Newcastle 0 Arsenal 1: Kos the Boss, Champions League Football, St. Totteringham’s Day

Kos scores the match winner on the final day of the season. Deja fucking Vu

The nerves were tingling, the stage was set and the curtain was closing on the 2012/13 Premier League season as Arsenal marched out one final time with their destiny clinging on the result after 90 minutes. Elsewhere, Tottenham hosted Sunderland while Chelsea hosted Everton in David Moyes’ final game as Toffees boss before he embarks on a new adventure as Manchester United’s manager.

Many Arsenal fans (me included) had hoped for the manager would tweak things a bit from the team that ran riot against Wigan. With Mikel Arteta suffering an injury last time out, I gave some permutations on his possible replacements. I also voiced my concerns about Lukas Podolski’s recent outings through the middle as he had not convinced me enough that he was up to the task.

Even if a part of me believed that Podolski’s brace was enough to keep him in the side, I was astonished when I saw Arteta leading the line at the starting lineup. Despite suffering an injury a few days back, the ‘captain’ was desperate to play at the expense of his health. The manager named an unchanged squad from the team that dispatched Wigan and Howard Webb’s whistle signaled the start of Arsenal’s game of the season.

Santi Cazorla was making his 38th Premier League appearance as he was the only player in the team to play every league game this season. The Spaniard lofted a corner that was nodded to safety by Fabrizio Coloccini but it fell into the path of Theo Walcott that blasted his effort over the bar. At the other end, make-shift left back, Mapou Yanga Mpiwa, made mince meat out of Per Mertesacker before supplying a cut back that was blasted over by Papiss Cisse.

Cazorla swung in another dead ball that was flicked across the goalmouth by Laurent Koscielny. With no Gunner attacking the ball, the Frenchman’s effort skewed wide off the mark. Moments after Koscielny almost contributed to a potential goal in Newcastle’s half, he made a vital interception when he and Per Mertesacker hit the deck to block Yoann Gouffran’s effort after some good work down the right from Matt Debuchy.

Gouffran fashioned a great chance for himself when he waltzed Mertesacker and Bacary Sagna but his tame shot was miles apart and it clearly didn’t match up the decent buildup from Gouffran. At that distance, the least he could have done would have been to test Wojciech Szczesny’s goal.

It was puzzling enough that Arteta started the game and it became more puzzling when he suffered a recurrence of his injury only to be replaced by the Ox, which was out of scope, I taught. Yes, he excelled in the role against AC Milan last season and Norwich this campaign but playing him in the holding role was a big ask in a game of this magnitude.

As Arsenal pushed on for the all-important goal, Kieran Gibbs made some space for himself creating a good pass for Cazorla but the Spaniard’s technique let him down as he launched a poorly-struck effort sailed aimlessly over the bar.

Yohan Cabaye fired a long range drive that was easy pickings for Szczesny but on the Polish goalkeeper’s opposite end, the Newcastle faithful honored the 38-year-old Steve Harper in the 38th minute, as they sang his praises and applauded the stalwart that had served the club for 20 years even through he was on the fringes, serving as a back-up to Pavel Srnicek, Shaka Hislop, Shay Given and more recently, Tim Krul.

Football – It can make a grown man cry…

Arsenal broke away with Walcott sending Podolski through on goal but the offside flag spared Newcastle’s blushes. The German forward still managed to miss the chance and it would have been very embarrassing if he missed that with the assistant referee’s flag down. The last bit of action of the first half saw Hatem Ben Arfa glide his way through the Arsenal defense before blasting his effort over.

In the start of the half, Arsenal threatened when Harper’s poor clearance was intercepted by Aaron Ramsey before he teed up Walcott on his right. With his eyes firmly fixed on goal, Walcott blasted a shot to Harper’s far post but it was parried by the veteran goalie. On the other end, Debuchy was almost sent through on goal but Szczesny anticipated the situation and reacted brilliantly to smother the ball.

