Arsenal hold on to win at Fulham

Arsenal continued their brilliant run of form as they beat London rivals Fulham at Craven Cottage 1-0 on Saturday. Not many people would have betted that Lauren Koscielny and Per Mertesacker would combine to score the winning goal in this game. However, that was indeed the case as Koscielny found the tall German who nodded home his third of the season from close range. That wasn't before Fulham had been sent down to ten men as Steve Sidwell has been shown an early red card. It wasn't the only red card in the game as Giroud was also shown a straight red for a tackle late on. Arsenal once more showed their new founded grit and determination as despite not creating many chances against ten men, they were resilient in the fact that they held on and won despite not playing well - something that Manchester United have been doing for only too long. In terms of the Arsenal line-up, Tomas Rosicky started in place of Wilshere whilst Szczesny kept his place in goal. The other change was Nacho Monreal as he replaced Gibbs at left back.

Mertesacker scored his third goal of the season as Arsenal beat Fulham

The first chance of the game sprung to Theo Walcott as he managed to find the back of the net but for the offside flag.

The turning point in the game perhaps came on 11 minutes though. Steve Sidwell went over the top of the ball and caught Arteta on the ankle. The former Arsenal-trainee who had only just come back from a 3 game ban was shown a straight red card for his troubles.

Fulham's first chance fell to Berbatov as Fulham broke away and then Emmanuelson played the ball through to him. However Monreal managed to move him wide and Szczesny made a good save to deny the Bulgarian.

Arsenal's next effort came from the boot of Aaron Ramsey. The shot was very tame though as he slipped and Schwarzer made a straight forward save.

Shortly after, the Gunners went as close as they had all game as Giroud managed to set himself well before firing against the far post.

It was end to end football as Fulham then almost found the lead. On-loan midfielder Urby Emmanuelson dispossessed Monreal and then hit a shot which almost crept in.

Minutes before the break, the deadlock was finally broken as Arsenal found themselves in front. Walcott's free-kick was headed back across goal by Koscielny and Mertesacker was there to head home from a few yards out.

The score at half time was 1-0.

The first attempt on goal in the second half was that of a Fulham player as Ruiz's free-kick curled over the bar.

Walcott then came close to doubling the lead but he was only inches away from Cazorla's pass as Schwarzer raced out to pounce upon the ball.

Manolev was proving to be a surprising threat down the right hand side and then his cross-come-shot almost sailed in but Szczesny managed to tip it over the bar.

It was then Manolev who had thought he'd grabbed an equaliser for the hosts as he stuck the ball home following Szczesny's save from a free-kick. However, the goal was ruled out for offside.

Cazorla then had a chance to seal all three points as Wilshere played the ball outwide to him but Hangeland threw himself in the way to block the shot.

Towards the end of the game, Olivier Giroud was to be shown a red card as he looked to have gone in dangerously on Manolev. On second viewing though, the Frenchman looked to have got the ball first.

In the dying moments, Arsenal broke away with Aaron Ramsey as he came close to scoring but his shot went wide of the far post.

The final score finished Fulham 0-1 Arsenal.

The teams lineups:

Fulham: Schwarzer, Manolev, Senderos, Hangeland, Richardson, Enoh, Sidwell, Emmanuelson(87), Kacaniklic(85), Ruiz, Berbatov.
Subs: Etheridge, Riise, Hughes, Karagounis, Frei(87), Rodallega, Petric(85).

Arsenal: Szczesny, Sagna, Mertesacker, Koscielny, Monreal, Arteta, Ramsey, Rosicky(71), Walcott(71), Cazorla(90), Giroud. 
Subs: Mannone, Vermaelen(90), Gibbs, Wilshere(71), Oxlade-Chamberlain, Gervinho, Podolski(71).

My man of the match: Laurent Koscielny

Referee: Andre Marriner
Attendance: 25,700

Arsenal held to goalless draw with Everton

Arsenal were held to a frustrating 0-0 draw with Everton on Wednesday night as the Gunners missed the chance to extend their lead over Chelsea and Spurs in the race for Champions League football next season. It was a hard fought point for the Gunners, but both sides indeed had chances to win the game and Arsenal will be unhappy not to have taken their chances in such an important game. There were plenty of positives to take from the game though despite the result. Another clean sheet had been kept as Szczesny returned to the side whilst the ever improving Aaron Ramsey earned himself a second man of the match performance in as many games. There were a few changes to the side that had beaten Norwich as Walcott replaced Gervinho and Mertesacker came in for Vermaelen. Rosicky also returned from injury as he was on the bench.

