0-0 after 30 minutes.
Wilshere gets a yellow card for coming late on Fabregas. Lacazette almost on the end of a loose ball just outside the Chelsea penalty area but the ball just runs away from him. At the other end Bakayoko also just can’t get on the end of a Fabregas cross. Taylor then ignoring a first push in the back from a Chelsea player but giving a free kick half a second later in a dangerous position just outside the Arsenal penalty area. Luckily Alonso shoots over. A shot from distance from Özil goes just wide. Alexis tackles the ball and wins it back in the Chelsea penalty area but of course Taylor sees a foul. Fabregas sees the funny side of it. After all he used to stand on the other end and knows all about it. Fabregas gets a yellow card when he first played the ball but then dragged his other leg around the ankle of Wilshere. Maybe Taylor thinking he still played for Arsenal? Özil almost with a counter but Kante wins the ball and suddenly Chelsea can counter. Hazard laying it off for Fabregas but he shoots over. A highly entertaining first 45 minutes but still 0-0 at half time. Arsenal coming closest to scoring with a double goal post hit from Alexis.
Chelsea with the better start in the second half and Cech having to make a double save. First on a low shot from Hazard and then on a header from Alonso. Maitland Niles with a cross at the other end but just too high for Alexis to make anything of it. Lacazette then with a great chance but Courtois once again with a great save. When Taylor stops an Arsenal attack Chelsea can counter. Taylor gives an advantage after a foul from Holding who gets a yellow card when Arsenal get a free kick for a foul on Cech. Cech having to punch away a diverted cross in front of a Chelsea striker. Bellerin almost away but a foot from a defender clears for a corner. Arsenal in a dangerous position and Taylor stops the attack for a foul that he wouldn’t see at the other end. Still 0-0 after 60 minutes.
Lacazette to Özil but a defender can clear his cross. Arsenal get a corner and play it short. The ball goes over a few stations and then Holding releases the ball to Wilshere who fires it over the goal line. GOAL! 1-0 To The Arsenal after 63 minutes. What a great strike from Jack. A late Happy Birthday present to himself!
Lacazette with a shot immediately after that goal but again Courtois with a great save to deny the Frenchman. Oh and this is the PGMO. Hazard goes down and the ref gives a penalty to Chelsea. Yep no penalty for Arsenal in the first half. A penalty for Chelsea. Several replays and not really sure if there really was that much contact or if Hazard played for the gallery. But a penalty against Arsenal. As predicted. Hazard scores. 1-1 after 67 minutes. Why no penalty for Arsenal in the first half then? Only the PGMO knows. And Untold. The obligatory penalty against Arsenal when we take the lead.
Maitland Niles with a great interception when the flag stayed down. Morata almost away but he lifts his shot over the crossbar. A shot from Kante goes wide after a deflection on a defender. Taylor really giving it all to Chelsea now. Still 1-1 after 75 minutes.
Cech with a good interception on a low cross in front of Hazard. Taylor giving a foul to Arsenal. 77th minute. Take note. Welbeck preparing to come on. Maitland Niles really with a fine performance at left back and showing some good skill on the ball. The assistant also not allowing Arsenal players to use their body. Welbeck comes on for Lacazette after 80 minutes. Maitland Niles being beaten on his flank once and the low cross finds Alonso who puts it over the line from 6 meters out. We sure didn’t deserve this after 84 minutes.
The ball bumping around in the Chelsea penalty area but the shot from Bellerin is blocked by a defender. Welbeck away on the right flank but his cross to Alexis is blocked. Walcott comes on for Chambers after 87 minutes. All or nothing. Arsenal pressure and Chelsea hanging on. A Mustafi shot is blocked by a Chelsea arm. Dean might have given it….against Arsenal.
Arsenal pushing and pushing and when another cross seems cleared the ball falls in front of Bellerin who shoots it over the line. 2-2 after 93 minutes.
Arenal with no defenders almost suddenly sees Morata going away, Cech saves and the rebound is shot against the crossbar. 2-2 was the final score.
And yet again the penalty decisions going against Arsenal. But still many people will call it coincidence of course.
