It looked like it might be over before it began as Chelsea’s Eden Hazard slotted home an early goal and were looking far-more lively despite being shorn of several regulars and Conte worrying about fatigue. However, Nacho Monreal headed a corner in from Mesut Özil, and Chelsea’s Rüdiger helped it home to equalize. After going into the half on level terms, Arsenal came out in the second half looking much more purposeful, and an energetic Lacazette worked his way along the edge of the area, and Xhaka pounced on the deflected pass to seize the lead. Four minutes of stoppage time gave the visitors several chances, but Ospina was more than up to the challenge. The winners will go on to meet Man City in the final. More on that when the time is right. For now, let’s get down to the poll!
Arsenal blitzed Palace in the first 12 minutes through goals from Monreal, Iwobi, and Koscielny. Lacazette added a fourth as the Gunners eased to an easy victory. The only drama centered around whether or not Petr Čech would keep his 200th career clean-sheet. Sadly, he was denied this achievement in the 78th. More’s the pity. Still, it’s a fine result and one that restores some much needed confidence and, hopefully, momentum as we look for progress in the League Cup, Prem, and Europa. Enjoy this one. It’s back to work in just a few days!
Arch-nemesis Wayne Rooney scored just 12 minutes in—his 15th against Arsenal, most against any club—and it was starting to feel like we’d again dominate possession and pass it about without ever really finishing a sequence. All of our shots, it seemed, were straight at Pickford, until, finally, Nacho Monreal lashed in a rebound from close range. This seemed to take the air out of Koeman’s side, and shortly after halftime, Alexis found Özil gliding into the box. After having created a half-dozen chances for others, Özil glanced his header past Pickford to make it 1-2. Referee Craig Pawson finally saw fit to send Gana off after a series of late tackles, and that’s where the wheels came off. Lacazette and Ramsey scored nifty goals to just about kill it off. A sloppy late goal for Everton offered small consolation for the hosts, but Alexis sliced one more in to leave no doubt. Let’s get down to the poll!
Nacho Monreal opened the scoring for Arsenal in the 16th minute during a scramble in front of Brighton’s goal, and Brighton never really looked ready to answer. Alex Iwobi scored his first goal in January to make it 2-0. Arsenal were turned away time and again in a splendid performance by Mat Ryan, assisted by numerous goal-line clearances and the woodwork as well. The result is our sixth win and fifth clean sheet in our last seven outings, and we’re making the most of a softer stretch of the schedule. We’re now level on points with Chelsea, no small feat when we consider where we were after the loss to Liverpool. Enough of the big picture for now; let’s get down to the poll to rate our efforts against Brighton!
It doesn’t often happen when your mate bags a brace and your squad boasts of almost 70% possession that you, a wide defender in a 3-4-3, get to claim MOTM honors, but when you’re Nacho Monreal, well, you floor that like Koscielny floors opponents of questionable personality and repute. On a day when we pushed Pulis’s peons around like—well, like peons—we voted none other than Monreal as our Man of the Match. It’s almos as if Nacho looked at Pulis’s “tactics” and decided he would show the man how football is played, proper. Not to slight the man he dislodged from the position, but Monreal showed us just how irrelevant Gibbs had become. Let’s look at some numbers…
By the numbers:
Results of our MOTM Poll: Monreal pulls 68.6% of the vote. That’s a land-slide.
Pass accuracy: 93.8% (best of either squad).
Passes attempted: 64 (4th overall).
Aerials won: 3 (4th overall, 3rd best in squad, ).
Touches: 86 (3rd highest in squad and overall).
Tackles: 4 (2nd overall, 1st in squad).
Interceptions: 6 (best of either squad).
Clearances: 3 (7th overall, 4th in squad).
Goal-line clearances: 1 (best of either squad).
What’s remarkable is how well Monreal acquitted himself despite competing in several categories against players who, by rights, should have been padding their stats. West Brom claimed only 31% possession, which suggests that their defenders should have found ample opportunity to make tackles, interceptions, or clearances. That wasn’t the case, and this goes to show just how dedicated Monreal was in this—and in just about each match he plays.
It would have been easy for him to bask in the glory of a crucial goal-line clearance, one that very much saved the match for us when we were still struggling to take it by the scruff. An equaliser that close to half-time would have given Pulis all the motivation he might need to prove that we were on the ropes and that a few more body-blows—be they literal or figurative—would knock us out. Nuh-unh.
Monreal got right down to business and made it clear to his mates that they would have to raise their games if they were going to find a result. Look at that screen-shot—that’s mere seconds after clearing the line. He’s not content. He’s not satisfied. If anything he’s enraged that he had to sprint 50 yards to make that play in the first place.
We talk a lot about “passion”, but we too often mistake it for the exhibitions a player displays after scoring or failing to score. Monreal showed the passion that allows those moments to matter in the first place. Lacazette will surely garner all of the plaudits for bagging his brace, and he deserves credit where credit is due. However, let’s not overlook the industry or the intensity that Monreal instilled in the squad from beginning to end.
Still not quite convinced? Check out this most-excellent highlight-reel from Oscar (follow him on Twitter):
And, if only because we are here to offer out-of-date pop-culture references, I leave you with this:
