4-4 ( 7-5 after extra-time), Capital One Cup, Madejski Stadium, 2012-10-30
Walcott 45, 90 + 4, 120
Giroud 64,
Koscielny 89,
Chamakh 103, 120
What an absolutely magic turnaround this turned out to be! We found ourselves 4-0 down in the first half and some of the away fans were spotted leaving the stadium before the first half was even finished, thankfully they will have regretted that rather severely!
Our defence was poor during the first half, Koscielny had a overall poor game (e.g. scored an own goal) and young goalkeeper Martinez did not show dazzling skills either, but somehow we managed to turn it all around as well as improve the defence for the rest of the game. Just before the half-time whistle Theo Walcott pulled one back for us as he was released down the centre, his cheeky lob was the epithet of cool, calm and collected.
As mentioned, we seriously upped our game in the second half (which might not have been the most difficult achievement considering how poor we were in the first) and with an improvement in our play came the goals. The introduction of Olivier Giroud proved to be the deciding factor in this game, he was absolutely brilliant and his exquisite header right after coming on truly meant that we were back in the game! However, we were almost out of the game again before the next goal came, Laurent Koscielny got to redeem his earlier own-goal when he battled the ball into the back of the net just before the added time. The game appeared to be over as there were only four added minutes and they were all but over when Theo Walcott popped up and produced an amazing strike to bring the game into extra-time! Truly mind-blowing, even magical, stuff from the Arsenal this night!
Yet the magic was far from over, in the extra-time the most unlikely of players almost won us the game, none other than Marouane Chamakh! He has more or less been forgotten as an attacking-force of late, but his shot was stunning in its precision! Tensions ran high as Reading made it 5-5 soon after, yet this was always meant to be an amazing comeback for us. He scored right at the end of the first half, he scored right at the end of the second half and he scored right at the end of the extra-time. Theo Walcott had a hat-trick of unbelievable standards in this game completed by this late, emphatic, finish! However, he did not have the last say in this game as Marouane Chamakh showed composure to make it 7-5!
This is a cup game that will go down in history! An extraordinary game !!
Tuesday, October 30, 2012
Sunday, October 28, 2012
Arsenal vs. Q.P.R.
1-0, Premier League, Emirates Stadium, 2012-10-27
Arteta 84
A remarkable improvement from the previous two games! (and yet we only just about managed to beat Q.P.R at the Emirates). Hopefully this win will grant us the confidence we've been lacking in front of goal lately and inspire us to get through this winter! And two major positives from this game is the return of Jack Wilshere and Bacary Sagna (+ Theo Walcott later on in the game)! Both of them looked great considering their lengthy absence, it sure felt great to see them back on the pitch.
We dominated both the possession and shot statistics, however, that has often proved to mean nothing when it comes to us. Since we did not have a single shot on target against Schalke it did feel brilliant to see us firing away several in this game and in the end it paid off!
It was rather absurd to find the scoreline at 0-0 for so long in the game considering how close we got on several occasions, for example, Ramsey had a header that hit the bar and Cazorla somehow managed to place his shot above the bar when he had a golden opportunity late on in the game. Then came the other Spaniard. Mikel Arteta may not score too often, but when he does it is always a memorable experience. Remember our game at home against Manchester City last season? The stunner that won that game might have looked slightly better, but I believe I speak for all fans when I say that I could not care less about that! Arshavin's cross ended up in front of goal and the first effort bounced off the bar back in the path of Mikel Arteta, who managed to put it in the back of the net this second chance!
With these three points we now have 15 points and at the time of writing this post we are 4th in the league (with one more game played than some of our opponents).
Injury Update:
- Gervinho picked up an injury in this game and had to be carried off on a stretcher, have no idea how bad it is at the moment.
Arteta 84
A remarkable improvement from the previous two games! (and yet we only just about managed to beat Q.P.R at the Emirates). Hopefully this win will grant us the confidence we've been lacking in front of goal lately and inspire us to get through this winter! And two major positives from this game is the return of Jack Wilshere and Bacary Sagna (+ Theo Walcott later on in the game)! Both of them looked great considering their lengthy absence, it sure felt great to see them back on the pitch.
