After Arsenal allowed ourselves to be second best to Southampton in terms of energy and effort all over the pitch on Boxing Day, the first thing that Arsene Wenger would have been looking for in the Premier League clash with Bournemouth was for the team to put that right.
And the Gunners definitely did that, helped perhaps by the four changes that the boss made to the starting line up. Oxlade-Chamberlain was lively both going forwards and tracking back on the right flank while Gibbs looked determined to make a point at left back.
And after an early mistake almost allowed the visiting team in, Calum Chambers set about his task of replacing Flamini with great verve and determination. But the most impressive of the incoming Arsenal players was Gabriel. The Brazilian was on it from the first minute and so it was fitting that he got the opening goal from an Ozil corner after good work from the Ox to win it.
He nearly got another soon after as well but this time Boruc got a touch and Mertesacker put the rebound agonisingly wide. Boruc then denied the excellent Walcott after another great ball from Ozil but at least we were looking better and leading going into the break.
And after Gabriel produced a great last ditch tackle to stop a Bournemouth break soon after the restart, Arsenal took control again and it seemed to be only a matter of time before we extended our lead. That time came just after the hour and it was an Ozil masterclass, with the German involved from the start and then on hand with a slick finish after a typical Giroud flick.
The French striker really should have gone on to get his own goal, with both Ramsey and Ozil setting him up but it was not his night and he looked pretty tired when Campbell replaced him in the 80th minute. Bournemouth had plenty of the ball but were never really close to stopping Petr Cech finally grabbing that Premier League clean sheet record.
Arsenal could have scored more but do we care? Do we chuff because we are now looking down from the top of the EPL table.
Gabriel is a brazilian koscielny how does Mertesacker start over Gabriel
Ozil could have had about 4 assists today alone
Giroud’s assist was splendid
Top of the league
Happy new year to all the Gunners around the globe hope the new will come with happiness
#COYG
Good response from arsenal today. Gabriel was amazing and is mesut ozil God ? The only disappointment was that Walcott missed too many chances.. Ozil could have easily got 3 assists. Overall good 3 points ! Up the gunners !
I think Ozil could have easily got 15 assists in this game..but who’s counting..World Class Performance !!!
#TopOfTheLeague it feels goooood
#Congrat The wall for the clean sheets record
#16Assist at half season?? Increadable.
#Chambers will come good at that DM.
#Special mentions _Gab, Bellerin and Chambo
#Very fast game #COYG
Giroud has these lively flicks in his game. Just a beauty… Ozil did well today, scoring and assisting the other.job done tonight. To be honest I was kind of nervous for this game. It worked out well tonight. Good feeling to be on top
giroud? huh?
Not sure alot of ppl gonna agree with me on this……..but i just have to say that if something bad happens to Monreal, we are good as finished…….. The guy has no cover…..gibbs just keep showing why he’s no match for crouchie (as bellerin calls him) ……. I’m sorry to say this!
Absolutely spot On……gibbs has the speed, but no Football brain to make that speed effective…the only weakness that Monreal has is that lack of pace.. But Monreal is still a world class left-back
I have said it on and on before, we need cover for Monreal Gibbs is no back up, He always when given a ball by a defender he looks up then plays it back to him, He has no confidence in playing the ball forward, he looks up and raises is arm saying no one wants it, plus he is more concerned his shorts come over his knees as pulls them down after a run,sorry but I can’t watch the Arsenal when he plays. Flamini is a better left back, he played when Clichy was injured it seems that a left back has always been a problem for a back up. CB
Yes!!! Giroud’s assist was top class – outside of the left heel and absolutely perfectly placed. He has a nice touch in the right situations.
Oxlade-Chamberlain my MOTM! Brilliant.
What did he do? He can’t pass the ball to save his life. He was plain average today.
Gabriel, Özil and surprisingly CHAMBERS were solid tonight. Özil MOTM, created at least 10 chances tonight.
Walcott was wasteful, Giroud quite invisible. Hopefully that’s only because they were knackered. Chambers and Gabriel deserved a start on Saturday.
@juhislihis
I still believe Chambers and Gabe (for Mert&Flamini) could have changed the game on Sat…
This was a good win we needed, but it didn’t take the bad taste out of my mouth from last match…
What did he do?! You must have watched only the last 5 minutes, or only care about goals and assists. The OX was wearing Sanchez’s boots today. He probably covered the most ground on the pitch and was unlucky not to grab a goal himself. His best all round display this season 🙂
I watched the whole match. Hmm let’s see:
1 goal, 1 assist, 9 chances created (almost half of them clear cut), 95% pass completion
vs
Most ground covered, 1 post
Come on now man.. OX is great going forward, but in all honest that’s all he can do. He really doesn’t know when to release the ball, when to shoot or when to cross. He wasn’t awful tonight I give you that and I guess you could say it was his best game of the season.
@NY_Gunner
Aye, I’m with you on this one mate. I feel like we could’ve scored easily 3-4 tonight. However Bournemouth never really looked like scoring either. So I believe this was a good response as Bournemouth are no total pushovers.
