{"id":4015,"date":"2021-09-26T20:57:37","date_gmt":"2021-09-26T19:57:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.goonerholicsforever.com\/?p=4015"},"modified":"2021-10-01T22:54:16","modified_gmt":"2021-10-01T21:54:16","slug":"arsenal-blow-tottenham-away-with-stunning-first-half-performance","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.goonerholicsforever.com\/?p=4015","title":{"rendered":"Arsenal Blow Tottenham Away with Stunning First Half Performance."},"content":{"rendered":"\n<div class=\"getty embed image\" style=\"background-color:#fff;display:inline-block;font-family:Roboto,sans-serif;color:#a7a7a7;font-size:11px;width:100%;max-width:594px;\"><div style=\"padding:0;margin:0;text-align:left;\"><a href=\"http:\/\/www.gettyimages.co.uk\/detail\/1235519257\" target=\"_blank\" style=\"color:#a7a7a7;text-decoration:none;font-weight:normal !important;border:none;display:inline-block;\" rel=\"noopener\">Embed from Getty Images<\/a><\/div><div style=\"overflow:hidden;position:relative;height:0;padding:66.66667% 0 0 0;width:100%;\"><iframe src=\"\/\/embed.gettyimages.com\/embed\/1235519257?et=n9kBvQtRQHxFJIqw4LyaZQ&amp;tld=co.uk&amp;sig=KY6jDfNRSdo4E2j3Jq0b3EqXYGnmsUg859ObqOy6o5U=&amp;caption=true&amp;ver=1\" scrolling=\"no\" style=\"display:inline-block;position:absolute;top:0;left:0;width:100%;height:100%;margin:0;\" width=\"594\" height=\"396\" frameborder=\"0\"><\/iframe><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>Remember how you felt after the Manchester City game?&nbsp;<em>#Arteta Out<\/em>&nbsp;was trending on the less responsible Twitter feeds and C100 was wondering if he could invoice the club for a non-performance, a tank of petrol and two full English breakfasts. Middlesex Wanderers were amazingly top of the table and loving it. We were bottom with no points and no goals. Tonight North London is proudly, overwhelmingly&nbsp;<strong>RED<\/strong>&nbsp;after a first-half performance as good as we have seen from an Arsenal team for a very long time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>I watched today\u2019s game from my sickbed. Please forgive a slightly truncated report which may lack a little cohesion but I haven\u2019t been at my best today. I\u2019ve posted two negative Covid tests so maybe NLD nerves played a part! I really didn\u2019t expect such a tonic but the quality and vibrancy of that first half was wonderfully uplifting. We began with pace, zip and intelligent movement. Goals looked inevitable. Let\u2019s look at how they arrived.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>On 12 minutes Saka bewildered the S***s defence before turning the ball across for ESR to pass the ball home&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Arsenal 1 Tottenham 0 &#8211; Smith Rowe 12 minutes&nbsp;<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>After the goal Tottenham had a bit of possession but a blistering Arsenal counter-attack on 27 minutes began with Xhaka who received a hospital ball from Ramsdale. He turned the ball on to Tierney who passed it to Aubameyang, who held the ball up today better than I\u2019d ever seen him do. Auba was on the halfway line when he received it and he simply flicked it into the path of ESR and made for the S***s box. ESR tore through the Middlesex right flank and turned the ball across for Aubameyang to direct the ball into the far corner. Sky chose to make an issue of what I thought was a foul on Xhaka.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Arsenal 2 Tottenham 0 &#8211; Aubameyang 27 minutes&nbsp;<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The Grove was in ferment as the score reflected the vast superiority that Arsenal were exercising over a pedestrian, dispirited S***s side. Things got even better after Kane lost a challenge on the edge of our box and crisp passing from Thomas and Odegaard found ESR, driving out of our half. ESR passed the ball to Saka on the right of the S***s half and he drove at Dier in their box. Harry Kane desperately tried to get back into the game by sliding in on Saka but his challenge on Saka was incomplete and more of an assist than a tackle and Bukayo rolled the ball across Lloris and into the net.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Arsenal 3 Tottenham 0 &#8211; Saka 34 minutes&nbsp;<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In addition to the goals, we\u2019d seen Partey foiled at the near post by Lloris and Auba crack the ball narrowly over. Apart from a missed free header by Kane, Tottenham created nothing. It was the biggest interval lead in a North London Derby since Sky started keeping records&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Half-time:&nbsp;&nbsp;Arsenal 3 Tottenham 0&nbsp;<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The second half began with two shouts for penalties, one at each end and neither given. Gabriel was charged into as he attempted to meet a Tomayisu cross. Then to most Gooners\u2019 amazement, White\u2019s ill -timed challenge on Kane who as ever made a massive amount of it was not awarded by Craig Pawson. We were fortunate there and it may be Kane\u2019s colossal overacting counted against him.