Arsenal continued their dominance atop the Premier League table with yet another 1-0 win on Saturday; against a game, but limited, Hull City side who - to be fair - are not your typical just-promoted cannon fodder. Indeed, none of the promoted sides look the prime candidates for relegation that these sides often do; which is going to make life interesting for several more established clubs as the season progresses.
Hull have no stars, but they are extremely well-organised; and they work hard. Our expectations for Arsenal, however, should be set higher than what we’re seeing at the moment; for all that this game was on the back of yet another sequence of three away games. Nonetheless, one could hardly call watching these games 'enjoyable'. Here's my On The Whistle - https://www.youtube.com/shorts/ZKYbdRP2NgI - next... some media training, I think.
The home side always looked the better side (as one would expect), but were laboured in possession, had too many players off the boil, and they really struggled to create clear-cut chances - yet again! 21 shots - apparently - and 10 on target - but they struggled to muster much above 1.00xG from all those chances. Christos Tzolis is still feeling his way back after his injury - and frankly is starting to look less like the world-beater that we hoped that he’d be. And Kai Havertz had yet another one of 'those' games; struggling in his duels, running offside far too much, and failing to register a single shot. For all that he has a knack of scoring important goals, his season so far has been distinctly underwhelming.
Arsenal were - of course - defensively solid, with Gabriel and Konsa giving nothing whatsoever away. They never looked like conceding. But despite Martin Odegaard popping up everywhere - one moment between the centre backs; the next probing close to the opposition penalty area - and Declan Rice pushing forward at every opportunity, there remained a slight dysfunction about the midfield and its ability to create against yet another mid-low block. I mean... Bruno did OK - always looking for a through ball - but there was something about Hull's shape that made them very awkward opponents.
The main ray of sunshine was once again Noni Madueke, who since the last extended Interlull has looked a different player to the flaky, inconsistent individual he has been since he was plucked from the Chelsea lunatic asylum. Whatever has happened - Arteta getting his teeth into him, or he himself starting to take his career more seriously following a frankly disastrous World Cup - we are seeing a more mature and productive player than ever before.
We have never doubted his ability on the ball, but up to now he has not been able to apply it to offer consistent production. Last season I had christened him Noni Noendproduct, and this year we'd again seen Good Noni and Bad Noni - never quite knowing what to expect; often from one minute to the next! In the past few weeks, however, he has been - alongside Martin Odegaard - Arsenal's most creative player. I guess that a combination of something clicking for him at last, alongside the certainty that he is going to get a run of starts in the side in the enforced absence of Bukayo Saka, has given him the confidence to express himself more consistently.
Not that things are perfect. Not by a long chalk. But he is terrorising defenders with his unique combination of pace and skill, and is actually the league's most consistent player in regard to chances created per 90 minutes. That's a remarkable stat, actually. On Saturday he was relentless; going again and again and again; and finally getting his assist for Martin Odegaard - one of three decent shooting opportunities that all caused goalkeeper Tzolakis to make a save. The last of those, actually, he made a right mess of - he should have shot, but instead tried to round the keeper. But his decision-making does continue to improve - alongside that relentlessness that continually pressurises his full back. Despite his shocking World Cup showing, on current form he should be disappointed not to have found his way back into Tuchel's squad in the absence of Starboy. But his and England's loss will be Arsenal's gain, I guess.
I won't get into much details regarding the game. There was very little action to get excited about; and frankly it was just when I was starting to worry if Arsenal were ever going to turn their territorial domination into goals that they finally did take the lead. Noni's shot spilled by the goalkeeper, and Odegaard reacting the quickest to turn in the loose ball.
Frankly, it had been coming. And it is a reflection of the strength of the Arsenal bench that Arteta was able to present Hull with a completely different set of problems to those with which they had appeared so relatively comfortable for so long. Gyokeres and Merino for Rice and Havertz changed the dynamic Yes, Havertz had been poor, but Gyokeres' abiity to stretch defenders, and Merino's knack of 'arriving', changed the flow of the game. Bruno dropped into the 6 role to accommodate that - and it all worked. The mood changed, and the goal was inevitable, frankly; for all that the substitutes weren't really involved in it.
The only other incident I really wanted to cover was the 'penalty' incident. Which -as it turns out - the officials got all wrong. Now, whether the Law as it is written is the right way of going about things is an interesting point of discussion, but it was the incorrect interpretation of it by the VAR that is the real frustration (no coincidence, perhaps, that the VAR was Michael Oliver, whose Direct Debit appears not to have yet been cancelled by Qatar...).
Law 12 states that 'where a player in an offside position is moving towards the ball with the intention of playing it, and is fouled before playing or attempting to play the ball or challenge an opponent for the ball, the foul is penalised as if it had occurred before the offside offence'. In other words, in this instance Havertz was hampered by the shirt pull by Mendy before he could challenge for the ball; and the fact that he was offside at the time is secondary - after the fact, in fact.
Certainly, referee Allam did not help with his 'after review' explanation. We cheered at the anticipated penalty award as he started to explain what he had seen, but neither he nor senior referee Oliver knew the Law sufficiently as they incorrectly penalised the offside. The egg certainly came before the chicken, but the officials think that the chicken came before the egg. All I can say is Thank Goodness that Arsenal went on to win regardless of this incorrect interpretation; otherwise the debate would still be going on now!
Anyway, we move on; now 5 points clear of Brighton in second as Mancheater Cheaty were comfortably despatched by Nottingham Forest - for whom Liam Delap suddenly metamorphosed into a clone of his opposite number on the field. Remarkable; and his second goal was one of two outstanding goals in that game. That, Cherki's finish at the other end, and Gomes's remarkable effort for Brighton were outstanding pieces of skill and excitement. How we would have killed for that at Emirates Stadium earlier! Or for anything that could have got us out of our seats. Apart, that is, from the continual stream of people in my row and the two in front getting up and down all afternoon; as usual - alternating between the bar and the urinals; a massive source of irritation for me every single week, frankly.
Lots of results went Arsenal's way this weekend, did they not? City losing again; and Haaland looking utterly fed up. I wonder what their players talk about after training every day? Spurs back to being Spurs. Chelsea losing to the bottom-placed side. Manchester United involved in a crazy game that saw them equaslise with a goal that Arsenal would have been vilified for scoring - surely there was a foul or three in there? - and Emery losing his rag as a result. Glorious... meanwhile, Arsenal march on into...
... another international break. I'm actually looking forward to Spain vs England, to be honest. But I'd sooner be watching my team stretch their lead at the top of the Premier League table, of course. After Newcastle away on our return, it's Dortmund and then Mancheater Cheaty in the space of 5 days at home - an exciting week awaits. I should mention, by the way, that I will be fully prepared for City; the inflatable bananas have been purchased!
Let's hope that Arsenal players come back unscathed from their jaunts this next week or so. And it won't be long until Saliba is back! That - and the hope of the verdict that we're anticipating, and a subsequent Manchester fire sale that sees their Nordic hero rock up at Arsenal to play with his international captain... Put Erling Haaland in this side, and the rest may as well give up. Allow a man to dream...
COYG!
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