Forget The Turkey - Let's Have Roasted Canary!

Arsenal dealt summarily with a much weakened (not that they’re that good at full strength) Norwich team in a Boxing Day romp at Carrow Road. 5-0 felt about right, but it could have been more; the visitors were in cruise control virtually throughout.

I’m not going to dwell too much on the match itself, because I want to take a bit of time discussing exactly where I think the team is at the moment. But here's a rapid recap of the key moments:

1    Team news, and with Tomiyasu missing due to Covid (not to the injury that we were concerned with), it was time for Cedric Chambers Maitland-Niles to step in... no; sorry, all the possible right back alternatives also had Covid, so Ben White slid over to full back and Rob Holding made his first Premier League start since August. Elsewhere, there was still no starting spot for ESR, and Auba remains persona non grata. Lokonga, an earlier Covid victim, returned to the bench alongside midweek heroes Nketiah and (Ooh) Charlie Patino

2.    6 minutes - goal for Saka - a cross shot into the far corner. Nicely done, but reserve goalkeeper Gunn could possibly have done better. To be fair, it was a sumptuous move, after Norwich had ceded possession cheaply (they did this all day, frankly). Arsenal were already on top even by this point, but from here there was no looking back

3.    31-38 mins - a bit of midfield argy-bargy; none of which involved Xhaka (main Arsenal protagonists Lacazette and White). It might have kick-started Norwich, but it didn't. The extraordinary thing was that the only player booked in either of the two melees was Xhaka, who was actually completely innocent. However, as the commentator said: 'If in doubt, book Xhaka'

4.    On 44 minutes, Norwich gave the ball away cheaply yet again, and this time Odegaard's sumptuous pass freed Tierney, who burst into the box and fired a cross shot into the far corner. If I appear to be on repeat, then blame Norwich City please. Half time 2-0, and cruise control for Arsenal

5.    Martinelli's shot took a deflection, causing the ball to loop over the goalkeeper and into the net. He was a few inches offside in the build-up, unfortunately

6.    67 minutes and 3-0. Norwich gave the ball away cheaply, then allowed Saka to cut onto his left foot for a curled cross shot into the far corner. Sorry...

7.    75 minutes, and Elneny replaced Partey (why, at 3-0, it couldn't have been Lokonga or even Patino I just don't know). And a few moments later it was Pepe for Saka and then ESR for Martinelli on 82

8.    Moments later, a decisive moment involving ESR, as his pass found Lacazette in the box, and the Frenchman was upended clumsily for a penalty; which Laca himself dispatched for Arsenal's first successful penalty in 4 attempts

9.    And in injury time a goal for ESR. Norwich fell asleep, and Pepe's deflected cross found Emile unmarked at the far post. That's his fourth goal in four successive substitute appearances - which apparently breaks a series of records. Anyway, 5-0 - and goodnight to perennial yoyo club Norwich City

So that's the action. But the salient points, from my perspective, are as follows (as I vary my bullet points from numbers to little black dots - how the other half lives, eh!):

• Since Arteta dropped Auba and stripped him of the captaincy, Arsenal have won 4 successive Premier League matches (plus the midweek party against Sunderland), scoring 14 goals and conceding just one (it's 19-2 if you include the Carabao Cup). Coincidence? - I have no idea to be honest, but there doesn't seem to be much need to change a winning formula

• What Auba's replacement, Gabriel Martinelli, has brought to the team is what we'd have hoped to have been seeing from Auba. Firstly, goals... but also an element of aggression and willingness to hound opposition players and put them into positions in which they'd rather not find themselves. He's made himself undroppable at the moment

• Arsenal's young forwards, as a collective, are doing supremely well. And can only get better. Along with Martinelli, Bukayo Saka is a nightmare for defenders - especially with the ball at his feet - Martin Odegaard's stats are currently at peak Ozil levels, and he's keeping ESR off the team sheet; but that's not keeping the latter off of the score sheet. So there's no place for Auba, and nor for Pepe. Coming up behind these kids are Nketiah (hat-trick in midweek but off in the summer I'm sure) and the likes of (Ooh) Charlie Patino (goal on debut in midweek). Some of these kids fall by the wayside - Nketiah will be one of those and it looks like AMN will be off to sunnier climes imminently - but the future looks incredibly bright

• Knitting all these kids together, despite not playing particularly well, is Alexandre Lacazette. His influence on the youngsters appears more psychological than physical, but it's working (whatever it is). There are many ways to upgrade on Laca, but there doesn't appear to be an immediate rush

• Granit Xhaka, eh... somehow, he makes a real difference to the side. Partey seems more comfortable with the Swiss lunatic alongside him, and whatever he does seems to oil the wheels. I can't make sense of it

• And defensively Arsenal remain pretty solid. There have been lapses, but they've mostly been down to moments of individual brilliance - viz Liverpool, Demarai Gray, bloody Cristiano Ronaldo... Of course, next up (now that the Wolves game is off) are Manchester City - an acid test of all that

• So, despite finding themselves now comfortably ensconced in fourth place (games in hand notwithstanding),, how good are this Arsenal team really? Do we judge them on easily beating poor sides - there are many in this Premier League, and Norwich appear to be easily the worst of them)? Do we dare suggest that they caught T*ttenham, Leicester, Aston Villa and West Ham on bad days? Do we look at the successive defeats at Old Trafford and Everton, and at the failings that caused them, and judge them on that? Again, I just don't know. But they're an evolving 'project' and at the end of the day the proof of the pudding is in the eating; the Premier League table. There will be lapses, but let's just roll with it, eh?

As for our new friend Omicron... I wonder if it's now time for a 'circuit-breaker'? Because the figures are frightening - for all that it doesn't seems as virulent as other variants. And it's playing havoc with the schedule, on top of all the health issues. Maybe a fortnight's lockdown is in order? Not that many will listen to Mr Johnson, I'm afraid; but perhaps for the good of the country as a whole it's time?

So that's it from me for 2021. I'll see you in the New Year. By which time the Transfer Window will be open. Have a good one, and COYG!!!

Young Guns Go For It!

Wham! Arsenal continued their recent decent run of results with a comfortable and frankly totally unsurprising win over injury-ravaged Leeds United at Elland Road in Saturday evening. However, some people are never happy, and I'll cover some of the continued concerns in the post below:

In the context of the current massive spike in Covid infections, this game was perhaps lucky to survive when so many fell by the wayside, and there is Covid in the Arsenal camp (Sambi Lokonga is one of the victims, along with one or two fringe players and some staff also). Poor Leeds, however, cannot catch a break; it would have been a great help to them for this game to be off.

So, with Auba surprisingly still 'banished', Arteta made no changes. I'd been expecting ESR to get back into the starting line-up, but no; not yet anyway. Leeds are of course decimated by injury, so the pre-match signs were good for a much-needed away win. Some rotation will need to take place in the next week or so, however. Perhaps a game against Norwich City will give that opportunity.

And so to the game, and Leeds bizarre tactics in the context of the state they are in. Bielsa loves to play man-to-man marking all over the field, with high intensity, but an intelligent footballer will exploit that by dragging defenders into places they don't want or need to be. And that was certainly the case on Saturday, with Lacazette's 'false nine' role causing havoc as Arsenal's attacking midfielders were thereby given the freedom of Elland Road.

Leeds held on for all of 16 minutes, and then Martinelli popped in a neat finish after the ball had broken to him off of Lacazette and Forshaw. Leeds players made at least three separate errors in the lead up to the goal, and that pattern continued for most of the night. I must point out Bukayo Saka's role in the build up, however, as he exploited the space offered with the sort of pace and precision that we know will make him a superstar in years to come.

On 28 minutes, it was 2-0. Martinelli exploited acres of space right in the very heart of the Leeds defence and lofted the ball over the exposed Meslier. Nicely taken, but too easy at this level. Leeds need to change their ways in order to survive.

And just before half-time it was three. Saka burst in from the right hand side and his goalbound shot took a slight deflection on the way in. It was an absolute stroll in the park at that point.

And at this point I'll look a little at some of the darker aspects of this game (apart from the Covid background):

Firstly, the incident which saw Rob Holding report an alleged racist insult directed at one or two of Arsenal's black players whilst they were warming up. Thankfully, this sort of thing is becoming much less prevalent - at least in the UK - but I'd expect that the 'gentleman' responsible will find himself persona non grata at Elland Road from now on. Kick it out!

Secondly, Granit Xhaka - and what goes on in whatever passes for his brain. He had a perfectly serviceable 7/10 game - more than adequate against this opposition - but at 3-0 up early in the second half first stood in the way of a free kick and then moments later made a totally unnecessary and frankly dangerous tackle on Raphinha. How he managed to get away without a booking for either of those efforts I could not fathom, but he made up for it later by getting booked for time-wasting. Pointlessly. He's an idiot.

