How’s that for your Saturday football fix?
Arsenal enjoyed a calm and collected 4-0 triumph over AFC Bournemouth down on the South Coast to ramp up the pressure on Manchester City.
Bukayo Saka got the scoring underway before expertly taken penalties from Martin Ødegaard, and later Kai Havertz with his first Gunners goal, before a Ben White header added some gloss to the scoreline in injury time.
Mikel Arteta made just one change from the disappointing derby draw against Spurs last weekend, with Kai Havertz replacing Fabio Vieira. To their credit, The Cherries started positively with lots of possession, albeit without really going anywhere with it. In contrast, Arsenal looked dangerous every time they came forward. Zinchenko tested Neto with a fierce drive from the edge of the area. And on 17 minutes, our class told. Ødegaard sent in a delicious cross to the far post from the right, Jesús headed it into the bar and the ball came out to Saka who nodded home into an empty net with the ‘keeper stranded. 1-0 to The Arsenal!
The rest of the half saw some excellent game management from Arsenal. It looked as though they were content with the hosts to have the ball, as if they believed as long as they kept their shape, there was not an awful lot The Cherries could do to hurt them. But, as always, when your team takes a 1-0 lead, there was a sense Arsenal needed that second goal. No matter how much control you may have over your opponents, this is football and any team can score a fluke goal or you can get a ridiculous red card and it can all go pear shaped.
But today there were to be no such calamities for the Gunners. Just before the break, they won a penalty. Following a lovely interchange on the left-hand side between Zinchenko and Nketiah, the latter won a penalty after being tripped by Aarons in the box. Initially I thought he got the ball but replays clearly show he was nowhere near. Ødegaard stepped up to take it. The perfect chance for Arsenal to enjoy their half time oranges with some breathing space. The skipper stepped up and calmly sent Neto the wrong way hitting the ball low into the bottom corner. It was the kind of penalty where even if the ‘keeper dived the right way he’d get nowhere near it. 2-0 to The Arsenal at the break.
Mikel Arteta’s side were in complete control. But could they add to their lead? Or would they rest on their laurels? Given the upcoming schedule for Arsenal perhaps they could be forgiven for doing so. But merely six minutes into the second period, Arsenal were awarded a second penalty of the afternoon. This time, Martin Ødegaard was scythed down by Christie and despite a hilariously outrageous VAR check for some unknown reason, the decision stood.
Up stepped the much-maligned Kai Havertz. Gulp. The German has been heavily criticised by large sections of the Arsenal fan base since he signed from the third best team in West London this summer. Could this be the moment where Kai finally got off the mark for his new club? Yes, it was. Another expertly taken spot kick with Neto again diving the wrong way. Havertz was mobbed by his teammates and the fans christened his new chant for the rest of the game. It was a nice touch from Saka and Ødegaard to pass up the opportunity to add to their tallies and give up the ball to their teammate who was in dire need of a confidence boost. Great stuff all round.
The remainder of the game was played at walking pace, at Arsenal’s leisure of course. It was like they had Bournemouth on a leash. Unless Arsenal’s players deliberately started whacking the ball into their own net, The Cherries wouldn’t have scored in a month of Sundays. Arteta used the gulf in the two side’s class to give some fringe players valuable minutes in preparation for a big week in Arsenal’s season in the league and in Europe. Off came Rice, Nketiah, Saka, Havertz and Zinchenko and on came Jorginho, Nelson, Smith Rowe, Vieira, and Tomiyasu. Jesús went close with a low drive, Smith Rowe had his one-on-one effort saved but right at the end Arsenal found their fourth. Ødegaard floated in a free kick and Ben White rose highest to nod home. 4-0 to the Arsenal.
We almost found the time to add a fifth as Smith Rowe fizzed an effort from the edge of the area that was beaten away by Neto but 4-0 was enough and it was a handsome afternoon for the Gunners who move up to joint second, just a point behind the Champions, Manchester City who rather unexpectedly lost at Wolves today. You can’t ask for more than that.
It is a good start to a crucial week in Arsenal’s season, as they travel to Northern France to take on RC Lens on Matchday two of the Champions League where they know a win will see them take a big step towards qualifying for the knockout stages after Christmas. Then a week tomorrow, it’s the big one as Manchester City come to town in a game which could go a long way to deciding the Title come the end of the season.
Overall, a comfortable win which cannot be taken for granted in the Premier League and valuable ground gained on the champions. Oh, and United lost again. Fabulous stuff.
