Weeimba gilee Positivistas,
A memorable game yesterday at the Ems against a Norwich side who showed great endeavour and considerable footballing talent over the full 94 minutes. Credit to both teams.
Unlike those of you lucky enough to see the game on the TV I had the interesting experience of watching from a seat high up above the Norwich fans and under one of the large replay screens. As a result I had an excellent view of all goings-on in the ground, of which much has been spoken, but never saw one replay or reviewed one incident during the game. By the time I got home I was too drunk tired to watch the match again. That is a task for later today however as the family assure me I have a ‘doppelganger’, a perfect facial and body facsimile elsewhere in the Emirates. I await sight of my reflection with narcissistic enthusiasm. My recollection of footballing events is therefore based on “one take”!
As is our usual style we dominated possession first half but with limited threat to the Norwich goal. When we got toward the visitors’ box we could not slot through the next ball to split the defence, with a Norwich boot or head intercepting. Olivier worked hard against their two centre backs but to no result. There was a lot of sideways Arsenal movement from Mesut, Alexis and especially Alex Iwobi (who was in front of me). The ball moved mostly East to West as the stadium lies, rather than North to South. Now lateral movement can be a great means of testing defences, or identifying and prying open that weak spot in an opponent. In itself though, and with no direct thrust to accompany the sideways movement of players and ball, it achieves little. While the memory is a little fuzzy I think the only chance we had throughout the first 45 that caused a gasp was a Kosc header on half time? Correct me if I am wrong.
For their part Norwich managed to gain control of the ball and on at least one occasion Cech was required to turn away what could very much have been the opener during what for him was an under-employed first half.
After half time I thought we set off at a brisker pace but still the Canaries managed to hold us off, although they began to sweat a little harder. Per departed with a hamstring problem, the first of the afternoon’s substitutions and soon after Danny Welbeck replaced young Iwobi. Thereafter Gabriel was very good yesterday, just the right combination of speed and steel. The latter change was greeted with some consternation but the manager’s reasoning was clear to me. Danny brought that direct “run-towards-the-goal-and-take-on-defenders” that our offensive probing had lacked for an hour.
Norwich were not really ready for that sudden adoption of the North to South movement and within a couple of minutes their defence cracked open and we took what was a deserved lead.
Thereafter the game was exciting. We had chances to increase out lead, a great shot on target from Mo, and two moves in which we opened the Norwich defence only for weak finishing or the offside flag to intervene. Norwich brought on a second striker as well as the most devious of footballers in Naismith (Boo). They huffed and they puffed but we were never ragged and the bit of luck that Palace had with their long range shot never came the Canaries way.
Referee Jones peeped his final contribution and off I went into the very pleasant North London spring evening. I read on here last night that Norwich were rough but I did not notice them being any more physical with us than we were with them. Naismith will certainly still have a bruise on his head.
I hope to see something of Jack and Santi before season end. If not then we have more than enough players to collect the points we need to ensure third place, or even better if Tottingham slip at the Bridge.
Two snaps today – the top one is the Clock End on 78 minutes. It is not a matter of what you can see, but what you cannot see.
And below we have three people who went to the game, met up with their friends, and had a good afternoon watching Arsenal Football Club, their team.
And ‘that’ is what it is all about.
Enjoy your day !!
Positively Arsenal 
amazing how differently arsenal games are reffed compared to that game and also how the FA will deal with it too.
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OptaJoeVerified account@OptaJoe
9 – Tottenham are the first team in Premier League history to have nine players booked in one game. Naughty.
clattenburg should be suspended for not sending off at least 3 of them, maybe even up to 5 of them
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spurs have now failed to win at Stamford Bridge in 27 years
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Just a sniff of 2nd place still in the wind if we are at our very very best over the next 180 minutes – and HIT THE BACK OF THE NET
Most Arsenal fans of Twitter cursing Clattenburg – not a fucking clue have they ?
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Tom Gordon @GoonerGordo 2m2 minutes ago
Vardy achieved with Leicester what Suarez failed to do with Liverpool. Vardy > Suarez IMO.
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am happy totts are out of it… they have gotten away with a lot of rubbish this season…
happy for Leicester especially raineri! AW said he built the team Jose used to win first time around and that started Jose’s beef with AW
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Seems the English game has descended to thugball this year…..or was it always as such?
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A lot of WOBs will cry themselves asleep tonight. Spuds bottled it and now they don’t have that to beat Wenger over the head with.