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Arsenal dropped off to protect their lead, S***s brought on Skipp to replace the ineffectual Alli at half-time and many Arsenal legs seemed to tighten as their first half efforts took their toll and maybe a realisation of what they were achieving hit them.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Kane forced a low save from Ramsdale, cleared by Tomayisu, and our new keeper tipped a Moura effort onto the angle of post and bar before he conceded his first goal as Arsenal keeper when he could only parry a Son drive into the corner&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Arsenal 3 Tottenham 1 &#8211; Son 79 minutes<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The late concession led to a few nerves but sensible substitutions providing double coverage out wide enabled us to see out time without too many alarms&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Full-time: Arsenal 3 Tottenham 1&nbsp;<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>So what conclusions can we draw?&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>I may have mentioned in the blog being disconcerted late last season when the Marshdwelling element of my family suggested that only Aubameyang might get into the Tottnumb side. I think most of us saw an Arsenal nucleus that has been built on carefully that suggested much better times. Today was an affirmation of that. Most top sides have seven outstanding players of quality and character. Today we had Saka, ESR, Auba, Partey, Tierney and the superb Tomayisu who fitted that description. In addition Odegaard took up some wonderful positions though he coughed the ball up a little too much, Gabriel and White showed promise as a central defensive pair ( my concern is whether in a two White is physically strong enough) , Ramsdale looks everything that Leno isn\u2019t and even Xhaka today played with strength and exuberance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>I think there has been a very good reaction from most Arsenal fans who actually support the team rather than troll from the sidelines. We\u2019ve bought into a longer-term project which will require patience and resilience. We need clear signs of progress and a new generation we can believe in. I think we have exactly that in the squad Arteta is building. There will be setbacks and beating a very average Tottnumb side is not a complete vindication of what has happened since Arteta took over. But it is a very encouraging start&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>That first eleven which we\u2019d not been able to put on the pitch before is much more interesting, exciting and better coached than Tottnumb\u2019s eleven. NES is an underwhelming coach who will find the flaccidity of this performance very hard to recover from.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Not only is North London&nbsp;<strong>RED<\/strong>&nbsp;but we may be on the cusp of a real revival of our fortunes. Arteta has certainly earned the opportunity to initiate his brand of football which was discernibly exciting and progressive today.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Enjoy your bragging rights, Gooners! They are well-deserved on the basis of a fine afternoon in North London which is currently drenched in&nbsp;<strong>RED<\/strong>!&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Embed from Getty Images Remember how you felt after the Manchester City game?&nbsp;#Arteta Out&nbsp;was trending on the less responsible Twitter feeds and C100 was wondering if he could invoice the club for a non-performance, a tank of petrol and two full English breakfasts. Middlesex Wanderers were amazingly top of the table and loving it. We [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":11,"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\/4015"}],"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\/11"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.goonerholicsforever.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=4015"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.goonerholicsforever.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4015\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4039,"href":"https:\/\/www.goonerholicsforever.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4015\/revisions\/4039"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.goonerholicsforever.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=4015"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.goonerholicsforever.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=4015"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.goonerholicsforever.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=4015"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}