Onwards…
Excellent stuff C21G. I sit watching MoTD not having seen the match and hope to enjoy the highlights. More VAR madness today. When will it end?
UTA
Very well-written report 21CG. Entertaining, accurate and for someone who doesn’t watch streams a helpful summary of the game . I have seen MOTD and will watch the highlights on Sky .
We won comfortably there last year and this was even more comfortable , it was good therapy to give Havertz the penalty in that situation and he knocked it home very competently . It’s already becoming a them and us league table and happily the them includes Manure and the Chavs . And it’s nice that Citeh and Liverpool can’t threaten our invincibility . That is a record we must guard jealously
Lovely report Nic on a lovely result. Being on the road I missed the game and just now saw the goals on the dot.con
Excellently taken penalties and my favorite, the away clean sheet. Not much not to like that I can see. Assuming I am looking at it through the correct lens. Lens, anyone?
Cheers 21CG. Nice report.
Well done Havertz. How he took the penalty without looking at the ball is somewhat beyond me. You could really see the team come together around that decision and that goal. Great stuff.
Europe on Tuesday, but that’s a different competition and must be viewed through a different lens. Sorry, I couldn’t resist.
Excellent high speed report, 21CG. Faberesque in its velocity and accuracy.
Succinct and encompassing, 21CG. We saw the same game. Lens is business to be dispatched efficiently midweek and the visit of the blue Mancs is the serious stuff.
Thanks 21CG, a fine report of a seaside stroll. Bournemouth try to play football which suits us just fine as we are way better at it.
It doesn’t matter now but I thought the guy who gently pushed Eddie over when he was clean through was a bit lucky to stay on.
“It still seems strange that so much of the exhausting debate around VAR seems to boil down to basic issues of competence. These are professionally trained officials unable to manipulate their own technology, and to make a correct, very obvious call on one of the few things that always happens in every game. It doesn’t have to be like this. Imagine if these people were in charge of air traffic control.”
– Barnay Ronay, writing in today’s Guardian.
That last line is killer. The tech is good, but the people using it are incompetent.
GSD @8, the analogy with other professions where incompetence, in attention or laziness can have serious consequences is exactly right. These people shouldn’t be allowed to be near any position of responsibility again. Traffic warden would be too difficult a role for them.
Nice review, done at warp speed, 21CG. A top notch performance from the team, with the only issue being Arteta’s continued insistence on playing Saka way beyond the time he needed to be on the pitch, resulting in what appeared to be a quite needless injury. He is now highly unlikely to be able to play in midweek, I would wager.
Excellent points Dino and Bath @ 8 and 9. Nice quote from Ronay in the Grauniad, but his next sentence is more than a little disconcerting:
“But in a way the mistake for Díaz’s goal was easier to understand because it was simply an error.”
I’m afraid it is partial defences like this- incredibly weak in this case- that help to keep these failed traffic wardens in a job. I can only imagine they do it in order to ensure they retain their links with the shady organisation PGMOL, remaining inside the cosy media tent rather than being ostracised. In doing so, the press remain firmly a part of the problem rather than becoming part of the solution. Very dispiriting and it soured what was otherwise a great day.
Cheers 21CG.
I think I could live with a month of Sundays.
As for VAR, yes clearly yesterday VAR wasn’t in itself the problem.
And of course it benefitted that lot, who proceeded to win against nine men via a 96th minute deflection, which makes it a lot worse. For us.
An excellent match report 21CG, written in your customary fluent and lively prose. Yesterday’s game was the second I have watched on a stream, one I think destined for a South African audience. Streams seem to have got so much better in the last year – mine was HD quality and only froze once in the whole game. The other benefit is that you don’t have Gary Neville droning away.
We were pleasingly fluent today, with Declan Rice running midfield. He seems to be both physical and elegant at the same time The player he reminds me of the most is Bobby Moore. Bournemouth came out to play but once we went one up the game was over.
For me, the pivotal event came at 2-0 when Havertz was handed the ball for a penalty. He had taken one at Wembley in the Community Shield, successfully. But this was a very bold decision, one taken with the long term future of Havertz and the team in mind. It could have gone wrong. As we know fine well, 2-0 can be a precarious lead. But he scored and a huge release of tension came. The players mobbed him. The magnificent away fans serenaded him with a song first heard briefly at Wembley but which is now destined to be a fan favourite.