 Giroud missed two great chances that would've won the game for Arsenal

The first chance of the match fell to Everton as the ball was slipped through to Pienaar but he put it over the bar.

Arsenal's first good attempt on goal came from an unlikely source as Gibbs made room for a shot on the edge of the area but it failed to find the target.

Theo Walcott was then to come under some aggression from the Everton players as he was on the end of a nasty tackle from Gibson and was then obstructed by the same player and Pienaar.

Everton were looking the most likely to score and they almost broke the deadlock as Barkley tried curling a shot from range but Szczesny was equal to it.

The best chance of the half fell Arsenal's way though. Ramsey got down the right hand side and then centered the ball brilliantly for Giroud but he somehow slid wide.

Arsenal were to create the first chance of the second half as a good build up led to Cazorla hitting a shot from outside the box which Howard managed to beat away.

Giroud then missed another fairly decent chance as Gibbs did well down the left to then lay off the Frenchman but he fired over from the edge of the box.

Ross Barkely was proving to be a very good player as he then worked off a shot as he had done in the first half. This time though, the ball flew inches wide.

Arsenal then really should have scored as they broke away on the counter with Cazorla who then played in Oxlade-Chamberlain. However instead of shooting, he fired the ball across goal towards Giroud but the defender was in the way to make a crucial interception.

All the chances seemed to be falling to Giroud as he then wasted another one, firing over from a few yards.

The final score finished Arsenal 0-0 Everton.

The teams lineups:

Arsenal: Szczesny, Sagna, Mertesacker, Koscielny, Gibbs(90), Ramsey, Arteta, Wilshere(68), Walcott(68), Walcott(68), Cazorla, Giroud.
Subs: Mannone, Vermaelen, Monreal(90), Rosicky, Oxlade-Chamberlain(68), Gervinho, Podolski(68). 

Everton: Howard, Coleman, Jagielka, Distin, Baines, Barkley(76), Fellaini, Pienaar, Gibson, Mirallas(90), Anichebe(90).
Subs: Mucha, Heitinga, Oviedo(90), Neville, Hitzlesperger, Naismith(90), Jelavic(76). 

My man of the match: Aaron Ramsey

Referee: Neil Swarbrick
Attendance: 60,071

Arsenal come from behind to regain top four spot

Arsenal put in a spirited comeback on Saturday night as they came from behind to beat Norwich 3-1 at the Emirates. The match had all the signs to suggest that it wasn't going to be the Gunners day but that certainly wasn't the case as the Gunners scored 3 goals in the last 5 minutes thanks to a dubious Arteta penalty, a Giroud tap in and a fine strike from sub Lukas Podolski. The win ensured Arsenal kept up their unbeaten run in the league. Meanwhile due to Chelsea and Spurs not playing it moved them all the way up into third place, having played the same amount of games as North London rivals Spurs and one more than Chelsea. There were 3 changes to the side that had beaten West Brom as Vermaelen replaced the suspended Mertesacker, Gibbs came in for Monreal and Wilshere returned from injury to replace the injured Rosicky. Another returning player was Theo Walcott as he was named amongst the substitutes.

Arteta got Arsenal back into the game with a penalty

The first real chance of the game came 20 minutes in as a nice exchange of passes led to Wilshere attempting to play in Ramsey. However Bunn came out and stopped the Welshman from getting on the end of the pass.

The Gunners were then to hit the wood work as Sagna's cross found Giroud whose glancing header hit the bar.

Arsenal were dominating the play and then Gervinho was presented with a fantastic opportunity to grab his third goal in 4 games. Cazorla played a through ball into the Ivorian who rounded the keeper but then sent the ball across the face of goal from a tight angle.

Bunn who had seen a lot of action so far then had a more straight forward save to make as Cazorla drove a shot from range but it was straight at the keeper.

The score at half time was 0-0.

10 minutes after the restart and Norwich somehow found themselves ahead. Snodgrass' free-kick found an unmarked Turner who steered a header past Fabianski to make it 1-0.

Soon after, the Gunners had a strong claim for a penalty turned down as Walcott raced past Whittaker and was then brought down.

Norwich then broke away on the counter attack as the ball was played outwide to Martin but his shot was straight at Fabianski.

With just under 15 minutes left Arsenal came as close as they had all afternoon. The ball was played into Giroud who then layed the ball down to Podolski whose shot crashed against the cross bar. 