Copy & pasted from the other thread;
If someone at Arsenal doesn’t say something soon then they are just as culpable in my eyes. I have seen some down-right disgustingly biased refereeing across the years, but dropping 4 points in 2 consecutive games purely because two of the clearest non-penalties that I’ve seen given in a very long time is just so blatant, they clearly have absolutely no fear of any sort of repercussions or noise being made.
How much longer can the media and pundits carry on this transparent facade for? Listening to the Sky commentators desperately trying to justify that penalty was a joke. They know, along with everybody that was watching, that Arsenal have yet again been robbed of all three points.
Is Hazard from Belgium?
The so called foul was for a kick on thefoot but Hazard roles around expressing agony holding his shin!
Near the top of pens conceded again, as we were recently when we conduced the perfect ten in the EPL
The message from above, while Wenger is here , this is going to continue.
Not sure why, but bet it would change if Eddie how managed us, not that I want that btw.
I hope Arsene comtinues to let them have it, whatever the cost, if he does, I predict he will leave this summer but hope for him, it will be worth it
I said it before and I’ll say it again. SUB RULE 8B – UNLESS AN ARSENAL PLAYER IS INVOLVED!
Four points robbed from us in two games by incompetent (at best) referees. Will continue to happen until Arsenal challenge the PGMO in court.
“of course” Maitland Niles “kick himself” thanks commentator
not enough angles no to much theatrical
but little rat hazard talented enough
I shared! Thanks Walter!
This really is a view through red tinted glasses
There is absolutely no doubt Bellerin kicked Hazard after the ball had been played .
The one in the first half could have been given but it would have been as soft as the WBA one on Sunday.
Wilshere was a very lucky boy not to have picked up a second yellow had the ref had a better view then he probably have walked.
That was a pulsating game and that should be celebrated not pointing fingers at a ref who I thought did well but no doubt some will be looking for a scape goat
Not that anyone needs convincing but just going to leave this here,
https://twitter.com/jimbeglin/status/948671417201160193
Hazard answering Skysport “It’s a fair result?” “No, because we had so much chances”. Cheater AND stupid.
Henry is asked about the game… “Morata could have score 2 or 3 goal…” No mention of the pen. No mention of the quality of the game for the Arsenal players. A legend BUT …stupid.
Dean 2 points, Taylor 2 points… Waiting for Atkinson now. Facing the PGMO is like if we were asked to climb a mountain while somebody is pulling the rope at the bottom. What can we do? Disgusting
Mike T are you pretending Hazard is falling to the ground because of Bellerin’s kick? Nonsense!
Wilshere? What the fuck has that got to do with cheating by Hazard? Hazard dived like a bitch. Wilshere went over a leg that was outstretched & fell. The bald headed uneducated ex England captain speaks like God but in truth he is an example of the FA’s thick spokes people. He was red carded by Uriah Rennie & the black official was never to officiate again. The TV dumb arses go on about Jack when they should look across the studio & see the exponent of cheating & bullying.
Alex
Going to ground or not Bellerin kicked Hazard after he had played the ball. It was a foul and hence a penalty.
Menace
Wilshire didn’t go over a leg he did a Jamie Vardy and moved his leg to cause contact.
Hey celebrate the game for goodness sake. It was a pulsating game a hard earned team for both teams.
Last time I checked football is a contact sport. The existence of a contact doesn’t necessary imply the existence of a foul (actually the other way around is also true, the absence of a contact doesn’t mean it can’t be a foul).
The only relevant question is : Did the contact impede or unbalance Hazard in any way? The response is no, it wasn’t the contact from Bellerin that provoked the fall of Hazard, it was Hazard that chose to let himself fall to the ground (in an other word, dive). Unlike the Moses/AMN incident where the contact clearly provoked (in an accidental and unlucky way, but that is not the point) the fall.
Mike T
vardy moved his leg to the side. wilshire just avoid contact which can cost him bigly
MikeT
There was minimal contact and on that basis it is possible to say it was a penalty, but we have seen many, many similar incidents waved away by the ref. However that doesn’t excuse Hazard going down clutching his shin and faking agony. It is entirely possible that his exaggerated play acting swayed Taylor into awarding the penalty. It has to go down as a very soft one.
What we Arseal supporters want to know is when is it going to be our turn to be given a soft one or for that matter even a blatant one.
This Arsenal fan, and I know many others, stopped watching EPL games a few months ago. The farce has become too distasteful. It’s not funny anymore.