I watched that retched Shampton match piss drunk so I know how you feel.. Emotions were running hot.
are you fu##in kidding me? you must be f##kin kidding me. what game did you watch? his defensive positioning was the worest. his passing was sh## and his dribbling and decision making was bad( on the first half. second half much better) overall, he was the weakest link. but i was more irretated with the amount of chances walcott missed.
As often is the case, the truth lies somewhere in the middle. Ox was neither fantastic nor terrible.
The reality: Ox put in a decent performance in his first real start for a long time. He showed energy and pace but also showed some rust which is natural for the circumstances.
Overall: I thought it was a good outing for Ox (but far from great).
Hahaha Twig……..u are alone in this!…..OX man of the match….really?
Remind me why GabrieL needs to start………… Got in 1st goaL in arsenal colours…….OfficiaLLy a True Gunz
Ok ok, but who here would’ve ever thought a 2nd choice Southampton RB would be playing CM for Arsenal ? Chambers really surprised me by how composed he was in the centre, even though this was his FIRST start in the PL this season. Is there any other manager that can spot a player’s talent like Wenger ? Doubt it.
And the answer is NO.
So “Martina” scored against us……….. Well “Antonio” scored against em……… Karma?
1 goal
1 assist
Ozil is my MOTM
he is my MOTS, (season) though Cech is close second
MESUT OZIL = BEST PLAYER IN THE LEAGUE…… BY A CLEAR MILE!!!!!
God bLess ur assists OZIL!!!
wenger plsssssss drop BFG to the bench
No, he dropped Kos on the bench and that worked just fine. Mert was good, Kos on the other hand was woeful in Southampton game.
Plus, Mert is the brain, Kos and Gab are the muscle. Muscle needs the brain. Simple.
thank you, even when we pitch a shut out, these fans pile on mert, he is a warrior, does not deserve it, Kos is my fav defender but I can see he was tired saturday, it worked out fine today, gabe fresh legs paid off
Glad to agree 🙂 Honestly, I am happy we have three great defenders that can combine with each other, I think we are the only team that can do that without drop in quality in defense. Nice situation to have 🙂
Resting Kos was the right move but Mert has physical limitations. Gabriel is a better player. Mert has a role to play but Gabriel needs more games and should be the starter soon.
Hes the brains ?, he only looked good coz he wasnt tested and the one time josh king did try it he beat him. He was awful against Southampton along with kos but kos is still the better defender…… Everyone thinks merts good when he plays against poor opposition and we boss the game. He pushes to far up field to often and gets caught out. i dont rate him at all, shane long mugged him off for strength and should of had of has his goal allowed. He makes far to many mistakes throughout the season
You might be exaggerating a bit but your overall point is solid. Mert is often so important to the team.
Some fans will just never recognize what Mert brings to the game. His size, positioning and experience is often essential. So many headers out of the box late in games to keep the clean sheet just for one example.
I don’t know if it is lack of football knowledge or over exuberance for young, pacey energetic talent but some fans will just NEVER accept Mert despite his success with the club.
Yet it does make sense that Gabriel be steadily integrated into the lineup as Mert is aging and in some games his pace and energy will be important.
Gabriel is much better than Mert in the air.
the boys were Jaded……….that’s understandable, but we scuppered hell Lot of chances……. Should have had revenge for the 4 goals deficit against soton
@SA
For real. Thats what I was looking for tonight.
Good win Arsenal.
Congrats to PC.
Arsenal will win
the league there
is no doubt now.
My new favourite poem 😉
It’s not a poem mate, just the way David loves his comments. I think he uses a quarter inch screen, LoL
Mert and Gabriel….Well it worked!
Very impressed with Chambers. His passing was very impressive. Needs to cut down on the yellows though.
Gibbs deputized very well for Monreal.
Gabriel is too good to be on the bench. Needs more starts!
Walcott really deserved a goal today…
Giroud is the master of the reverse pass… There’s no one in the world better than him 😀
Ozil keeps getting assists like it’s tying his shoe laces
@Southampton Who’s laughing now? LoL 😛 😛
Congratulations PC33
Top of the league baby.
OT:
Would you prefer Man City to win or draw tomorrow?
Draw, both lose points 🙂
Draw, no doubt!
Our GD is better than Leicester’s so we remain top of the table and increase the gap to City by 2 points.
I thought Chambers was briliant today. Great distribution with one peach of a pass to Giroud, great at mopping up the pressure, winning headers in midfield… Almost Artetaesque (in his golden years 2012-2013)
Forget the stats, Ox is the most unlucky player in the squad – his numbers should be so much higher. Once his luck tips over that little bit, he’s going to be directly contributing every game (in my opinion).
Thanks. Thought I was the only one that noticed the OX today. His potential is very high, but injuries and inconsistency keep putting him back…
Thank you Mesut Özil
Top of the pile gunners back in business! Coyg!
Gabriel paulista you beauty!!!!!!! Coyg!
Gabriel shows how its done! Coyg!
