The Soccer Blog: Arsenal 2 Everton 1: Second Half Comeback Keeps Arsenal in the Title Race

By: Sairax | February 1st, 2011
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It looked like it was going to be one of those days. After a run of cup ties, we were back playing in the league and we seemed to have dropped the ball. I wondered if it was possible for this team to play well and win if we didn’t have the electric Theo van Nasregas on the pitch. Then came the second half and Arsenal rose up to the occasion to show everyone that it ain’t over till it’s over.

Everton were ready to come at us from the first minute. They pushed numbers forward and tried to unsettle us as much as possible. Not even five minutes went by before Jack got a yellow, which I thought was a bit harsh. Frankly, Cesc’s challenge on Arteta a few minutes later was more of a yellow than the challenge Jack made. It was unfortunate because it reflected in Jack’s game as you could see him being a bit careful going into tackles from then on.

Bilyaletdinov was busy trying to get down the wing and at Sagna and succeeded in winning a corner. Fellaini ended up handballing it and we earned a free kick. The Everton players weren’t shy in using their muscle against our slight team and Distin got in a really hard challenge on Theo. We managed to scrape together a couple of chances ourselves with van Persie whipping in a corner that Kos just missed inside the area. In open play, our passing was not clicking well though bothe Cesc and Theo managed to get in a couple of tame shots towards Tim Howard’s net. Everton took their opportunities better than we did and generally looked a lot more threatening in attack. Their persistence paid off when Louis Saha got the goal to put Everton up 1-0.

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Let’s take a look at that Everton goal. Clearly, Saha is in an offside position when the ball is played. That’s not even debatable. The issue lies in the fact that Kos touched the ball before Saha nicked it and scored. Saha was in a position of advantage when he received the ball. Kos would not have tried to clear the ball if Saha hadn’t been in a position where he could gain an advantage. In my opinion, because Saha is in a position of advantage when the ball is redirected towards him after Kos tries to clear, I don’t think the initial phase has ended. Therefore, he is offside and the goal should not have stood. If Kos had made an intentional backpass to the keeper, which he did not, then I think the goal would have been legit. Luckily, this decision did not affect the outcome of the game. Sometimes they go your way and sometimes they don’t, but you have to find a way to get yourself back in the game even if you don’t agree with a call.

The crowd most certainly did not agree with the call and I’m pretty sure they replayed the goal on the new giant screen that was recently put in at the Emirates. They let Lee Mason know they were not amused and greeted a Fellaini offside decision with ironic cheers. Everything felt very tense, and the players were understandably frustrated as well. We hadn’t got a grip in the midfield and the Toffees got a boost from scoring. We were giving away freekicks and it was a bit of a battle all over the pitch. We managed to earn ourselves another corner and Jack got in a nice ball in behind the Everton backline for van Persie, but he didn’t make the most of it. Bilyaletdinov had a chance at our end that Szczesny handled well. Some more scrappy exchanges and tussles between the players and the whistle finally blew so as to allow our fans to boo the referee heartily. It was a lacklustre display and we needed to bring a lot more in the second half if we were going to get anything out of the game.

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The second half started with Diaby in place for Song who picked up a knock in the first half and had to be taken off. We started off well, trying to press Everton and find some space in the final third. Rosicky made a run and tried his luck from outside the area, but his goalless streak continued on as the ball fizzed out wide past the post. We earned ourselves a freekick near the edge of the penalty area that van Persie basically wasted by limply shooting into the wall.

There were echoes of the World Cup final as many of the battles taking place were between Dutch and Spanish players. Only this time, it was 2 Spanish players, Cesc and Arteta, and 2 Dutch players, van Persie and Heitinga, who were going at each other. All it was missing was a kung fu kick, but Diaby tends to save those for John Terry. On the whole, we were riding challenges well and keeping possession a bit better, which kept Everton’s chances to score at a minimum. In the 53rd minute, Clichy forgot that he never ever scores for us and had a go with his left foot that was comfortably blocked. We were doing better, but we needed to change things up.

Arshavin came on for Rosicky in the 62nd minute and he immediately got involved. He flicked a nice ball over for van Persie who got a chance with his chocolate leg that went wide. Bendtner was brought on a few minutes later for Jack and he went up front to spearhead the attack. Finally, a few minutes later, Cesc delivered a pass that Arshavin took down and finished with the calmness and composure he’s been lacking in recent games. There was no time to celebrate the equalizer as Arshavin hurriedly made his way to the centre circle so we could kick off and grab ourselves another goal. Everton won themselves a corner, but it was Arsenal who found the better chances with Bendtner trying an acrobatic overhead kick and RvP trying his luck as well. It didn’t take long but we got our second goal through a corner delivered by RvP and knocked in by Kos’ noggin. He was in plenty of space and took his chance well after having missed several similar opportunities earlier this season. He’s becoming quite the fox in the box. Needless to say the players went mental and piled on top of each other in celebration of their comeback.

