David Luiz and Bernd Leno will be hiding their faces this evening after stupidly getting sent off, as Arsenal lost to Wolves.
The Gunners started the match brightly with an energetic front four looking extremely dangerous. Bukayo Saka nearly ended a fine team move with a goal, only to be denied by the woodwork.
It wasn’t long before we rippled the net however, with Alexandre Lacazette laying it back to Saka to neatly fire home inside the opening 10 minutes. Unfortunately the Frenchman was spotted as offside in the build-up, and the goal was rightly scrubbed off.
We didn’t allow the setback to affect us as we continued to pile forwards, and we were extremely dominant. It certainly looked a matter of time.
Just after the half-hour mark that goal came. Nicolas Pepe wasn’t to turn down his chance to fire home, and he did so by putting the ball through the legs of two players.
Wolves were not totally dominated for the first 45 minutes, but they would have had no complaints had they gone into the break behind, but they didn’t.
David Luiz has failed to keep tabs with the Wolves forward as he broke into the box, and the Brazilian clips his foot as the pair ran into the box, getting a red card on top of giving away a penalty.
Ruben Neves put his spotkick straight in the top right hand corner to beat Leno in what turned out to be the last kick of the half.
Certainly not the ideal end to the half, and things only got worse from this point onwards.
Within five minutes of the restart we found ourselves behind. Joao Moutinho amazingly beat Bernd Leno from distance with a wonder strike to put his side ahead.
Arsenal tried to hold their own and carve out some opportunities to level the tie, but having pulled off Lacazette at half-time to bring on Gabriel, we simply didn’t have enough up top to cause damage.
Aubameyang was brought on for the final 30 minutes, replacing Pepe, and while our best chance of the remainder fell to him, he wasn’t able to convert.
The disasterclass wasn’t over yet however, as Bernd Leno came rushing out to sniff out the Wolve attack, only to find himself in the wrong spot, and he stupidly handles the ball to clear when miles out of his box.
If there was going to be another goal in the game it would have been for the hosts, but the game fizzled out to finish 2-1.
I don’t think I could be any more downbeat after watching that, especially as the first 45 minutes of action was all Arsenal.
Do Leno and Luiz need punishing for their stupidness?
Patrick
Whats the double jeopardy rule? Does it exist?
Luiz did foul accidentally and it was last man and stopped a goal scoring opportunity. That’s always been a red card but has there been a rule change?
Leno???
Yes – they are twisting the rules here. Spirit of the rule is to stop intentional last man fouls but they’re saying that it’s still a red because he didn’t attempt a tackle. Ridiculous
Very harsh Davi….common sense should prevail as they are already getting a penalty so red is harsh
Look Luiz was badly out of position and once there, should’ve rather allowed the shot but I guess it’s natural to try and get back to try challenge.
For Luiz with all his years of experience,..he was a damn fool.
Just when you start believing in these guys, they go ahead and do stupid things. What was Leno doing.
Some times these things seem like they are done on purpose.
I blame Arteta for taking Laca off.
Bellerin was shit today
I was surprised that laca was the only 9 in the squad.
Triple jeopardy. Red card, penalty, miss next game. I’d rather let the guy score than foul him.
Quadruple jeopardy in his case with all the fans piling on
Luiz missing one game is hardly triple jeopardy! More of a blessing. Wish it were for the whole season personally.
Yeah mate there was a rule change as most thought it was harsh to give a pen and red card
So rule is it’s only a pen if a player makes attempt for ball
Nah this is a one-off. They’re not very stupid mistakes.
I say this with a lot of courage because of the way we’re playing these days. 😂
We’re going to burn villa alive.
I’m with you on this. It was just one freak match. When was the last time Arsenal had 2 red cards in a game. We were definitely going to beat wolves from the first minute till that red cars. Wolves were extremely lucky. I don’t see them using this to get back to form because they’re still poor and despite the 2 red cards, we still did well to save face. We move to whooping Aston villa’s ass as revenge.
WTF was that?Winning Europa League is the only way for Arsenal players to redeem themselves.Nothing less accepted!