Sagna offered little or no threat whatsoever on the right flank but his improvisation won a free kick for his team not far from the corner flag. Walcott took over the responsibility of the dead ball and swung in a cross into Newcastle’s danger area. After the ball ricocheted off Podolski, Koscielny reacted the quickest and showed off his acrobatic side with a swinging shot that almost took out Harper’s head before going in to give the Gunners the lead.

Kos the effing Boss

For a considerable chunk of the season, Koscielny spent a lot of time warming the bench because Thomas Vermaelen played alongside Per Mertesacker on merit, because of the mere fact that he was the captain despite his horrible gaffes. It took some balls for the manager to axe the Verm from the squad but the Mertesielny combo has reaped benefits.

Debuchy exploited some space vacated by Gibbs and drilled a cross that was attacked by Gouffran but Mertesacker used his long legs to good effect as he made a trademark Merteception. For those that don’t know, a Merteception is a vital goal-saving interception made by Per Mertesacker.

Arsene Wenger replaced the ineffectual Podolski with a refreshed Olivier Giroud. Newcastle continued to threaten Arsenal’s rearguard with several pelts into the box and after a goalmouth scramble Steven Taylor was ready to go for the kill but Koscielny yet again made another vital interception before suffering a blow from Taylor. Moments later Jack Wilshere replaced Santi Cazorla.

Just when we taught that one goal was enough to assure the Gunners of a Champions League berth and celebrate St. Totteringham’s day, Gareth Bale scored a late winner against a 10-man Sunderland which made the final moments of the game very nervy. With Newcastle going for broke, spaces were exploited at the back as Walcott darted past Coloccini before skipping past Taylor and placing the ball past a hapless Harper. To Walcott disgust, the ball hit the post and rolled effortlessly back into the arms of Harper.

In the end, the Gunners held on to grab an absolutely vital result, sealing fourth place in the Premier League. Judging from how badly things were in the start of the campaign, a fourth placed finish was welcome. According to the Premier League Form Table, Arsenal was the best team in terms of recent results and won every away game since that stinging defeat against Tottenham.

Wenger’s post-match interview had it all, with the boss expressing his relief in sealing qualification yet again, knowing what the ramifications would have been if Newcastle somehow snatched a late goal yesterday. And of course, a word for Tottenham,

Arsenal's shadow is so big that even with a Chimpanzee Tottenham couldn't swing out of it – @I_am_OGB—
Gooner Daily (@goonerdaily) May 19, 2013

Sayonara.

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Arsenal 4 Wigan 1: Euro-Bound Gunners Condemn Latics to Relegation

Finally, some form in just the right game…

The final outcome was bluntly simple for both sides – win or bust!

On the Blue corner stood a team that was threading on relegation waters with an outside chance of surviving the drop despite enjoying a night in the spotlight following their impressive win over Manchester City in the FA Cup final, which ultimately cost Roberto Mancini his job. On the Red corner stood a team that had its eyes firmly fixed on a Champions League berth, as wins from its rivals over the weekend turned out to be an eye opener.

As expected, Wigan arrived at the Emirates with the same set of heroes that triumphed in Wembley and Arsenal featured the same XI that secured that nervy win over Queens Park Rangers 10 days ago with the only exception being Kieran Gibbs’ return to first team action at the expense of Nacho Monreal.

Arsenal began the game with more urgency with Theo Walcott using his pace to evade Espinoza on the right before lofting a cross that was nodded narrowly wide by Santi Cazorla. The heavy downpour was incessant but it wasn’t going to disrupt one hell of a footballing night.

With just 10 minutes on the clock, Santi Cazorla swung in a corner and some trademark horrendous Wigan defending paved the way for Lukas Podolski to nod the ball home at point blank range.

Mikel Arteta intercepted the ball superbly before instigating an attack in an unorthodox quickfire fashion from those his aging legs. After teeing up Podolski, the German drilled the ball into Wigan’s danger area but there was no Gunner in the box to exert the damage. Bacary Sagna made a foray forward and after some intricate Arsenal interplay, he fired a tame shot that skewed wide with Gibbs making a futile effort to dispatch the ball goalwards.