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Can you imagine if Arsenal bottled a 2-0 lead against the Chavs in their best chance to win a title in 12 years? Can you imagine the media? Can you imagine the WOBs?
Will the headlines tomorrow emphasize how Spurs bottled it?
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Still hate those diving cheating racists at Leicester so I’m not jumping on their bandwagon. They have been very fortunate this season and I look forward to seeing how they get on with competing at the top of the table when they don’t have the element of surprise on their side.
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passenal… more happy for reinari really… just thought chelsea were hard in him so its nice they did him a small faviur tonight… small cos spurs were just trying to win to be in it not that it wiped out the 5 point gap…
Yep Leicester have gotten away with some this season especially vardy… but for me, better them than spurs. LOL
NOW THE ICING ON THE CAKE… Arsenal to beat spurs to second… i would really laugh at that….
doable cos if the FA was serious, at least 3 or their players should miss the next match.
although that is ahlf the problem solved cos our problem has not even been those above us not dropping points but more of us being in the position to take advantage!
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No, Shotta, Spuds still gets the small club edge. Pundits will speak of them as valiant heroes despite bottling it like everyone else. Just you watch.
I will remember the 15-16 season fondly as it was the year Mourinho got tossed on his ass and Ranieri won the league. Such poetic justice. The firing of Ranieri was the very first move Roman made once he acquired the club. His sacking was the dawn of the financially doped clubs and of WOB type fandom across football. That all was dealt a huge blow today. Ranieri may very well have ushered in the age of Aquarius.
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Wenger Knows Best @wengerknowsbest 1h1 hour ago
We congratulate Leicester City, on Tottenham not winning the championship.
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at lease rose dier and maybe mason ought to have been sent off!
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who was the Tottenham player who pushed Hiddink to the ground after the game.
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who other than Arsenal beat LCFC in the league this season(a Liverpool fan told me today that LFC beat them home and away this season)
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just cannot really quite come to terms with Huth being a premier league winner.
Arsenal and Arsene have many qualities, but judging ourselves in relative terms on those who win titles …..or some who finish second in recent years in Spain, Germany, England and Italy, we may be lacking slightly in the cynicism dept.
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Match of the Day @BBCMOTD 27m27 minutes ago
Spurs have won none of their last 29 visits to Stamford Bridge in all comps (D11 L18), since 1990.
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passenal, tut,
I watched the match, imbibed the bile, noted the ref performance, marvelled at the violence, missed the afters – whilst casually reading comments on here.
I’d decided I was above this debate, or rather, I’d just chill out and let the wonderment of Leicester wash right over my head – to the point that I needn’t spout undeserved anti congratulations on these pages.
But then your comment appeared…
A mere two sentences blew apart my undoubted complacency!
You hit the nail on the head. With added brevity.
I daren’t. Thanks though.
Bottlers?
edu produced an interesting piece on games/points, and I couldn’t help thinking about the 2 prem games against totty. 2 points given to them via incorrect offside, plus plenty of hacking, guess who reffed?
Remember #You can stick your fking 2 points up your Ars#?
totty supposed to get points deduction for all that. Ha ha, suuurre.
Dem valiant, gracious, congratulatory, Very, very brave… and we should’ve got Vertongan. Tut.
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I’m a bit cool on Ranieri too. For all his majesty he has twice defended his players multiple assaults on Arsenal’s player!
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reallyprofound @reallyprofound 3h3 hours ago
Have that Hazard, you benchwarming Belgian bastard. How’s the view from the dugout? 2-0. #COYS
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ah, it was Danny Rose who knocked Hiddink down, no chance of him being banned for it
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Glad my mate Shotta enjoyed the game,absolutely right what he said about this place,George runs a good door policy doesn’t he?
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Rule E20 Failure to control players – I expect both last night’s belligerents to receive the charge. In Chelsea’s case their third of the season and a second offence for Tottingham. Hopefully Clattenburg’s match report will contain sufficient for apprpriate punishment to be swiftly inflicted.
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Clatten enabler burg
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Good morning all…..
I see a few of the negativistas on Twitter have a certain amount of admiration for the “nasty” side of Spurs. Arsenal need a little bit of that they imply…..
Anyway, Spurs did not win the EPL last night and it’s still true this morning…..I don’t care if the heavens open up all day today….
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Yep, the heavens should open for sunshine, at least here in London, please.
