{"id":10890,"date":"2025-03-04T22:14:05","date_gmt":"2025-03-04T22:14:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.goonerholicsforever.com\/?p=10890"},"modified":"2025-03-08T18:45:52","modified_gmt":"2025-03-08T18:45:52","slug":"magnificent-seven-as-dutch-get-smoked","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.goonerholicsforever.com\/?p=10890","title":{"rendered":"Magnificent Seven as Dutch Get Smoked"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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Arsenal destroyed PSV and won the tie in a bonkers match in Holland tonight. The first five minutes were fairly quiet. After that, it was non-stop\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Nwaneri played a dangerous cross to the far post where Gabriel volleyed it back too high across the box in a sign of intent from the visitors. Soon after \u00d8degaard received a crisp ball from Partey and danced through into the box. As he pulled his foot back to shoot it scraped the leg of a defender running back, enough to make him swipe at fresh air. No penalty given. It was the first bit of luck for PSV, although we would also get some of our own.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It was all go as a couple of minutes later Rice had the ball in the net with a crisp strike across goal into the side netting only to see it ruled out for a close offside earlier in the move. Keeping up the tempo it was PSV\u2019s turn to come close after excellent play from the evergreen Perisic who tempted Raya to come for a low cross only for it to squirt free across the box. Some PSV lad should really have scored but he smashed his shot into the bar and the rebound was hit just wide of the far post. Definitely a let off for us.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We took full advantage and two minutes later we had the lead. MLS did brilliantly to ride a challenge in midfield and send the ball through to Rice, who worked the space to find a left-footed cross high to the back post where Timber was in exactly the right place, rising highest to head us into a lead. Let\u2019s hope he has a few more of them in the locker between now and the end of the season as this was excellent from him.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We only had to wait three more minutes to go two up. Trossard played a ball inside to the marauding MLS and his deflected cross slid across the box for Nwaneri to absolutely leather it high into the net from six yards out.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

MLS then got a soft yellow for a shirt pull that his opponent made the most of. De Jong, in particular, was adept at drawing fouls even when replays showed he was clearly backing into his man instead of looking at the ball. Our Hale End graduate needed to be careful but two minutes later he had his heart in his mouth. He went to make a sliding challenge but hesitated for a split second as he obviously realised he was on a yellow and did not want another red. However, the ball was there for the taking and his natural aggression won out \u2013 he went for the ball. That momentary hesitation cost him though and he got there late. You could see from his reaction that he feared the worst, all those thoughts running through his head about getting another red\u2026 The PSV man made the most of it but he could easily have been off. Fortunately for us, the ref used some common sense (read, \u2018unreasonable leniency\u2019 if you\u2019re a fan of the Dutch team who\u2019s stumbled in here) and kept his cards in his pocket. It could have been a turning point. Maybe it was.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Only another two minutes went by before we were three up. Nwaneri and Timber had found the same wavelength on the right, and it was tenacious play that saw them win the ball and work it into the box. It got a bit scrappy as defenders went to challenge but when some PSV lad touched it weakly whilst falling over Merino was there to apply a calm, precise finish low into the far corner. There was a long VAR check for offside, reminiscent of the Premier League, but it went our way and the goal stood.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We\u2019d barely finished celebrating when Arteta hooked MLS for Calafiori, aiming to keep us at eleven men. The young man had made a decisive contribution and he will learn how to keep his cool when opposition try to work him like this. There followed a full eight minutes without a goal or a nearly moment. In the context of a crazy first half, it felt like a real breather.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The respite ended on 42 minutes when Partey gave away a penalty defending a free kick. The Ghanaian was blocked from getting to his man and reached out an arm to make up his positional shortfall. As all game, the PSV lad went down like a sack of spuds. Savvy play but no real complaints from us. It was a deserved penalty, even if a yellow card added insult to injury. Lang stepped up and hit a strong shot to his left past the stationary Raya who gambled he would put it down the middle.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rice then hit a cracking shot which was flying in until the keeper tipped it around the post, somehow avoiding the concession of a corner.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There was still time for Malacia to whip a ball to De Jong who headed a very presentable chance over. The whistle went and we could all catch our breath. 3-1 at half-time and no-one had seen this coming.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The second half started the same way, with Arsenal scoring after 90 seconds. Merino funnelled it to Nwaneri, brimming with end product on the night, and he hit it hard and low across the six-yard box where a hand from the keeper played it into \u00d8degaard\u2019s path for the captain to pass into the net.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We scored again two minutes later, Calafiori sliding in Trossard (after receiving a lovely flick from the Belgian) who dinked it over the keeper from close range. We were four goals up, which wasn\u2019t bad for a team who can\u2019t score.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

