In a must-win game, we ground out a narrow win but were dominant. With Saka out for two or three months minimum, and a game every three days, the situation is tough. We're going to need all the players to step up, and why can't they? We'll be using 17yo Nwaneri, and 18yo Lewis-Skelly was great today.
Liverpool is up six points on us with a game in hand. They've been magnificent and they'd have to undergo a significant drop in form to make an Arsenal or Chelsea title challenge realistic.
Can we please play Crystal Palace every week? After Everton blanked us, we needed something, and two games against a high-flying Palace with delusions of being able to play an open game against us was just what the doctor ordered. Best of all, Gabriel Jesus remembered he's a pretty good footballer and put three into Palace's goal in about an hour across the two games. I did not mind seeing Eddie Nketieh bury one of the best headers I have seen either, since it didn't cost us any points. I hope Saka's hamstring problem wasn't as bad as it looked. We need him.
The stupid two-legged semifinal of the League Cup means more rotation for our banged-up squad. We better deliver the goods against Zagreb and Girona to avoid the CL play-in games. We're far enough back of Liverpool to make a title challenge appear unlikely, but you never know. We have Chelsea to catch too. Man City is imploding, which is annoying because it has come two years too late.
One early lapse from Kiwior was all it took to put Arsenal behind, and despite a lot of huffing and puffing, we were able to score only once, on a corner. No complaints from me about the referee, who let the game flow, or the result. It's disappointing to have the late Saka goal chalked off for a marginal offside in the buildup, but those are the rules. This makes our title challenge look increasingly quixotic, but if we keep playing this well, we'll win a lot of games. Give the Cottagers credit--they've been very good this season.
And Liverpool dropped a couple points Tyneside, so Chelsea and Arsenal are now seven points back. We had a day's extra rest over United and I think it showed. We overwhelmed their midfield in the second half. I don't know what the xG stats are, but I bet ours was a lot higher. We were dangerous on numerous occasions. But it was from two corners that we scored the decisive goals. Timber glanced one past Onana from a Rice corner, and Saka planted one on Partey's head, it goes across goal and off Saliba's ass into the net. We were good value for these three points. If we can get some guys off the trainer's table and onto the field for this "festive period," We could go on an extended win streak. Here's where being involved on four fronts requires a deep squad.
Injuries remain a worry, but the goals keep coming for the Gunners.
Highlights (re-enacted) of the West Ham game.
The Hammers were not ready for the onslaught and were overwhelmed in the first half, although they scored two fine goals to make things a bit more interesting. They came out in a very physical mode in the second half, Arsenal sat back a little, and there was little of note in the second 45 minutes. Liverpool demolished Man City to remain 9 points (!) up on us and Chelsea. Everyone else has to hope they hit a bad patch or three; no top flight squad has been so far in front at this stage of the season and not gone on to win the league.
Our CL campaign continued successfully with a comprehensive win over Sporting in Lisbon, who had not lost at home for over a year, and not lost in any competition this season. With the new format, the goal is to finish in the top eight in the 36 team "league" to avoid a home and home play-in to the quarterfinals. We're well placed to do just that.