It’s worth listening to Wengers post match comments on Sky. He virtually said that there were forces beyond the footballing ones working against Arsenal. He said there were too many coincidences going against us for it to be normal. I just wish he or Gazidis would come out with it and say we are up against a bunch of biased cheats and sod the consequences.
Mike T what a fantastic game. Now what was a foul? Hazard getting contact under his boot or his pulsating exciting cheating dive? I suppose every cheating dive by Chelsea is a celebration!
It is apparent that the PGMO are all out for us.(Arsenal).Wilshere was brought down at the edge of the Chelsea penalty box.But Taylor waves it away.Taylor few seconds later gave an infringement that was softer than the earlier foul against Wilshere .Taylor pointed to the spot.A goal no doubt even if we had two Cechs on goal.Lol!!!Another PGMO agent doing his agency proud.As fans if we don’t fight against this injustice then I feel we are only paying lip service to the cause.The FA needs to be petitioned. Are you saying the refs are gods? When they take decisions that harm the progress of the club to challenging for the title.The fans pay hard earned to see their team win.And not for some prick in the guise of a ref to ruin their joy.This disheartening.Serious measures needs to be taken.I rest my case for now.
Wengers post match interview….
http://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/football/news/full-transcript-arsene-wengers-post-11793783
On the subject matter, it was (probably not) intriguing that Mustafi’s shot clearly hit Cahill’s arm in the same position as Chambers’ had been against wba. The only difference being that Cahill was four times further away!!
No, when taking the rules into consideration, I don’t think it was a penalty. But why the hell weren’t Sky out there pointing out that if that wasn’t a penalty, how come Chambers was penalised for less. Nope Sky commentators didn’t even mention any of it. Presumably a debate they didn’t want to get in to! And, of course, it would have been in Arsenal’s favour to do so and we can’t have that now can we…….
Mike T I agree with you about the quality of the game. The Gunners -all of them- played a great game and so did Chelsea. I would have taken a draw or even a defeat with a fair feeling in those conditions.
The last text I sent to my son who was watching the game away was telling: “Putain quel beau match !” (What a fucking game!)… So…
But again, a penalty was given wrongly against us. Bellerin stop his movement, he did’nt “kick” Hazard, he touched him and it’s down to the referee to says if that was “denying an obvious goalscoring opportunity or a violent or dangerous conduct.” And again, twice in two matchs the ref decided in a way obviously wrong (biased?) that twisted the result.
The game was great you’re right, but Taylor odd decision spoiled the pleasure. This happens very -too much- often whoever the ref is. And that is becoming very difficult now to believe that kind of decisions just happens by chance.
Revenge of the PGMOL, it’s their way of telling AW and others, this is what happen when you say bad words against us. It’s basically shut the F up and don’t F with us, we are the masters of the game, obey or be punished.
Anyway, good match and maybe a draw is a fair result at end of the day.
I hope AW keep up his crusade against poor refereeing and if it could change the whole system for the better, than it’s the best legacy AW would leave for the PL after he retire.
The next tine AW should carry the rule book and read out what actually constitutes a penalty. That would really expose the narrative thats being pushed by these stupid commentators as penalty is given on contact. Contact my arse. Edin facing his own goal, not in control of the ball, no chance of scoring the goal, but goes down like a sack of potatoes when touched.
Alex
Sorry but I think it was a penalty. As they say it’s all about opinions.
I actually enjoyed the game , which I rarely do when we play a top six team and thought a draw was just about a fair result.
Hey we move on to next Wednesday, I guess the teams will be quite different on Saturday in the FA cup so am expecting almost full strength teams for the next meeting
Bellerin did contact Hazard…that does not make it a foul. Foot to foot contact happens regularly in a match and every contact cannot be adjudged a foul. Hazard went down of his own volition and hugged a part of his body that was about 12 inches away from the contact. That is a foul for simulation. As for Jack…IMO, his was a dive, too.
Mick Hazel, I think Wenger has and will continue to say rather a lot, and sadly, if it continues, depart during the summer.
Wenger will not involve himself or the club in some of the machinations at work in this league.
