Arsenal vs. Southampton

6-1, Premier League, Emirates, 2012-09-15
Hooiveld 11 (og),
Podolski 31,
Gervinho 35, 71,
Clyne 37 (og),
Walcott 89

What a game by the Arsenal! This was the best I've seen us play for quite some time! We were especially radiant in the first half, the team played in perfect unison. It felt as though the team truly came together in this game, along with a breathtaking passing game!

The first half in particular showcased Arsenal at its best. We played a fast-paced passing game (not really news) with exact precision and players who complemented each other perfectly. We put Southampton under pressure from the first minute and didn't stop until the ref blew his whistle to mark the end of the half.
Even though the first goal was an own goal it was only made possible by some brilliance from Podolski and Gibbs in particular. The German striker showed amazing strength when he managed to keep the ball when surrounded by Southampton players and he played it out to Gibbs, whose cross would've met Podolski if it wasn't for the fact that Hooiveld got in between to score an unfortunate own goal.
Getting an early goal is always crucial in these games, but we were not quite done yet with the half. Lukas Podolski would get his goal when he struck a free-kick superbly, mixing power with precision to find the back of the net. It was an astounding goal and it was met with chants of 'he scores when he wants' from all around the Emirates.
This game would also prove to be a fruitful one for our Ivorian winger, who scored a brace in this game. His first goal was without doubt his most beautiful. Arteta provided the skilled assist, Gervinho made a great run  and finished the move off with a shot by the near-post.
The half ended with two goals scored by Southampton, one which was yet another own goal and once again it was Gibbs who provided it as his cross was deflected in by Clyne. The only disappointment of this game came at the end of the first half when Szczesny failed to collect the ball and it dropped straight at the feet of Danny Fox, who put it in the back of the empty net. It's obviously always disappointing to concede, especially when we had had a good run of clean sheets, but shit happens and as long as we score more than we concede we have no cause for complaint!

We dropped a lot of our pace and urgency in the second half, yet that does not mean that we became idle. It's only natural that a team cannot maintain as fast a pace as we had kept in the first half, couple that with the fact that Southampton upped their game for the second half and you get that the game will have slowed down a bit. However, we kept the control of the game and managed to squeeze in two more goals before the end of the game.
Aaron Ramsey came on in the second half and it did not take long before the Welsh captain made an impact. He made a great run that took him past the defence and produced an even greater shot that deserved to find the back of the net. Unfortunately it hit the post, but Gervinho was quick to tap the rebound in. An easy goal for the Ivorian, yet it is an important quality for a striker to know where to be and when, which he definitely proved with this goal.
It was a former Southampton player who got to round the game off with a goal of his own. No, I'm not talking about the Ox. The move was created by Santi Cazorla (as more or less all of our moves these days, the Spaniard is utterly amazing with his technique) who sneaked a ball in for Vermaelen, who himself had ventured far from his defensive role. The Belgian's shot was saved by the 'keeper, but the ball found its way to Theo Walcott who released a powerful shot to make the scoreline 6-1. The Englishman had been ill earlier in the week, missing out on an international game, but there was no trace of that in his shot.

6-1 may look good, but let's not get carried away. Next up is the opening game of the Champions League against Montpellier, then we have two tough games in the Premier League. Next weekend it's away against Manchester City and then we play Chelsea at home the weekend after. Those are quite some tests that we have ahead of us, let's hope that we're up to the challenge!

Injury Update;
- Diaby picked up a slight injury whilst on international duty for France. He could've played in this game, but just as a precaution he was rested.
- Wilshere, Frimpong and Sagna are all approaching their return to the squad, it shouldn't be long for any of them now.