And finally - and some may regard this as churlish - the game finished at a 'mere' 4-1. Arsenal took their feet so far off the pedal that there was actually a moment when we all feared that Leeds might get back into the game; and that would have been utterly ludicrous. I'm fully aware that Arsenal are nowhere near to Manchester City, but they didn't give Leeds a single sniff earlier in the week, and rattled up 7 goals. That's what Arsenal could - and should - have aspired to on this day.

And so, inevitably and totally unnecessarily, Leeds were allowed to work their way back into the game. They only managed a single shot on target at that time, but questions needed to be asked of Arsenal's commitment at that point. Arteta does make his substitutions a little later than I'd prefer, too, and I suppose that may be said to add to the malaise. Until, finally, on 73 minutes, White's very poorly judged slide on Gelhardt led to the award of a penalty to Leeds. Which Raphinha despatched expertly. And the wobble really started. Ludicrous...

Arteta finally woke up and brought on ESR for Saka, and it wasn't long before Emile had exploited yet another gap in the Leeds defence to despatch Odegaard's exquisitely chipped pass with ease past Meslier. A lovely goal... and the thing is; if they'd really gone for it Arsenal could also have racked up 7.

Credit to the Leeds supporters, who continued behind their beleaguered side and Manager. However, they can't go on like this for much longer. And meantime Arsenal consolidated fourth spot - others have games in hand, but they have to win them. It is, indeed, back on. With Saka and ESR continuing their good form, Odegaard prompting, Martinelli now taking his chance with both hands, and Lacazette helping to link the pieces together, Arsenal are in a good place. Norwich and Wolves to come over Christmas; before the acid test that is Manchester City. Interesting times... although some clarity on Aubameyang would be appreciated.

Just a quick word before I go. And for those who still claim that I'm obsessed by Sp*rs... I'm not, but: what a terrific game of football that was between them and Liverpool, resulting in a 2-2 draw. They could have won, but also should have conceded a penalty and had their skipper sent off for a wild challenge. And, of course, who wouldn't want to play against a Liverpool side shorn of Van Dijk, Fabinho, Henderson and Thiago? I know I'd love to see Arsenal take such a weakened Liverpool side on, instead of the full strength one that murdered them a few weeks ago. But they still couldn't beat them!

But that's neither here nor there. There's no need to worry about that lot. So it just remains for me to wish my thousands of readers a Merry Christmas! I'll be back early next week. Have a good one, and COYG!

Irons Put To The Sword By Young Guns

There are enough cliches in the title of this piece to last a little while, woudn't you say? But anyway... 

Arsenal moved into (a somewhat remote) fourth spot in the table with comfortable victory over a West Ham side who are perhaps already finding it difficult to cope with the number of games they have had to play this season; one of the downsides of qualifying for European competition with perhaps not quite the depth of squad required. Still... diddums; I've got no sympathy at the end of the day.

Arsenal really needed to show their mettle in this game against serious contenders for that fourth Champions League spot, and this they did. Of course, they now need to back this up with a serious away result or two - their only win north of Watford Gap this season having come at a seriously out of form Leicester. Despite injuries in the West Ham squad, superiority had to be earned, but by the end it was pretty comfortable.

Team news; and there was none - same starting XI as against Southampton, and still no place in the 18 for the exiled Aubameyang (I'd assume that he will be back on the bench on Saturday evening). Lacazette, 'next in line', wore the armband once more. And whilst the start of the game was cagey - there was a lot to play for, after all - Arsenal looked the better side as they were backed by a raucous and hopeful support from within the ground - it was certainly one of the better atmospheres of recent months.

There was an early optimistic call for a red card for Coufal for an apparent elbow on Tierney (the West Ham man got his comeuppance by the end), and apart from that there was little early incident as the teams felt each other out. Bukayo Saka - excellent throughout - continually caused trouble on the right; and Gabriel Martinelli - or Captain Chaos as I've nicknamed him - was a continual thorn in the right hand side of the Hammers' defence. Lacazette had one of his better games, continually linking up with Odegaard and the two wingers, and the full backs were not afraid to push on in support. If there was an area that wasn't performing to its optimum it was possibly central midfield, where Partey is still some way short of his best and Xhaka is... well, Xhaka. The letter seems to slow the tempo a little too much for my liking.

