Arsenal Matchday Reports & News

[Darren]

Premiership Round Twenty One - Newcastle United 1 - 3 Arsenal

Next up for Arsenal was a trip north to face a Newcastle side that despite losing their previous two games, are enjoying a good season overall and have found themselves in and among the Champions League places for the majority of the season. With Arsenal frustrated following the previous result against Everton, it had all the hype of being a good game between the two and it was the away side that took all three points back to North London thanks to a hattrick from Alexander Isak who makes it twenty for the season, a great return in his debut season at the club.

As the second half of the season is now underway, Arsenal move up into second place in the table, five points behind Manchester City who found their way back to top spot but the Arsenal boss isn't getting carried away and will just keep going the way they are ;

" Todays game was one we knew was going to be a lot tougher than many think. Chris is doing a great job at Newcastle and we found out how hard a fixture it is when we were beaten by them in the FA Cup last season but we had that bit in our teeth today following the result in the last round making the players up for this one and looking to bounce back in the best way possible which they did via all three goals coming from Alexander Isak who is having a superb season.

On the whole, a great team performance that saw us give a full debut to Luca Ranieri who played well too, a great addition to the squad and a signing we are pleased to have got over the line. The result gives a bit of confidence ahead of the first leg in the Champions League this week against Manchester United too ".

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[Darren]

Champions League Quarter Final Leg One - Manchester United 0 - 1 Arsenal

Paired with a side that Arsenal know only to well from the domestic Premiership, winning a game against them just a couple of weeks ago, both Man Utd and Arsenal avoided the European forces still in the competition and locked horns in the first leg at Old Trafford with The Gunners taking a narrow lead back to North London ahead of the second leg.

Alexander Isak followed up his hattrick in the last game with the only goal of the game on eighteen minutes when he was put through by Chiesa and made no mistk in scoring past former Asenal keeper Oblak in the Utd goal. A result that Arsenal were more than worthy of, having the lion share of possession and controlling the game allowing them to take a valuable lead back for the second leg.

The Arsenal Manager spoke after the game ;

" When the draw was made we knew this would be a tough tie over two legs from our battles in the league and cup already this season and so it proved once again. Of course we are delighted to get the win to take back for the second leg and if it was a league fixture it would be even better but although its a lead, its only one goal and Utd are more than capable of turning this tie around so we certainly wont be getting carried away with anything and will work hard to try and get the result we need in the second leg ".

Arsenal are back in league action in the Premiership on Friday against Chelsea but will be without Raum who will miss the game through suspension.

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[Darren]

Premiership Round Twenty Two - Arsenal 1 - 2 Chelsea

A massive London derby with North London London Welcoming West London to the Emirates. With both sides going into this one neck and neck in the table, it was a huge gam for both sides but it was the blue side of London that took all three points in a game that they more than deserved with Arsenal not really showing up for this one. Second best in the game, even when Chelsea went down to ten men, Arsenal couldn't get a foothold of the game and although they did get level through Isak, there only looked one winner as the game drew to a close and it came for Chelsea.

The Arsenal boss spoke after the game ;

" It was a massive game for both sides with us both being so close in the table and I cant say I'm happy with the performance we put it in. We have been playing well of late and that was below par although we tried to get going, they made it very tough for us and even against ten men we couldn't make them pay and we can have no arguments with the result. A match to forget from our point of view but we will look forward to the next and hopefully get back to winning ways "

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[Darren]

Premiership Round Twenty Three - Sheffield Wednesday 0 - 1 Arsenal

A trip on the road up to Sheffield was next up for Arsenal who were looking to bounce back from the defeat to Chelsea in round twenty two and did manage to get back to winning ways in what turned out to a hard fought game that was a lot closer in score than the Gunners would have liked. Just a goal separated the two sides which came after just ten minutes through Chiesa and although Arsenal had the lion share of possession, they didn't really trouble the Wednesday keeper and allowed the home side to have an equal tally of shots on target but a good game in goal by Henderson kept them at bay and earned Arsenal a much needed three points.

The Arsenal boss gave his view after the game ;

" So called ' winnable games ' don't really exist for us as we have shown over the seasons, we seem to drop points in games that we maybe should be looking at winning but today, w did get over the line but had to work very hard for the win. They made it hard for us and although we had a lot of the game, we struggled to find a way past but luckily we were solid at the bck and got the win which was the most important thing heading into an important Champions League game against Man Utd next in which we have a full squad to choose from ".

