{"id":2014,"date":"2020-12-20T16:37:28","date_gmt":"2020-12-20T16:37:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.goonerholicsforever.com\/?p=2014"},"modified":"2020-12-22T07:45:51","modified_gmt":"2020-12-22T07:45:51","slug":"gunners-dismal-run-continues","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.goonerholicsforever.com\/?p=2014","title":{"rendered":"Gunners Dismal Run Continues"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"\"
Nicholas Pepe scores from the spot. Credit: gettyimages Pool<\/a> \/ Pool<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The Arsenal travelled to Everton yesterday hoping to end a confidence-sapping run of games without a victory. In front of a small crowd at Goodison Park that did not happen, and we continue to stumble through games looking for a smile from Lady Luck but getting only frowns at best. I must admit this was another game I had to watch again as your intrepid reporter was, not to put to fine a point on it, plastered as he watched yesterday\u2019s events unfold. Masochism perhaps, but in fact it was less frustrating this time round and minus the noisy screaming at the TV for which my family were thankful.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It was an Arsenal side that kicked off minus Aubamayeng, with a calf strain, though no doubt conspiracy theorists throughout the Goonerverse have already lined up more sinister interpretations. It was also a side that saw Hector left on the bench and AMN in to replace him as right wing back. We went with a three-man defence consisting of Captain for the Day Rob, Luiz and KT. Eddie started instead of Laca at centre forward. Pepe returned and Willian continued in his new role of whipping boy. Saka started on the left with an Elneny \/ Dani duo in the middle.  Joining Hector on the bench were 8 men this time round – though the logic of this escapes me I\u2019m afraid \u2013 Laca, Soares, Kola, ESR, Joe W., Martinelli, Mus, and Runarsson.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

1st Half<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

The game kicked off and I wish I could say the first 20 minutes whizzed by in a blur of excitement but that would I am afraid be a gross distortion of a cagey (tedious might also be the right word here) start lacking in anything of any note \u2013 a foul from Elneny for which he was booked and fouls by Davies and Calvert-Lewin for which they weren\u2019t plus a long range shot from Keane which Leno had covered as he watched it go wide. If we were following the old football saying of when away from home keep it tight in the first 20 minutes and shut the crowd up then the plan worked perfectly. Unfortunately, we hadn\u2019t planned for the 21st<\/sup> minute.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Everton 1 The Arsenal 0<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

We had allowed Everton to work the space for a cross aimed at Calvert-Lewin, he duly nodded it straight on to Rob\u2019s leg for a deflection that nestled into the corner of the net. It was the sort of goal that you just have to take on the chin. I suppose if you wanted to be harsh, a commodity not lacking recently, then you could say that we shouldn\u2019t have let them have the cross in the first place or that Rob should have done a better job on winning the header. However, having watched Everton a few times I have seen that chucking crosses at Calvert-Lewin, a very good header of the ball, is one of their standard tactics and you\u2019re never going to prevent them all.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There followed a nice ball from Saka, I think, to put KT in behind the Everton defence. KTs first-time cut back for an unmarked Eddie in the area was nigh on perfect and then Eddie skewed a shot wide on a bread and butter finish for a decent striker. Another head-shaker in a long line of head-shakers over the last few games, though to be fair to Eddie he is not alone, Auba, Laca and Saka have been the culprits just as often. Apart from Godfrey going through Dani unpunished nothing of note happened until AMN pushed forward into the penalty area following up on his own cross.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Everton 1 The Arsenal 1<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Fortunately for The Arsenal an inattentive Davies did not see AMN coming to win the ball and basically kicked Ainsley in the leg instead of clearing the ball as he intended. Pepe dispatched the penalty to Pickford\u2019s right, whilst Pickford dived left, and the scores were level.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The game accelerated to a fast amble after that with an Everton free-kick in a good spot just outside the box fortunately wasted by Siggurdson, KT was booked for the foul simply for cleaning out Calvert-Lewin. A minute or so later I though Dani was lucky not to follow him into the book when the appeared to rake his studs down Mina\u2019s leg. Perhaps it was accidental. In the 43rd<\/sup> minute a half chance fell to Eddie but he shot straight at Pickford before Leno was called into action a minute later with a good save from a well-hit Calvert-Lewin shot from just outside the area.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Everton 2 The Arsenal 1<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