Luiz cost us. He didnt have to give the forward benefit of the doubt. I think there was a slight touch..? Wrong call by ref but its always the same guys with the cards. Luiz has what, 4 reds and 4 conceded penalties in 2 years. He should be 5th choice.
Speedy recovery for Ryan..
We were cruising!! I honestly cannot believe how that turned out… although I should’ve known it was gonna be a bad night – my domino’s pizza arrived and it had vegan cheese on it!!! It was vile 😂😂
🤣🤣
Im so sorry Sue….Vegan cheese is the worst!
My pizza has Pepperoni, ham, chicken and non vegan cheese Sue 😆
😂 I’m pescitarian, not bleedin’ vegan!!!
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How can you destroy a pizza like that? Why even bother calling it a pizza.
lol Sue. I honestly dont know what to make of this match. I’m very angry. Stupid referee. If there is anything to learn from this match, it is that the players should be more clinical in front of goal. We could have scored 3 goals in the first 20 minutes. Anyways 3 points lost. We move
Yes, if only Saka’s had gone in, probably would’ve been totally different.
It’s hard to take as we’ve been playing so well lately. I hope this doesn’t knock their confidence.. we really can’t afford to drop a shedload of points, Skills…
😂😂your comments always make my day.
I left at 1 – nill and we were giving them no breather, thinking we already won.
I forget that is Arsenal sometimes, to be a gooner.
🙂 11 v 11 and we would have won, Ba!!
What a shocker!!!
Only Arsenal can give you this kind of match. What started like our best game of the season quickly turned into our worst. David Luiz was shocking positionally before Willian Jose was sent through not to talk of irresponsibly running across and clipping him which was a mistake. Leno’s mistake was simply awful and unacceptable at this level. Btw there is no excuse for conceding that 2nd goal. It was simply lax defending and the red card is no excuse for that goal. The 2nd red card killed any hope we had of getting back. Our best player was Partey who tried his best to create chances and progress the ball to our forwards. He has quickly had an impact on our team and reduced the sideways passing which ws typical ofXhaka and Elnenly especially in matches where there was reducd space. All in all a day to forget for us and I hope we quicly put this behind us because it was horrific.
partey was at fault for the 2nd goal, admit it
How dumb dumb? Where you busy staring at the back of your screen instead of the front? Nobody, not even Leno could have done anything about the second goal. We lost tonight by pure bad luck and chance. Leno’s red though was stupid of Leno but he’s saved us a couple of times too so I’ll let him off the hook. Apart from that, the players played well apart from bellerin’s final third decisions. Luiz’s card was harsh and stupid referring.
They have already been punished Patrick, why ask such a stupid question? Anyway, both decisions were rather harsh.
Very disappointed by that and absolutely shocking officiating! Wolves got a very early Christmas present, they won’t get another one like that again! Bad night, any chance of a top 4 place has been extinguished now.. try and finish as high as we can and have a good go at the europa league. Onto the next on COYG 🔴⚪
Leno was 100% a red
For Luiz, is a foul on the last man even accidentally not a red card anymore?
Not for me! the game is turning into a joke if these are red cards! So agree to disagree.
I’ll certainly agree with you kev82, I’m appalled by the decisions.
Disgusting Declan! And we seem to be on the receiving end of bad decisions more often than not.
Kev im asking a question, I’m not disagreeing with you.
Is a foul on the last man, even accidentally, not a red anymore?
PJ-SA the thing is, I don’t even think it’s a foul, the wolves player went down like he was hit with a bulldozer.. if there was the slightest of coming together then fine give a pen, but a red card and pen ? No chance.. the game has gone mad.
Agreed Leno’s was a red….. but Luiz’ was too harsh to be honest…. it even looked as tho the wolves’ striker tripped over himself in slow mo…. the contact from Luiz was ever so slight, and I feel he actually lost balance.
Yeye it was a red …Luiz is no good …Calamity Luiz
Good job we sacrificed fa cup for nothing ?
You’re sounding like a broken record Dan. We’re out of the FA Cup, let it go already. You seem to cling to things alot. AFTV, kroenke, Ozil etc.
And how could Arsenal prove me wrong I wonder ?
If they finish top 4 likes of me couldn’t say anything could I ?
