{"id":12224,"date":"2025-11-09T10:23:30","date_gmt":"2025-11-09T10:23:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.goonerholicsforever.com\/?p=12224"},"modified":"2025-11-13T09:04:19","modified_gmt":"2025-11-13T09:04:19","slug":"annoying-black-cats-nick-our-cream","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.goonerholicsforever.com\/?p=12224","title":{"rendered":"Annoying Black Cats Nick Our Cream"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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Courtesy of Simpsons Premium \u2013 please keep in mind cats are in fact lactose intolerant<\/em><\/strong>
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All things end of course and sadly our excellent winning run and clean sheet bonanza both ended away at Sunderland yesterday (or about 4.30AM today if you happened to be in Japan) as we drew 2-2 after conceding two goals for the first time this season. It was not the end of the world, though it stung at the time as late, late goals against always do, especially against limited opponents playing what was basically punt and hope football.  I really don\u2019t intend that to be disrespectful \u2013 Sunderland worked very hard in defence and did very well off the 0.5xg scraps that fell their way \u2013 but for our players I am sure there will be some disappointment at not taking home the three points. In the end some perspective might be best – we took 7 out of 9 points from three consecutive away trips in a week and with a squad short of several great players. Let\u2019s put the doctors to work during the damned interlull and move on!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The 1<\/strong>st<\/sup><\/strong> half \u2013 Sunderland 1 The Arsenal 0<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The day had started with an XI pretty much as expected (a nod to Ned for the correct XI) and a bench full of the young and the very young (another nod, this time to the more experienced Kepa, White and N\u00f8rgaard). The game itself kicked off with the usual frenetic first 5 minutes as Sunderland put themselves about a bit (and yes Ballard\u2019s elbow on Merino was a penalty to my mind and more importantly according to the rules of the game as well). Anyway, that point aside, I must admit that It was not a particularly entertaining watch as very little actual football was played, an \u201caccidental\u201d elbow here, a late foot there, basically dragged us down to their level. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

When we did get some play, we were much like a tired team on their third away trip in a week, not quite the sharpness of pass or zest that was needed. We did make a couple of chances, the best of them falling to Saka, I thought, until just after the half-hour the ref suddenly remembered he had some of those brightly coloured cards in his pocket and decided to book Zubimendi so he could share the yellow one with the crowd. I am only assuming that must have been the reason because there certainly wasn\u2019t any footballing one. From the free-kick Sunderland went ahead as basically the ball ran their way, there was a nod down and Ballard blasted it past Raya. Could we have defended it better? I am sure we could and I am equally sure MA and the coaches will be pointing to some actions we could have taken but personally I felt we were a little unlucky. The ball bounced for them and Ballard did well when it came to him. If only William had done the same about 10 minutes later when he put an excellent chance into Row 20! <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The half-time whistle went and Sunderland took an undeserved lead into the break. Could we raise our game 2nd<\/sup> half? <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Half Time: Sunderland 1 The Arsenal 0<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The 2<\/strong>nd<\/sup><\/strong> half – Sunderland 1 The Arsenal 1<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

As we all know now, yes is the answer to the question. I felt that we started the second half with more determination and, in fact, it was Rice\u2019s determination that got us going when he won the ball back from Le Fee in the Sunderland half, it was fed quickly via Eze and, I think, Merino into Saka. The Sunderland keeper had obligingly left a tiny gap at the near post and Bukayo drove it unerringly through the gap and into the back of the net, very good finish.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sunderland 1 The Arsenal 2<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

After that our best period of the match followed, we played some nice football, made some good chances and really could and should have been ahead already by the time Leo Trossard took matters into his own hands and blasted home a very fine shot from just outside the area. Their keeper, I think I will call him Mr. Nearpost, had again obligingly left the door open a tad and it was more than enough for Leo. A great goal to cap off an excellent performance on the day from Leo. By this point, the travelling faithful seemed in fine voice and all was well in the world. I suspect I was one among many expecting us to see it out in our usual style and go home with the points but it was not to be, for once. Raya was called into action more in the last 15 minutes than the preceding 80 and did well not, once, twice but three times to deny Sunderland until finally we made a substitution on 88 minutes and brought Mosquera on for Eze to give ourselves some extra insurance at the back. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sunderland 2 The Arsenal 2<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Unfortunately, it didn\u2019t work this time as another cross was aimed at Ballard who nodded it down for Brian Brobby to flick it acrobatically past the onrushing Raya. Again, could we have done more defensively? Yes, sure. Could Raya have stayed on his line? Yes, sure. Will Brobby get that flick wrong nine times out ten? Yes, sure. However, we are not going to win every header and Raya does get off his line, quickly and aggressively and it often works to our advantage. I see no point in whining when it doesn\u2019t and if your name is Brian Brobby you probably need a bit of luck sometimes. There was still time for Ballard to display a complete lack of gratitude for the fine upbringing we provided by getting out well to block a last chance for Merino after Mr Nearpost finally remembered he had one and did well to block a Cala header, and that was that. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Full Time: Sunderland 2 The Arsenal 2<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

I can\u2019t say I enjoyed this morning\u2019s rewatch of an early evening robbery any more than I did first time round and suppose it is natural to ask what went wrong after a long winning streak comes to an end. However, as I read round the media and the Goonerverse to get a feel of how others saw the game I was quite surprised at the Plucky Little Sunderland Deserved A Draw<\/em> narrative in several papers. They have a large stadium and 45,000 plus crowds! They are certainly not little and in all honesty I cannot see how they deserved a draw either, it\u2019s their choice to play the way they do and that\u2019s up to them but I see no reason to pretend it\u2019s good football that merits any particular praise. Sure, they give 100% but then so do most teams in the Premier League and some smaller clubs than Sunderland play nice football too. However, I will try not to be sourpuss and grumpy face and at least some of our \u201cspecial\u201d supporters made me laugh this morning as I read the armchair criticism of Raya, Gabriel, Rice and Arteta for the goals, substitutions and only getting a draw. Any awareness of the role of Mikel and those players in our longest clean sheet run in more than a century and 10 wins on the trot had faded more quickly than a Leo smash into the top corner. \ud83d\ude0a <\/p>\n\n\n\n

On we go then, unbeaten run intact, top of the league and top-class reinforcements on the way, it\u2019s good to be a Gooner!!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

All things end of course and sadly our excellent winning run and clean sheet bonanza both ended away at Sunderland yesterday (or about 4.30AM today if you happened to be in Japan) as we drew 2-2 after conceding two goals for the first time this season. It was not the end of the world, though […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":10,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[6],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.goonerholicsforever.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12224"}],"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\/10"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.goonerholicsforever.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=12224"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.goonerholicsforever.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12224\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":12228,"href":"https:\/\/www.goonerholicsforever.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12224\/revisions\/12228"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.goonerholicsforever.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=12224"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.goonerholicsforever.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=12224"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.goonerholicsforever.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=12224"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}