Right, yet more opportunity for the wengerites to go on an over-embellished trash talk of winning the league, courtesy of the current false arrangement of the league. In reality, only wobbly steps at ensuring 3rd(at most)or 4th(more likely) position. The mediocrity of a manager who only believes that defender should hold responsibility for conceding goals, will be lost on the wenger ass lickers.
Hardly impressed….
Wenger out!
tegh7 out!
Trolls be trollin’
Deluded wengerite…. in
Hey!………Break it up buddies…….. And u “tegh7” , bottle it up in a coke can
what a great time you chose to comment mate. your insightfulness captivates am audience.
Yeah top spot is not good enough.
Great win today was great seeing a lot of the British core today too with them performing well. Really hope Chambers sticks in the team over Flam and Gabriel over Mertesacker, Gabriel and Kos worked well together before.
Ozil as great as alwayssss what a player should of been the record today alone!
Our assists king mesut ozil continues to rule the throne! Coyg!
Congrats petr chec for breaking david james’s clean sheet record! Truly world class! Coyg!
A win is a win, but it doesn’t take away the woefulness of Boxing day. We have a thin squad due to injury and that is a repeated pattern year after year.
This isn’t about negativity, I’m happy we won today, but it doesn’t cover our lack of rotation, thin squad and inability to react in games to the oppositions tactics. Other managers would have reacted in the Southampton game and attempted to salvage at least a 2-2 draw, but our manager sticks with the players he started with…his absolute loyalty to players is his weakness.
So a good result, but we really should be at least 4-5 points clear at the top. It will be a struggle to win the league, but we have a decent chance as long as we can get a few in for January, though that looks unlikely as he brings Chambers in as a new DM signing..
Groundhog day..
Why so serious? We are top of tthe league! 🙂
Damn, our names are so similar it looks like I’m talking with myself lol
Dayum
shuld’ve won 6-0 today. Walcott missed 4 great chances.
19 pts ahead of Chelsea, 9 pts ahead of Utd, 4 pts ahead of City, and I am complaining about what?
Only 4 points off Sp*ds though…
Let’s smash the Toons and hope Everton will annihilate that small club from North London!
Hey bru………. I wouldn’t take the Toons Lightly if i were u………They’ve Lost in their Last two games…. Have you quickly forgotten what happened to us against soton?
And again, who’s thinking of playing mert against ayoze, wijnaldum or even mitrovic
Although I did not watch the game, I’d advise u to calm down and wish Chambers luck becuz it won’t be long before u start calling for his head when he performs badly in the next game.
beating bournemouth ain’t a great win it’s ordinary, talk of beating bayern, manu(not the current one), citeh etc, any way am happy for the 3 points. COYG
Arsenal – apparently the only only team where winning is not good enough.
Been away from the site for a while..was wondering who everyone thinks we must buy this window? would love to see someone like Krychowiak come in. Seen a lot on Hernandez too?
British players are kinda slow in the head in football matters. Very talented, but very slow in the head.
Could not watch the game tonight, but i am happy to see us win. Coyg.
I agree, pal. English players are just too full of themselves and they think they have to outshine every one and do their nation proud. HeLlo!!! It’s club football and you have to play for the team, be selfless.
Bournemouth has been putting in some very strong performances and they are not always easy to break down.
Well done for Arsenal to get a nice solid win after the previous poor performance and using many backup players.
Good, fun, WIN.
To everyone saying to calm down, think we’re all buzzing because some of the football we played today. Was watching the game with the Man u Chelsea game in the back and damnn was it great watching our team compared to them..had me jumping out my seat plenty of times! But lets hope we get back on a run, add to the squad and really go for it
Great win today after that really poor result the other day. What is it with Arsenal’s enigmatic form? It is like players and the manager start resting on their laurels after a good win and then put a up a lacklustre display like at St Mary’s. I have no word’s for Ozil! What a marvelous player he is. Each time he was on the ball today, his vision, technique and accuracy was far superior to anyone on the pitch. We need to start converting all these chances. If we win these matches 4-0 or 5-0, then it strikes fear into teams in the league. Lots of thing to improve upon but very happy to be top of the league!
When ever Arsenal lose to teams down the ladder it`s because they lose their sense of direction and play like a `rabble`. Under these conditions any professional side can beat them.
The part of the puzzle that is missing may not be a striker or a DM but a captain, or more importantly a `leader` out there on the pitch directing traffic. It seems a captain is there to spin a coin a leader is there when things go wrong. I doubt Arsenal have a `leader` in their ranks who is there week in week out and not half the season on the table. There`s plenty of talent at Emirates but it needs coordinating and acting upon as it happens, Wenger can`t do this from the touch line.
What he does at training is often forgotten in the heat of the battle, that`s where the `leader` (captain) comes in.
now ww have a win we’ve forgotten how mert can be,our urge for a new striker,chambers is not good for Afc ,how badly we miss Alexis etc. Why not get behind our team and support them regardless of who is playing ones they are in the red and white Jersey. We are Arsenal we are winners