I think u don’t like that im proven correct
For example fans say we can get top 4 you don’t say anything
Im honest , am proven correct and you give me hard time ?
So I have a choice , can say we are amazing and will be champions just to be popular
Or be true to myself and point out nonsense when I hear it /see it
Also kstix
How many article have I wrote about AFTV in how long ?
Then can you tell me where it says im.not allowed to !mention AFTV
You seem to have a bias
As in if someone !mentions talk sport that’s okay but not AFTV ( again though when was last article on them ?)
When they racially abused a player ?
That was in July !
If I wanted to watch corrupt football I would go and watch La Liga ,didn’t know it had come over to our shores ,3 points robbed from us tonight and hopefully Jon Moss gets struck off as he should have been 3 years ago .
VAR is there to help all teams 🤔 cannot blame the ref as in real time it looked a stone wall penalty,how VAR dont call him over to have a look is a complete mystery ,completely ruined a great football match .
Dickhead decisions once again ,disgusting to have to keep watching them .
Well said Dan.. the officiating is criminal and the rules are laughable. How southampton were denied a penalty against villa the other day was shocking, although the ref would have happily pointed to the spot had one of our defenders was in the same situation.
I’m with you Dan, I was quite dumbfounded by VAR decision not to overturn the red card. I’ve never been more angry after watching a football match as I am right now because we played so well in the first half.
Gibson power @
Just how I feel ,I learned ages ago not to get angry watching a football match,and it worked until tonight ,absolutely fuming after that penalty ,I’ve watched it countless times and I still can not see contact ,that’s what pissing me off ,why was Craig Dawson not called over to rewatch it ?
That’s the big mystery
Yes, Jon Moss can always become a weight watchers representative..
Or sumo wrestling Sue
🤣🤣
Spot on Dan. And they can get away with it because it’s Luiz that got the red. They will say after all, the player has a big red card and penalty causing history, the media will eat it and that will be that. Gutted at how we were robbed tonight.
LA LIGA IS THE ONLY NON CORRUPTIBLE OFFICIATING SYSTEM IN EUROPE, QUOTE ME, ENGLAND IS THE MOST CORRUPTIBLE SO THAT IS WHY NO REFEREE FROM ENGLAND IS ASSIGNED BY FIFA @ WORLD CUP
Totally gutted.
Started the game pretty well…. we could have been 3 to 4 goals up in the first half.. then boom, luiz had a brain fart… we went from good to worse all of a sudden in the game…. Arsenal ain’t known for getting red cards in game but this season the red cards are just too much…
Pepe had a great goal and was playing well but we ain’t gonna remember that because we lost the game and rightly so…
Wolves did a double on us this season. Totally gutted. Arrrghhh
Oh Leno, what was that??
I am not happy at all.
👍👍
am not sure what the Luiz red card was for, i didnt see what the player did actually.
but am disappointed at the so called ‘fans’ for blaming luiz and MA, the attack came from counter, as much as luiz was caught offguard, our midfielder deserve some blame in the build up, what offense has MA commited for sticking with a winning team?
Almost everything went against us, immediatly i saw us hitting the post and scoring offside goal, i was afraid and now its here. lets move on and hope for better run. the only poositive is , we now have a team. With 11 player wolve couldnt mustar a shot on goal and with 9 men they couldnt score
He got sent off for giving away a penalty and some will blame arteta for taking off lacazette who holds the ball up better than most
who do you think deserved to be sub. i think the sub are ok
No deserved to be subbed but I wouldn’t have taken off lacazette who as I said holds the ball up better than anyone we have but just my opinion. I not criticising anyone apart from arteta but hind sight is a wonderful thing
He could have taken Smith-Rowe and play 4-4-1
Agree Ada – his crime was he fell over and brushed the guy’s foot. Because it was an accident it couldn’t be claimed it was a genuine attempt at a tackle. So a less serious offence but double the punishment. Luiz blamed because a) he was way out of position b) should he even have tried running along immediately behind the guy… c) he fell over d) he has a history of very similar fouls.