Wigan threatened Arsenal with an over the top ball that caused Wojciech Szczesny problems but Laurent Koscielny was on hand to make a superb clearance. His introduction to the team in the skipper’s stead has improved Arsenal’s defense and the results on the pitch have proved that fact.

Callum McManaman got in behind Gibbs and fired a low drive into the heart of Arsenal’s defense but Kos the Boss popped up with the goods yet again, making another vital interception. The French defender was the quickest to react to another Cazorla corner but his effort wasn’t far off the mark.

Cazorla continued to pull the strings in midfield, cushioning an inch-perfect through ball to Walcott that matched the finish but the assistant referee’s flag spared Wigan’s blushes. Just when it seemed as if the Gunners were going to go into the break with a well-deserved lead, Arteta conceded a soft free kick at the edge of the area. Shaun Maloney stepped up with a precise shot that rattled Szczesny’s net, despite the fact that he got a hand to it.

Both teams knew that a draw would have been ineffectual so they had to go for broke, and in quite surprising fashion, it was Wigan Athletic that almost opened the scoring the start of the second half when Arouna Kone’s shot was blocked bravely by Szczesny. Kone and Maloney were in the thick of things again, as they connected with James McArthur that rifled a shot through Szczesny’s legs. However, the assistant referee made a right offside call.

Walcott was having a stormer on the right and made mince meat out of Espinoza before swinging a cross that was fired goalwards by Cazorla, forcing Wigan’s goalie, Joel, to make a fine save. Cazorla had a second bite of the cherry but Joel coupled with some last-ditch Wigan defending blocked the ball and it fell kindly to Rosicky whose shot was blasted wide.

McManaman was one of Wigan’s bright sparks in the first half but he suffered an injury and was replaced by Franco di Santo. Walcott continued to terrorize the Wigan rearguard down the right and he lofted another cross that was controlled by Gibbs. After dallying on the ball, he dinked a cross for Podolski but his header was easy pickings for Joel.

Rosicky exploited Walcott’s blistering pace with a carefully-weighted through ball and the winger bore down on goal with Podolski making up ground to expect a cut back. Walcott fired the shot straight at the goalie albeit from an acute angle much to the disgust of Podolski.

After constant pressing and probing, Arsenal finally got a deserved lead when Sagna located Cazorla on the right hand side. The diminutive magician drilled the ball into the area and it was nicked in by Walcott for his 21st goal of the campaign. Wigan launched a counter attack harboring plans of an equalizer but with Kone beating Arteta for pace, Gibbs made a vital block before Walcott mopped things up.

Moments later, it was Route One stuff from Arsenal as Szczesny’s punt was intercepted by Aldonin Alcaraz to the path of Cazorla that nodded an intelligent pass to Podolski. Joel rushed on to protect his goal but the German Machine lobbed the goalie to make it 3-1. While the Gunners were basking in the euphoria of some breathing space, Cazorla split the Wigan defense open with a pass to Ramsey. After darting unmarked into the danger area, Ramsey finished aplomb with a blasted effort that slammed the roof of the net.

In eight minutes, the Gunners had smashed in three goals. Magical stuff.

Arsene Wenger made some routine substitutions with Jack Wilshere and the Ox coming on for Rosicky and Podolski. By leaving the pitch for the 22nd time this season, Podolski created a new record as Arsenal’s most substituted player in a single campaign, surpassing a record held by Freddie Ljungberg…Meanwhile, Frank Lampard broke the record for…

Late on there was a concern for Arsenal as Arteta was withdrawn for what seemed like an injury and was replaced by Thomas Vermaelen that went straight into the defensive midfield position. Interesting.

Depending on the extent of Arteta’s injury, the Verm might be experimented there but I’m in no position to make such conclusions.

