By Walter Broeckx
The most important player in the line up is the return of Koscielny on the bench for this match. Also Monreal back on the bench after a (too) long lay off because of an injury. Alas no Holding anymore as he will be out for the rest of the season probably.
Arsenal team at the start: Leno, Bellerin, Lichtsteiner, Mustafi, Sokratis, Kolasinac, Guendouzi, Torreira, Xhaka, Aubameyang, Lacazet
On the beach: Cech, Koscielny, Monreal, Elneny, Mkhitaryan, Iwobi, Nketiah
Huddersfield trying to apply a very high pressure from the first seconds so Arsenal having some problems to develop their game plan in the opening 5 minutes. Huddersfield making lots of small fouls stopping Arsenal when they want to get an attack going. A Huddersfield player then falling badly on his arm causing the ref to stop the play for a treatment. Still 0-0 after 15 minutes.
Torreira almost sends Bellerin away but the keeper was first on the ball. Arsenal playing the ball too slow so far and playing back too much to really get forward and the passing not precise enough. Huddersfield committing small foul after small foul. You can give a card for that ref. Just pick a player. Oh but he can give a card when Xhaka dived. No problem with that but no cards for the rotational fouling? Xhaka with a low cross to Aubameyang but he misses the target from 9 meters out. Not a minute later Guendouzi with a ball to Lacazette but this time he slipped when he was going to shoot from 14 meters. Still 0-0 after 30 minutes.
Finally the ref pulls out a card after the umpteenth foul of Huddersfield and Pritchard gets it. Xhaka with an attempt from distance but the ball went well over the goal. A tackle from behind from Williams sees him getting a yellow card. Another yellow card this time for a foul off the ball from Smith. Sokratis also goes in the book for a dangerous tackle. This is what happens when a ref lets too many fouls go without giving a yellow card. Then players start to think they can do it all and will do what they want. Then Lacazette scores but the flag goes up as Lacazette took advantage of his offside position when Aubameyang headed the ball forward. Well the assistant had a sharper eye than the one at Old Trafford this week. Arsenal losing control a bit letting Huddersfield have shot from a dangerous area but the ball goes over. Torreira with a great shot from distance but a stunning save from the keeper who saved for a corner. Mustafi going down but again the ref gives a card for a dive. 0-0 after 45 minutes. We have to improve in the second half.
It seems I somehow missed the yellow card from Lichtsteiner. Ref Tierney was very clever to book all Arsenal central defenders so now they have to play with a lot of caution to not get send off.
Mkhitaryan and Iwobi enter the field for Lichtsteiner and for Lacazette. So a change in formation for this second half.
Mkhitaryan with a first shot but it went wide. Mooy smacking an arm in the face of Torreira but that is no yellow card for the ref…. Leno going down well on a low shot at the other end with Depoitre lurking for the rebound. Huddersfield now in time wasting modus and the ref even given them a hand by walking up to the time waster in a slow way and to give nothing. Pritchard trying to win a penalty, ref says no (correct) but this time no yellow card????? Would have been his second. Another Huddersfield player suddenly on the floor. He seemed to have pulled a muscle and has to be stretchered off. Still 0-0 after 60 minutes.
A corner from Xhaka is headed wide by Aubameyang. Mustafi then also pulling a muscle and he has to come off. Koscielny preparing himself but it looks to be Monreal who will enter the field. And he does after 66 minutes. Aubameyang just can’t get on the end of a cross as he slips and the keeper has an easy pick up. Kolasinac send away but his cross is blocked and somehow Huddersfield can clear. The ref has once again forgotten his yellow cards as Huddersfield once again committing foul after foul but no more cards. Still 0-0 after 75 minutes.
All 11 players from Huddersfield around their penalty area and as said when Guendouzi goes down in the penalty area another yellow card comes out. Mind you there was contact, no foul but Pritchard was spared earlier on. A header from Mkhitaryan goes over after a cross from Kolasinac. A cross from Guendouzi goes to the right hand side and Aubameyang picks out of the air but he can’t finish so he crosses the ball and Torreira with a volley from close range shoots it in. GOAL! 1-0 to The Arsenal after 84 minutes. Finally.
