Pure ecstasy. I’m pretty certain that this phrase reflects the general mood of the Arsenal faithful at around 2:39 GMT. Because this was the time when Robin Van Persie exquisitely turned in a delicious Song dink to take us 2-1 up against Liverpool, and earn us three invaluable points. This feeling of ecstasy was heightened further, if that was even possible, by the fact that our closest fourth place rivals – Chelsea – lost to West Brom, which means that we are much more secure in our position.
Despite all of the above, this was one of the most uncomfortable and nerve racking games I have ever witnessed. There were only about 8 minutes out of the total 100 played when I wasn’t biting my nails. And those were the first five and, perhaps, the three after Robin scored his first. The rest of the game was pretty much all Liverpool and there was a feeling that we could concede at any moment. Suarez was, as per usual, a threat and Dirk Kuyt was also a constant thorn in our side. However difficult it may be to admit, I think that we must concede that Liverpool probably deserved to win the game.
But hey ho, that’s football. And God knows that it’s our turn to win a game which the opponent dominated. Besides, it gave us a chance to exercise some of the qualities which will be crucial if we want to qualify for the Champions League. For the large periods when Liverpool were pressing, our backline was mostly very effective in soaking the pressure up. Koscielny, aside from the own goal, was technically excellent and very powerful in the battles. Vermaelen, of course, was as solid as ever. Gibbs continued his fine form from last week, while Sagna was defensively sound while whipping in a great ball for Van Persie’s first.
But special mention has been reserved for; you know it, Wojciech Sczcesny. There were times when our defence was penetrated, only for the attack to be halted by a flying stop from our keeper. The greatest of these was a fantastic double save off Kuyt. A penalty save is superb in itself, but to keep out the rebound deserves no less than a Save of the Season Award. The save just further shows us that Sczcesny is a top talent. And that’s not even his most appealing trait. To me, this interview is what puts him so far ahead of other keepers: http://www1.skysports.com/football/news/11670/7564455/Spurs-hate-drives-Szczesny. Seriously, read the interview and you’ll see what I mean.
We needed this result to prove, as Wenger said, that the performance against Spuds wasn’t a one off. And although the quality on the ball wasn’t quite there, you could see that every single player wanted to win. We showed grit, character, and never gave up, which are all good omens ahead of a Champions League game which we will have to be on top form to win, let alone to win by a large enough margin to overturn a four goal deficit.
Still, let’s deal with that closer to the time. Today, let’s enjoy the fact that we sit 10 points above Liverpool, 6 above Newcastle, 3 above Chelsea and, maybe I should mention, just 4 behind Spurs…
0 ความคิดเห็น:
Post a Comment