West Ham's best (only) chance of the first half came as late as the 34th minute, when Fornals' shot from the left hand corner of the box whistled wide of Ramsdale's far post; he had it covered. Arsenal created far more, whilst keeping West Ham at bay, and were perhaps unlucky not to go into the break in front when Tierney's vicious 20 yard volley was tipped onto the bar by Fabianski. There were also chances for Laca and Martinelli as Arsenal went in ahead on points.

But we'd hardly taken our seats again when Arsenal took the lead, as Laca's beautifully threaded and weighted through ball was slotted home in Henry-esque style by Martinelli. A thing of beauty.

And, based on recent, performance, I immediately started looking at my watch! I was hoping that Arsenal wouldn't revert to type and start to back off, and although they did for a while as West Ham looked to force them back it wasn't anything close to the Goodison Park horror show. I suppose that's got something to do with being at home and not in a hostile away venue.

Just after the hour Smith Rowe was introduced at the expense of Odegaard, who'd had a tidy enough game but did give the ball away deep in the Arsenal half early in the game - the subsequent shot was dealt with by Ramsdale. Not the Norwegian's best game, and there's competition in that number 10 role at a time when it's looking extremely difficult to rest Martinelli on the left.

Almost immediately after, Lacazette won a penalty following Coufal's challenge - he got the ball as well as an awful lot of the Frenchman, and picked up his second yellow for his trouble. 

Whilst Laca was being treated for the knock, Martinelli picked the ball up (hopefully, perhaps?), but the skipper reclaimed it; only to see his tentative spot kick saved comfortably by Fabianski. Thierry Henry always made it a rule that if he was fouled for a penalty somebody else would take over penalty-taking duties. Perhaps Laca should have done the same. But on the other hand that's the first one he's missed in an Arsenal shirt.

And at that moment, of course, the crowd started to get nervous; despite West Ham being down a man. Even with numerical superiority, Arsenal dropped off, and unnecessary pressure started to build. And I wasn't pleased to see Benrahma take the field for the ineffectual Lanzini. But, on the break, Saka and ESR combined - sweeping almost the length of the pitch as Saka's perfectly times through ball set ESR away; and he nutmegged Diop in burying the ball beyond the reach of the despairing keeper for 2-0. It was great to have him back.

And so, as we all know, it's up to fourth spot. Of course, both United and Sp*rs now have games in hand - so wouldn't it be easier to simply cancel Sp*rs than merely cancel their matches? But fourth it is. And next up are an injury-ravaged Leeds, who are coming off a 7-0 mauling at Citeh. Surely this is Arsenal's chance to win a game 'oop North'?

And so to conclusions:

1.    Aubameyang's path back to the starting line-up looks blocked at the moment. Although we can expect rotation over the Christmas period. It would be helpful if he could come back in at a suitable time and hit form. But if Laca continues in current form then all well and good

2.    Does ESR come back in for Odegaard? I wouldn't like to be making that decision. Ditto on whether to shake up the midfield

3.    I'm still not 100% convinced about the whole 'process' thing. We've got some really exciting young players - now let's see the team go get the results we need at difficult venues. Then I'll really start to believe.

I'll be back on Sunday or Monday. Until then, stay safe. COYG!

A 'Curate's Egg'

So, ultimately, this was a very comfortable victory for Arsenal. However, this match - like Arsenal themselves - was something of a 'curate's egg' - a curate's egg being an accepted term for something that is sometimes good, and other times bad - and that sums Arsenal up perfectly.

Because this was a game that can be easily split into two parts as far as analysis goes. For 20 minutes Arsenal were frankly awful; unable to keep any measure of control or even get out of their own half, and helping to fashion opportunities for the opposition with any lack of coordination or apparent urgency. And then they scored, completely against the run of play, and Southampton immediately capitulated.

Team news first. We weren't surprised to see Tierney keep his place, nor for Smith Rowe to miss out again due to injury. But the shock news reverberating around the stadium that Club Captain Aubameyang was out of the squad for disciplinary reasons was a major talking point.

It may be that this incident will speed Auba's departure from the club. The thing is, though, that I really don't think that Arteta helps himself with cryptic messages to the media; nor with his man management style. Auba will feel somewhat humiliated by what happened (and of course it's not the first time), but from what I understand an explanation for his absence would make a massive difference to people's perceptions here. 