But, for right or for wrong, we have appointed an exec from Barca, a man probably steeped in the darker arts than Wenger would,ever entertain, a man who will form relations with those Wenger wouldn’t touch, possibly even a potential David dein type figure from some of the things I have heard of him, certainly not dodgy, but a fixer. Wenger is not that inthis climate, he seems to despise such things,nor will he allow that at the club while he is there.
For what it’s worth, I believe Wenger will let them have it, and probably depart in the summer so as not to hurt the club , then take a job elsewhere, then write a book.
The new regime, will sadly be one of more compromise than Wenger would allow, regrettable, but perhaps the only way for a club our size to thrive, but we are essentially a clean club, and I am sure will remain so and powerful and influential people can force change from within, Wenger doesn’t stand a chance of that, nor I suspect does Ivan I’m his own.
Football is a contact sport, that was no pen, but opponents know any fall in our area will likely get them something.
That aside, a very decent performance from both sides I thought
Mike T
magic word “TOUCH” doesn’t always mean penalty
if you mean refs gives that kind of penalty then YES, it was
Copying my post from the other thread:
Last time Arsenal got a penalty in the PL against the Top 6 teams (City, United, Liverpool, Tottenham, Chelsea) – August 14, 2016 vs Liverpool!
Since then, the Top 6 teams have gotten 4 penalties against Arsenal:
1) Chelsea
2) Man City
3) Tottenham (2X)
Since the August 14, 2016 game, how many penalties have gone against other Top 6 teams in Top 6 clashes?
Chelsea – 0
Man City – 3 vs Chelsea, Tottenham, Liverpool
Liverpool – 1 vs Chelsea
Man United – 1 vs Liverpool
Tottenham – 2 vs City, Liverpool
During the top 6 matches in the last 1.5 seasons, Arsenal had as many penalties against them as Chelsea, Liverpool, Man United, and Tottenham COMBINED!
But hey it evens out in the end according to Mr. 98% calls right
Regardless of the pens or not , or the bent refs, we must defend better. The defending out there tonight was a disgrace.A Club the size of Arsenal, must surely be able to get better defenders.Chambers is not up to the task, Holding needs time.I see Jack has said at present there has been no progress about a contract. A WORD IN YOUR EAR MR.G AND MR.W. If we do not keep Wilshire, there will be big, big trouble.3 players going on free transfers!Laughing stock of the Premier League.
I calculate that that is now 12 points denied us by referees this season (not counting the equivalent benefits to our opponents, who have been given the points instead, so the actual theft of points is greater ; eg 2 gained by Man City away, and the 2 gained by Chelsea tonight)
when you look at Hazard closely, he really is an expert diver. the amount of free kicks he gets with his expert dive-hiding is staggering. his timing to make the contact to make it look bad while nothing is really happening is amazing. diving on a whole new level!!! personally I think he s a cheat who disgraces the game and refs should take workshops how to spot this with hazard footage as ultimate study material.
For the benefit of that Mike T:
Fouls and misconduct are penalised as follows:
Direct free kick
A direct free kick is awarded to the opposing team if a player commits any
of the following seven offences in a manner considered by the referee to be
careless, reckless or using excessive force:
• kicks or attempts to kick an opponent
• trips or attempts to trip an opponent
• jumps at an opponent
• charges an opponent
• strikes or attempts to strike an opponent
• pushes an opponent
• tackles an opponent
A direct free kick is also awarded to the opposing team if a player commits any
of the following three offences:
• holds an opponent
• spits at an opponent
• handles the ball deliberately (except for the goalkeeper within his own
penalty area)
Can you show us the rule you are relying on to claim that it was a penalty
Tinalex
Far be it from me to speak for MikeT but I guess he would claim the penalty as coming under ‘kicks or attempts to kick an opponent’ and justifying the ‘in a manner considered by the referee to be
careless, reckless or using excessive force:’ condition by the way Hazard collapsed in agony clutching the part of his leg that wasn’t contacted by Bellerins boot.
When you relate the actual incident to the way the law is worded it is difficult if not impossible to justify the penalty being given.
Mike T. Nice to see you’re the kind of person one can talk with. I keep on thinking that wasn’t a penalty. I watched on a SkySport streaming (no other way where I’m living). Skysport commentators aren’t known for being big Arsenal fans. 🙂 Yet one of them was saying while watching the replay “oh no, for me, that is NOT a penalty!”