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[Darren]

Champions League Quarter Final Leg Two - Arsenal 4 - 5 Manchester United

First of all, massive congratulations to Steve and his side for making it through to the semi final stage, we made it to that round last season and wanted to repeat that but it wasn't to be this season and of course a little bit gutted not to have but someone has to win, it wasn't our day.

Onto the game. We see these silly score lines pop up from time to time and it just a shame that one had to rear its head in such an important game. We knew a one goal lead was never enough to settle this tie and couldn't afford to sit back and let them come at us, but to score four at home and still get taken to extra time is nothing short of crazy and then to lose on penalties is a harsh way for any side to lose a game, it really does come down to what side lady luck is shining on in penalties and it wasn't us in this one but to be honest, United came here and were better than us on the day, just the stupid score frustrates me and keeps me questioning just why I keep playing when it whacks out silly score lines like these ones.

Of course we are disappointed to exit such a big competition but to make it to this stage after winning the toughest group isn't to shabby either. Onwards to getting players their minutes and finishing the season as strong as possible.

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Premiership Round Twenty Four - Arsenal 5 - 2 Sheffield United

A double header in the league for Arsenal as they played both Sheffield sides and got maximum points for their efforts. With United sitting in the bottom three ahead of kick off, the message would have surely been that anything else but three points would have been poor for Arsenal as they look to concentrate on the domestic side of things now following their exit from the Champions league.

A 5-2 win though will surely please the Manager with goals coming from hattrick hero Chiesa and a goal a piece from Correa and Pedri, but the big thing being that Arsenal had two first team players out for this but they managed to get the job done well.

The gaffer spoke after the game ;

" The season now for us is simple, get to the end of it, get players their minutes and try and keep the pressure up on the teams around us. Look at that table down to seventh, nobody is giving much away right now so we need to stay focused and now allow any slip ups ".

The Manager refused to comment on rumours surrounding his future at the club with some head members of the game rumoured to have been informed that he intends to step away from the game and as such, the on off sale of Midfielder Pepe could be halted.

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[Darren]

Premiership Round Twenty Five - Manchester City 2 - 0 Arsenal

First v second as Arsenal travelled away to face league leaders Man City with the Gunners looking to close gap between the two sides and put some distance between the sides below them but it was defeat after a couple of victories with Arsenal losing two nil. Certainly not the worst that Arsenal have played this season and after doing the double over City in the Champions League, many expected a better result but the class of City shone through taking all three points which sees Arsenal drop to fourth at the expense of Man Utd and West Ham who leap frog them.

The Arsenal boss spoke after the game ;

" We say it every season that this is most probably the hardest fixture of a premier league season, but its a massive test on us at the same time to test our selves against the best sides. We know we can beat them as we showed in the Champions League but we came up short in this one. We had our chance and against a side like City you have to taken them which we didn't today which is frustrating because scoring goals has gone well for us. A game to certainly get out of the way and now focus on the last third of the season and the aim is simple, get players their minutes and keep the pressure on the sides around us because there will be some more twists and turns ahead that's for sure ".

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[Darren]

Premiership Round Twenty Six - Arsenal 3 - 2 Liverpool

Next up for Arsenal who were looking to get back to winning ways following the defeat to Man City was a visit to North London from under performing Liverpool who will no doubt be looking to try and cement a European place come the end of the season while The Gunners looking to keep the pressure on the the sides at the top of the table.

A five goal thriller eventually went the way of the home side, a result that the club probably shaded going by the stats although at one point it did look like ending in a draw until Joe Gomez popped up late on with a rare goal to win it after Isak and Chiesa had scored earlier for North London side.

A much needed win and good to put the defeat in the last round behind them was the message from the Gunners boss after the game ;

" The best reaction after losing a game is obviously to win the next win so in that respect, pleased that we managed to get the three points. I feel we deserved the win but Liverpool didn't give up and kept coming at us, playing a formation that on occasions has the ability to destroy sides but we held our own and got a big three points.

