{"id":6485,"date":"2022-08-14T11:37:23","date_gmt":"2022-08-14T10:37:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.goonerholicsforever.com\/?p=6485"},"modified":"2022-08-19T15:56:58","modified_gmt":"2022-08-19T14:56:58","slug":"jesus-feeds-60000-at-the-emirates","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.goonerholicsforever.com\/?p=6485","title":{"rendered":"Jesus feeds 60,000 at the Emirates"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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Copyright Stuart MacFarlane AFC, as posted on Twitter (@Stuart_PhotoAFC)<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

The first home game of the season for Arsenal coincided with a national rail strike, trapping TTG in his riverside holiday cottage on the Norfolk Broads. So we hatched a cunning plan. He would drive to my home in Cambridgeshire, from whence we would head forth for North London in my car. And so it came to pass. As the air conditioning kicked in, at 10am the temperature gauge read 27 \u02daC. It would reach 36\u02daC in the stadium. The traffic proved light and around 11.45 we parked up near the Emirates. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

We were early because we were having the first meeting this season of various Goonerholics for a pre-game lunch. As we left the cool of the car and headed out, the heat and humidity reminded me of visiting Baton Rouge, Louisiana on business. It was, as we Londoners say, bloody hot. Our venue was the Alcedo Bistro and Bar on the Holloway Road. Apart from TTG and me, fellow lunch guests were Bathgooner and his son, Clockendrider and 21st<\/sup> Century Gooner. Over foaming pints of cold Peroni, and various dishes of calamari, halloumi, pasta and some excellent steaks, we fortified ourselves and talked and laughed and talked. To our joy, BtM, once a mainstay of this parish, wandered in briefly. I hadn\u2019t seen him since pre-Covid and I hope he\u2019ll not be a stranger and come to football more often instead of hitting a small white ball around the fields of Bishops Stortford. Our mentor, Dave Faber, often said that the social side of football was as important, indeed on bad days, more important, than the football. As always, Dave spoke wisely.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Off into the baking Holloway Road and the short walk to the Emirates. All around us was an excited buzz and chatter as we climbed the steps and made our way to our various gates. TTG was sitting next to me in the North Bank Lower, filling the seat of my son, who was enjoying the various delights of a lads\u2019 holiday in Croatia (TTG is less excitable and doesn\u2019t swear so much). As always, it was a great pleasure to greet the usual members of my immediate ST cadre. The one thing I fear about safe standing (which I am supportive of) is that it may break up these groups of people who have watched football together for many years. We stand throughout every game on the North Bank anyway. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The team proved to be the same one that had started against Palace:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ramsdale, White, Saliba, Gabriel, Zinchenko, Partey, Xhaka, Martinelli, \u01fedegaard, Saka, Jesus.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Added to the subs list were Tomiyasu and ESR, leaving only Vieira from our recent acquisitions deemed not quite match fit yet. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

A chorus of North London forever and we were off. Leicester started quite brightly and the loathsome Vardy robbed Xhaka on our left side, then slipping in Fofana (what was he doing up there?) who slalomed into our penalty area and got his shot away. Fortunately, Ramsdale, not for the first time, made a key block. Then the Gabriel Jesus show started. There was a whirling interchange featuring Zinchenko who slipped the ball out to Jesus on our left wing. He beat his man and passed to Martinelli in the box. He again beat a man then passed back to Jesus who was surrounded by Leicester players. No problem. He stopped the ball dead, and from a standing start, with a very short back lift, chipped the ball over the 6\u20193\u201d Ward and into the top corner of the net. What an opening PL goal for our latest Gabriel from Brazil. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

A few minutes later, we won a corner on our left hand side. The ball was whipped in and Vardy (ha-ha) did his very best Steve Bould tribute act to flick the ball on to the back post, where the diminutive Jesus was there to nod home his second. God, I love it when we score from corners. Jesus was quite unplayable during this period and was to have two more chances before half time. Ramsdale hit one of his trademark clearances deep into the Leicester half towards Jesus. For some unaccountable reason Jonny Evans stood off him and allowed him to control the ball (perhaps he wants his old job back at Old Trafford and is trying to prove he can be as crap as Harry Maguire). Jesus then showed another element to his game. He shoved his backside into Evans and then spun him on the edge of the area and burst into the box. We all anticipated a first half hat trick, but a combination of a desperate foot from a defender and a block from the keeper sent the ball for a corner. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Later, a ball found Jesus coming in from the left. He collected the ball, opened his body and shot, TH14 style. On target, but Ward made a good save. To add to all this, Saka found a lovely cross to the back post where he found an onrushing Granit Xhaka who powered his shot against the post. Xhaka was consistently breaking into the box in the inside left channel, confident in the knowledge as he roamed forward that Partey and Zinchenko were covering him behind. As half time approached it was looking good for 2-0. Then a long ball found Ramsdale and Vardy approaching the ball at the same time on the corner of the area. Vardy collapsed like a deckchair. Penalty said referee, Darren England. To be fair, from my angle, it looked feasible (although TTG was less sure). VAR check, with Mike Dean (!) in the chair. England sent to the monitor. No penalty! Then they played it back on the stadium monitors. Virtually no contact. Rat faced diving little see you next Tuesday! I\u2019m really not sure why he didn\u2019t get a yellow card. The Arsenal faithful kindly informed Vardy that his wife was a grass, and to make sure the message had got home, repeated this bulletin every time Vardy touched the ball from then on. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Half time and a very satisfying 2-0 that could have been five. As the second half started. Arsenal looked to be in complete control. Then a chip forwards towards Vardy which Saliba, seeking to clear, headed past Ramsdale (who may have been slightly out of position) and into his own net. 2-1. At this point the crowd were immense. A roar of support went up before the ball had been returned to the centre circle. Saliba\u2019s every touch for the next 10 minutes was greeted by cheers and support. It was not always thus when an Arsenal player made a rick. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

