{"id":5071,"date":"2022-03-19T18:13:54","date_gmt":"2022-03-19T18:13:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.goonerholicsforever.com\/?p=5071"},"modified":"2022-03-25T09:15:20","modified_gmt":"2022-03-25T09:15:20","slug":"arsenal-put-away-the-villans-and-nab-the-goodies","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.goonerholicsforever.com\/?p=5071","title":{"rendered":"Arsenal Put Away the Villans and Nab the Goodies!"},"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.com\/detail\/1386492581\" 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\/1386492581?et=4rIeAOiATWZeXNp41F-eYw&amp;tld=com&amp;sig=TpQXvd9CSefwdTqcHdNE7HZtCdo-4DYmAhhwQofk1eY=&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>The Arsenal travelled to the Midlands to take on Aston Villa this Saturday lunchtime in the hope of a morale-boosting three points after the home defeat to Liverpool a few days prior. I must admit to a certain amount of pre-match trepidation as the last time we went down at home to one of the top two \u2013 against Man City on New Year\u2019s Day &#8211; we failed to win any of our next four games. Would we prove of sterner mental stuff this time round?&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Pre-game came news of a couple of changes, Leno for Ramsdale, and ESR for Gabi Martinelli due to a muscle injury and illness respectively. High quality and ready-made replacements fortunately but with our small squad let\u2019s hope they are both available again after the international break, though the early news is not promising on Aaron. Villa had switched from the Ings\/Watkins double attack with Buendia (remember him?) being given the start. And no reunion with Calum.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>First&nbsp;Half<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>To the game itself, and The Arsenal started brightly, confidence seemingly unaffected by the Liverpool blip, with Saka getting away from the elderly Young on the right and teeing up \u00d8degaard, who I thought was going to shoot first time but instead slipped it left for ESR to shoot somewhat wildly over. However, the next goalmouth action was at our end when a free-kick from the left-hand side of the box (it wasn\u2019t a free-kick by the way) flashed dangerously across our box and took a deflection off an Arsenal player for a corner. From the corner, we broke smartly up-field with a nice set-up from \u00d8de for Partey to shoot on-target but straight at Emi. A minute later and Emi faced a sterner test when Konsa helpfully tried to turn a good Saka cross into his own net. Unfortunately, Emi was up to the task and down to the ball, helping it round the post for a corner. A bright start but still 0-0. For now! Next up was Laca. However, he failed to control another good ball in and the chance was lost. The first booking followed shortly after with a clumsy Ramsey foul on ESR, penalised with an obvious yellow. The first 15 minutes were done and we had largely pinned Villa back but the next 15 were more even with no real openings and some good defending from Ben and C\u00e9dric keeping Villa \u2018shotless\u2019.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Things changed much for the better in the 30<sup>th<\/sup>&nbsp;minute when an Arsenal free-kick wide right was worked for C\u00e9dric to cross from near the bye-line to the back right of the box, the ball rebounded aimlessly for a few seconds before it found itself booted firmly through a sea of legs and into the Villa net by the one and only Bukayo Saka. Some suggestions by the Japanese commentator on DAZN that Emi might have done better, I thought that harsh as he\u2019d have seen it late and Saka had got enough on it to make the save impossible. Great goal and a timely one for The Arsenal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Aston Villa 0 The Arsenal 1<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The game turned fractious soon afterwards when Mings won a ball and then followed through to take out Bukayo Saka to the fury of several Arsenal players and several million supporters. Some pushing and shoving followed, McGinn just shoved Laca straight to the floor, followed by a lot of arm-waving and annoyance as the referee decided a yellow sufficient punishment for both Mings and McGinn. After a good look at the replay my own opinion was the ref got both calls right, an opinion I must admit that was not shared by either The Arsenal fans (red card) or the home crowd (not a foul). However, the ref\u2019s appetite for Villa yellow cards seemed sated after that with the next one given to Xhaka for a nothing incident and fouls by Young (on Saka again) and what I thought was a bad foul by Cash on KT both going unpunished.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Half-time was reached shortly after that largesse, and The Arsenal went in with a fully deserved half-time lead having fashioned several presentable chances and, with the aid of some tight marking on Coutinho, kept Villa from troubling Leno unduly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Second&nbsp;Half<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>On then to the second half, and again we started brightly, forcing an early corner, which was taken to ESR lurking on the edge of the box, unfortunately his shot, though on target, lacked the power to trouble Emi. Shortly afterwards we attacked again and \u00d8de was unlucky to see his shot blocked for a corner after a good steal on the press by Captain Laca to set up the chance. A few minutes later Saka broke on the left and for a moment looked to be clear but the Villa defender got back just in time to block off his shot. However, from then on, bar the odd break, we sat back and invited Villa to attack. When C\u00e9dric got a yellow after Young talked the ref into it with some fake outrage, followed a few minutes later by Thomas (deservedly in his case), I must admit I started to get concerned about whether we would finish with 11.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Come the 68<sup>th<\/sup>&nbsp;minute and Villa got as close as they would when a Watkins shot deflected off ESR and then the post for a corner. Mikel made his first sub at this point bringing off Saka \u2013 who had as usual been kicked hard and often \u2013 and sending on Pepe for the last twenty. A couple of minutes later, Ashley Young simply rolled back the years with a blatant dive in the penalty area but the ref denied him the yellow his efforts had so richly merited. You\u2019d have thought he\u2019d be embarrassed at his age but whatever &#8211; you still got it Ashley, hope it isn\u2019t catching!&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Laca\u2019s last involvement was a blocked shot after some nice passing before he was replaced by Eddie for the last 15 minutes. In all honesty he looked tired and off the pace today, three games in a week taking their toll no doubt and I am glad the international break will give him a chance to recharge. Villa sent on Ings in the 81<sup>st<\/sup>minute and he headed just over shortly afterwards (Bernd had it covered). Mikel then sent Rob on for \u00d8de as it became all about holding on at that point. However, with Thomas and Xhaka both doing good jobs in covering the supply lines to Villa\u2019s forwards and the defence sound behind them we saw the game out comfortably enough \u2013 well, apart from that snatched shot in the 92<sup>nd<\/sup>&nbsp;minute and Bernd\u2019s save from the final kick of the game! The side had come through a difficult test away from home in their third game in a week and did it with guts and discipline.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Bernd did well in goal, though we missed Aaron\u2019s kicking. The defence was solid The midfield added well to the attack in the first half and defended well for much of the second. A word on Thomas, who I thought was excellent again. It\u2019s now reached the stage where I think he is the one player who could cause us to really struggle if he gets injured. The attack stuttered at times but nice to see ESR back &#8211; what a player he is and then Saka saka\u2019ed and the game was won.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The game finished with The Arsenal in full voice \u2018We love you Arsenal we do!\u2019 and the not so super villans sneaking out. All in all, a very welcome One Nil to The Arsenal. Can\u2019t get a happier ending!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Embed from Getty Images The Arsenal travelled to the Midlands to take on Aston Villa this Saturday lunchtime in the hope of a morale-boosting three points after the home defeat to Liverpool a few days prior. I must admit to a certain amount of pre-match trepidation as the last time we went down at home [&hellip;]<\/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\/5071"}],"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=5071"}],"version-history":[{"count":10,"href":"https:\/\/www.goonerholicsforever.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5071\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":5932,"href":"https:\/\/www.goonerholicsforever.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5071\/revisions\/5932"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.goonerholicsforever.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=5071"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.goonerholicsforever.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=5071"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.goonerholicsforever.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=5071"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}