In recent meetings with Everton there have been plenty of late goals that has ended up costing points for one team. We had fifteen minutes to hang on and I thought our backline handled themselves really well. They seem to have a better sense of each other at the back and our attacking players were good in getting back and helping to cover. Everton tried to force their way into the final third, but we got in some good blocks and interceptions and generally contained their threat. The closest they got was through a long range effort from Rodwell, but it came to nothing and it looked like we were home free. Full time, three points, thank you very much, and good night.

Full Time Stats:

Possession: Arsenal 59% – Everton 41%
Shots (on Target): Arsenal 18(6) – Everton 7(3)
Corners: Arsenal 5 – Everton 7

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Player Ratings:

Szczesny 6.5 Has a real knack for kicking the ball straight to an opposition player. We all know how much talent he has, but his kicking and general distribution needs a lot of work. Otherwise dealt with set pieces and shots well.

Sagna 7 It’s not just his consistency that makes him good. It’s also his level and skill and commitment in defending. Good game, got back to help Djourou double up on Everton players when needed. Solid.

Djourou 7 If we have an issue with quantity with regards to our defenders, we at least don’t have to worry about quality. He’s recently talked about how he’s developed a better understanding with Kos at the back and I think they have grown a lot together in their partnership this season.

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Koscielny 8 MOTM aka Dave* had a great game. He’s really good at bringing the ball out from the back to get things going. Won plenty of headers on both ends of the pitch and scored the match winning goal. Was on Saha like white on rice for a lot of the game.

Clichy 7 He seemed to cover a lot of area out on the left. Did really well in dealing with Coleman.

Wilshere 6 The early yellow held him back during the game. Quiet game on the whole. Didn’t really impose himself on the midfield.

Song 6 Lasted only the first half before he picked up a knock and got substituted. Not as big a presence as he usually is and didn’t really deal with Fellaini who had the better game of the two.

Rosicky 5 Pretty anonymous, particularly in the first half. Got bullied a bit physically. Seems to be going through a bad spell of form at the moment.

Fabregas 6.5 Not his best game, but not poor by any means. He was missing his shooting boots again with some really poor efforts. Still, you can always find him in buildup play and trying to find his teammates with the perfect pass.

Walcott 6.5 Worked hard down the right. Gives us good width, which sometimes you don’t notice until he’s not there and everything goes a bit narrow. Final ball left wanting.

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van Persie 7 He’s the perfect striker for us because his all-round game is so good and he interacts really well with the players around him. Showed off great skill at times when facing defenders. Didn’t get many shots off and probably could have done better in front of goal.

Subs:

Diaby 7 You couldn’t really tell that he’s only just come back from injury. Equipped himself well stepping in for Song at halftime. He could be sorely needed in some of our upcoming games if Song is out injured or is shifted back to fill in for a central defender.

Arshavin 8 Brought on to make an impact and he did so immediately. He scored the desperately-needed equalizer and you could see he was really trying to cover ground and make himself useful. His touches seemed a lot better and looks like he’s regaining a bit of confidence, which is only good for us.

Bendtner 7 Gave us more of a presence and prominent target in front of Everton’s goal. Good movement, provided a threat, though had a couple of chances that he could have done better with.

Just to remind everyone how important it was to get the win today, Chelsea won their game against Sunderland in the craziest end-to-end match I’ve seen all season. Manchester United picked up three points on Villa and looked quite comfortable in doing it. To be quite honest, they look solid, if not spectacular, and certainly don’t look like they will be dropping any points at Old Trafford. Let’s hope Chelsea or anyone else can prove me wrong. In the meantime, we’ve kept up our winning streak in the league, which is absolutely essential this month.

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This game shows that this team does have some fight in it. We worry about their confidence and mentality and this game tested that. The Gunners didn’t drop their heads and fought back to claim victory. Not only that, but players that needed to step up when they got their chance did so emphatically. Having a fantastic first eleven is great, but the whole squad needs to be strong in order for us to have any chance at silverware this season. The squad will surely be tested this month as Nasri has been confirmed out for the Barcelona game. On top of that, Song and Theo both picked up knocks and could miss out on the game against Newcastle this weekend.

It wasn’t a classic, but it was one that needed some grit and determination in order to prevail in the end. We knew that Everton would be a tough contender as they always are and that the game would be tight. Wenger didn’t hesitate to make changes and the players delivered. You could see how much it meant to them when they celebrated. This could be the kind of performance that they needed, in order to show themselves that they are able to do this, to contend and win matches when needed. I think we saw a lot of character today and good determination as well. That kind of attitude is exactly what we all want to see and it will be crucial for them to keep it up during this crucial run of fixtures. Roll on February!