I understand that Auba was given permission to go and collect his mother - who has been unwell for several months - from her home in France and bring her back to stay with him in the UK. But they didn't make the designated flight, arrived back on Thursday morning instead of Wednesday evening, and thus wrecked Arsenal's Covid protocols. However, he did turn up to training on time despite the late return. Would we feel different if we heard this officially - as opposed to hearing that 'we have certain non-negotiables'; and no further explanation? I know that I would. 

I'd say, however, that Auba would have been better off sending his 'hanger on' brother - who seems to do nothing but take videos of Auba to post on social media - to collect their mother instead of going himself. That's the error of judgment here, I think.

And so to the game itself. For 20 minutes Arsenal were torn to pieces by injury-ravaged Southampton, giving up chances to Tella, Armstrong (excellent save from Ramsdale) and two free kicks in dangerous spots from Ward-Prowse. Efforts to play their way through the Southampton press were continually thwarted, and with no control in midfield Arsenal could barely get out of their own half. Against a better side, Arsenal will suffer - one only has to think back to what Liverpool did to them to remember how bad things can get if it doesn't pay off - and we really need to see them mix it up a little bit. One issue, of course, was the lack of a target man to allow Ramsdale to go long occasionally, but Southampton's giant defenders were always likely to dominate Lacazette in the air. We don't even have the luxury of last year's 'out ball' in the air to Pepe at the moment either.

But on 20 minutes Arsenal finally broke through the Southampton press, and thanks to some really slick one touch football, a driving run and excellent pick out by Saka saw Laca sweep the ball home. A lovely team goal.

Completely undeserved; but there again, who cares? And this illustrates the issue. When it works, it's brilliant. But Arsenal need to get better at it - and it doesn't half give the crowd palpitations to see so many short passes so close to goal almost intercepted. It's really not good for one's heart!

At that point, Southampton heads visibly dropped. They had shot their bolt, and had no response as Arsenal took over completely. Poor defending just a few minutes later led to a rare headed goal by Odegaard, and Arsenal cruised to half time.

The second half was no different, as Arsenal remained in almost total control (one excellent tip over by Ramsdale from a Redmond effort essentially the only real moment of concern. Gabriel had a goal chalked off for offside following a corner, but then nodded in unchallenged from another just a few moments later. The always busy Martinelli and Saka both hit the post, and it could easily have been 6 by the end. Ultimately, it was a walk in the park.

We can be absolutely certain, however, that West Ham on Wednesday will be a completely different kettle of fish. And it's against the likes of West Ham that Arsenal need to be measuring themselves at the moment if they have any aspirations to finish fourth (the first three spots are sorted, even this early in the season). And having failed to cope with the challenge of two perfectly winnable away games last week, this one is crucial - a win would take Arsenal above West Ham; maybe into that coveted fourth place. The fact is that in order to be seen to be improving Arsenal need to take bigger scalps than the likes of Southampton.

All of which makes Wednesday's game HUGE! - so COYG!!!

A couple of asides: firstly, how unsurprising was it to see all the top three winning courtesy of slightly dubious penalty awards? And secondly the new song for our friends from Middlesex, which made me chuckle somewhat: 'Tottenham get Covid everywhere they go!...'

I'll be back with you on Thursday. Until then, stay safe.

Back To Square One - Again!

Is this progress? Are Arsenal moving forward? Where are we heading? Well, judged on the two games played in the past 4 days, the answers are No, No, and F*ck Knows. 

A bandwagon that appeared to be moving inexorably forwards just a few weeks ago hit a brick wall at Anfield, and in two further visits to Lancashire has started slipping backwards at pace. I'll try to analyse the reasons why it's all gone Pete Tong again, and I suspect that it's for any or all of the reasons below. And before anyone accuses me of plagiarism below, I am perfectly capable of making up my own mind based on what I witness; I actively avoid match reports and social media before I write these posts.

So let's get the excuses and conspiracy theories out of the way first: three visits to Lancashire - three incomprehensible VAR calls. Mane on Tomiyasu. Maguire on Tomiyasu. And now Godfrey on... Tomiyasu (not sure why he's the perma-victim here, by the way). 

For me, this is the worst of the three. A stamp on an opponent's head, whilst he's actually off of the playing area, not deemed worthy of either card or VAR review. If this isn't what VAR is for, I don't know what is! For me, that's a straight red. Every. Single. Time.