The ref’s final whistle was like music to the ears of Arsenal, Sunderland and Aston Villa fans, as the result was enough for them to be where they had hoped to be. However, it signaled the end of an eight-year adventure for Wigan Athletic and their FA Cup-winning manager, Roberto Martinez, that could be tempted to jump ship to Everton.

Arsene Wenger spoke about his team’s performance, Wigan’s relegation, the extent of Arteta’s injury and many more in his post-match interview. This victory has sent Arsenal back to fourth place with some false hopes of even leapfrogging Chelsea to third place which will be dependent on their result in David Moyes’ final game as Everton’s manager.

Tottenham will be hoping for the Gunners to slip up on the final day but they’ll have to come through the energetic Paolo di Canio and his Black Cat Army. Arsenal did him a massive favor yesterday by condemning Wigan to relegation.

I certainly wouldn’t mind if he returns the favor.

Sayonara.

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Premier League Penultimate Week Roundup and Some Transfer Tidbits

After a gruelling 10-month adventure with more twists than a pig’s tail and turns like a roller coaster ride, the Premier League reached its penultimate weekend with many things still to play for from various teams in the league.

The league title was done and dusted a fortnight ago with a Robin van Persie-inspired win over Aston Villa but the Theatre of Dreams was the center stage for one final act for the great Sir Alex Ferguson. In what will be highly regarded as an exemplary management career, the Scot managed his beloved Manchester United for the 1,499th game against Swansea.

The Swans didn’t look like party poopers and with their Premier League status secured a long while ago, it seemed as if it would be a stroll in the park when Javier Hernandez scored the match opener. Miguel Michu set the Premier League ablaze with his blistering goalscoring form this season but his form has somewhat regressed but it was good to see him get in the act yet again.

United stalwart, Rio Ferdinand scored a trademark late goal and the celebrations began in earnest when the ref blew the final whistle. While the Red Devils basked in the euphoria of another Premier League triumph, there was a player with his mind set elsewhere as the club confirmed that Shrek has submitted a transfer request.

I’m certainly no Man Utd fan and I won’t waste my time dwelling on it. All I can say is that Shrek earns a whooping 250,000 per week and there are only a handful of clubs in world football that can afford to match such astronomical wages, certainly not Arsenal.

I don’t even need Shrek in my team. Good-looking forwards like Olivier Giroud wouldn’t want to play alongside Ogres. Just saying.

Just as the Gunners couldn’t bank on Aston Villa to make Chelsea drop points, Stoke couldn’t be relied upon to make Tottenham lose their faint grip on a Champions League berth. When Steven Nzonzi nodded in his maiden Stoke goal, I had harbored hopes that it was going to be a difficult afternoon for the visitors but an improvised finish from Clint Dempsey and a simple tap in for Emmanuel Adebayor was enough to propel Tottenham into fourth place with 69 points, two above the Gunners.

This ultimately means that Arsene Wenger’s men are going to play one hell of a cup final on Tuesday night because their Champions League hopes are locked to the outcome of their remaining games.

At the bottom half of the table, there was a lot of drama which also means that Wigan’s visit to the Emirates will be one to savor. Paolo di Canio’s Sunderland dropped points yet again to Southampton as Jason Luncheon cancelled out Phil Beardsley’s thunderous attempt on goal.

That draw didn’t do Sunderland any favors as their Premier League destiny also lie in Arsenal’s hands. A win for the Gunners will doom Wigan to relegation as they would make history to be the first FA Cup winners to suffer the ignominy of relegation, as they currently have 35 points after 36 games, which is relegation form if you ask me.

Newcastle also secured a priceless result against relegation-doomed QPR much to the delight of Alan Pardew that has openly stated that he doesn’t care if Arsenal dispatches four goals past his Magpies on the final day of the season.

It didn’t go according to plan initially when QPR got the lewd through a Loic Remy spot kick. Hatem Ben Arfa leveled the tie with a well-taken penalty but Yoann Gouffran sealed the points for Alan Pardew’s French lot to send the Toon to 13th place with 41 points in the bag. This means that his team is ready to take it in the backside when Arsenal comes to town.