We dominated both the possession and shot statistics, however, that has often proved to mean nothing when it comes to us. Since we did not have a single shot on target against Schalke it did feel brilliant to see us firing away several in this game and in the end it paid off!
It was rather absurd to find the scoreline at 0-0 for so long in the game considering how close we got on several occasions, for example, Ramsey had a header that hit the bar and Cazorla somehow managed to place his shot above the bar when he had a golden opportunity late on in the game. Then came the other Spaniard. Mikel Arteta may not score too often, but when he does it is always a memorable experience. Remember our game at home against Manchester City last season? The stunner that won that game might have looked slightly better, but I believe I speak for all fans when I say that I could not care less about that! Arshavin's cross ended up in front of goal and the first effort bounced off the bar back in the path of Mikel Arteta, who managed to put it in the back of the net this second chance!
With these three points we now have 15 points and at the time of writing this post we are 4th in the league (with one more game played than some of our opponents).
Injury Update:
- Gervinho picked up an injury in this game and had to be carried off on a stretcher, have no idea how bad it is at the moment.
Thursday, October 25, 2012
Arsenal vs. Schalke 04
0-2, Champions League, Emirates Stadium, 2012-10-24
As the result might show, we did not manage to up our game from the weekend. We looked flat throughout the entire game, need I say any more than the fact that we did not have a single shot at target during the entire game..?
Schalke had a penalty shout in the first half, and we had one in the second, yet both 'divers' were only awarded with a yellow from the (Swedish) referee. We lost the game late on in the second half when Huntelaar scored and not long after that goal they scored another as we had taken off Jenkinson to provide some further attacking force.
There is literally no positive that I can see from this game, so let's just do like the players constantly says after these losses, look ahead to the next game! We will play QPR at home on Saturday, which ought to be interesting...
Injury Update;
- the following players are reportedly not far from returning from injury: Walcott, Oxlade-Chamberlain, Wilshere, Sagna and Gibbs. Meanwhile, Rosicky, Szczesny and Diaby are a few weeks away.
As the result might show, we did not manage to up our game from the weekend. We looked flat throughout the entire game, need I say any more than the fact that we did not have a single shot at target during the entire game..?
Schalke had a penalty shout in the first half, and we had one in the second, yet both 'divers' were only awarded with a yellow from the (Swedish) referee. We lost the game late on in the second half when Huntelaar scored and not long after that goal they scored another as we had taken off Jenkinson to provide some further attacking force.
There is literally no positive that I can see from this game, so let's just do like the players constantly says after these losses, look ahead to the next game! We will play QPR at home on Saturday, which ought to be interesting...
Injury Update;
- the following players are reportedly not far from returning from injury: Walcott, Oxlade-Chamberlain, Wilshere, Sagna and Gibbs. Meanwhile, Rosicky, Szczesny and Diaby are a few weeks away.
Sunday, October 21, 2012
Norwich vs. Arsenal
0-1, Premier League, Carrow Road, 2012-10-20
It would seem as though we often suffer from the 'post-internationals syndrome'. On far more than one occasion we have not showed up for the first game back after internationals, needless to say it is a huge disappointment.
To be honest, the only positive I can find from this game is that Wilshere was on the bench! Even though he did not come on for this game, he cannot be far from making that long-awaited return now!
The goal conceded today should have been dealt with better, Mannone did not manage to hold onto the shot and Mertesacker was not quick enough to reach the rebound before the Norwich player. However, I do not think it right to put the blame on any particular players when the entire team played, as the manager put it, below par.
All that remains is a good reaction to this defeat with a vital win over Schalke 04 on Wednesday evening to put us at the top of the group in the Champions League!
Injury Update;
- Gibbs and Walcott are both close to returning from injury, possibly next weekend.
- Oxlade-Chamberlain picked up an injury within minutes of coming on in this game, not sure how serious the injury is though.
- Sagna is not far from returning to the first team, he has played a game for the reserves recently.
It would seem as though we often suffer from the 'post-internationals syndrome'. On far more than one occasion we have not showed up for the first game back after internationals, needless to say it is a huge disappointment.
To be honest, the only positive I can find from this game is that Wilshere was on the bench! Even though he did not come on for this game, he cannot be far from making that long-awaited return now!