On the other hand, Arsenal benefitted from two extremely marginal - but correct according to the Laws - VAR calls, or the score line would have been much worse! 

From an Arsenal-supporting point of view they were both a relief - neither looked offside in real time - but this game illustrated everything that's wrong with VAR. The system disallowed two goals that would have stood at any time up to three years ago, yet failed to deal with a blatant assault.

But as I say; excuses... because here, much more than Manchester United on Thursday, was a team bereft of confidence and belief, and ripe for the taking. And Arsenal let them off the hook, from minute one. 

In fact, if we look back on the entire season, I reckon that Arsenal have played consistently well for maybe an hour in total - and most of that was at home to T*ttenham. The rest has been sterile and predictable, and broken up by moments of brilliance from mainly Saka, ESR and, recently, Martinelli. The older players - the supposed leaders - have not delivered at all. Aubameyang looks shot of confidence and is way off his peak. Lacazette was totally invisible last night. And Partey has now sunk from disappointing to downright poor. The current league position is propped up by victories over Burnley, Norwich, Watford and Newcastle. Something is badly wrong.

And so to the game, which I'll try not to dwell on too much as there's much to discuss regarding root causes etc. Great to see Tierney back, for all that Tavares has done a more than decent job in his absence. Surprising to see Xhaka so soon; especially as he had barely trained. Not surprised to see Auba dropped; although I wouldn't have done it. And no ESR - and that was bad news.

And so the game started. And it was truly awful. Everton looked bereft of confidence, and Arsenal looked bereft of everything! If there was a plan, I couldn't discern it. The only Arsenal moment of note in the first 20 minutes was a 'shot' from Partey that may have actually gone into orbit.

The next piece of reportable action was Godfrey's assault on Tomiyasu. And make no mistake, he knew exactly where the full back's face was; because he glanced down to see. And you could see the stud mark on the Japanese's chin once he'd got back to his feet. And the trouble is if you let this sort of thing go then you're giving license for it to continue not just in this game, but until it's finally dealt with (I was going to say stamped on) by the authorities - as it surely needs to be.

Now, I'm not going back on that old conspiracy hobbyhorse, but this was another example of an actual assault on an Arsenal player resulting in no action from the officials. Yet we don't have to cast our minds back further than last season to remember the ludicrous red card for David Luiz against Wolves... anyway, we have to believe that it's incompetence and nothing else, because otherwise we're in Jude Bellingham territory.

And then finally some actual action as we approached half time. First, Richarlison's first disallowed goal. A beautifully crafted dead ball delivery from Townsend, a sumptuous glancing header, and... his arm and perhaps shoulder were offside. Harsh; but then again it was Richarlison - key member of the Premier League Snide XI. So it probably served him right.

And then, with their very first shot - I'm simply not including Partey's earlier effort - Arsenal took the lead. Via the traditional route of a low Tierney cross from close to the goal line, Odegaard notched his second of the week with a tidy finish. A half-time lead that Arsenal frankly did not deserve.

And so to a second half that Arsenal actually started quite well. Without having any shots, I grant you, but controlling the ball reasonably well. Well, with the notable exception of Richarlison's second disallowed goal, which was really harsh on him (please refer to my previous comment about his snideness). But he was very unlucky there... millimetres...

And then Arsenal sort of declared with 25 minutes to go - more poor game management to add to last Thursday's. Tierney - looking understandably tired - came off. But Xhaka was left on, despite looking even more leaden-legged than usual - but just as leaden-legged as one might have expected. And - surprise surprise - Everton started to get back into the game. Benitez's change - Gomes for Townsend - was more effective, as it allowed the beast of a player that is Abdoulaye Doucoure to work further upfield.

And then to an incomprehensible change by Arteta. Nketiah; not Aubameyang, and not Pepe, for the hamstrung (let's hope it's only a tweak) Martinelli. To play on the left wing. I'll come back to this soon.

And so to the inevitable equaliser. Arsenal had started to attempt to really waste time, but far too early - and the goal was made by the best player on the pitch (the ever-dangerous Demarai Gray) and  poetically scored by my friend Richarlison. Gray's shot crashed off the crossbar onto the head of the Brazilian, whose clever header gave Ramsdale no chance. And this time he most definitely was not offside.

And suddenly Arsenal woke up again. Why they'd nodded off I simply cannot fathom. Saka, dangerous whenever he had the ball - which wasn't often enough - was suddenly more involved. Odegaard had two decent chances, but dallied too long on the ball for both. Nketiah missed an absolute sitter. 

