Match report – Participant scores – Arteta response – Video
Earlier than our recreation had even kicked off, Man Metropolis had put the strain on with a 4-1 win over Liverpool at house. ‘Right here we’re’, was the message. ‘Take a look at this. What are you able to do immediately?’
Arsenal’s response was emphatic ultimately. 4-1. ‘How about that? That’s what we are able to do.’
To be honest although, it wasn’t plain crusing within the first half. Sickness within the camp which affected some gamers meant Bukayo Saka was on the bench, failing to start out a Premier League recreation for the primary time this season. Ben White was affected, as had been unnamed others. However Gabriel Jesus acquired his begin up entrance, with Leandro Trossard on the appropriate instead of Saka.
Leeds noticed Bournemouth get some fast pleasure from kick-off a couple of weeks in the past and tried their luck, this time Aaron Ramsdale was equal to it. We went up the opposite finish and threatened right away, however regardless of getting on prime the Arsenal keeper was the busier man. Jesus ought to have accomplished higher with a superb Granit Xhaka cross however headed over. We struggled to seek out our fluency, possibly due to some gamers being beneath the climate, however nearly as good as Trossard is, he doesn’t have the identical type of reference to White that Saka does on the appropriate.
After half an hour, Ramsdale saved once more. We broke right away, the transfer got here to nothing however the ball got here again into their field. Jesus skipped away from one deal with when he may simply have gone down, however when Luke Ayling kicked him on the knee, he didn’t want a 3rd invitation. Penalty.
It appeared like Martin Odegaard was going to take it, however with out a purpose because the North London derby on October 1st, he handed the ball to the quantity 9. His file from the spot isn’t sensible. In his profession, even with yesterday’s profitable try, he has missed greater than he has scored, however this time made no mistake. He put it down the center because the keeper moved out of the best way. 1-0.
Leeds had been scrappy, Martinelli and Odegaard feeling the affect of heavy challenges earlier than the break, however after half-time we turned the screw and gained the sport within the opening 10 minutes of the second interval. First Martinelli offered a incredible cross for Ben White to attain his second purpose in an Arsenal shirt, the timing of his arrival on the again submit excellent, and the end getting in – moderately pleasingly – off the underside of the crossbar.
The third purpose was the decide of the bunch. Trossard picked up cross from Jesus within the field, twisted and turned, and delivered the proper cutback for the Brazilian to race onto and poke house to make it 3-0. The penalty was useful when it comes to getting again on the scoresheet, however a purpose of this high quality from open play shall be much more in order he continues his return from that lengthy harm absence. It was every part you’d need from his first Premier League begin because the knee surgical procedure, an influential efficiency and two objectives to his identify. Credit score too Trossard whose assists since he arrived have been so useful.
We hadn’t hit the hour mark, however three objectives up was ample for Arteta to make protecting modifications. Jesus and Thomas Partey got here off, changed by Saka and Jorginho. Ramsdale made one other good save, and for probably the most half we managed the sport, making as lots of the 300,000 passes as we presumably may. Then Leeds scored. I believe it’s a state of affairs we may have defended higher, particularly as their man drove in the direction of our field, however there was a component of luck to the end because it deflected off Oleksandr Zinchenko and into the web.
Shortly after, I believe we had been denied an apparent penalty when Roca simply whacked Trossard within the field with the ball nowhere close to him. I do know there’s a sliding scale in the case of this sort of factor, but when that’s not the definition of violent conduct I don’t know what’s. The ref didn’t see it, VAR ignored it, however I assumed it appeared fairly clear lower.
The slight concern you’d have in regards to the truth we’re conceding objectives is simpler to compartmentalise if you rating tons, so to get a fourth was very pleasing. Odegaard’s supply into the field was wonderful, Xhaka’s run and header the type of motion and end you’d see from a seasoned centre-forward. It’s the midfielder’s seventh purpose of the season in all competitions, contemplating his scoring file as much as this season, it’s a terrific contribution.
Arteta made three modifications, and there was time on the finish for Ben White to interact in some hilarious mischief with the Leeds keeper. I suppose if you’re 4-1 up you are able to do that with out worrying an excessive amount of. He appeared on BBC 5 Reside afterwards, and was requested if the supervisor had allowed the gamers to observe the Man Metropolis/Liverpool recreation earlier than ours. His response, “I don’t watch soccer, so … er …”.
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— Out Of Context Ben White (@OOContextWhite) April 1, 2023
Haha. I like him. Not least as a result of he did this on a day when he wasn’t feeling 100%, and because the supervisor says, he’s a fighter. We are able to have giggle at these items, however let’s not ignore the standard of the 90 minutes he performed and the very fact he chipped in with a purpose.
Afterwards, Arteta performed down the Man Metropolis discuss, saying:
What we are able to management is what we are able to do. We’ve been discussing that for the previous couple of days. After the worldwide break we had quite a lot of difficult conditions to handle with a couple of gamers and it’s all the time a query mark with how the group goes to react after that. I believe they had been distinctive, they had been actually at it, everybody needed to be concerned and we gained the sport in a convincing method, which is sweet and the one factor that we are able to management.
I believe it’s honest to say that the primary half felt usually post-Interlull, which might occur. Your rhythm and momentum is damaged and you must work laborious to seek out it once more. There are issues we are able to undoubtedly do higher, and I’m certain as we put together for the subsequent recreation, they would be the focus of the supervisor’s consideration throughout coaching this week.
From our perspective although, it’s a second successive 4-1 win, and our seventh win in a row within the Premier League. In six of these seven video games, we’ve scored three objectives or extra. After we talked about Man Metropolis being the type of aspect that’s able to occurring a run of video games the place they simply win on a regular basis, we’re kinda on a kind of ourselves now. There’s a a lot larger check subsequent week towards a Liverpool aspect who can have been chafed by that defeat yesterday and decided to reply, however it’s what it’s. That is the problem we’re dealing with between now and Could, no person mentioned it was going to be simple.
What I might say is that this run of video games post-Man Metropolis all the time appeared probably essential on paper earlier than we began to have a look at dealing with a number of the extra highly effective Premier League outfits. To have come by it with 21 factors from 21 is excellent, and it offers us the platform we’d like because the variety of video games remaining will get smaller and smaller. 9 left.
The nice factor is we now have a full week to organize too. No distractions, simply deal with subsequent weekend, and a visit to Anfield having restored our 8 level hole on the prime of the desk. Not a foul place to be.
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Proper, that’s your lot this morning. Have a terrific Sunday, again tomorrow with extra and an Arsecast Additional. Till then.
