Good day one and all.
The football season is into it’s Christmas stride as we kicked off festivities with an absolute firecracker of a game at the Emirates with a commanding victory over arch-rivals Totnum; and it’s off the back of that Arsenal hurtle along to Old Trafford in good spirits to take on Manchester United with one goal in mind… which is to maintain our position in the Premier League’s top-four.
The Red Devils won five and drew two of their last eight games, which would usually make one wonder what all the fuss is about the club at present, but closer inspection tells us that in their last five PL home games they won just two, lost one and had draws against bottom half sides Wolves and Crystal Palace. It’s that hit and miss home form, not helped much with a 2-2 draw away to league strugglers Southampton in their last game, that see them at 8th on the current log standings.
So José Mourinho will need to do something special, or at least different than relying on Fellaini, who has been delivering the goods for him, to win back the “respect” he demand from his seemingly omnipresent critics. He has been talking a lot about “mad dogs” recently and his number one cheerleader Gary Neville ever so subtly told him to set them on one Lucas Torreira. Good luck José, our little terrier doesn’t look like one to back out of a fight.
This is the third PL game in a seemingly difficult run following the last inter-break; and Unai Emery has proven himself to be no slouch when it comes to adjusting to the physical demands by clearly being the better team against both Bournemouth and Spurs. He also turned around our travelling fortunes and in our recent five away league games we recorded four wins and a draw, in which we scored a total of 14 goals. The PL leading goal-scorer Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang must be licking his chops to add to this tally to help the Gunners to their first league win at Old Trafford in 12 seasons.
Granit Xhaka who started an amazing run of 65 back-to-back PL games miss out today through suspension, so it will be interesting to see if Aaron Ramsey gets the nod after finding himself on the fringes of first team this all season. When he came on as a HT sub this Sunday the Welshman changed the flow of the game and was instrumental in our fightback. *eyes peeled*
It’s difficult to predict how this game will pan out, with Manutd’s flaky defence I doubt José, who is in desperate need of a win, will take the game to Arsenal. He may well instruct his team to be ultra defensive and look the sneak in a winning goal right at the death. Arsenal who registered their first win against a top-six side will look to build on that against another who’s manager said the best they can hope for in May is to finish, well, 6th.
Either way this is hands down the blockbuster fixture of this matchday and hopefully the Arsenal stretch their unbeaten run to 20.
Let’s go!
@LaboGoon
Positively Arsenal 
Top post LG, thanks setting the scene for the big one tonight at Old Toilet. It will be interesting to see who Goonerai Emery chooses- the rotation is working in our favour at the moment. Fully expect Man Ure to rise to the occasion. I think a lot of neutrals will be on our side tonight too cheering us on.
Anyway, may the force be with us.
COYG!
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Thanks Labo – I fancy Jose is managing for his job tonight, clinging to the red Mancunian ledge, so let us hope we can stamp on the bastard’s fingers.
COYG
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click like from me anicoll5 for the 3.17pm!
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Like for me as well for the 3.17 as mentioned by Dave in the 3.48
There’s a thought : can and do the admin crew go in and bung on likes for themselves.
With great power and all that.
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Still wary of him and them at Old Trafford mind.
Even though so much of what I’ve seen of them recently and in recent years suggests should feel confident or, if I hadn’t been watching football for decades, extremely confident (honestly, that 2nd half of theirs on the weekend, or at home against a Young boys team apparently missing 3 or 4 of their first eleven)
Guess one thing in their favour is Mou is much much happier getting to defend and counter than try build play. Also no Granit, and in games he doesn’t play it often feels like our way of playing now goes with him
Other factor is that the last time I decided beforehand to go into it all positive and fairly confident was that bloody Rashford game, and that one really hurt.
Swore never again, but let’s have it.
Would love it, love it, love it if we beat that bum and his troops tonight.
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Im also wary too Rich, but I think Emery got everyones feet on the ground pretty quick after Sunday?
However ManUre and Mou are full of pride and no doubt are green-eyed over our league position and this upstart Goonerai fellow. The old bus will be parked tonight and lots of sneaky fouling etc. I think we can rise to it though.
I see that Kos only came off due to cramp last night. Phew.
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With this fixture and conditions, these are the games where it would be nice to have a Welbeck/Giroud/Adebayor target man style option (Danny is as we say an all-rounder), it’ll be interesting for us all to see what solution UE works out as it is unlikely we’ll see Welbeck this season and we have no idea if he’ll stay.