This seems a good moment to talk about the crowd. They were immense, very loud and utterly supportive. New songs for Zinchenko (Zinchenko, Oh, Always believe in yourself \u2013 Gold by Spandau Ballet), Saliba (the tune was familiar but I can\u2019t place it, can anyone help?) which ended the refrain with a great shout of Saliba!) and Jesus, which, in the spirit of recycling, was a retread of Giroud\u2019s Hey Jude song, with Jesus at the end instead of Giroud. Many old favourites from last season including Super Tomiyasu, Super Mik Arteta, and Saka and Emile Smith Rowe inter alia<\/em>. When Tielemans was subbed, an immediate chorus of \u201cwe\u2019ll see you next week, we\u2019ll see you next week, Youri Tielemans, we\u2019ll see you next week!\u201d went up. I love spontaneous football humour. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Back at the game, it only took 90 seconds to restore our two goal lead. The ball was crossed into their box, it seemed harmlessly. But Ward made a compete howler (tell me again why Schmeichel left?) and dropped the ball at Jesus\u2019s feet. At they said in Pretty Woman, big mistake. He immediately rolled it sideways to Xhaka (who was in the box again) who smashed in home in front of the North Bank. Again Leicester came back. The ball broke to Maddison on the Leicester right (not sure where Zinchenko was). He made ground in the box before hitting a fierce shot through the legs of Ramsdale. He would save that 8 times out of 10, but it\u2019s a difficult place to defend if the ball is hit hard. 3-2. Again the crowd roared their support and again it only took 90 seconds before we scored again. We broke on our right flank. Jesus collected it and shipped it on in the D to Martinelli. He steadied himself then hit a perfect, powerful daisy cutter into the corner of the net. Delirium. Gabi\u2019s third goal in three league games. Is this his real break-through season?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And that was that. Just time for Jesus to just miss his last chance for a hat trick, but the ball was deflected to him and came very quickly. He had to settle for 2 goals and 2 assists. Good enough. There was time for cameos from KT3, Tomi, ESR and Eddie. The depth from the bench is beginning to look very impressive.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Thoughts. Jesus was superlative. So much energy, speed, close control and near lethal finishing. He also leads what was a highly efficient forward press, which made it difficult for Leicester to get out. Very good were Gabi (who is forming a highly effective partnership with Jesus), Xhaka, Saliba apart from the OG, Gabriel. Zinchenko was huge in attack, less so in defence. He had one moment in midfield where he reprised his game against Scotland for Ukraine by picking up the ball in the centre circle, beating 3 men, and then striding away into open space. He looks more of a midfielder to me and he constantly floated between left back and midfield, especially when Xhaka was making the extra third man running up top. . Saka had a quiet game, as our attack focused on the left, but still made some dangerous contributions. Top performer of the day was the home crowd. I haven\u2019t heard support like that at home since the golden Highbury days of 98-04.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Homewards. Radio on. I thought we had tuned into a comedy channel but it turned out to be Man United getting thrashed at Brentford to the horror of the commentators. Cry me a river.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A wonderful day out. More please Arsenal. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The first home game of the season for Arsenal coincided with a national rail strike, trapping TTG in his riverside holiday cottage on the Norfolk Broads. So we hatched a cunning plan. He would drive to my home in Cambridgeshire, from whence we would head forth for North London in my car. And so it […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":9,"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\/6485"}],"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\/9"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.goonerholicsforever.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=6485"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.goonerholicsforever.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6485\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":6490,"href":"https:\/\/www.goonerholicsforever.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6485\/revisions\/6490"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.goonerholicsforever.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=6485"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.goonerholicsforever.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=6485"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.goonerholicsforever.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=6485"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}