Yup 9 men and we still almost got a result. Super first half
Luiz was harsh but Leno
That’s why he not a world class keeper
Weak mentality
Wonder strike by Moutinho and master class in shooting oneself in the foot by Arsenal. But let’s not forget how class we were for 47 minutes. This game shouldn’t dent confidence too much and hopefully we smash Villa. The less I think about this one the better.
Should have been 4-0 up, except for poor positioning re offside and poor finishing. How many chances to score do Arsenal need?
Really impressive first 45 minutes apart from the finishing. The loss is an example of what happens when goal scoring opportunities are not taken.
I, like Arteta, am still trying to see where Luiz made the contact after he slipped. The Wolves player went down like shot. The problem with Luiz was the poor defending on the half way to let the Wolves player on his way.
Why doesn’t Leno play the ball with his chest or feet? Anyway hopefully Matt Ryan is fit for Arsenal’s next game.
Also hopefully all Arsenal’s bad luck for the season has occurred in this game.
Upset for Mikel Arteta and the team let down by a few seconds of stupidity.
Anyway
Anyway, must now look forward to Saturday and hopefully start a winning run.
One of those crazy games we lost with 9 men. Let’s not forget Man utd losing to Sheff utd and Liverpool losing to Burnley. This is just a crazy season. Let’s regroup and go again. What will we do in the goalkeeping dept?
they are not 10th
Means it’s happening too often
Positives would be our play in the first half, Pepe, Saka and Cedric. Negatives are obviously the reds and officiating in the match, and also Bellerin’s final ball on some occasions. ESR didnt hit his lofty highs today, but by no means was he bad, or anyone for that matter. An unusual game where we had no semblance of luck after the 45th minute.
Need to forget this game and move on to the Villa game.
COYG!
Top 6-7 still achievable as the season not over yet.
Arsenal should stop playing united, because any time we play them the next match we lose. Such a bad day 4 d gooners
Runarsson did well – good keeper
👍 Hope this run goes well for him, unless of course Ryan has recovered
Agree. Good for him.
I think refs should be instructed to keep the redcards in their socks
Unlace to reach them
There’s no way Moss would reach his 😂😂
If you put a pie in the boot with the cards,he just might.
😂😂 now you’re talking!!.
On their day, Wolves imagine they’re playing Wandering Sheep FC
That’s us
On another day, this game could have been 3-0 to the Arsenal. That’s how well we played in the first half, until the sending off at least. Leno will be a big miss!
It can only happen to Arsenal, bossing a game, under no pressure, should have been 3-0 up and the underlying ill discipline rears its ugly head. 4 minutes to 2-1 down and then to cap it off down to 9 men and a mountain to climb in bare feet. This result alone has probably put us back 6 months if we are luck and for a lot longer if we are not. Awful awful result when momentum was being built, its always the Arsenal way now. How nay other teams would have lost that game and how many more would have gone to 9 men. Only us!
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Luiz will always do stuffs like that …That guy was through on goal …he could miss ,it couldn’t even be saved ,Luiz chose to foul the player ,when he was the last man …
Can we just simply agree Luiz isn’t supposed to be playing for us..
Even games where we didn’t concede Luiz always makes silly mistakes ,they just probably didn’t leave to goals …
Imagine our best central defender is Holding..assured defender ,no time for silly mistakes ..
I dont agree “he chose to foul the player” i think it was a foul a penalty and a red card but it was a coming together at speed, i dont think Luiz deliberately did foul him. I think it was unfortunate but some would say let the player go and score but then Luiz would have been labelled crap for doing that. It was a situation that was unfortunate and will cost Arsenal big time. And yes Tony i was right but as above, it was a situation that turned sour rather than stupid.
I think you forgot your quote on Luiz, Reggie. ‘An Accident Waiting To Happen’.😅😅
For the record and it changes nothing, the forwards foot touches Luiz knee, thats why they both go down. It doesn’t matter a jot about history, tonight was just unfortunate but Arsenal will suffer from it.
Pepe was having a good game today
Auba was not interested
if this goal keeper play against villa the we are fck…
Yes, yes, yes, especially loose cannon Luiz.
I am very very angry. This is very bad. Our attackers have to be more ruthless in front of goal. English premier league and poor officiating are like 5 and 6. What is the essence of the stupid VAR?