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*The other players named him Dave as a joke. It comes from a tv show in the UK called “Only Fools and Horses” that has a character that I suppose looks like Kos. Also, the character’s name is really Rodney, but he is frequently called Dave by one of the other characters.

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Category: Arsenal News, Cesc Fabregas, Everton, Injury Report, Match Review, Premiership

Tags: Arsenal News, Cesc Fabregas, Everton, Injury Report, Match Review, Premiership
Tweet « Arsenal – Everton Match Thread | Home | Fabianski Out for Season, Injuries, Nasri’s New Deal?, and Looking Ahead to February »Fred JacobNice to see we finally start turning corners into goals and not conceding on cornersAyebareandrewWhat a come back!!! Thanks to Asharvin for giving us the hope for the best!!!!Spoofin'MonkeyLOL I'm loving Song's expression in the background of the photo where Kos is heading the ball...SeanGreat review Sairax. Just finished re-watching the game and more excited then I was earlier today. Arshavin was exceptionally effective today. His finish was exquisite, although he made it look simple. His celebration was encouraging to see; anyone who says he isn't committed to the team should watch him, following his goal, stride back to the center circle imploring his teammates to follow suit. Moreover, I saw him in our own half tonight more than I ever have before. He tracked back and played a key role in a few of our late defensive stops.

Bendtner looks to be finding form; he played some nice touches in the central role

One thing to note: I feel like it has become commonplace to simply say Szczesny struggled with his distribution. Every player rating I see, for every game, points this out. Throughout his stint in goal he has had problems, but I don't think today was one of those days. He had a couple missteps; however, for the last 20 minutes he was placing most of his kicks squarely on Bendtner's head. Also, great to see him shouting at our players on every Everton corner.iehjjuJust seen the 2 pieces of post match footage of Wenger And Moyes, and Moyes saying that Fabregas should have been sent off for his rant in the tunnel at half-time. Wenger on the other hand denied that Fabregas had said anything to the 4th official
Now as a body language expert i can safely say buy reading there body language as the two give there opinion that Wenger is a Fucking lie'rFred JacobScrew you iehjju with that shit you talking, you are the dawn lie'rZito_v2Man, I was so distressed after the first half, that i spent part of the second half stuffing my face with ice cream (comfort food) and missing The Red Baron's goal. Luckily I watched the rest of the game and saw Kos' goal which he thoroughly deserved for his hard work.SairaxI love ice creamSKsaha's goal is PURE S*** OFFSIDE. damn the linesmen, may be we have to change them to women. the pass was intented to saha, not kos's leg.Gigi_mancouldnt have said it better, agree 99&, the 1& is: cant Arsha be co MOTM since he got the 8pts? :)
But seriously, I agree with all your conclusions regarding the state of mind and what hey have poven tonight.
Pourvu que cela due...!
Perry S.Arsha is easily the man of the match, bias aside. He is what made the offense come alive.Gigi_man:) as said, we are a two-men club of Arsha fans, but will keep on supproting the guy!MartinSome of the injuries/knocks were worrying, though. Song got hurt, and Djourou, Theo, and Sagna were all down for extended periods of time. Hopefully none are very serious.SKtheo was sprain, but i hope not a big one. it just small knocks to themMartinJust got finished watching, and damn, I have to admit, I didn't think we were going to pull that one out. Full credit to the team. And yeah, I didn't even think the Everton goal was debatable -- Kos was under pressure and had no control over the ball. I guess men don't know the offside rule.SairaxMartin, check it out! http://soccernet.espn.go.com/n... Thought you'd like this! :DGuestif I recalled correctly, Ramsey is on loan until 26th FebruarySKyes, well saiddreamfight3rops sorry, it supposed to be reply to Homey_Mills, but I forgot to hit the reply buttondreamfight3rthe poor first half really got me sweat and thinking, "fine, I'll take a draw then" BUT thankfully the guys keep their heads up and scored, not just one but two goals that give us the 3 points. I remember someone mentioned (and others told me that commentators said this too) that the Toffees have not lost a game in which they've gone ahead this season. Massive win - 3 points picked up where we probably wouldn't have been a season or so before!Homey_MillsMuch better report than mine. Plus yours has all the fancy photos.
Also, I asked a question in my report that was probably missed, but I do wonder... does anyone know when Ramsey comes back? Might be handy of Song is out a while.Gigi_manhey i missed it, was going 2 ask 4 it, will go back and check it out! Thx in advance!dreamfight3rif I recalled correctly, Ramsey is on loan until 26th Februaryblog comments powered by Disqus