MCI 0-0 ARS: I'll Take It

 Neither team played well enough to win today, or poorly enough to lose.  This was the first home game in 57 that Chelsea failed to score.  Arsenal lost the last seven at the Etihad.  This point is great.  Liverpool's earlier win means they're two up on us and three on City.  Well, the job is still the same:  win every game and hope the competition doesn't.

Arsenal Women Win Conti Cup 1-0 Over Chelsea

 Emma Hayes (Chelsea coach) was sad after 120 minutes today at Molineux as Arsenal women got their bit of silverware.  Aww.  Maybe it'll make her hungry for US glory when she takes over the USWNT job this summer.  Stina Blackstenius powered the winner in after 116 minutes.  Congratulations to them.  They're out of the other cup competitions and can't catch Man City and Chelsea at the top of the WSL.

Mexico 0-2 USMNT: Dos a Cero de Nuevo

 The semifinal against Jamaica was the US team at its worst:  toothless and sloppy.  After allowing a goal within 40 seconds due to inattention, we failed to score for the next 95 minutes, when we got an own-goal to send the game into extra time.  Then the Americans kicked into gear and put two past the Reggae Boyz keeper, thanks to incisive passes from Gio Reyna.  Jamaica was without several of its most dangerous players, so this result was worrisome.

But in the final, Mexico was not particularly scary, and the US had the better chances, putting two past the 38 year old Ochoa (who is now slow as well as short, a bad combination in goal) and forcing him into a couple of sharp reaction saves too.  Matt Turner didn't have to do anything difficult all game.  This makes it three out of three CONCACAF Nations League championships in the tournament's short history.  It bodes well for the World Cup two years hence, when we share hosting duties with Mexico and Canada.  Dream big!

ARS* 1-0 POR (1-1 agg., 4-2 pens): This Club Needed That

 Arsenal has been a Champions' League also-ran for that contest's existence.  We did get to the final in 2005, but lost to Barca.  We've never won it, and often go out in the first knockout round. Our Europa League record isn't spectacular, either.  For the stature of the club, a good European showing is something the Arsenal need to do every year, and win a cup some time.  This is big.

Porto was really tough.  They're third in the Primeira and in good recent form.  They knew what they wanted to do and executed very well.  The third-country refereeing was not great, especially in the first game, so they cooperated with Porto's time-wasting, play-acting, and constant fouling.  The Gunners did not play well against Porto's dogged defense and lightning counters.  So 1-1 after 210+ minutes seemed about right.  All four Arsenal penalty kickers in the shootout scored; Raya saved two Porto attempts to win this knockout round.

Whew.  Let's hope we play better in the next round.

SHU 0-6 ARS and ARS 2-1 BRE: The Ecstasy and the Agony, and then More Ecstasy

 Well.  The Gunners had more than their fair share of good fortune to add to their great play at Bramall Lane, padding the score via a couple of deflections.  The Blades were never in the game.  Six scorers...that's the Arsenal way this season.  Brentford gave us all we could handle on our ground yesterday, but we overcame an amazingly dumb gift goal from our former regular GK to get three necessary points in what is a fabulous title race.  In fairness, Ramsdale made two spectacular saves in the second half that I don't think Raya would have made.  In the end, two more headed goals, from Rice and Havertz, both from Ben White crosses, were just enough to overcome the feisty Bees.  

Ramsdale's evening was a perfect demonstration of why he was fine for us last season but not for this one.  There's no better shot stopper, but he still isn't good enough with the ball at his feet to fit in with Arteta's total control philosophy.  If he plays for us again, it will be because of injury or suspension to Raya, though I'd make him a last minute substitution* for Raya if a Champions' League game is about to go to penalties.  I expect a team will buy him off us.  He's good on a team where he'll be called on repeatedly to bail out his defense.  He'd be an upgrade on many EPL keepers, I think.  But he's not going to spend time as a backup for Arsenal.

Havertz has silenced the doubters and has a great chant now:  "Sixty million down the drain, Kai Havertz scores again!"  Arteta gave him every chance to integrate with the squad and boy has he ever.  I still think he can improve his finishing.  He's keeping Jesus off the team.  

The focus has to be on Porto now.  To be eliminated from the ECL now would be big failure.  At the end of the month, of course, there's the showdown with Man City.  Their draw with Liverpool at Anfield today leaves us in first place on goal difference against the Reds and one point better than City.  The pressure on all three contenders to win every game is enormous.

*  Boy was I wrong about that!  Raya was great in the shootout against Porto.

How many times

 Can a team blow a won game in the last seconds? 

Crystal Palace 1 Luton 1  

A team that can do that, so many times, deserves to be relegated