And then, in the second minute of 6 extra, Gray's most decisive moment of the evening; cutting in from the left past both Tomiyasu and White (who could possibly have done better) before unleashing a howitzer off the far post and into the net. A terrific goal, and precisely what Arsenal deserved I'm afraid.

And there was still enough time for Auba - finally on the pitch - to do what he's been doing recently; unable to hit the target from 12 yards with Pickford sprawling. Last kick of the game... and my tv was immediately switched off.

So... what has gone wrong over the past three weeks? On reflection, I'm not sure how much had been going right beforehand, now that I look back. Comfortable victories over Villa and Leicester were perhaps a reflection of how poorly those teams were performing at the time, not of Arsenal's improvement. Or, if they had indicated improvement, that's all been lost over the past week.

Arteta has argued that the players aren't following instructions. But the instructions haven't always been clear, there's been too much 'umbrella football' again, game management has become really poor - you simply can't take the lead twice in successive away games and go home with zero points - and team selection and substitutions have on the whole been terrible.

I will accept that with an inexperienced set of players that instructions won't always be followed in the heat of battle, but it's up to the manager and his lieutenants to sort that out and that's clearly not been happening. There has been a catalogue of repeated errors - of the sort I have referred to previously - the 'they'll never have thought that I'd do this' type of decisions.

I'll pinpoint the selection of Elneny at OT, and of leaving Xhaka on the field at Goodison, as simply wrong decisions. What will Lokonga and Maitland-Niles have made of that? Then there's the decision to bring on Nketiah - who has just refused a new contract and is clearly on his way out - in front of Pepe and Aubameyang.  What's the hell is going on with Pepe? And is this the way to treat one's captain, who is still the best centre forward in the squad despite the recent catalogue of inexplicable misses?  

And if the game management has been going badly, then either the instructions are wrong, or they aren't getting across to the players. Either way, there's only one person at fault for that. 

And finally, back to Thomas Partey... he must surely come out of the side now. His confidence looks shot. He should be leading, if not vocally then by example, but whilst he occasionally makes the difficult look really easy he often makes the simple look really difficult. Somebody needs to have a word; and it'd have to be the manager. But can we have any faith that he can do that when he's messed up so badly with Auba; and Pepe; and Lokonga; and possibly with Tierney. 

I was really hoping that we'd turned a corner. But that no longer looks the case. And all the good managers have jobs now... He'll have to muddle through Christmas with the forward line he has, but he needs to start to rotate elsewhere now as the games start to come think and fast. And for me he must buy a forward in January. The team needs a lift. Auba's confidence needs a boost, Lacazette had an awful game last night, Nketiah's selection is incomprehensible, and Balogun must head out on loan for the second half of the season because he's not ready for the Premier League. I'm not saying that Arsenal cannot still finish fourth, but whatever's been lost over the past few weeks has to be found again - and quickly. 

And so to Southampton at home at the weekend. United had only one win in 9 before we played them. Everton zero in 8. Southampton have had none in 4 - please, Arsenal, don't be every other team's reset button!

#ArtetaOut is trending again. I can't say that I'm surprised. I'll keep the faith if you will...

Heroes & Villains - A Missed Opportunity

Oh, what might have been? Certain moments - and some frankly poor game management - and this is one that slipped away. 

Although... and there are some things that are easily viewed with hindsight... the selection of Elneny (as per last season's victory at OT) was always going to be viewed through the lens of the final score. If we'd have won, then it's brilliant from the manager. But as we lost... well, the guy's passing is known to be extremely limited, and slowed the team down in transition. Plus he's supposed to offer defensive solidity, yet we let in three goals. 

Coupled with another disappointing performance from Partey - over-compensating for Elneny, or is that another excuse for him? - and with little help coming from Odegaard in that area, and the United pairing of Fred and McTominay frankly dominated midfield. If you're making Fred look good, that really doesn't bode well; and Partey gave the ball away far too frequently. It's looking more and more like Partey is one of those players who is unable to live up to his hype in the rarefied pace of the Premier League; or perhaps - dare I whisper it - he needs Xhaka back alongside him?

With Saka not quite fit following his early departure against Newcastle, it was to be expected that Martinelli would replace him, and that is what Arteta did. I don't think that anyone could argue with that one.