The goal conceded today should have been dealt with better, Mannone did not manage to hold onto the shot and Mertesacker was not quick enough to reach the rebound before the Norwich player. However, I do not think it right to put the blame on any particular players when the entire team played, as the manager put it, below par.
All that remains is a good reaction to this defeat with a vital win over Schalke 04 on Wednesday evening to put us at the top of the group in the Champions League!
Injury Update;
- Gibbs and Walcott are both close to returning from injury, possibly next weekend.
- Oxlade-Chamberlain picked up an injury within minutes of coming on in this game, not sure how serious the injury is though.
- Sagna is not far from returning to the first team, he has played a game for the reserves recently.
Saturday, October 6, 2012
West Ham United vs. Arsenal
3-1, Premier League, Upton Park, 2012.10.06
Giroud 41,
Walcott 77,
Cazorla 83
Brilliant work ethic from the team in this tense game! The game was ever-changeable and even. We excelled, though, with around twenty chances against West Ham's around seven. We've now acquired three immense points in an ever-tightening title race.
We started off as the better team, putting lots of pressure on West Ham and right at the beginning Giroud had a decent shot at goal that the 'keeper just about managed to punch outside the post. Then, out of nowhere, we found ourselves behind even though we had dominated the game. It took us exactly twenty minutes to find the equalizer, West Ham upped their game considerably with their goal, but find it we did and it meant quite a lot for the goalscorer. Podolski raced down the left-hand side and produced a stunning cross that was met by Olivier Giroud! The tall Frenchman managed to poke the ball into the back of the net with his foot and you could tell from his celebrations that it meant a lot for him to get his first goal in the Premier League!
The second half was quite reversed from the first half, this time West Ham began the game the best and we were the team to catch them on the break to score, only this time it took a considerably longer time to do it. We should have been awarded a penalty when Ramsey was tripped in the box, however the ref seemed to have his eyes elsewhere at that moment.
Thankfully that didn't prove to be a pivotal moment in the game since Theo Walcott was released by a brilliant touch from Giroud and showed true composure to finish his run with an amazing shot! Unfortunately, rules concerning celebrating your goals has become ridiculous, you are no longer allowed to celebrate with the fans, so he got booked for celebrating his goal! However, that did not remove the feeling of heading towards three points! That feeling was only enforced when a certain Spaniard pulled off a strike that just cannot be labelled! Walcott got the ball to Santi Cazorla, whose shot was as if from another world! A shot that you have simply got to see.
After that it was simply a matter of seeing out the game and we did that rather comfortably. It was indeed a tough game but the win was definitely deserved!
Injury Update:
- Per Mertesacker was back in this game at centre-half and he looked solid.
Giroud 41,
Walcott 77,
Cazorla 83
Brilliant work ethic from the team in this tense game! The game was ever-changeable and even. We excelled, though, with around twenty chances against West Ham's around seven. We've now acquired three immense points in an ever-tightening title race.
We started off as the better team, putting lots of pressure on West Ham and right at the beginning Giroud had a decent shot at goal that the 'keeper just about managed to punch outside the post. Then, out of nowhere, we found ourselves behind even though we had dominated the game. It took us exactly twenty minutes to find the equalizer, West Ham upped their game considerably with their goal, but find it we did and it meant quite a lot for the goalscorer. Podolski raced down the left-hand side and produced a stunning cross that was met by Olivier Giroud! The tall Frenchman managed to poke the ball into the back of the net with his foot and you could tell from his celebrations that it meant a lot for him to get his first goal in the Premier League!
The second half was quite reversed from the first half, this time West Ham began the game the best and we were the team to catch them on the break to score, only this time it took a considerably longer time to do it. We should have been awarded a penalty when Ramsey was tripped in the box, however the ref seemed to have his eyes elsewhere at that moment.
Thankfully that didn't prove to be a pivotal moment in the game since Theo Walcott was released by a brilliant touch from Giroud and showed true composure to finish his run with an amazing shot! Unfortunately, rules concerning celebrating your goals has become ridiculous, you are no longer allowed to celebrate with the fans, so he got booked for celebrating his goal! However, that did not remove the feeling of heading towards three points! That feeling was only enforced when a certain Spaniard pulled off a strike that just cannot be labelled! Walcott got the ball to Santi Cazorla, whose shot was as if from another world! A shot that you have simply got to see.
