By Walter Broeckx
After the EL match on Thursday a much changed side at the start as could be expected wiht only 4 players who started in Italy starting again.
Arenal team at the start : Leno, Jenkinson, Mustafi, Koscielny, Mavropanos, Kolasinac, Elneny, Guendouzi, Ozil, Lacazette, Aubameyang.
On the beach: Cech, Mkhitaryan, Torreira, Iwobi, Monreal, Nketiah, Maitland-Niles.
Özil with a low shot in the first minute but the keeper stopped the effort. Moss sees no fouls from Palace players but the first contact from an Arsenal player is judged as a foul of course. Lacazette with a double control and the ball falls to Elneny who fires high over the bar from 7 meters out. Palce with a corner that is headed bac in front of the goal but also the ball goes over the goal. The passing from Arsenal not good enough for the moment when we get in to some promising build up moments. 0-0 after 15 minutes.
Mavropanos goes in the book for a shirt pull when he stopped Benteke. The free kick goes to Benteke who heads it in. He was not offside as Jenkinson was too deap when the ball was given. 0-1 after 17 minutes. Aubameyang touches a cross from Özil to Lacazette who turns but he misses his kick from inside the penalty area. Arsenal too slow in the build up for the moment with too many passes backwards. Lacazette with a gread driblle starting from in his own half then to Kolasinac but the cross is headed into a corner by a defender. Mustafi heads it over from close range. Arsenal putting Palace under pressure now but they defend in numbers and we can’t really get the ball in the penalty area. Still 0-1 after 30 minutes.
Mavropanos gliding past a few midfielders but his shot is well off target. Another attack but the effort from Lacazette is blocked after some strong work of Guendouzi. A push from Kolasinac is punished so Lacazette scoring doesn’t matter. A defender raises his hands and stops a cross but Moss being Moss gives a corner and no penalty. Benteke scores on the break after that corner but he was clearly offside. Lacazette with a shot on the turn from just outside the penalty area but it went over. Leno then with 3 saves in 3 seconds to keep Palace away from a second goal. Ward comes in at Aubameyang with studs showing and hitting him on the foot but he gets no card for it. Moss as usual. Palace feeling they can do as they like using their physical strength. Palace counter but Benteke shoots over. A too slow performance from Arsenal in the first half. We need to improve in the second half to take advantage of the other results so far this weekend. 0-1 after 45 minutes.
Iwobi and Maitland-Niles came in the place of Jenkinson and Mavrapanos. Iwobi with a pass to Lacazette who gives it to Özil who uses his excellent skills to kick the ball in the goal at the first post. GOAL! 1-1 after 47 minutes. He fainted a cross but then kicked the ball in the grass to give it that Özil touch.
Iwobi with a cross from the right but a defender blocks the attempt from Aubameyang. Arsenal now really pressing Palace with their backs against their goal. Maitland-Niles with a great defensive run when Zaha looked to get away. Özil with a clever pass to Kolasinac but his cross is just cut out by a defender. Kolasinac with a volley but a great stop from the keeper. Still 1-1 after 60 minutes.
Palace get a free kick when two Palace players trip each other. The ball goes to zaha and Mustafi lets the ball run thinking Leno was there but it was too far out and Zaha can score the 1-2 after 61 minutes. Özil gets a yellow card for being physical. Moss being Moss and knowing that free kicks are the helping line for Palace. Moss again let Palace get away with a foul but luckily the ball bounces to Leno. Torreira comes after 67 minutes in the place of Elneny. Guendouzi has received a yellow card. I think for being an Arsenal player.
A corner for Palace and the ball is headed in by McArthur. 1-3 after 69 minutes. Oh f*ck. Arsenaly trying to get back in the match but not really succesful for the moment. Aubameyang starts a run on the side line and after a 1-2 with a Palace player shoots the ball in the net. GOAL!! 2-3 after 77 minutes. COYG!!
Moss now starging to even things up yellow card wise with Ward going in the book. But still Arsenal is not allowed to use their bodies when challenging for the ball contrary to Palace. Leno has to go down on a low shot and then Mustafi gets a yellow card for diving in our own half. A sharp cross from Özil is just clawed away by the keeper. A good attack from Arsenal and Iwobi has a low shut but the keeper can stop it. 5 minutes of extra time. Palace wasting time as a player goes down with an injury in extra time. The know the time will not be added on. Guendouzi with a stupid foul in the Palace penalty area gives Moss the chance to stop an Arsenal attack.
Arsenal started with a weaker team and it showed in the first half. In the second half we were better but we shot ourselves in the foot after a stupid error and we didn’t do enough to win in the end. Moss was Moss and we know that when the other team are allowed to use their physical force (and Arsenal not) that we can get in to trouble.
The EL match cost us points today.
That was supposed to be a penalty but alas the darling has been humiliated. We have to be extremely Careful.
How to go Mesut and PEA!
Well done Ozil.
2-1 Mustafi.
Drat, they scored again. And Mesut gets a card?
COYG!
Double drat! Gunners, we need 3+ goals now
COYG!
That’s a start, keep going Gunners!
I really don’t know who thought buying Mustafi was a good idea.I remember watching a match Germany was playing.Mustafi was brought in as a substitute,and he made a stupid error that led to a goal.Shortly after that game, Arsenal signed Mustafi for about 35 million pounds, and I remember being skeptical about that purchase because of that Mustafi’s error I saw.He has continued to make errors after errors, and I think the error he made in this match might have just cost us Champions League football and all the financial benefits that come with it .This is because of the remaining 4 games, we have 3 away games, and we are poor away from home. Chelsea on the other hand have 2 away games. So our away record must improve if we want to qualify for champions league.
Our women’s U21 team beat Man U in the U21 cup final by five goals to nil. If only some of them were eligible to play for our men’s first team. Seriously though well done ladies. Two games today two wins.
No hope if Elneny and Guendouzi start together in the middle. That partnership failed us at Everton. It did again today. Xhaka height and aggression of Torreira most missed. Moss did what he does all the time. Someone needs to alert Emery about Moss Dean Atkinson Taylor and Oliver. Why not play your best team at home and think about the next game later. Liverpool play their best team match in match out! Two tough games up at Molineux and King power stadium. We may never get a better opportunity than today!
The team selection was ill advised. Elneny does not have the necessary aggression to play against teams like Palace. Mustafi has not had sufficient defensive coaching in the EPL. His pathetic decision making shows in the goals that have been scored as a direct result.
The PGMOL did not dissappoint but someone in the Arsenal camp has not sussed out the fact that we have to play blind opponents. Selecting the best team in every match is a must and UE must be told that. Our run up to the end of this season is effectively a cup final every game. Only the next game matters.
We love you Arsenal but ffs show us some love back.
Another very poor showing . Especially as we could have moved up to third had we won, and as two of our immediate competition for top four , had already lost their games. Have to hope that they too will implode in their other fixtures .
Mustafi was great in his early times with the Gunners, I remember we were unbeaten in his first 20 games. He is now a shadow of his former self. He has been poor for a while.
@Blackfields Gunners what do you expect,Elneny,Guadouzi for a start? There are good players but there are supposed to come in when we have won. Leaving Mitland miles on the beach! Seriously there is something going on with our loverly Coach.
Look how many crucial matches have we lost with both of them starting. No need of rocket science here.
Rocket science is the simplest science of them all. Fill a bag with a flammable gas, put a valve in one end such that if the gas expands the valve is pushed open. Set fire to the gas, it expands, opens the valve, and sends the bag forwards like a rocket. That is rocket science. The simplest science you can find.