And so to the game, and as I'm sure you've seen one of the most bizarre goals you're ever likely to see meant that Arsenal had an early lead. For those of you who were in a cave last night, Fred trod on De Gea's foot at an Arsenal corner, and he tumbled to the ground in apparent agony. ESR, ever alive, drove Elneny's header into the net with a left foot volley from the edge of the penalty area. Referee Atkinson almost blew his whistle, but didn't - he'd understandably not seen the prone goalkeeper - and there was therefore simply no reason to disallow it. No foul, and no offside. VAR had to confirm it, which was fair enough, but it appeared to me that Atkinson awarded the goal almost apologetically.

As for those who have suggested that Arsenal should have let United equalise direct from the kick-off... well, I'm sorry but no. If they'd have broken the Laws - or even the spirit - of the game, then fair enough. But they'd done nothing wrong, and any comparisons to the Kanu/Overmars FA Cup incident vs Sheffield United all those years ago are spurious.

And by that time Arsenal were well on top. Three corners in the first 90 seconds(!) - one of those clumsily cleared from almost off the line by Rashford - and with ESR popping up everywhere and causing consternation all along the United back line. It was all looking good. But for some reason Arsenal stopped playing... and what that did was put confidence back into United. There was too much faffing about, and fortunately for the most part the ball kept falling to Harry Maguire, but an equaliser felt inevitable. Fred's clever pass found Fernandes, and that was that; and, annoyingly, very close to half time.

But... and I know that after the incident involving Odegaard against Newcastle that could have led to a penalty for the opposition this might sound like sour grapes, but, right on half time, if that's not a foul by Maguire on Tomiyasu from the free kick awarded for McTominay's dangerous slide on Partey then I don't know what is! Although based on current form there's no guarantee that Auba would have scored it.

The second half was much more even. End to end stuff, in fact, and must have been fun for the neutral even though I could barely look! But of course the Ghost of Ronaldos Past came back to haunt us. He's scored so many goals against us - I remember that Champions League 30-yarder that almost took Almunia's head off with particular sadness - and here he was again, finishing off a delightful move down the Arsenal left.

And as soon as that happened, Arsenal picked up the pace again (why they'd let it drop I cannot tell) and were immediately back on terms as Odegaard swept home Martinelli's cross with his right (wrong) foot. And at that point (55 minutes) the game could have gone either way.

But then Odegaard turned from hero to villain, as his foolish challenge on Fred meant a penalty. To be taken by Mr Nemesis himself. A deep breath, and he slammed his foot into the ball as hard as he possibly could. I suppose that if Ramsdale had stood up instead of diving he may have saved it. Alternatively, it may have taken his head off. That was the 801st goal of the career of a player that Arsene Wenger claims he 'nearly bought'...

And here I can illustrate the difference between the two teams - on this night, at least. Aubameyang had two chances in quick succession. For the first, he took Martinelli's fine pass well, and then shot when he perhaps could have returned it. And then moments later he contrived to shoot almost directly at De Gea from just 6 yards out (he may well have been offside, but that's not the point; the point is that when it came to individual quality up front at vital moments, United had it and Arsenal did not). 

So that's another matter for concern for Arteta; dare he leave club captain Auba out now and try Martinelli up top? Certainly, there are concerns regarding the senior players, with neither Auba nor Partey pulling their weight, and Arsenal's youngsters dragging them onwards. 

I’m not quite sure how or why Arsenal appeared to sit back on their 1-0 lead and thereby let United off the hook when they were there for the taking. Perhaps it was psychological; but… Where was the drive? Who should have been pushing them on? The manager? Auba? Partey? There’s personality in the side, for sure; but there’s a lack of on-field leadership here.

There need to be changes for Everton. Lokonga back in for sure, I guess. And Tierney for Tavares, perhaps? The time feels right. Over to you, Mikel.

Before I go, I'd like to play tribute to Ray Kennedy, former Arsenal double-winner and legend - and perhaps an even bigger legend at Liverpool; having been transformed by Bob Paisley from an effective but perhaps slightly one-dimensional centre forward into a skilful attacking midfielder. Ray scored two crucial goals for Arsenal; a vital one to drag his team back into the Fairs Cup Final against Anderlecht in 1970, and then the winner at WHL the season after on the night that Arsenal secured the league title.

Horrifically, Ray was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease many years ago, and finally succumbed to it at just 70 years of age. On team-mate George Graham's birthday, poignantly. Very sad indeed. RIP.