@LaboGoon opens the road to Manchester this morning
Good morning one and all…
Old Trafford provide the backdrop as Arsène Wenger and José Mourinho will take to the field to shake hands for the very last time in a Premier League match.
It’s not often that we go into an Arsenal vs Manchester United fixture where the result doesn’t offer anything for both teams as far as PL ambitions are concerned, and with their respective priorities lying elsewhere. But here we are, making it pretty hard to gauge how they will approach this particular encounter.
Both sides come into the game off of the back of some good form, having loss just once in their respective previous five games in all competitions. Manutd of course will be very buoyant following their incredible come-from-behind victory over Spurs to book a spot in the FA Cup final.
Arsenal’s season overall has been an oddity. If you critique them on ‘home form’ alone you could easily be accused of being a bunny boiler because that table tells us we are right up there with the league’s best. The ‘away form’ however… by not being as attentive on our travels as we had been at the Ems, we have let ourselves down greatly.
So with Arsenal away to a Manutd team having their tails up, I’ll be quoting our friend @anicoll5, “who wants to be a manager?”
On team news: besides Elneny and Santi the boss said everyone else is available for selection. But of course with Europa our one and only priority, it’s certain there will rotation. Risking players after an energy sapping encounter with Atletico Madrid won’t be doing us any favours for the 2nd leg, as we too are a win away from reaching a cup final.
Old Trafford will today bid farewell to a football icon so in closing I’ll quote José from his pre-match presser:
“Mr Wenger and Arsenal were for many, many years the biggest rivals of the Sir Alex era. I’m pretty sure we will show Mr Wenger the respect he deserves.”
Positively Arsenal 
yeah markyb they said Nelson and Maitland-Niles both dived to try and con the ref into a penalty. Also said Nelson “went down far too easily” in the build up to the utd goal.
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Atletico bench today – Godin, Gameiro, Dos Santos [GK 19], Sergi [LB , Carlos Isaac [RB 19], Olabe [CM 21], Arona [RW 22]. Griezmann, Saul both left at home to rest too. as was oblak
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Ferguson and Maureen, he must have brown pants. I don’t care how nice that drunken glaswegion git seemed, he will have made it known a win on Arsenes last game there is out of the question
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Eduardo, when do those ‘too easily’ comments get made about URD/SPURS/LIVERPOOL players ever? No, they cleverly win free kicks that are given is what they do.
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Xhaka’s done a lot right today, after a horrible early mistake. Got a deserved booking and dived in a little desperately before goal but without threat of making foul, I’m pretty sure. Also pinged for handball which hit top of chest.
Redknapp jr talking about him like he’s a hungover Cattermole who has lost all discipline.
Indulged in popular pastime of claiming Xhaka was nuts not to charge after man in box. As is usual case, I’m not sure at all he should have or if it was halfway feasible by laws of physics. Charging into congested tight space in six yard box, where team mate is by one of theirs, is as likely to result in own goal as anything else
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They would not fucking dare to use the dive word unless it’s targetting us.
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shouldn’t glory in injuries ever, but…Mavy P with trademark moment…hello
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I’d love to see poster boy Redknapp the retard try and manage a football club. Corrupt bunch his lot. How did Harry get away with an offshore account in the name of his dog. In that climate any corruption is surely possible
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strong challenge by Mavrapanos sees Lukaku subbed off injured, Rashford on
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Even Tyler is surprised by lack of respect from Smith to Wenger. Obviously not been listening carefully all these years.
Yes….goal!
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Mkhitaryannnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnn what a great return to OT for our boy miki
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marky
Some of the things he says make me think his dad is Einstein by comparison
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delighted for Mkhitaryan, come on you gooners
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lingard catches xhaka, but ref somehow did not see it, yeah right.
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classic talking to after a bookable foul. Young third on same man
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Yeah, funny that the old selective Old Toilet blindness
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we now have xhaka and mkhitaryan limping
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In the spirit of his mentor Mike Riley. Last chance to screw Wenger at Old Toilet
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Kolasinac now down injured
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Ach, Kola. An unusually beastly physique in football is no guarantee of injury robustness and sometimes seems a hindrance (think micah Richards when he beefed up massively and was never fit after)
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Nelson off, Welbeck on
Kolasinac off, Monreal on
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Rich, Kolasinac has been carrying an ankle injury for most of the season.
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I hope we bring on Osei-Tutu for his debut today
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The Adonis has looked imaculate
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ospina down injured after fellani jumps into him, cech warming up
willock was set to come on but that is on hold till we see how ospina is
utd now playing hoof ball, lump it up to MF to try and win the header
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Willock on for Mkhitaryan
great to have him back for Thursday
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about ten minutes to go, the game has the feel that it will see a winner, just not sure which side might get it
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Ryan
@RyanMKiii
20s20 seconds ago
Utd – 9 fouls – 0 cards
Arsenal – 6 fouls – 1 yellow.
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utd have goal rightly ruled out for offside
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ah for fucks sake, utd take the lead in injury time, fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck
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FT: Man Utd 2-1 Arsenal
we really deserved something out of this game, sadly we are still not clinical enough with out chances and the ball is falling the wrong way for us at the back.