Arsenal then finally got their reward as the referee gave a penalty after Kamara brought down Giroud. Arteta stepped up to take the penalty and side footed the ball beyond Bunn for the equaliser.

Minutes later Arsenal were ahead. Oxlade-Chamberlain played a brilliant one-two with Podolski before getting to the byline and crossing for Giroud to tap home from a yard out.

Norwich were now looking desperately for the equaliser and they almost got it through Howson but Fabianski made a good save to deny the visitors.

Into injury time and the Gunners scored their third goal to seal all three points. Fabianski's long kick found Walcott who then layed Podolski off on the edge of the area to slam the ball home.

The final score finished Arsenal 3-1 Norwich.

The teams lineups:

Arsenal: Fabianski, Sagna(80), Koscielny, Vermaelen, Gibbs, Arteta, Wilshere(60), Ramsey, Cazorla, Gervinho(60), Giroud.
Subs: Mannone, Monreal, Jenkinson, Coquelin, Oxlade-Chamberlain(80), Walcott(60), Podolski(60). 
  
Norwich: Bunn, Martin, Bassong, Turner, Whittaker, Howson, Johnson(62), Tettey(90), Snodgrass, Kamara, Holt.
Subs: Camp, Garrido, Bennett, Fox(62), Bennett, Jackson(90), Becchio.

My man of the match: Aaron Ramsey

Referee: Mike Jones
Attendance: 60,095

Rosicky double fires Arsenal to victory

Tomas Rosicky was the unlikely hero on a sunny Saturday afternoon as the Czech scored two goals to fire Arsenal to a 2-1 victory over West Brom at the Hawthorns. All seemed fairly comfortable for Arsenal but they had to work much harder for it than they had expected. Per Mertesacker was sent off leading to a West Brom penalty, which they scored and then the Gunners came under a considerable amount of pressure from the home side late on in the second half. However they managed to hold on for a valuable 3 points in the race for Champions League football. It also moved Arsenal into the top four for the first time this year, albeit only for 24 hours as Chelsea were not in action on the same day as the Gunners. The starting line-up was unchanged from the victory over Reading as Fabianski resumed in goal. However fellow Polish keeper Wojciech Szczesny wasn't even on the bench. Gervinho started outwide again as he looked to continue his good run of form.

Tomas Rosicky was the scorer of both Arsenal goals

The first chance of the game fell West Brom's way as Yacob got his head to a corner but Rosicky managed to clear the ball off the line.

However it wasn't long before Arsenal were in front. Arteta played a brilliant ball down field into Gervinho. The Ivorian manged to trick his way past McAuley before firing in a ball which Rosicky got his head to to find the net.

Minutes later West Brom were almost level as Brunt looked to catch Fabianski out with a low driven free-kick but it ended up as a good save down by his near post.

With half time approaching it really should have been 2-0 Arsenal. Cazorla played in Giroud who then back heeled the ball into Ramsey but to the disbelief of his team mates put the ball wide from six yards out.

That was indeed the final chance of the half and the score was 1-0 to Arsenal at the break.

The first chance of the second half came from an unlikely source as Gervinho played in Sagna who had raced forward from right back but Foster came out to block the shot.

Moments later Arsenal found themselves two goals to the good. Ramsey managed to break down the right and then pick out Rosicky on the edge of the area. His first time shot was well struck but Foster was equal to it. The ball then came back out to the Czech who rifled the ball home for his second of the game.

Cue a period of West Brom dominance now as they looked to get back into the game. Their constant pressure then paid off as Per Mertesacker was sent off for a last man challenge of Shane Long. It resulted in a penalty which James Morrison stepped up and fired home to make it 2-1.

It could then have easily been all square as Gareth McAuley headed Brunt's far post corner inches wide.

Arsenal were having to withstand constant pressure and once Romelu Lukaku missed a great chance from 12 yards out you perhaps knew it was going to be the Gunners day after all.

Shane Long was to have the Baggies next chance as Ridgwell played him inside the box but his shot flew over the bar.

In the dying seconds of injury time Olivier Giroud almost sealed the win as he chased down a long field ball before firing just wide of the far post.

The final score finished West Brom 1-2 Arsenal.

The teams lineups:

West Brom: Foster, Jones, McAuley, Olsson, Ridgewell, Yacob, Brunt, Dorrans(63), Morrison, Thomas(63), Long. 
Subs: Myhill, Popov, Tamas, Fortune, Brown, Rosenborg(63), Lukaku(63).