As we approach the last quarter of the season now, we have one aim and that is to keep the pressure on the sides around us and not lose to much space on the table. Its so tight, a win could see a team move three or four spaces or a defeat could see a team drop down by the same distance so its in our own hands "

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[Darren]

Premiership Round Twenty Seven - Leeds United 2 - 1 Arsenal

Elland Road was the next destination for Arsenal as they went into round twenty seven facing the current Champions. Form has been hard to come by of late for The Gunners with a run of results seeming hard to come by and that trend seems set to continue with the win going the way of Leeds making it one win and two defeats in the last three games which in turn has seen the club slip down to sixth in the table.

Arsenal will no doubt feel frustrated to have walked away with the defeat and no points, a harsh result as they were arguably the better of the two sides but even though they had the better of some stats, they couldn't do anything with it and another goal from Chiesa wasn't enough to take any points back to North London but. Perhaps the off field situation regarding the Managers contract is filtering down to the playing squad but either way, the Manager has confirmed he will be giving his all to finish the season on a high ;

" Its never nice losing a game and Leeds are top side, current Champions and that alone says how tough a game was going to be. To get the top places in the table you have to beat the top sides and we just haven't been able to do that in the league this season. Not taking anything away, even though we drop to sixth, we are still in with a great shout to finish in a good league position with plenty of points still left to play for ".

Answering more questions regarding his future at the club, the Gunners boss had this to say ;

" Right now my focus is on finishing this season and getting as many points on the table as we can. My situation and contract wont affect that, I will continue to give one hundred percent for the cause and then look at things. Its no secret that I have become a bit disillusioned with the game but it wont creep into my preparations for the remainder of the season. My current deal expires on the final day of the season, a new deal is on the table to be signed but nothing will be signed nor spoken about until the end of season comes about ".

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[Darren]

Premiership Round Twenty Eight - Arsenal 5 - 1 Brighton

With relegation looking almost certain for Brighton who haven't won in their last five games going into the round twenty eight game at The Emirates, a potential banana skin was avoided for Arsenal as they took all three points in a 5-1 win.

Bringing Ranieri and Pepe back into the starting eleven for minutes, they helped The Gunners along their way to the win with the goals coming from Chiesa, M_Locatelli, Pedri, A_Isak and L_Ranieri. A concern for the next game the injury to Locatelli who had to leave the field on the hour mark with fears he could be out for some time.

The Arsenal Manager spoke after the game ;

" Win one, lose one seems to be the case for us and when we do, so the teams around us so we dont really gain any ground although we don't lose any so in the respect its a bonus. We knew we had to get three points from this one and take advantage of their league position and we avoided what would have been a poor result had we not. Its good to see both Isak and Chiesa occupy the top two spots in the scorers charts too, both have had superb seasons.

We now have a run of games where we we should be getting points from, taking nothing for granted as we know this game has a habit of kicking you in the nuts but we have a great chance to pick some points up and pressure the sides above us in the table which is so close still ".

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[Darren]

Premiership Round Twenty Nine - Aston Villa 3 - 2 Arsenal

As The Gunners enter the final ten or so games of the season, a trip to Villa Park awaited them with a Villa side who many will argue have under performed this season but it was the home side who took all three points thanks to a goal scored with the final kick of the game.

Goals from Isak and Pepe looked to have earned Arsenal a point which would have been more than a fair result but just as many were waiting for the final whistle to be blown, Luiz Diaz got the all important goal and the points for Villa, a very harsh result on Arsenal as the Manager said afterwards ;

" Winning and losing is of course part of the game but two things do get on our nerves, one being losing on penalties and the second losing to a goal scored so late in the game but we only have ourselves to blame for switching off and allowing it to happen. I don't think we deserved to lose it if I'm honest and a point would have been a fair result for both sides but we couldnt hold on which has been the story of our season

Its just a case now of trying to end the season as strong as possible and to keep the pressure on the sides above us".

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Premiership Round Thirty - Arsenal 2 - 0 Crystal Palace

A London derby for The Gunners in this round with Palace next up at The Emirates. Looking to put the defeat against Villa in the last round behind them, Arsenal came out the traps on the front foot and a good display and a clean sheet, coupled with goals from Ranieri and another for Chiesa got them back to winning ways and a big three points on the table.