Elsewhere, David Moyes said his goodbyes to the Everton faithful as goals from Kevin Mirallas and Seamus Coleman put West Ham to the sword to secure a sixth placed finish for Moyes’ side, five points clear of Merseyside rivals, Liverpool.

With Luis Suarez still suspended after his biting chronicles, Daniel Sturridge turned on the style with a scintillating hat-trick against Fulham which was enough to grab all three points for the Reds. That result secures a seventh placed spot for the Reds and they would look to build on this next season.

Finally, Norwich confirmed another season in the top flight with a resounding 4-0 victory over West Brom. That result propelled the Canaries to 12th and it’s fair to say that they are staying up with 41 points amassed from 37 games.

With on the pitch action dominating proceedings, the media vultures didn’t want to get left out and with the summer fast approaching, players have been linked in and out of many clubs.

From an Arsenal perspective, QPR’s winter signing, Loic Remy is odds on to seek new employers and as expected, he has been linked with two clubs with high affinity for Frenchies, Arsenal and Newcastle. Despite QPR’s woes, Remy has enjoyed a successful stint in England but with Arsenal linked with Stefan Jovetic and Gonzalo Higuain, I firmly believe that Remy will join the French revolution at St. James Park.

Aston Villa’s hitman, Christian Benteke, has also been linked with potential moves to North London, with Tottenham and Arsenal locking horns for the Belgian starlet. However, the ridiculous price tag of 20m placed on his shoulders would probably be enough to ward off any suitors.

The Gunners have also been linked with an 8m rated star from Ligue 1 called Gilbert Imbula. Arsene Wenger certainly has his history with this league and I’m in no position to comment about the bloke till something concrete pops up. Still with the French league, Arsenal has also been linked with a move for Lyon’s skipper, Maxime Gonalons. Gonalons is a tenacious defensive midfielder that would certainly add stability to Arsenal’s rearguard.

Finally, it has been reported that Bayern’s new coach, Pep Guardiola, has declared his interest in signing Jack Wilshere. A pretty hilarious one innit?

There’s a whole summer to look forward too. But Arsenal’s game against Wigan must be regarded as a cup final. A more detailed post tomorrow.

Sayonara.

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Arsenal 1 Man Utd 1: Sagna’s Stupidity Ensures a Share of the Spoils

I’ve been having serious constraints blogging recently because of my Internet connectivity issues but on days like this, the good ol’ WordPress for BlackBerry had to come in handy.

With Wigan’s late capitulation against that lot from White Hart Lane coupled with Chelsea’s halftime lead over Swansea, Arsenal had it all to do against the newly crowned champions, Manchester United, on a warm afternoon at the Emirates.

This season, Arsenal’s record against their fellow rivals at the top has been nothing short of appalling. Prior to this game, they had managed only one win against 10-man Tottenham as well as draws against Manchester City (away) and Everton (home and away). The rest had been disappointing defeats.

Arsenal put up a shambolic outing against Fulham but got maximum points from the encounter. However, Arsene Wenger chose to tweak his squad, bringing on Kieran Gibbs for Nacho Monreal with Lukas Podolski replacing the suspended Olivier Giroud.

After honoring the champions with the customary Guard of Honor, the boo boys started gearing up for the game’s pantomime villain, Robin van Persie.

Arsenal began the game like a house on fire with the Gunners midfield closing the opposition further up the pitch. RVP lost the ball in midfield, causing Arsenal to launch a swift attack through Podolski and Rosicky. When the Czech maestro teed up Theo Walcott with a delicious through ball, the pacey Englishman was marginally offside but he finished his chance aplomb, bringing an end to his much talked-about goal drought.

Aaron Ramsey fashioned a chance for Santi Cazorla and the diminutive magician wasted no time in blasting a left-footed drive goalwards. Man Utd’s shot stopper, David De Gea, parried the ball to safety.