To the tune of Shakira’s Waka Waka, the key two lines are
£60m down the drain
Kai Havertz ..scores again!
It really was a very comfortable afternoon on the South Coast. My only complaint is that Saka should have been hooked when we got to 3-0. Arteta has a very macho view of players playing hurt (well he is Spanish, the home of machismo). I fear for Saka.
The hype about Manchester City (will go unbeaten and do the quadruple) came to an end this week, crashing out of the League Cup against Newcastle on Wednesday and well beaten by a lively Wolves at Molineux. They are a superb football team but, minus de Bruyne and Rodri, far from unbeatable. Huge game next weekend. If you are going, as the saying goes, bring your fucking dinner.
Cheers 21CG ! The decision to give Havertz the ball for that penalty was a brave and generous one that could have gone wrong. It didn’t and the response to his success backed up the things that Arteta has been saying about him. It was lovely to see the whole team sharing in his palpable joy and relief. Everyone I have heard, bar none, agrees that he is a real talent. Hopefully yesterday will provide the confidence boost that encourages him to really make his mark.
Saliba and Gabriel have settled back into their impressive partnership again which is giving the midfield more confidence to revert to last season’s quick one touch fluency again. The U-bend of safety first is disappearing
again, thank goodness.
Finally, a plea to PGMOL – we have rules on foul play and a card system to prevent it. Could you fellas, despite your recurring incompetence, please use said system to protect ALL players, including Bukayo Saka. He is what this game should be all about and he is slowly but surely being kicked out of it. Ta !
I agree it was an inspired gesture to give Havertz the penalty . It was a pressure kick but he did score a penalty in the World Club Cup Final and we were 2-0 up. I think the decision was intelligent and showed the respect and affection that the team had for him.
He hadn’t scored for twenty games and had he not notched in a 4-0 win there was the chance he could have felt a little dissociated from the rest of the team who have started the season well.
In the role that Havertz has I’m not sure frequent goalscoring is expected . Granit did well last season and got towards 10 but it was by far his best goalscoring season . I suspect Arteta sees him as a difference maker in big games like next Sunday and someone who can add aerial strength. Although we have a couple of assist machines in Saka and MO we’d obviously like Havertz to increase his assists with a team with our creativity . Let’s hope he kicks on after yesterday’s first goal in all aspects of his play
Lots of good points made above about Havertz, Saka and VAR with the customary good sense of this fine establishment.
Darren England and his assistant VAR Dan Cook have been replaced for their other assignments this weekend following their Saturday mistakes, which seems like a minor slap on the wrist. It seems there needs to be greater accountability than that, though I don’t know how that can be imposed given the PGMOL is a self-chosen, self-governing private company that has made itself a monopoly supplier. I would think that this is something that the Premier League would be getting involved in as VAR mistakes such as Saturday’s (and all the others) must pose a material risk to the value of the PL ‘product’.
I read that the Saudi Pro League has been approaching English referees. Perhaps the solution to VAR is to ship out the PGMOL lock, stock and barrel and start afresh.
It seems England and Cook were reffing in the UAE two days ago Ned.
https://x.com/samjdean/status/1708457302741692818?s=61&t=cVFjCyGkt4y-Ne45LtfqkQ
This is an interesting piece on the ramifications of an ‘independent regulator’ of the game in hock to political appointment and therefore subject to political pressures and influence (£). The example of the secret communications between the FCO and the Embassy in Abu Dhabi on the topic of the charges against Abu Dhabi Citeh is not an encouraging precedent:
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/football/2023/10/01/manchester-city-legal-dispute-government-football-regulator/
Just a reminder that Kai Havertz scored more Premier League goals in September than Chelsea Football Club.
Ned, I like your idea in the last paragraph @15 🤣🤣🤣
C100@16: So it was not human error, but jet lag, or perhaps their eyesight was still dazzled by Saudi gold. If only they had said…
More seriously, what is being leaked about how the Saturday cock-up occurred seems flimsier and flimsier. Surely, if all the proper processes had been followed, that would have included conversations with the on-field ref, who would, at the very least, have questioned a ‘check ccomplete’ announcement if the conversation had been about how it was a goal and his offside was being overuled. Second, even if the VARs had pressed the wrong button to signal ‘check complete’ and not ‘goal’, wouldn’t they have immediately realised their mistake and reversed it straightaway if they had already concluded that the goal should stand? Embarrassing in the moment, yes, but if the lines then showed that there was no offside and that the correct decision had eventually been announced, the incident would have quickly blown over as a ‘fat finger’. Instead, the whole system is dragged into further disrepute and raises even more questions about competence and motives. As ever, it is the cover-up, not the crime, that reeks the more.