Mkhitaryan with a fine goal for us, Mavrapanos with a good debut, Nelson did well in patches. AMN good too.
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thought Ospina should have done better on that late goal
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Sometimes in life , you don’t get what you deserve, has certainly been the story of this week, and much of the season.
Some excellent performances, our players should be proud of themselves and take a lot from this, and great to see Xhaka developing into a seriously good player.
The referee was very liberal with his interpretation of some of their rotational fouling, a shame one of the worst offenders scored the winning goal. teams know they can push all reasonable boundaries of foul play against us and invariably with our referees, they get away with it
Very unlucky today, maybe we will get an overdue slice of luck on Thursday
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So damn cruel to lose it like that. Turned a joyful mood for me into something else in an instant. Football.
Ach, the cruelty of it feels like it means something, about power,fate,the football Gods, the cruel world… i don’t know what, in this moment, and all my good thoughts of minutes ago gone and not easily retrievable.
I’ll try to ,with more effort than should be needed, revive them. Proud of the effort today. Fantastic in circumstances, with a number of young players acquitting themselves well, excellent character, and it was a real thrill to me.
I was nervous as a traumatised kitten beforehand, and heart was in boots when they scored, but it turned into what would have been one of my favourite draws in a very long time, and then McFate just had to kick us in the balls and rip out my guts in end.
Thursday is all that matters though. Thursday. If full team can perform as well as today’s team did, a real chance of joy and glory.
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six away defeats in a row now, two more away games to play yet
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Ed
An Oblak? Not sure. Just maybe. Finding one? Jeez. Difficult.
It bounced off Xhaka and Fellaini’s head,though, and landed in damn corner. After all that. When a draw would have felt so deserved and nice. Maybe sometimes it’s just ffs life.
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The talking to in lieu of a booking just fucking kills me by the way. Would be less insulting if they just gave free kick and nothing else.
Talking to when it should so clearly be booking is just a farce and draws attention to fact they know it’s more than free kick but have failed to do their job properly.
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I got what I asked for beforehand in spades so, if can’t feel as glad and grateful as should, gotta shut up now and get on with looking forward to Thursday.
Still, that was such a bloody shame they had to score that.
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Oblak has minor ankle injury
yes Rich the talking too is in fact to let opponents know it should have been a booking but I’m not giving it so he can kick you again, Man Utd has something like 14 fouls today without a booking
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did sky give man of the match to AMN, or is that report fake.
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No fake – well earned
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not like sky to give it to a man on the losing side. says a lot about how good he was today.
next thing we know southgate will have him in the WC squad
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I hope he’s not, some Spud clown would do him in training
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brilliant display today from some players of the future. Again for the third time this week a player fouled in the build up to a goal. Its such a shame when the team, especially with so many youngsters, plays so well and the ref has such a mare. Normally I quite like Kevin but he had old trafford syndrome today.
I can see why the manure fans are unhappy and todays game highlights why we don’t want a negative manager at ARSENAL, good football is so important for whoever we choose.
I dont think sideshow bob new much about the goal and on first impression I thought Ospina should of done better but I’ll watch again before I confirm my opinion.
However today wasn’t about the result it was all about performance and there were so many good performances I thought Callum was outstanding and Ainsley so solid and such quick feet. It would of been nice to see Eddie and Jordi get runouts and I think we will against Hudderfield maybe if we get through on Thursday.
Overall disapointed with the result but with so many positives to take out of today certainley not dispondant and pleased with a great performance from so many very talented youngsters
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How very disappointing.
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Didn’t see the game as I went to the science festival with the kids. Not surprised at all that
We didn’t get a penalty
We were routinely fouled and United despite committing more fouls we get the cards they get the talking to
AMN man of the match he has been one of the consistent bright spots this season
Conceded in the last minute of injury when your lucks out it’s out
Appears we gave a good account despite being a very young team the one bonus for this season is that young players have really had a chance and have not disappointed
We could have a new core of AMN Reiss Nketia Willock Mavrapanos/Chambers/Holding
And below them a score of some Uber promising kids too. Despite first team woes this seasons academy and under 18 has really brought genuine promise.
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Really enjoyed the game.
Unjust that we lost but so so many positives.
First sighting of Mavropanos was quite impressive.
Chambers was absolute class. Had Lukaku in his pocket all game.
Imagine what AMN will be like in a few years?
Nelson as well…with more muscle
Willock also didn’t disappoint in his cameo
AW’s leaving us with a pretty good group of young guns to hang our expectations on.
We made Man Utd look stodgy and laboured till Martial came on.
Matic was the only veteran that played like a veteran.
I really don’t like Asley Young.
Our spirit was right from start to finish
All in all a good game of football
Arsene knows.
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Sadly, the new manager may not necessarily have any faith in those we see potential in. Such is the way.
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corr: Matic was the only veteran in red that played like a veteran.
Forgot to say I thought Xhaka was immense.
Marjyb..you never know.
Our 18 year olds have at least 3 years to step up.
They could be loaned out and/or used sparingly like AW has.
The EPL 25-man player quota might help
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I hope Mkhi’ll be ok for Madrid.
Iwobi & Ospina as well.
Kolasinac too would help.
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