Bakuna goes in the book for a clear foul on Mkhitaryan. Aubameyang clearly winning the ball but the ref gives a foul against Arsenal. Depoitre going down and the ref gives nothing. But also no yellow card. Aubameyang slips when he wants to take a shot. Be careful could have been a yellow card.
7 minutes of extra time given. So the time wasters now get extra time to maybe score a equaliser. Huddersfield sending their keeper up after a free kick but Arsenal can counter but too much huffing and puffing and the keeper can clear in the end. Arsenal trying to play the game out at the corner flag.
Arsenal win 1-0 a deserved but hard fought victory. 21 matches unbeaten now. Lets keep it going.
Red card not given for a tackle from behind
Perfect goal disallowed
Blatant penalty not given
Congratulations Mister Tierney for completing the Riley-trifecta in only one half of football
Fingers crossed Huddersfield get relegated next season, as that will be one less team to deal with who rely on fouling and dirty tactics to win a game. We’ve all seen that lower league team don’t actually have to resort to these pathetic and underhanded tactics to stay up, so that should be absolutely no excuse for the way that these players and managers, who clearly have nothing but contempt for the art of football, go about winning games.
Just look at the comments made by the Huddersfield manager prior to this match to see exactly the kind of mentality that he and his players had when coming up against us.
And I’ve got nothing against Huddersfield personally, but the way I see it, the less dangerous teams in this league the better (for both the enjoyment of the game, as well as the safety of the players).
Last weeks win made the alarm bells ring at the PGMO head office I think.
There was a referree on the radio who said that the goalkeeper parrying the ball out to Salah (who was in an offside position at the time) effectively started a 2nd phase of play. In that case the Huddersfield centre half who played the ball back to his goalkeeper with Lacazette in an offside position must have started a second phase of play musn’t he? Are we playing to different rules depending on who is playing and who is officiating.
The last three games I have watched I have seen two goals which should have been chalked off for offside allowed to stand and one which should have stood chalked off.
I must be wrong though because the linesmen get 99% of offside decisions right according to the PGMO.
Huddersfield have now needed 3 treatments. Walter said Hogg the first time was self-inflicted. Hogg again at 52m, and then Smith at 58. As near as I can tell, the foul counter hasn’t gone up over those last 2 treatments, so that makes all 3 self-inflicted?
Come on Gunners, get some goals!
Get in there !!! Torreira!! 1-0
How to go Torreira! Good work PEA!
COYG!
I wasn’t expecting 7 minutes of time added on.
COYG!
A great win, but the blatant corruption just leaves a bitter taste in the mouth, as you just know it could have so easily been a different story (as it is with so many other games)…
I really have to wonder how much time would have been added on had Arsenal not scored.
The last three games have felt distinctly different to those that came before under Emery. It feels like a switch has been flicked and suddenly we’re playing against more than just our opponents like we so often did in previous seasons.
Rodelor we are too close to the top
Manure getting help against Fulham with a sending off after Fulham have the temerity to make the score 3-1. PGMO rules
This is what the good teams do; win when they’re not at their best. Show a little steel. I love it. Don’t think anyone wants to have a go at Kolasinac or Sokratis. It’s been a while gooners!
“The last three games have felt distinctly different to those that came before under Emery. It feels like a switch has been flicked and suddenly we’re playing against more than just our opponents like we so often did in previous seasons.” Couldn’t agree more. The second it appeared that we were more than just this shambles/mess of a team that the media portrayed us to be suddenly the officiating in our games took a very distinct nose-dive. And, unfortunately, I can’t see that changing until it causes us to lose a match, as seemingly 2 dropped points isn’t enough for them.
When Hazard goes down with the feintest of touches, its a foul. When Mustafi goes down its simulation. What a set of select corrupt bar stewards in the PGMOL.
More important is our unbeaten record is not going to be caught by Man C$ty. Only the scousers to get a little honest justice.