With Correa out injured, fans were informed before kick off that the Midfielder would not be wearing the Arsenal shirt after a deal with Barcelona had been agreed which also included Pepe who played his last minutes for the club before flying out for talks with a move very likely to take place. Also leaving the club will be Dean Henderson who is also signing for Barcelona.

The Boss spoke after the game ;

" We said last week that we now enter a period of games that see us against teams below us, something that we have struggled to get points from but we need to turn hat round and keep the pressure on the teams that keep setting the bar. We do say our goodbyes to two players that have been here for a long time now, Correa and Pepe but we feel the time is right now to make the change. Likewise with Dean Henderson, he's been given permission to discuss terms also "

The Arsenal boss also spoke regarding the breaking news that former Barcelona Manger Livi has agreed to take charge at Anfield next season ;

" A real coup for Liverpool that's for sure. A massive club that have not really performed as well as their history maybe suggests it should be doing but I have no doubts that Livi will get them back challenging in seasons to come "

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[Darren]

Premirship Round Thirty One - Arsenal 4 - 3 Barnsley

It took seven goal thriller in the way of Arsenal to secure back to back wins for The Gunners with the winning goal coming via the way of an own goal. Arsenal included recent signings Mamardvili and Kulusevski in their starting line up following their moves from Barcelona and it didn't take Kulusevski long to make his mark with a goal after just one on minute but Barnsley did get back in it and at half time tied at one a piece, not many expected a second half to go the way it did.

An end to end forty five minutes saw Barnsley take the led before goals from Isak and Locatelli put the home side in front but Barnsley were far from finished and got back into it once again before an own goal from Edgar gifted the win to Arsenal which in all fairness was nothing more than they deserved after being the much better of the two sides throughout the game.

The Arsenal boss spoke after the game ;

" It was about getting the three points from this game, nothing less and although we were sloppy at the back, we were good going forward and managed to get the win and with some of the other results going our way, puts us back into a good league position. We were better than them on the day and to have walked away with less than three points would have been harsh and i is a hard way to lose a game via an own goal so we do feel for them but from our point of view, we got out of jail with the own goal and gifting us the three points

We said last week that this run of games we are now entering we cannot allow any slip ups and to get two wins on the bounce will certainly help us put the pressure on West Ham and Man Utd and all we can hope is they slip up and we take advantage of that "

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[Darren]

Premiership Round Thirty Two - West Ham United 2 - 2 Arsenal

Next up for Arsenal was a trip from North to East London to face one of the form teams this season, West Ham. With both teams neck and neck in the table, this was a massive game for both. A win for Arsenal would see them move above West Ham but a win for the Hammers would see a bit of breathing space for Todd Fortunes side.

The result, a two all draw will be looked back on for Arsenal as two points dropped for sure, a very good performance that saw them by far the better of the two sides in all areas, goals rom Chiesa and Botman should have secured the win but it wasn't to be and in fact, it was Arsenal who found themselves 2-1 down at one stage of the game.

The Arsenal boss spoke after the game ;

" A really crucial game this or both sides and of course looking back we are frustrated we only took a point away from it but also pleased we didn't lose. West Ham are having a fantastic season, they are usually locked in a battle to stay in the league but they have been consistent all season and will no doubt finish in a good position which thy fully deserve. The point doesn't really help either side and we just have to forget that now and focus on Burnley in the next round ".

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Premiership Round Thirty Three - Arsenal 2 - 1 Burnley

With a handful of games left literally every single point is crucial now and next up for Arsenal was a visit to the Emirates by Burnley who will be hoping to secure a Champions League spot come the end of the season where as Arsenal need to keep grinding results out to try and move above West Ham.

The result, a big win for Arsenal although only by two one, a hard fought one at that and maybe not fully deserved but a massive three points on the board that sees them move back into third place following West Ham United losing away at Chelsea. The goals for Arsenal coming from Raum and Isak.

Speaking to the press this morning, the Arsenal Manager had this to say ;

" Burnley do make it tough to get results out of them and while last game our finishing wasn't up to scratch, it was today and we can appreciate the fact that Burnley's wasn't because they had more than enough chances to take the win but credit to my players, they held on. Some results went our way with a little gap now opening up but we cant allow or anymore slip ups and need to keep picking points up ".

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