Match report – Player ratings – Arteta reaction – Video
I’m going to interrupt down at the moment’s weblog into totally different sections. It simply looks as if one of the simplest ways to undergo final night time’s 1-1 draw with Brighton.
First Half
I assumed it was a usually stable first half efficiency from us. With Kai Havertz nonetheless unavailable, and Martin Odegaard additionally affected by sickness, Ethan Nwaneri stored his place on the best hand aspect. And it was from there that our objective got here. Declan Rice and Mikel Merino mixed nicely, the latter performed a pleasant ball excessive – I believe it was for Rice however Nwaneri took it on.
We all know he’s a participant who can rating objectives, and this end – whereas not probably the most convincing he’ll ever produce – demonstrated his need and confidence. He had Rice steaming alongside him and will have performed a easy go for a tap-in, however he went for objective and was rewarded.
Brighton’s solely actual probability of the sport got here when Jorginho was caught in possession (an unlucky function of his efficiency final night time), however an off-balance Simon Adingra put his shot large when he ought to have scored. Nwaneri picked up a laughable reserving for time-wasting when ready to take a nook and that was mainly that.
Second half
I assumed the introduction of Gabriel Martinelli was tied to the yellow card for Nwaneri, but it surely seems it was as a result of the 17 yr previous has suffered an damage. “Really bad news“, mentioned Mikel Arteta, extra on that anon. Brighton made a few modifications too as they tried to get again into it.
We had a free kick after Pervis Estupinan produced a wild problem to flatten Rice within the air. For individuals who suppose Nwaneri’s reserving was justified, clarify to me how taking a couple of seconds over a nook – that the ref can simply add on by the way in which – is extra worthy of a yellow card than this one? From the ensuing free kick, we had an opportunity to attain, Merino sliced large as Rice delivered a low ball into the field, however in mitigation it’s robust when it’s coming via a sea of legs like that.
However then …
The Penalty
I’ll admit I went full circle on this. In actual time, I checked out it and thought ‘How?!’ Then once they confirmed replays, I felt like I couldn’t complain. If an Arsenal ahead headed the ball within the field then a defender headed him, would I need the penalty? 100%. What number of occasions have you ever seen them given when a defender is in regards to the leather-based the ball away, however a ahead will get a tiny contact and the defender kicks the person moderately than the ball? It felt like a type of.
Nevertheless, slow-motion exhibits Saliba additionally headed the ball after Joao Pedro touched it, so to punish him for it feels actually, actually harsh. I don’t blame the referee right here, by the way in which. He couldn’t have seen that. This was a job for VAR, however from what we perceive they checked and cleared it in seconds. They didn’t have a look at that gradual movement footage, which is absurd as a result of they will take 5 minutes to test an offside if they need. There’s no closing the secure door on this know-how now, however the very least we are able to count on is that they use it to its fullest and on this event they utterly failed to take action.
Arteta mentioned:
I’ve by no means seen a call like this in my profession. I requested the boys if they’ve and no person has seen it earlier than. While you have a look at the incident, the gap, the participant, Joao Pedro touching the ball and Saliba touching the ball. You’ll be able to see contact there.
Pedro scored, it was 1-1, and you would put that entire incident down on the lengthy record of issues that occur to Arsenal and by no means, ever to a different membership. Even this season we’ve had this, the Rice and Trossard purple playing cards when the delaying the restart rule was solely relevant to us, they usually have been pricey when it comes to factors. And if the Pedro incident is a penalty, so was the tug on Gabriel within the first half. Irritating, to say the least.
Second half redux
Penalty apart although, this was a really drained second half efficiency through which we created nearly nothing of word. There was one shot on course, a Rice effort which was simply saved, and a Partey header he ought to have performed a lot better with, and that was about it. Odegaard got here off his sick mattress to attempt to make an influence, however regarded like he wanted to be at residence with a goblet of Lemsip and a hot-water bottle, and that was as a lot as we needed to provide.
There have been two Academy youngsters on the bench, and a plethora of left-backs. So, whereas I can utterly perceive why we lacked some power (we performed a tricky recreation on Wednesday whereas Brighton performed two days beforehand and had extra relaxation), it is a recreation – very like the one towards Ipswich – which hammered residence the necessity for pressing reinforcement within the attacking third.
The damage to Nwaneri – muscular in response to Arteta – compounds our points in that sense. In opposition to Brentford and within the first half right here, we’d gained a participant, however in typical vogue for this season, we’ve misplaced him immediately. I don’t know but how lengthy he’ll be out however both means it is a group of gamers who’re going to essentially wrestle over the course of this month until the membership does one thing to assist them.
Because it stands, now we have Trossard (who was poor yesterday), Jesus, and Martinelli, with the return of Havertz sooner or later however he was too sick to function yesterday. He’s hardly going to be in high form for a cup semi-final on Tuesday. I don’t imply to say we are able to get somebody in earlier than then, however we must be engaged on one thing asap. This isn’t a case of simply wanting one thing new for the sake of it, it’s an outright necessity as a result of the workforce badly requires it.
That is the ninth time Arsenal have scored one or none in a Premier League recreation this season they usually’ve dropped factors in seven of these matches.
#BHAARS
— Orbinho (@orbinho.bsky.social) January 4, 2025 at 7:33 PM
I believe we’ve been actually, actually unfortunate at occasions this season, however the chilly, laborious fact is that we lack the firepower to beat a few of that ill-fortune. A few of what has occurred is totally out of our management, however what we are able to management is how we construct our squad, and in that sense we’ve been discovered wanting. If soccer is a recreation so usually determined by the tremendous margins, we’ve allowed ourselves to be the fallacious aspect of them too usually, and now we have to do one thing about it.
Even when the Premier League may be nearly unattainable by the top of the day when Liverpool batter Man Utd, we nonetheless have two cups and the Champions League to compete for. That’s not nothing, and it’s incumbent on those that make the choices to offer us the absolute best probability in these competitions.
Until tomorrow, once we’ll have an Arsecast Further for you. Have Sunday.