I don’t understand why Lacazette’s goal was disallowed. The defender played it back…can someone explain? My commentator said he was a bit unlucky…????there is no luck, it was a decision by a referee.
He was offside and then the defender played him onside…Lacazette did not become chase the ball until the defender played the ball back.
I had no idea that Torreira’s goal was a bicycle kick.
In the medja, I’ve seen an opinion that 3 of Arsenal yellow cards were for simulation. In so far as treatments goes, there have been NO CARDS to a player for simulating. I don’t know how many cards have been issued for simulation so far this season, I doubt it is much more than 3. Which really raises a flag than some PGMO idjut can issue 3 cards to Arsenal for simulation in one game.
PGMO is a problem with no solution; if people (medja) are not allowed to raise their problems. And hence, to visit the Arsenal website you will see no comments as to accuracy of the calls. In the medja, you see no articles about whether these cards are real. It is all accepted as correct, supposedly because of contracts with The Premier League. It is likely that Arsenal will not protest any of these simulation charges, because they cannot question the accuracy of 😈 Mike Riley’s PGMO. Those yellow cards are bogus, but we will have players banned because we cannot protest them.
Keith Hackett was looking for life time bans for those players who beat up a referee.
If the clubs and the medja cannot present the problems with the PGMO; at some point fans are going to take action and officials will be assaulted. What happened to Arsenal was a farce in this game against Huddersfield. It was a farce in the game against ManU.
For me, what needs to happen is that the PGMO gets dissolved NOW. And for the rest of the season, we bring in officials from the higher leagues all over the world. But to actually make a change, we probably need to change all of the executive of “The (sweet) FA”.
Probability, is about the same as a cube of sugar spontaneously reforming in a cup of coffee after having been dissolved.
Foot.Lon has an article about what Gary Lineker said about two of Arsenal’s three dives.
I will not read the article, as it will be crap. Gary Lineker hates Arsenal, and he will just bang on how bad Arsenal are.
Where’s that font of all knowledge & sense nick gone? Was it simulation by our defenders on ‘4 cards’ or was it special treatment for Arsenal?
The official was very quick to waste more time (when Huddersfield took a long time for a throw in) by approaching the player and conversing with him rather than book him or give the throw in to Arsenal.
The Lacazette offside goal was a real abuse of the Law by the officials. The defender played the ball back toward the goal keeper & Lacazette collected it rounded the keeper & slotted it into the net. It is a goal and should stand despite the cheats in pigs clothing on the pitch. How the media haven’t made more of it is quite an indictment of their corrupt attitude to honesty in Football in England.
Their corrupt behaviour is becoming too blatant to ignore. Even fans of other clubs are asking questions about how we are treated. Of course the FA and EPL will continue to threaten the clubs and media so it never gets looked at openly. We didn’t see MOTD making a big deal of the Son dive last week or Man U mid week but the powers that be made damned sure that our 3 cards for “simulation” were highlighted without putting any real decent camera footage into it. Meanwhile we see a huge debate over the odd decision that goes in our favour but did the spend time analysing the Laca decision in the post match discussion
If you want to analyse the reason of the failure of English clubs in Europe, it is all down to the rules of officiating matches. Pl refs don’t officiate with the same rules as the rest of top leagues in Europe. And clubs like man city, man u, Liv seem lost when they have to compete equally with the best teams in Europe. So, mighty pep can’t beat olympique lyonnais in 2 confrontations. Liv beaten by red star Belgrade. Man u is a joke even in the pgmo standard. Pl level is dropping drastically because of gas/oil money and pgmo.
Menace you really have been on the gumbo juice..You really are special!!
WOO HOO , HOO ! Another hard fought( for the want of a better word !) win against a team of toughs and a not so competent referee . I do expect the remainder of the season to go along the same scripted lines.
Anyway, the good news is , 3 more points , a clean sheet and an ongoing unbeaten streak .
Up the Gunners !
Smith’s injury in the 58th minute should have resulted in a second yellow card. He injured himself when he attempted to pull back Bellerin, who was making a break. Instead, they got 7 additional minutes for their efforts