Arteta’s Blueprint on Arsenal
Written By: Robert Halter
Mikel Arterta looked for a blueprint on Arsenal against the Blues. In the sixth minute from a Mesut Ozil corner, a miss timed scissors kick by David Luiz, flew over to the left. Two minutes later, Ozil got tangled up with Fikayo Tomori, who made the foul, and from the free kick, Luiz drove his strike into the clutches of Kepa Arrizabalaga. The first yellow card went to Matteo Guendouzi for sliding into Willian, on the left side of the area, and as Willian pulled the free kick out to Mason Mount, his shot was pushed away by Bernd Leno against his own defender Calum Chambers, and into his own safe keeping from the rebound. However it was Arsenal that struck first in the thirteenth minute, when Ozil’s corner was headed on by Chambers, and a downward header from Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, flew into the bottom left corner. Five minutes later, Reiss Nelson drove forward down the right, and his cross was set up by Aubameyang for Alexandre Lacazette, but he was stopped through a vital block from N’Golo Kante, as the ball was then caught by Arrizabalaga. There was soon a delay in play, as Chambers required treatment after falling awkwardly under the challenge of Tammy Abraham, and unable to continue, Chambers was taken off for Shkodran Mustafi. In the twenty fifth minute, through a flick on by Aubameyang, a dangerous delivery by Lacazette, was pounced upon from Arrizabalaga. Next in the book of referee Craig Pawson, was Mount for a poor challenge on Ainsley Maitland-Niles and this was swiftly followed with a yellow card for Kante after pulling Lucas Torreira, before another caution went to Antonio Rudiger for treading on the foot of Torreira. The Blues then replaced Emerson with Jorginho. In the thirty seventh minute from a Willian corner, and knock on by Cesasr Azpilicueta, in range of the target, Kurt Zouma scuffed his shot. On forty three minutes, Bukayo Saka found Aubameyang down the left, who fired the ball into the outside netting of the left post. Just before the break, Willain supplied Tomori, who struck the ball into Leno, at his near post. Two minutes into the second half, Luiz was booked after turning over Willian, and from Mount’s free kick and header on by Azpilicueta, a poor clearance by Lacazette was struck low past the left post from Kante. Soon Jorginho got a card for pulling over Lacazette. Following a head collision with Mustafi and Rudiger, as both players received medical treatment, the Blues took off Tomori for Tariq Lamptey. On sixty six minutes, from Lamptey’s through ball, an interception was made by Luiz to keep out Abraham, before the rebound was crossed from Willian and headed over by Azpilicueta. The Blues next change was Calum Hudson-Odoi for Mateo Kovacic. A booking was shown to Torreira for a tug on Mount. In the seventy fifth minute, from Willian’s corner, a header by Abraham went into the reaches of Leno, before Arsenal took off Ozil for Joe Willock. After contesting a foul on Guendouzi by Jorginho, a yellow card was given to Lacazette. On seventy eight minutes, after Aubameyang won possession off Kante, the ball was turned narrowly past the right post from Willock. In the eighty second minute, after Lacazette appended Jorginho on the left, as Mount floated over the free kick, Leno missed the ball with his outstretched hands, and Jorginho scored into an empty net. The Gunners then brought on Nicolas Pepe for Nelson. But in the eighty seventh minute, in a breakaway move from inside their own half, Willian and Abraham combined, before advancing into the Arsenal penalty box, as Willian pulled the ball back for Abraham, who slotted the ball through Leno’s legs, into the middle of the net. In stoppage time, Maitland-Niles got booked for a shirt pull on Hudson-Odoi. Soon after, Torreira was disposed by Abraham, who raced through and blazed over. Then from a Nelson throw in and cross by Willock, the ball was sliced wide of the left post by Torreira, as Arsenal were undone 2-1 by Chelsea.