PSV came back, first with a venomous shot blocked by Gabriel and then after reworking the resultant corner into a headed chance for De Jong which Raya saved at point blank range because he had his hands up in the right place. Nwaneri went on an adventurous run ending with a hard shot that forced a save. From a Rice corner Gabriel had a free header from a few yards out. He should have scored and he looked annoyed not to. At the same time, Timber was being manhandled, pushed physically off the pitch, and I have no idea how that was not deemed at least as bad as the Partey challenge. Both sides were lucky at times tonight.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Timber was then unlucky to get a yellow card which could just as easily have gone to the Dutch side, when he dallied too long taking a free kick, even though at no point did the closest PSV player retreat to the proper 10 yards. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Trossard was clearly offside when Calafiori\u2019s high pressing deflected the ball to him, so no-one was surprised when his finish was ruled out. It was soon forgotten when \u00d8degaard ran into central space and blasted a shot that the keeper should have saved. Instead, he let it through him for our sixth of the night and our captain\u2019s second. I think that doubled his total for the season.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We made some subs, White, Zinny, Tierney and Sterling coming on. They also made changes, including Bakayoko, who was a dangerous presence. Zinny nearly scored a blinder, controlling a chipped ball from Tierney and volleying at goal. The keeper touched it wide, demonstrating again his ability to do this without conceding a corner. It\u2019s not as good as saving shots, but it\u2019s no bad skill.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

After eighty-two minutes we won a corner after Raya grabbed a PSV corner out of the sky and punted a long ball at Rice who busted a gut this late in the game to collect it in front of a flagging defender, who just got back to nick it behind. Typical of the effort that Rice, and everyone else, put in all game.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A couple of minutes later \u00d8degaard played an \u00d6zillian ball with the outside of his boot from the half space on the right where he operates so dangerously when White and Saka are his partners in crime. Calafiori had made a beautiful run and his right foot finish was slotted past the keeper and into the side netting. Sublime stuff.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Raya came to sweep up a long ball and ended up juggling poorly about thirty yards from his own goal. Just for shits and giggles. We were winning SEVEN \u2013 one, and he could do what he liked.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The final whistle went.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It was a crazy game and we were very, very good. Let\u2019s hope it is a result that puts us back on track. I\u2019ll look forward to hearing from you all in the Drinks\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Until next time, \u2018holics.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Arsenal destroyed PSV and won the tie in a bonkers match in Holland tonight. The first five minutes were fairly quiet. After that, it was non-stop\u2026 Nwaneri played a dangerous cross to the far post where Gabriel volleyed it back too high across the box in a sign of intent from the visitors. Soon after […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[6],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.goonerholicsforever.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10890"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.goonerholicsforever.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.goonerholicsforever.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.goonerholicsforever.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/7"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.goonerholicsforever.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=10890"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.goonerholicsforever.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10890\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":10904,"href":"https:\/\/www.goonerholicsforever.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10890\/revisions\/10904"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.goonerholicsforever.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=10890"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.goonerholicsforever.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=10890"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.goonerholicsforever.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=10890"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}