Arsenal: Fabianski, Sagna, Mertesacker, Koscielny, Monreal, Rosicky(82), Ramsey, Arteta, Cazorla(89), Gervinho(73), Giroud. 
Subs: Mannone, Vermaelen(73), Jenkinson, Gibbs(82), Coquelin(89), Oxlade-Chamberlain, Podolski. 

My man of the match: Tomas Rosicky

Referee: Howard Webb
Attendance: 26,144

Cazorla and Gervinho performances inspire Arsenal win

Arsenal put in a very confident performance on Saturday as they comprehensively beat relegation threatened Reading by 4 goals to 1. It was a display which saw Cazorla run the show whilst it also gave us a chance to see Gervinho return to form. Cazorla was once more playing outwide but tended to drift inside when the chance was open to him. Meanwhile Gervinho was a man who was showing off his early season form as he scored, and then set up two of the Gunners goals. There was also a very good display from Mikel Arteta. He sprayed the ball around the park very well and he was showing Arsenal fans a display worthy of a certain 'Cesc Fabregas' when he was at the club. His long range passing was brilliant and it summed up a near perfect afternoon for Arsenal. Arsenal's complete domination can't just be put down to how good they were as Reading made life very easy and showed exactly why they're at risk of being sent straight back down to the Championship.

In terms of the line-up Wenger opted to play, there were 4 changes from the side that had beaten Swansea. Gervinho who had scored in that fixture replaced Oxlade-Chamberlain whilst Ramsey and Rosicky (starting for the first time in the League this season) came in for the injured Walcott and Diaby. Diaby's injury being more significant than Walcott's as the Frenchman will face 8-9 months out of the game after suffering an anterior cruciate ligament tear. The other change came at right back as Sagna came in for the in form Jenkinson.

Gervinho was a threat all afternoon as Arsenal beat Reading

The first chance of the game fell to Giroud as the ball was lifted into the area but he failed to make a good enough contact on the ball and Taylor saved easily.

It didn't take long for Arsenal to find the net though. Santi Cazorla fired the ball across goal from the left hand side which fell to the feet of Gervinho who was left with a tap in.

Arteta then gave us an example of what I talked about as he played a Cesc Fabregas esc long ball over the top into Giroud. He was then bundled over by Taylor but somehow not rewarded with a penalty.

The next chance fell to Ramsey as Rosicky played the ball through to him but his shot on goal was blocked well by the defender.

Ramsey then turned provider as he teed up Cazorla on the right who fired inches wide.

The score at half time was 1-0 to Arsenal.

Minutes after the break Santi Cazorla fired the Gunners into a 2-0 lead. Gervinho set the Spaniard up on the edge of the area and then he curled the ball brilliantly inside the near post.

Aaron Ramsey who had suffered from a lot of criticism earlier on in the season was now showing why Wenger had put faith in him as his long range effort was only just deflected wide.

Reading then managed to work their first opening of the half as McAnuff slipped in Pogrebnyak but Koscielny slid in to deny a probable goal.

However Reading found themselves 3 goals down within a matter of minutes of that chance. A Reading man gave the ball away and Arsenal capitalised. Sagna fed the ball out to Gervinho who broke down the right, held the ball up and then played in Giroud who fired beyond Taylor and into the back of the net.

The Gunners now couldn't afford to switch off but they did and before they knew it, Fabianski had conceded for the first time in almost 3 games. McAnuff did well to pick out a cross which caught Monreal out at the back post and allowed Robson-Kanu to steal in and head home.

Oxlade-Chamberlain, who had just come on as a sub, was to then win a penalty. Mariappa gave the ball away to the young winner who then raced towards him before being bundled over in the area.

Mikel Arteta took the penalty and he sent Stuart Taylor the wrong way as he found the corner of the net.

The final score finished Arsenal 4-1 Reading. 

The teams lineups:

Arsenal: Fabianski, Sagna, Mertesacker, Koscielny, Monreal(71), Rosicky, Arteta, Ramsey, Cazorla, Gervinho(75), Giroud(75). 
Subs: Szczesny, Vermaelen, Jenkinson, Gibbs(71), Coquelin, Oxlade-Chamberlain(75), Podolski(75).

Reading: Taylor, Kelly, Mariappa, Pearce, Shorey, Leigertwood, Guthrie, Karacan(76), McAnuff, Robson-Kanu(80), Pogrebnyak(61). 
Subs: McCarthy, Gunter, Morrison, Akpan(76), McCleary(80), Le Fondre, Hunt(61). 

My man of the match: Gervinho

Referee: Chris Foy
Attendance: 60,082