From the resulting corner, Mina ran across The Arsenal defence for a near-post header that Leno did well to get a reactive hand to but could not keep out. Mina also did well for the goal to be fair to him. No doubt questions will be asked afterwards on the marking but actually if you look at the facts we haven\u2019t been letting that many in from set-pieces.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It was truly infuriating to watch us give away a goal just before the break again and also after we had managed to get ourselves level. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In truth though the score was 2-1 neither side had looked particularly dangerous and I felt we didn\u2019t particularly deserve to be behind. A view only reinforced on 2nd<\/sup> watching \u2013 we did little but then neither did Everton.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

2nd Half<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

With no changes at half-time, the 2nd<\/sup> half kicked off with, for at least the first 10 minutes or so, a more positive approach from The Arsenal as we tried to impose ourselves on the game in the Everton half. The closest we were to come to pulling level came in the 53rd<\/sup> minute when Pickford weakly palmed away a Willian cross to the feet of Luiz, his quick shot hit the post and the chance was lost. We huffed and puffed after that as the game followed a pattern of Arsenal pressure, the final pass going awry, then Everton playing on the break, and actually failing to do any better than us. Joe Willock arrived in the 64th<\/sup> minute, followed about 5 minutes later by the welcome return of Martinelli and then the introduction of Laca. As the tiresome twelve had stood in the way of progress once more, that was it for the subs. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the 86th<\/sup> minute Joe Willock nodded a presentable chance wide and that looked like it would be it until in the dying seconds Saka got in behind the Everton defence with a great chance to equalize, which he then hit too close to Pickford. The final moment of frustration for the watching Gooner faithful. Saka like Eddie earlier should have scored. They didn\u2019t and we go into the upcoming games with Man City and Chelsea with confidence at a fairly low ebb it would appear.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Post Game<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

After the game MA was of the opinion that we had dominated the 2nd<\/sup> half and were simply unlucky again. I would certainly agree we were unlucky with the own goal but not that we dominated the 2nd<\/sup> half. There was the usual speculation about Mikel\u2019s future and our prospects of relegation \u2013 from my perspective nothing I saw yesterday changed my thinking on either. We should persist with Mikel and there is no chance of us going down. Yesterday, we again played ok in what was a tricky away fixture and deserved a point. I have already read a lot of criticism of the 1st<\/sup> half performance but it wasn\u2019t that bad, just as I also felt the improvement in the 2nd<\/sup> half was not that marked. I see no reason to clutch at that particular straw. Until we start finishing our chances things will not get better. Whilst, I am making statements that many of you will disagree with I may just as well add that I saw no lack of effort and that Wilian was no worse or better than any of the rest of our attack. Personally, I didn\u2019t want to sign him but now that he wears the shirt I see no reason to single him out either. Or Luiz for that matter, who seems to be attracting some criticism in a guilt by association line of reasoning that is just nonsense. We actually look better when Luiz plays I think and he did well yesterday as did Tierney. Leno was fine as mostly was AMN and it was good to see Gaby Martinelli back.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On we go then and a couple of big games to look forward to (or not depending on your frame of mind I guess) in the next week. As for me, I am praying for Auba\u2019s calf, Partey\u2019s thigh and a tiny little sliver of luck.
<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The Arsenal travelled to Everton yesterday hoping to end a confidence-sapping run of games without a victory. In front of a small crowd at Goodison Park that did not happen, and we continue to stumble through games looking for a smile from Lady Luck but getting only frowns at best. I must admit this was […]<\/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\/2014"}],"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=2014"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.goonerholicsforever.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2014\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2024,"href":"https:\/\/www.goonerholicsforever.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2014\/revisions\/2024"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.goonerholicsforever.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=2014"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.goonerholicsforever.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=2014"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.goonerholicsforever.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=2014"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}