After that it was simply a matter of seeing out the game and we did that rather comfortably. It was indeed a tough game but the win was definitely deserved!
Injury Update:
- Per Mertesacker was back in this game at centre-half and he looked solid.
Thursday, October 4, 2012
Arsenal vs. Olympiacos
3-1, Champions League, Emirates, 2012.10.03
Gervinho 42,
Podolski 56,
Ramsey 90
What started off as a nervy and insecure game on our part ended in triumph! Where the first half definitely was Olympiacos' half, the second half was ours beyond a shadow of a doubt, it showed great mental strength to turn the game around as drastically as we did in the second half and that gained us three very important points!
As mentioned, the first half was no good half for us. Olympiacos were disciplined in their defence and we struggled to find any chances to score whereas they had several good chances from catching us on the break. The first forty-five minutes seemed to end in grand style when Gervinho fired a precise shot that was just out of the goalkeeper's reach! We got really lucky in that situation, as Arteta attempted to meet Podolski's cross, but failed at that and somehow the ball ended up at the feet of the Ivorian striker. However, the joy was short-lived as Olympiacos equalized mere minutes later from an opportunity that should have been dealt with by our centre-halves, who flanked the striker on both sides. A major disappointment yet Bould (Wenger will be back from suspension for the away game against Schalke) must have given some half-time talk because the team looked changed in the second half!
It was brilliant to see this "new" team! We found the flair from earlier in the season and played the game like it should be played. It goes without saying that we found the back of the net before long; and it was our new German striker who bagged his fourth goal in his eight appearance for the club! Lukas Podolski met Gervinho's cross in a crowded area but still managed to release a powerful shot that went below the 'keeper and into the goal!
To think that that settled the game would be a grave mistake. Olympiacos maintained their good play and we were far from certain of victory until the very last minute when Aaron Ramsey broke free from the defence (thanks to a brilliant header by Giroud) and cheekily chipped the ball past the 'keeper!
This leaves us in a great position, with two victories in the first two games. But we must be aware of the fact that Schalke have won both of their games as well, so the next game will be vital to win!
Injury Update;
- Diaby will be gone for about three weeks from an injury he picked up against Chelsea.
- Sagna and Wilshere are both getting close to a return to the first-team!
Gervinho 42,
Podolski 56,
Ramsey 90
What started off as a nervy and insecure game on our part ended in triumph! Where the first half definitely was Olympiacos' half, the second half was ours beyond a shadow of a doubt, it showed great mental strength to turn the game around as drastically as we did in the second half and that gained us three very important points!
As mentioned, the first half was no good half for us. Olympiacos were disciplined in their defence and we struggled to find any chances to score whereas they had several good chances from catching us on the break. The first forty-five minutes seemed to end in grand style when Gervinho fired a precise shot that was just out of the goalkeeper's reach! We got really lucky in that situation, as Arteta attempted to meet Podolski's cross, but failed at that and somehow the ball ended up at the feet of the Ivorian striker. However, the joy was short-lived as Olympiacos equalized mere minutes later from an opportunity that should have been dealt with by our centre-halves, who flanked the striker on both sides. A major disappointment yet Bould (Wenger will be back from suspension for the away game against Schalke) must have given some half-time talk because the team looked changed in the second half!
It was brilliant to see this "new" team! We found the flair from earlier in the season and played the game like it should be played. It goes without saying that we found the back of the net before long; and it was our new German striker who bagged his fourth goal in his eight appearance for the club! Lukas Podolski met Gervinho's cross in a crowded area but still managed to release a powerful shot that went below the 'keeper and into the goal!
To think that that settled the game would be a grave mistake. Olympiacos maintained their good play and we were far from certain of victory until the very last minute when Aaron Ramsey broke free from the defence (thanks to a brilliant header by Giroud) and cheekily chipped the ball past the 'keeper!
This leaves us in a great position, with two victories in the first two games. But we must be aware of the fact that Schalke have won both of their games as well, so the next game will be vital to win!
Injury Update;
- Diaby will be gone for about three weeks from an injury he picked up against Chelsea.
- Sagna and Wilshere are both getting close to a return to the first-team!
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