Costly but crucial victory
3 comments February 24th, 2011
Arsenal 1 – 0 Stoke (Squillaci 8)
Highlights | Arsene’s reaction
1-0 to the Arsenal…
…is a refrain that rang around the Emirates last night, and with some gusto. Whilst the customary flurry of departures happened with around 85 minutes gone, an unusually large number of fans stayed to support the team through five minutes of stoppage time and to three valuable points.
We started with real urgency…
Arsene had obviously send the team out to score early and force Stoke to abandon their deep defensive line. Theo Walcott hit the post inside the opening minute, and his pace, like unruly clay, was clearly giving the Potters problems.
Our early goal was Stoke-esque…
A corner to the far post, knocked back across goal by Bendtner, and nodded in by Squillaci. Not a typically Arsenal goal, but then this was a far from typical Arsenal display.
Cesc’s injury derailed the performance…
When the skipper went off, we looked to lack not only leadership, but someone to spring the early passes to release Bendtner, Walcott and Nasri which had been integral in our good start. The remainder of the first half was something of a drab affair, with the crowd as quiet as both goalkeepers.
The second half was similarly bitty…
We had a couple of half-chances, mostly thanks to a rejuvenated Andrey Arshavin, but for the most part it was a question of holding what we had and seeing through all 95 minutes without losing concentration. We didn’t quite have to deal with an ‘onslaught’, though the number of set pieces pumped or thrown in to our penalty area was a concern.
However, Djourou and Squillaci stood form…
Credit to both players for dealing with the burly John Carew & Co. Behind them, Wojciech Szczesny never panicked. Last night was the first time I have heard “Arsenal’s Number 1” chanted at the young Pole. It won’t be the last.
Fingers crossed re. Cesc & Theo…
Losing both players made last night a costly victory. I don’t want to talk about the potential repercussions until we have a full diagnosis, but suffice to say I’ll be gutted for Cesc if, as looks likely, he’s not able to lead Arsenal out at Wembley on Sunday – let alone at the Nou Camp in a couple of weeks time.