In the meantime a fit and firing Aubamayang and Lacazette are not shabby options but they’ll need some rest this month. Possible opportunities for Eddie to play in the PL for ten or twenty mins here and there this month, the kid is chomping at the bit and as we could all see and appreciate with Cech/Leno unless we had blogs and ads that needed clicking, we saw that Unai understands what he is doing. Treating players like human beings? Getting his two keepers into competitive form, in general giving players a chance to play themselves into good form etc.? Long live the revolution!
Thanks Labo, I hope you and everyone enjoy this football match and contest as much as they did the previous one. Come on the arsenal!
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Ramsey back in the starting 11 and is captain too
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https://pbs.twimg.com/media/DtrLlPrWwAUFGtG.jpg:large
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Arsenal Women
Verified account @ArsenalWFC
39m39 minutes ago
📝 Time for team news! Here’s how we line up against @CAFCofficial in the Continental Tyres Cup…
Starting XI: van Veenendaal, Evans, Williamson, Quinn, McCabe, Walti, Kuyken, van de Donk, Mead, Miedema, Hazard
Subs: Peyraud-Magnin, Grant, Bailey-Gayle, Filis, Dawbarn, Paul
Amelia Hazard and @AvaKuyken are set to make their full debuts tonight
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yes LG well done and yes they will try and sit deep, kick us off the park and try to get Torreira sent off, All the tricks will be out tonight including the old red ref.
A win up there for us will be a fantastic achievement COYG.
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COYG!
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Yes!
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Mustafiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii 1-0 to the Arsenal, a header at a corner, down into the ground, degea got to it but it had crossed the line
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poor keeping and its 1-1, martial tap in after leno initial save
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bah!
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Offside goal to Man U. Still should have defended it.
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Holding out. Looks like knee is gone. Arsenal down to 10 for the moment.
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Holding off injured, looks like a bad knee injury, Lichtsteiner coming on
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Poor Rob.
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Stephan on.
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mustafi booked
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Rojo with a horrible tackle on Matteo. Gets only a yellow.
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how is that not a red? Same old Old Toilet.
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Rojo lucky to only get a yellow there
lingard now booked
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Bellerin booked
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How does fucking Rojo get away with all these red card tackles with just yellow? It’s far too many now
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Ref is terrible.
Bellerin gets a yellow for a non foul.
Man U 12th Man on full display.
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matic booked
we aint finishing with 11 men today
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Ramsey injured now
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HT: Man Utd 1-1 Arsenal
Mustafi with our goal, then minutes later Martial scored unmarked but there was an offside in the build up.
Lots of bookings, Rojo should have been off
Holding looks to have a major knee injury
Ramsey limping badly at end of half too.
15 BPL games in and we have yet to lead at half time. Need that big second half again.
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Typical Man U.
Whenever we start getting into stride they foul to break it up. Pathetic.
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Not sure its possible to play football against this lot. Hope Robs injury is as best as can be.
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BBC commentator on the offside in the build up to their goal “he was only a tiny bit offside so…”
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A tough talk for UE to give, how to change things that we go on top despite the hacking/clogging. Going to be a red in the 2nd?
Who would have thought that ManUre would end up the new Stoke City?
Going to be a tough half but we can have this one.
COYG!
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Hard to take that Holding injury.
Not sure if Rashford normally goes in for sneaky stuff (though he’s a known diver) but there you have it, a late kick on a player not expecting any contact and it looks bad for Holding.
Rojo getting away with that wild challenge minutes later didn’t improve my mood.
Bad thing is you know it’s us who are more likely to get the red if there is one.
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from BBC live text
‘VAR would have ruled that goal out’
Man Utd 1-1 Arsenal
Robbie Savage
Ex-Leicester City & Wales midfielder on BBC Radio 5 live
Herrera is just leaning offside as the ball is played. VAR would have ruled that goal out as his head and torso was offside.
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Pathetic Stoke like performance from a team with such resources.
Take back what I posted earlier, lack of threat or not, hope we get Jose sacked tonite
What elite team in Europe is going to want him?
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come on you Gunners! I hope we can get Lacca on and do the biz.
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lacazette on for iwobi
and utd have brought on lukaku for martial
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with all 3 subs used, we now have mustafi limping
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Martial dived to win the free kick that lead to their goal as well.
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Goal Laca. Hopefully not injured while scoring.
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the biiiiizzzzzz!
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come on Arsenal, 2-1 up, not sure if its an OG or if PEA scored it
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Fuck. They score from the kick off.
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ah for fucks sake, lingard 2-2
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shag.
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keystone cop defending, right from the kick off, long ball in, kolasinac with an awful touch, then left it to leno who was not coming and lingard nips in to score, awful, awful awful
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