Arsenal's Festive Period
Following a disappointing loss at St Mary’s, Arsenal continued their festive period, Arsenal faced a hectic schedule with their first test coming three days after their loss to Southampton. Tottenham Hotspur came to town in a North London Derby Carabao Cup fixture, and the second game between these two teams inside a month.
Last time these two played Arsenal recorded a 4-2 victory, but this time Arsenal weren’t at the same level and suffered a 2-0 home loss to their biggest rivals, and their second loss in three days. Goals from Heung-Min Son and Dele Alli were enough to see off the Gunners as Unai Emery tasted only his 4th competitive defeat as Arsenal boss.
Another 3 days later, Arsenal faced Burnley at the Emirates. Desperate to bounce back from consecutive defeats, Arsenal started the game well and looked comfortable for a large majority of the game. Two Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang goals either side of half time put Arsenal in the driving seat and controlled the game. That was until an Ashley Barnes goal threw a spanner in the works. With a tight game up until the 90thminute, Alex Iwobi scored an injury time goal to settle the affair and put the game to bed.
A Boxing Day trip to Brighton, in many eyes should have been another victory for the Gunners, but the Seagulls earned a point against their London opponents. With both goals coming in the first half, the game wasn’t especially entertaining. Another Aubameyang goal was the only real positive for Arsenal, who went 1-0 up after 7 minutes would have certainly expected to go on to score a few more and dominate the game. That was until a careless defensive error allowed Jurgen Locadia in on goal and to score Brighton’s equaliser, with nothing else happening to write home about in this one.
Next up was a trip to Anfield. Arsenal earnt a well-deserved, yet somewhat fortunate home draw earlier in the season, but were outclassed against the league leaders in a 5-1 humiliation.
Arsenal took the lead through Ainsley Maitland-Niles after 11 minutes, and the Arsenal fans went wild. But the jubilation was short lived because they conceded 2 minutes after taking the lead. A comedy of errors at the back saw our back 5 playing pinball, and a Lichtsteiner backpass into the path of Firmino summed up the calamity of the Arsenal defence.
Another two minutes later and Liverpool were in the lead. And Firmino had his second He danced through the whole of our defence, sat Mustafi, Torreira and Sokratis down and so easily knocked it past Leno. A shambles by the Gunners.
The third has left Arsenal fans yet again questioning Lichtsteiner. A player who supposedly a class right back, won multiple league titles and cups and is getting constantly exposed, outwitted and is never in position and yet again at fault for a goal conceded.
The fourth and fifth goals were both penalty decisions, and both were correct. The first penalty saw Sokratis on the wrong side of Salah, and made a careless error by lunging in, and a stupid decision by Kolasinac to push his man for the fifth left the referee with no choice.
A New Year’s Day fixture at home against Fulham would on paper, seem like an easy game. Fulham struggling in the league and humiliated 5-1 by Arsenal at Craven Cottage but the 4-1 win doesn’t reflect the nature of the game.
Fulham dominated the early stages of the game and could easily have had a couple of goals by half time. Ryan Sessegnon proved dangerous and should have scored for Fulham, but it was the hosts who led at half time, through a goal by Granit Xhaka. Lacazette doubled the lead on 55 minutes and may have put the game to bed for Arsenal, before Kamara gave the hosts a nervous last 20 minutes making the score 2-1.
Substitute Aaron Ramsey gave Arsenal some breathing space, and Pierre Emerick Aubameyang settled the tie and gave his side a 4thgoal, and the win.
Arsenal’s festive rating – 5/10.
Humiliation against Liverpool, a North London Derby defeat, the loss to Sothampton and the draw against Brighton demonstrates the fragilities in the Arsenal side, who won most of the games they were expected to, and didn’t amaze anyone in Emery’s first Christmas period in English football
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