L’Equipe, the biggest french sport papers is not at all a pro-Arsenal paper either, that’s the least you can say ( Strange enough, because Wenger is one of the only two French coaches of a great team, with Zidane.)
They wrote: ” “Hazard got a mischievous penalty kick after a Bellerin’s slight foul.”
It’s all about opinions yes… But it seems that many opinions are going the same way. 😉
I really enjoyed the game too. Was pleased also because I was a bit anxious before the game about all the injuries and the mind of the players following the WBA game. But again, it’s harsh to have the feeling that “something unfair” is keeping the team away from a better position and better results.
Yes. To next Wednesday. Hope we will enjoy the game again, hopefully with a good refereeing. COYG !
Read the replies underneath and you will see that at least half of the commenters think it is indeed a penalty. So in the end its a matter of opinion. There was contact, you say it wasn’t sufficient to infringe on hazards ability to play on, the ref and some other people think otherwise, no point crying about it. You’ve had contentious penalty/decisions in your favor against Burnley and others too
MikeT
Love to know if you were on here saying Vardy shouldn’t have got pen against us that time, nor Dembele, Nor Richarlison, nor hazard again a while back when he ran at speed, knocked ball one way and charged into defender, nor Townsend. nor etc, etc, when they stuck out leg to create contact?
I’m guessing…No.
Fair enough Wilshere didn’t get it but fuck you for claiming he should be off when no doubt you have claimed same and worse if pen/free kick in pass.
Your man had tiny contact on sole of foot, leapt and rolled around like a fanny and the chat he so clearly is. It’s football. How it is. Probably regards himself as an honest enough sort doing what the job demands and what everyone does. Pgmol not being wise to patterns of cheating they can stud endlessly is a different story. We don’t go in for it like other teams at present, but i expect we will post Wenger. Enjoy if we get there and are just another team endlessly doing that crap, like Spurs maybe.
Claiming Wilshere should go but that was a pen…wow.
Accept it and get real or drop the act you’ve had here for a long time now
lol, this site…just moan and moan…even if an opponent player is kicked in the nut and left dead in the penalty box area, he will be called a cheater and a big conspiracy theory will be cooked up against the PGMOL.
So how many points denied by referees this season? surely Arsenal should have been top of the league with 60+ points, right guys?
Tony and his band of angry conspiracy theorists…lmao
Arsenal_62, come back when you see an opponent player kicked in the nut and Arsenal not given a penalty
Great one OlegYch! I think hazard is a cheat and seeing him in the interview while Hector after the match, I now know he’s a cheating little arsehole…
I agree with Arsène that it would be nice that after a match the talk would be about the game and not the refs…that shouldn’t be the norm….
In what should have been a great advertisement for the EPL turned out to be ‘farcial’ by the official. . While not too surprised by the awarding of the (non)penalty (which has now become the norm ), yet it raises more questions of their utter nincompoopic referring .
If the PIGMOB want to shoot themselves in the foot , go on ahead. One day our payback will come , and I shall delight at their downfall.
How many times did Taylor not only physically block our attacks on the left of the pitch , he compounded it further by his sheer incompetence or was it just complicity .
Just glad that the guys fought back and showed spirit and grit.
Up the Gunners !
Anyway , when was the last time an opposition player was kicked in the nuts and left to die in our penalty area ?
Am asking , as I have never seen it happen in my lifetime, or at least from 1971 when I started supporting the Arsenal!
A Great game for TV.
Arsenal were a little lucky that Chelsea missed that 1st goal chance, else we would have been chasing the game, still we played pretty well except for some worrying things.
We seem too timid sometimes and come out second in most free balls, our positioning if a little better would have made the difference and we would have been on top of the game.
Notice the goals scored(hurrah), and none by our forwards. We need to pass to our players who are in a free space and not just to Alexis(always surrounded by 3 men) or to Jack in the middle(always surrounded by 2-3 men too). Use the rest of the team more too.
Laca is not being serviced, Everything seems to be aimed solely at Alexis(building up his goals for a better price?) which is a mistake i think as good as he is, he just cannot keep going pass three opposition players, and many players, including Laca are usually free i space.
Looks like refs are tasked to keep Manu second come what may.