RVP had his first sniff at goal with a half chance that was blasted over the bar, much to the delight of the Emirates faithful. Phil Jones was brandished a yellow card for a rash lounge at Mikel Arteta but Walcott’s free kick was an aberration. Jones neglected his defensive duties and made a lot of ground to be on the end of a van Persie flick but his header glamced wide off the mark.

Van Persie incurred the wrath of the crowd when the scythed Per Mertesacker down with a careless challenge, earning himself a booking as well. Arsenal hit Man Utd on the break with another counter attack with Ramsey at the thick of things but he probably made a wrong decision in feeding Podolski on the left when Walcott was free. The German with a left foot as powerful as Thor’s hammer fired a piledriver at De Gea but the Spanish goalie saved the shot.

Luis Nani exposed Bacary Sagna’s defensive frailties on the left hand side before flicking a cross to van Persie but Szczesny saved the header at point blank range using his head, which ultimately caused him some discomfort as he hit the deck with consummate ease.

Just when we thought that Sagna was having a bad day, it became a whole lot worse when the French defender inexplicably chose to gift the ball to van Persie and in his attempt of redemption he conceded a blatant foul in the box, leaving Phil Dowd with no choice but to point to the spot. Szczesny guessed right but the power on van Persie’s shot was too much for the Pole.

All Arsenal’s good work in the first half undone by the sheer stupidity of one of the most experienced lads in the squad. A shameful familiar story.

As expected, Arsenal began the second half with more urgency with Ramsey instigating another attack before feeding Rosicky. Little Mozart chose to use the outside of his boot to fire the ball miserably wide.

With Arsenal failing to take the attacking initiative, Man Utd almost went two up when van Persie received a pass on the left from Shrek before drilling the ball into the box but there was no player on white to strike the killer blow.

Man Utd gained some momentum and pushed on for the goal that would settle the tie. With Sagna clearly struggling on the right, Patrice Evra made a rear foray forward and lofted a cross for Shrek but his header was saved by Szczesny.

Arsene Wenger replaced the vibrant Rosicky with Jack Wilshere to add some steel to the midfield. Arsenal had another chance at goal when Antonio Valencia handled the ball outside the 18-yard box but Cazorla’s free kick was pretty damn poor.

With Podolski having a peripheral outing, Wenger replaced the ineffectual German with Gervinho. Arsenal continued to press on but Man Utd held the fort with some last-ditch tackling from Phil Jones. Wenger threw his last ace in the deck by bringing on the Ox for Ramsey.

It was gung-ho stuff from Arsenal as they attacked with urgency, leaving gaping holes at the back but I was awed when Sagna, Mertesacker and Koscielny slid at the same time to block Shrek’s attempt on goal.

Gervinho created a chance for Cazorla but the Spaniard’s effort was saved by the impregnable De Gea in goal. Right at the death, Man Utd would have grabbed all three points when Shrek created a clear-cut chance for Hugh Giggs Hefner but the old hag chose to dally on the ball with the goal at his mercy.

In the end, a point gained from a game against the champions may not be as bad as it seems, bearing in mind that the Gunners are still within touching distance of a Champions League qualifying place.

With this in mind, I really can’t wait to watch the long-awaited game in hand between Chelsea and Tottenham. That would be one hell of a cup final.

Sayonara.

Fulham 0 Arsenal 1: Good Result, Bad Performance

Arsenal began the week with a run of three absolutely vital games that were going to shape their Champions League qualification destiny. With fellow London rivals, Chelsea and Tottenham, within touching distance of the coveted European spots, the Gunners knew that three victories on the trot would give them some breathing space before the crunch clash against runaway title hopefuls, Manchester United.

A week that began well with a hard-fought victory over Norwich was followed by a somewhat flaccid performance against Everton. A win against a Fulham side thumped by Chelsea was absolutely vital, so Arsene Wenger wasted no time in axing the under-performing Jack Wilshere for the resurgent Tomas Rosicky. There was also a like-for-like swap as Nacho Monreal replaced Kieran Gibbs at left back.