My other question is whether there is any financial penalty for VARs who are stood down from assignments for disciplinary reasons. How are PMGOL officials paid? Salary? Per game, depending on role? Do they have performance bonuses, and if so, how are they determined?
Excellent points, Ned.
Bath@17: I fear your pessimism is well-founded. There is a long and sordid history of government interference in football for its own purposes.
I was reminded of that when writing my recent profile of Boy Bastin. In 1935, the British government insisted that an international match between England and Germany at White Hart Lane (of all places) went ahead despite trade union calls for it to be cancelled in protest against Hitler’s treatment of German Jews and, better remembered, it instructed the English XI, of which Bastin was a member, to give the Nazi salute before the start of the return game in Berlin in 1938.
Craig Pawson will now assume England’s duties as fourth official at the City Ground while Eddie Smart will take over from Cook as assistant referee at Craven Cottage,” said referees’ body PGMOL.
The above is part of the upshot of the referee negligence at the Liverpool-Spurs game. It may be assumed that the deposed Cook was not Smart.
Ned @20, precisely. The way the episode is being described as playing out implies that the request for a VAR review of the erroneous offside decision interrupts the focus of their attention from something else. They gave the game situation a cursory glance, failed to identify the issue correctly, gave their stock response and failed to notice the subsequent offside free kick being taken as they had returned to the focus of their attention and could not, as a result, correct the error. The question is, what was the focus of their attention? A poker school, online betting, a riveting movie or something seedy? We need to know.
Ned @22, an excellent example of how politicians’ priorities can corrupt the game if they get a chance.
CER @12
I don’t think Ronay is making any sort of apology with the line you’ve quoted, without the context which he says it in.
His point is that the offside is just a fuckup, whereas he contrasts this with the Jones sending off by referencing the process which sees the ref called to the screen to be confronted with a freeze frame of the worst angle of the foul. Instead of, say, the replay of the incident from multiple angles. This initial freeze frame colours his judgment so far that he is never gonna do anything other than give a red.
Yet, whoever decided that this was the way VAR should be used?
The refs are, as usual, making up their own rules. Ones that put themselves front and centre.
Ronay’s point is that individual incompetence, whilst frustrating, is easier to reconcile than institutional failings to apply a fair process.
Rather than being an excuse, it is a far more damning assessment.
GSD @25, that image confronting the referee as he walked to the monitor epitomises the lack of objectivity in PHMOL. It was a shocking demonstration of how they believe they should be influencing the game rather than mere whistlers.
Gary Neville predicts Arsenal will win the league.
https://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/football/news/gary-neville-manchester-city-arsenal-31078643.amp
Definitely an ambush.
Accurate and comprehensive review 21CG!
We played well enough to deserve that score line against a very ordinary looking Bournemouth team. Hopefully that goal — and the collective support that preceded and followed — will help Havertz feel more at ease with himself and the new team.
Rice and Zinchenko had exactly the kind of dominating, composed, controlling performances that will be pivotal for us for sustained run of results. Some of Raya’s passing through the middle were impressively ambitious and well executed.
And it’s a crying shame that the English football is failing to protect their most promising player, a rare generational talent in world football, maybe just because he plays for the Arsenal.
Mike McDonald’s take on our game, our away fans, VAR and “Tri-City Tim”
Thanks C100, a good read as always.
Good news that Saka trained today, apparently TP5 is back as well. With Mo returning too we have a lot of cover for Rice now. Although I hope we don’t go back to the TP5 as nominal right back thing as it just looks clunky. Though having said that I don’t like letting two in at home to Fulham and Spurs either.
C100@29: Thanks for the link. Playing to control the game through possession higher up the field to ‘suffocate’ the opposition has been noticeable all season. McDonald’s suggestion that this is also being done to preserve legs for late in the season is an additional insight.
OM@31: Arteta likes to squeeze Partey into the team to give more height at the back, but I agree with you that he should be cover for Rice, not a makeshift right back. At best, he will start on the bench against Lens after such a long layoff.
A heads-up to participants in the GHF Predictathon: the current match week concludes with the Burnley v Luton game on Tuesday, so the next update to the standings won’t be until after that.
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