Gary Neville should go back to punditry, his observations are also as befuddled as the others. He makes comments about players diving or playing for the foul, even said the kick was on the foot(Colario?), but in the slo-mo replays it clearly shows to me that the kick was on the shin(some do latch onto the words as gospel), but still was not worthy of that performance of agony by Hazard!!! He also tends to back up the ref in all his decisions(do we wonder anymore?) even trying to exhonerate the ref when he is clearly clearly wrong.
All in all i enjoyed the game except some of the things Arsenal did made me cringe and had Chelsea been a little more focused we would have loss this one.
That said, had we been a little more focused ourselves we would also have won it.
Just have to congratulate Maitland-Niles(out of his natural position) on his defending, he is a player who looks at the ball and not the man when defending and tends to stop the attack most times.
He should show some of our defenders how to keep their eyes solely on the ball and not on the antics of the attacker. Basic defending practice that is.
(We need some new influence in our training practices, it has gotten too stale and predictable, and just does not work most of the time).
I was really hurt by the referee’s performance in the match against chelsea as well as westbrom
para
I like the way you turn any bit of praise into a criticism. Clever!
For once there was a whole article in the Telegraph a couple of days ago about the unfairness of the fixtures. How teams – and as usual we are one of them – are playing teams who have had more rest than they have. As Arsene Wenger said, this affects performance and heightens the risk of injury because of lack of recovery time.
Another reason to strongly appreciate the performance of the team against Chelsea. And well done for coming back from the disappointment of the farcical penalty.
It may well be that half of the people who comment think that incident was a penalty, but that’s neither here nor there. Read the 160 games review.
I just read the fighting comments after the match by Mesut Ozil, Jack Wilshere and Hector Bellerin on Arsenal.com. Great to see.
A little insight as well when Ozil says ‘Completely exhausted’. That’s what it takes to put in a performance like that. As Arsene Wenger says, it doesn’t matter how much they are paid, they are still just human beings with a human physique and mind. And a performance like Ozil put in is particularly demanding from both points of view.
Maitland-Niles “kicks himself” and gets nothing. Compare this to Özil vs Vertonghen back in November. Vertonghen “kicks himself” and gets a free kick. Özil would have been free vs Loris otherwise. We won the match so it didn’t make a difference, but anyway…Different assessment of the same “offense”.
Mustafi blasters a shot into the penalty area. Cahill gets the shot on his arm. He has his arm close to his body, so no penalty. Compare this to Chambers vs Gibbs in the WBA game. You could clearly see that even Gibbs didn’t expect the penalty. He was guarding the ball, waiting for a corner in his favor. That’s all. And…..20 yards vs 1 yard. One is a penalty and one is not. This is so stupid.
And it goes on and on and on. There’s no consistence in the ref’s assessments. That’s the main problem. Not only for Arsenal (though it seems like we’re getting f***ed more often than not) but in PL over all. I’ve seen some horrendous decisions in other games (not involving Arsenal) as well.
Mike T.
August 19 away against Stoke. Diouf’s challenge against Bellerin. Compare that non-penalty to the penalty Hazard got yesterday. Ridiculous. Or 19 December against West Ham. Welbeck sent flying by Hart. No penalty.
I don’t “mind” Hazard getting the penalty yesterday, if we had got penalties for worse offenses. That’s all. Soft penalty or not, it should be CONSISTENT from the refs, and it´s not.
This season seems to be some sort of top of the top in inconsistency.
There are many happy to criticise (and in some sense reasonably) for some of our defending. Not one of you critics, nor the tv, nor the media have has the good grace to mention that we played that game with only one of our first choice back three. And our wing backs were rubbish too weren’t they? Oh hang on, my mistake the young one on the left had a magnificent game and the young one on the right scored.
Perhaps all that was a mere oversight from the critics……………..or maybe they just like criticising…………….
What I find utterly amazing is that some people said that this was a red tinted match report. Oh My God… this is an Arsenal supporters website. Not a national newspaper or media outlet who have the duty to report in an unbiased way. (They don’t do according to me and many others). I write this match report while supporting my club.
The question that is sometimes raised about myself being a referee. When I write my match report I am not a referee. I am a supporter. With some more knowledge of the laws of the game one could say.
At the start of the season I vowed to myself to not mention the referees anymore in my match reports. But when they (Dean, Taylor, Pawson, Marinner,….) make it impossible by their errors for me not to mention them I have to speak about them. Believe me I would rather not mention them at all. But if they do their errors/cheating I should speak about it.
Mike T
Apologies for acting like an idiot on here yesterday. Not reading over it again because it’ll embarrass me but I know I was out of order.
Was drunk and angry but that’s no excuse, so apologies.
So in other words your report is biased and justifiably so!!!
It’s odd that when the pundits, ex refs journalists indeed even the opposition manager agree that a penalty was awarded (WBA) against it just about everyone in here will point to that comment yet when those very same individuals just about to a man agree that Bellerin did indeed foul Hazard those voices are ignored or even labelled as cheats
What the majority of posters on here can’t accept, and it’s not just me a lone Chelsea voice that will mention it, is that time after time many even fail to accept the fact that others have a different view of incidents
To suggest Moses initiated contact with MN in the first half isn’t how I and indeed just about everyone ,save a couple on here who have made comment about the incident. Have you ever thought that you may be wrong?
To suggest Bellerin didn’t kick Hazard is strange and yes football is a contact sport but contact has to be within the laws. As has been pointed out kicking an opponent is a foul. Intent in this context is irrelevant.
I have already made comment about Wiltshire in my mind being lucky but That’s as it is. I might be wrong!
I could also point toward the failure of the ref to book Holding earlier and the fact he could have so easily walked but again that as it is. Again I might be wrong!
What is abundantly clear AW is under massive pressure to get Arsenal back into the CL.That pressure is showing and his constant blaming of refs smacks to me of someone that is getting pressure from above and is trying to divert attention. Then again I might be wrong.
Arsenal next 4 games are intriguing. Away to Bournemouth and Swansea and home to Everton’s and Palace. On paper the odds will no doubt favour you but as we know playing clubs threatened with relegation is not something to look forward to.
The gamble to keep Özil and indeed Sanchez will be justified if CL qualification is achieved if Arsenal don’t get a top four place and both walk on frees then that will be a nightmare scenario it will cost a fortune to bring in suitable replacements
Anyways as I said in an earlier posting it’s all about opinions
Rich
Absolutely no offence taken and no need to apologise.
Walter
So I guess from your comment that your report is written with a hint of bias.
Anatara
Consistency is indeed a minimum all we can crave for and there is no doubt we are a million miles from that
gulp…..
An extremely exciting match turned into sawdust in our mouths by the PigMob. These coincidences are getting too many to not be manifestations of darker things going on where we do not see. Nothing goes on forever, not even the referees’ bad officiating; pay back draws nearer with each one of their shenanigans. It will blow even the men in dark suits in the F.A away into the dustbin of history. Now we see the causes, the effects will surely follow whether they like it or not.
Of course it is Mike. That is why it is called match report.
When I put on my referee shirt I leave the bias behind from that moment 😉
It wouldn’t be the first time I change opinion on an incident when I do the referee report. But for the moment I don’t do referee reports as I don’t have the time anymore. So I just let myself go as the blind supporter of my team 🙂
I would like to point out that if we would see it all even out in the end we are due one penalty per match in our favour from now on for the surely honest mistakes refs have made so far in Arsenal matches.
Mike T,
By your own admission, you said intent is irrelevant when a foul is committed. You now contradicted yourself when you implied that Arsenal didn’t deserve to get a penalty in the first half because Moses did not intentionally trip Matland niles. Intent here is also irrelevant, Moses tripped him, it’s a foul in the box, so it should have been a penalty too.
Yi
Read what I posted again.
In the MN instance who clipped who? Most woulld see that as a coming together
The Hazard incident is completely different in that there is no doubt that Bellerin kicked Hazard . I very much doubt that it was intentional hence my comment
Rich
Apart from swearing a bit I don’t see what you have to apologise for.
Go away Mr Chavski, a coming together eh, joker
Chavski. Oh you are a wit!
Mike T,
Coming together from behind. Lol. It was a foul, a goal scoring opportunity was stopped by the so called ‘coming together’.A coming together is often side by side like the Sterling and Monreal coming together that was giving as a penalty. Moses leg touched Matlandniles’ from behind leading to trip. That’s a clear penalty.
Yi
As I keep saying football is all about opinions and we are going to have to agree to dis agree