Arsenal drew first blood when Olivier Giroud teed up Theo Walcott with a through ball but the offside flag thwarted that attack. Walcott dispatched a shot past Mark Schwarzer in goal but the officials had already made their decision. Walcott supplied an inch-perfect free kick to Laurent Koscielny’s path but the defender failed to connect well with the ball and a good chance went begging.

The first telling moment in the game arrived when former Arsenal trainee, Steve Sidwell, received his marching orders for an awful tackle on Mikel Arteta. The tackles kept flying in with Urby Emanuelson scything Aaron Ramsey down but Walcott’s free kick was pelted straight at Schwarzer.

Despite the numerical disadvantage, Fulham attacked Arsenal with threatening intent and the Gunners misery was also compounded when Emanuelson fashioned a chance for Dimitar Berbatov but his shot was parried to safety by Wojciech Szczesny in goal. Fulham continued to hit Arsenal on the break but the Gunners would have gone one up when Giroud’s shot beat Schwarzer but the post came to the Aussie’s rescue.

Emanuelson was one of Fulham’s shining lights in the first half, and he almost got on the score sheet when he won the ball after a tussle with Monreal but his shot was palmed away by Szczesny. Just when Fulham thought that they had valiantly fought for a credible stalemate at halftime, the Gunners struck a sucker punch through ze Big Friendly Giant, Per Mertesacker.

Walcott lofted a free kick that was headed across the goalmouth by Koscielny, With no one guiding Schwarzer’s far post, the German was on hand to score his third goal in Arsenal colors, with also means that he has more goals than John Mikel Obi at club level.

The second half began on a quite comical note with Wenger arriving late from the dressing room and running across the pitch, much to the amusement of a faction of the fans. Emanuelson’s trickery bought his team a free kick in a very dangerous area but Bryan Ruiz killed a bird in the sky with his free kick.

With the home side hoping for inspiration for anywhere, their right back, Manelov, made a slalom run on the Arsenal’s left hand side but after several ricochets, Mertesacker mopped up at the back. The Bulgarian fullback continued to probe Arsenal’s defense from the right hand side and almost scored a fluke that would have embarrassed Szczesny but the goalie was on hand to tip the ball over.

Arsene Wenger brought on Podolski and Wilshere for Walcott and Rosicky, who I must say, had an average time for a player of his high standards. With the game separated by a solitary goal, Fulham harbored hopes of a potential equalizer and it would have been a reality, if the fair lineswoman, Siam Massey, didn’t exist.

After giving out another needless challenge on the edge of the area, Kieran Richardson fired a gola-bound shot that was parried by Szczesny but instead of pushing it out for a corner, the Pole inexplicably choose to punch the ball straight to the bath of Manelov. The fullback placed the ball past Szczesny but the lineswoman’s flag brought an abrupt end to that attack.

Arsenal would have put the game beyond bed when some lovely interplay saw Wilshere create a glorious chance for Cazorla but the Spaniard was uncharacteristically sluggish affording Brede Hangeland the chance to make a vital interception.

A nervy ending for Arsenal went worse when Giroud was brandished a red card for a rash lounge. With the Gunners having four games left, it’s fair to say that Giroud’s season is over, except if the manager plans to use him in the final Matchday against Newcastle.

Right at the death, Monreal made a last-ditch tackle to keep the scoreline intact and Wenger threw on Thomas Vermaelen to beef the defense that was holding the fort from a Fulham onslaught. With the Cottagers going for broke, there were spaces to be exploited at the back. The intelligent Jack Wilshere sent Aaron Ramsey clear but the Welshman’s wayward finish typified Arsenal’s performance in the course of the game.

In the end, the nervy win was enough to send the Gunners into third place with Chelsea and Tottenham having tricky fixtures today against Liverpool and Manchester City respectively. There have been times when Arsenal played so well but came out with nothing.

Yesterday’s game was the exact opposite, as the Gunners achieved a good result albeit a bad performance.

Sayonara.

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