A true capture or spirit and passion and a fine example to us all, innit?
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=gmobq6DSh64
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Well those little spud boys showed themselves up a tad last night. Hahahahahahaaaaa!
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The media awash with Leicester supporters this morning – people who I have never ever heard say a word about the game transformed into die-hard Fox fans – football eh ? Bloody hell
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Wont be long until the kids in playgrounds up and down the country will be wearing Leicester shirts. Poor buggers. Never to be repeated.
Saying that I have nothing but respect for what they’ve done. Made a mockery of my can’t win without billions stance, but still…
Going to be a stressful summer guys. I think the previous clamour for signings will pale into insignificance compared to what we’ll get this delightful summer. Add into it that there’s a tournament and many phantom targets will want to concentrate on that first.
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good video rantetta, are any of the media outlets like sky or bt or bbc showing it or making a fuss of any kind over spurs thuggish stuff.
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well if spurs do get charged by the BPL lets hope that there are no WOB on the panel, cos not only would spurs not get any suspensions or any points deducted, but in fact they would get a commendation and points added. Its amazing that so called Arsenal supporters are defending what spurs did last night. Maybe a lot of these WOB are, as some have suspected, actually spurs fans and not gooners at all
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The way Spurs’ discipline disintegrated in the final 15 minutes last night was unforgivable eddy. A game that was still there for the taking and to keep their faint chance of the PL trophy alive, and they degenerated into a petulant and vicious rabble. I watched Pochettino on the box post match last night and, fair play to him, the Argentine was measured in his comments. I imagine he will tear into the self-indulgent wasters who let him and his club down so badly this morning.
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Spurs and Chelsea deserve each other. What a vile dirty lot? How did Diego Costa end up without a yellow card out of 12 dished out. He was a constant niggling thorn in the Scum’s side. Without him, and Hazard obviously, there is no way Chelsea would have that comeback.
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big game for the U21’s this evening, kick off 7pm at the Emirates. Semi Final promotion play off v Blackburn Rovers. with Aston Villa waiting for the winners in teh final.
Wenger has suggested that some of the returning from injury players will start. Maybe OX, Jack, Rosicky and Santi.
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I see the Villa game is back to being sold out !
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david m @davemagar 14h14 hours ago
At least the press and so called pundits can now shut up about this AMAZING Spurs team. Since March couldn’t beat 10 man Arsenal let leads slip at Chelsea and west brom and Liverpool and stuffed in Europe. @notsospecial.
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http://player.arsenal.com/videos/7801/under-18s-v-tottenham-h
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It is a poor reflection on me but I haven’t enjoyed a second half of football like yesterdays’ for some time – and have certainly never celebrated a Hazard strike before (although its been quite fun seeing him go on strike to do the special one down). I can’t see any retrospective action taking place as it will get lost in the general let’s celebrate Leicester nonsense, but wouldn’t it be great if they couldn’t pick themselves up for Sunday’s home tie against the proper Saints.
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9 yellow cards with at least 3 more more not given to spurs cos at least 3 players ought to have been sent off apart form at least 1 or 2 that should be handled as off camera incidences by whatever relevant committee…
if the saints can do the biz against spurs and we can do the biz against man city then it is another must win for spurs in their last game versus newcastle who are fighting for their PL lives!
2nd beckons!
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What a list of things that have happened and by no emnas exhautive..
yet… spurs… hmm..
http://www.gunnerstown.com/arsenal/2016/05/03/the-berlin-wall-to-colour-tvs-a-lot-can-happen-in-55-years-but-one-thing-never-does/
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What George said.
BEFORE Spuds bottled it.
“pedantic george on May 2, 2016 at 2:59 pm
Yeas GN5, but when we are officiated with the rules being applied differently that’s not swings and roundabouts.”
Obviously Spurs still have their points deduction to come so we shouldn’t prejudge, should we?
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You’d have to ask Dele Alli about that Andrew (banned winkey thing)
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what did per do to get sent off versus Chelsea again?
weird that no one was sent of upon all of that yesterday!
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i wish we hadn’t bottled it this season.
i’m upset. cannot wait for the rest two games and then the next season.
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Per was the last man. tbf I saw nothing like that last night
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Free drinks all round from Canister Towers if Spurs get a points deduction or more than 1 player suspended after last nights antics.
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Chambers, Rosicky, Cazorla and Gnabry all start for the U21’s tonight
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