The not live match report : Arsenal – Tottenham wanderers 4-2

By Walter Broeckx

Arsenal starting the derby unchanged compared to last weekends match. Lacazette returned on the beach and Özil was injured and was dropped.

Arsenal starting with: Leno, Bellerin, Mustafi, Sokratis, Holding, Kolasinac, Torreira, Xhaka, Mkhitaryan, Iwobi, Aubameyang

On the beach: Cech, Guendouzi, Lacazette, Ramsey, Maitland Niles, Elneny, Lichtsteiner, Maitland Niles

Arsenal starting the match and taking it in control from the opening minutes. Those without a home stadium looked a bit lost. After some 8 minutes Arsenal got a free kick when Aurier tripped Aubameyang near the corner flag. Xhaka with the free kick and Mustafi cam in behind Vertonghen to head it home but the Belgian defender punched the ball away in front of Mustafi. We don’t know what was the most surprising: Vertonghen doing that or Dean giving the penalty. But both did it. Aubameyang behind the ball and he cooly slotted it home sending Lloris the wrong way. 1-0 to The Arsenal after 9 minutes. And Vertonghen got a yellow card for his handball.

Son with a run going half past Holding but the angle favoured the keeper and Leno punched the ball away for a corner.  Arsenal going to the other end and Kolasinac with a low cross but a deflection from a defender made that Aubameyang was too far ahead of the ball to properly connect. That could have been a second Arsenal goal. Kolasinac a bit later after great vision and a great kik from Xhaka again with an attack on the left flank and this time he found Iwobi with his low cross. Iwobi had a goalbound shot but Lloris with a save with his foot prevented the Arsenal goal. Then another cross to Bellerin but his volley was blocked by a defender. Arsenal trying to find Aubameyang but he got caught offfside a few times.

Son at the other end with a run but Leno went down well to stop the shot. After some 25 minutes Arsenal slowed down the tempo a bit. We turned back too much with the ball instead of going forward. Sokratis with a little foul on Son and Dean saw it. The free kick was floated in from the left flank and Dier just touched it and Leno could only touch it but couldn’t keep it out. Dier was just or just not offside when the ball was given. Mustafi goal one could say. 1-1 after 30 minutes. A little bit of handbags as Dier went to celebrate towards the Arsenal subs and stands but it all cooled down.

A few minutes later Dean did what we expected him to do after having to give the penalty to Arsenal. Son went down in the penalty area without contact and Dean did what he always does: give a penalty against Arsenal. Kane converted the Dean gift. 1-2 after 34 minutes. One could imagine this was an honest mistake but with Dean his history this looks not really that. Arsenal was clearly shocked and needed a bit of time to shake that wrong decision off. Mustafi then catching Son really and he got a yellow card for it. Dean trying to find justification with Son that he was right. Yeah… a cheater will tell another cheater the truth….. But Arsenal no longer in control as before the double set back and finding it difficult to create openings. Sokratis with a rare miss but he stopped the cross himself. Kane ran into Leno but he could continue. Aubameyang was given just offside but Lloris stopped his shot anyway. A corner was headed back by Aubameyang but Mustafi his shot went over. And in the last seconds another Arsenal corner but Lloris and the crossbar stop the header from Mustafi.  Arsenal go in at half time 1-2 behind thanks to Deans’ magic.

A double substitution at half time. Mkhitaryan and Iwobi come off and Ramsey and Lacazette enter the field. Dele goes down holding his shin when Kolasinac slightly made contact with his toe…. oh well… cheating is in their nature I guess. The free kick is headed just over our own goal by Holding. Xhaka gets a yellow card for a foul on Dele who again looks as if he must have his leg amputated. Kane with the free kick and a great save from Leno who tips the ball over the crossbar.

Ramsey trying to find Aubameyang in space but his pass is too hard and Lloris can smother the ball. Arsena started a bit slow in the second half with Lacazette and Ramsey trying to adjust to the pace of the game. But after some 10 minutes Arsenal looked to get back in control. But the final shot from Holding went wide. Very wide.  Bellerin then curles a long ball in the path of Ramsey who cuts it to the middle first time and Aubameyang takes a shot from a few meters outside the penalty area and leaves Lloris dead. GOAL!! 2-2 after 56 minutes. What a curling shot!

Arsenal back in control now and pushing the homeless back. A corner for Arsenal and Holding heads it back to Mustafi but his shot is saved off the goalline and then Torreira sees his effort sail wide half a meter from the goal post. A next corner is headed over by Sokratis. Lacazette with a cross from the right flank but it is just out of reach and then Ramsey scuffs his attempted cross. Dele with a foul on Xhaka and he also gets booked. Both a bit similar fouls and bookings with each other. Lacazette and Ramsey combine on the right flank but Aubameyang just can’t get on the end of the cross. Dean gives a goal kick and not a corner… Bellerin then with a bad mistake playing the ball to Son but Leno with a great save on the shot from distance. Mustafi injures himself when clearing the follow up. He carries on a bit but has to come off. Emery Unai opts to change the formation and brings on Guendouzi and goes to 4 at the back after 71 minutes.

Leno has to rush out of his penalty area to prevent a Tiny counter. Ramsey wins the ball back at the half way line and gives it to Lacazette who is with two defenders. Lacazette takes a shot with his left foot from outside the penalty area and a slight deflection off the leg of the defenders makes the shot creep in at the far corner out of reach of Lloris. GOAL!!! 3-2 to The Arsenal after 75 minutes. Dier the defender touching it. Couldn’t happen to a nicer player.

Arsenal continue to go forward looking for a 4th goal. Aubameyang with a brilliant through ball to Torreira who turns his man and goes alone on Lloris and his low shot finds the back of the net. GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOAAAAAAAAAAAAALLLLLLLLLLLLL!!!! 4-2 to The Arsenal after 77 minutes. A great finish and he doesn’t mind the yellow card for pulling off his shirt.

The Emirates erupts once more and is rocking! The Arsenal players fight and run and fight and run. It is a pleasure for the eye. The totts take of their cheaters, that is Dele and Son. Sokratis has a shot after a free kick but it goes well over. Lots of battles in midfield now. Arsenal happy with that and the players put all their fight in it. Vertonghen then goes in for a ball and puts his studs against the shin of Lacazette. That could have gone wrong. Dean the ref when Eduardo was crippled comes to some sense and pulls out a yellow card and Vertonghen can go enjoy an early shower. This is what I meant all those years that it sometimes doesn’t matter if you play the ball or not. When a tackle can injure a player it is a foul. Lacazette can carry on after some treatment but he needs a few minutes to shake it off. Winks is angry when Xhaka goes down easily after a little push. Suddenly the homeless don’t like a bit of easy falling over. Sorry, totts you are not entitled to moan about easy going down. With Xaka there was even contact.

Arsenal playing out the remaining time and even the 6 extra minutes go by without the totts doing anything. Apart from Aurier who gets another yellow card for a flying tackle on Holding.  The Emirates is in fine voice as they have been most of the match and the Arsenal players keep on fighting for every ball that is lost to win it back. But most of the time they keep the ball in the team. Arsenal with a few possible counters but the effort they have put in is now showing.

Arsenal win the NLD 4-2 and take up the place of the tiny totts in the league. What a great match and beating them and Dean in one effort is the best feeling one can have.