Leno’s was stupid – somewhat forgivable because he’s been excellent recently but that was a brain fart that made a bad situation worse.
Luiz got screwed over. He’s made mistakes in the past but I don’t believe he deserves any punishment or whatever for this one. You can blame him for the penalty perhaps, although it was accidental (even then I’m not sure it was a foul), but he doesn’t deserve blame for being sent off or losing the match. Not his fault this time.
Guys i thinhk we shud stop playing united because after we play them each tym we begin to hav bad tyms. Let 4get disnite
I guess this is another one that we can just say we have a trainee manager. I guess he will come good.
Not really. I think his problem has to do with his ego.
Certainly, there is no reason sending Saliba away on loan, Guendouzi.
Saliba certainly, is better than Luiz miles apart.
Luiz ils an accident waiting to happen….Wonder if he’s not a spy sent by Chelski…A Troy horse…
Which is heavier, disaster or calamity?
Well I think Luiz is both.
Luiz must have collected more red cards in his shurt Arsenal career than all his years in Chelsea.
Can’t understand, can’t he just let the player go or simply stay by him and wait to see if Leno will make the save or not? At least, he would remained on the pitch, and I believe we would have scored a second with Saka and Pepe on fire.
Again, substituting Pepe for Auba, was wrong. Pepe should have remained.
Auba is certainly not fit for the game.
Yeah agree. As a professional if you are caught out of position you need to take responsibility and make sure you don’t make things any worse. Accidental clip but a foul nevertheless. Red was harsh though.
Auba is the last player I’d want on with 10 men. Even when on form he contributes little else other than goals(no complaints). Very little defensive work or hold up play
You are right. The last one we had, (has now gone back) got used to the “blue jessy’ up to the point of openly assisting Fabregas with a goal against us while keeping the goal for us Arsenal.
Agree Fidel I was not impressed with any of the subs made. Poor show from Arteta today, but I doubt it made a difference.
I really don’t understand why everyone think the red was harsh… according to the law it’s a bang red , Luis knew what he was doing… He could have stayed away from the player but he chose to clip him from behind professionally, referee not having any of that….I don’t think it was a Luis mistake…he knew what he was doing and deserves to be sent off… Bad day in office for the 2 remaining guys in our defense prone to errors, at least Luis leaves at the end of the season, but we still have Leno mistakes to cope with for a long time to come…. But he makes up for it with good consecutive performances to follow…. I’d advise arteta to put all his eggs in the Europa League…. The premier League is out of it
Why do we bother with ex Chelsea players? Which ones have ever set the world alight for us? All they seem to do is cost us games!
The last one we had, was the Man with the helmet. He openly assisted Fabregas with a goal against us while in goal for arsenal.
George Graham and William Gallas weren’t so bad!
Before we start spewing too much about how we were treated too harshly, please keep in mind who the offending player was and how his absolutely ridiculous history of similar type plays may have affected a decision that might have appeared like a 50/50 proposition(much like during the later Wenger era, when Arsene’s repeated jabs at the refs certainly didn’t help us when it came to bang-bang decisions on the pitch)…furthermore, Luiz was caught way out of position and simply made matters worse by approaching the player directly from behind, as there was no way he was going to catch him without creating a red card foul…this is squarely on Arteta for going to the well one too many times, as it was only a matter of time before the real David Luiz showed up and cost us dearly again…he simply doesn’t do enough on the pitch to justify his selection, considering the potential negative consequences of his presence(3 straight reds and 6 penalties given in a year and a half)…is this the kind of leadership Arteta was hoping that his BFF Luiz could show the younger Arsenal players
Well said
You are absolutely right.
But then, knowing well that he has been cut out of position why make things worse for us.
Saliba must be brought back.
Lol RVL I was keenly waiting for your post. It seems Luiz has lost a yard of pace – 6 months ago he would have caught up with the guy and committed a much more heinous foul! I’ve been cutting MA a lot of slack recently but his choice to start Luiz every game was always Russian Roulette. Never a good defender even in his prime (see Brazil 1 -7 Germany 2014) he has just fooled a lot of people. Also thought MA’s subs were abysmal – Auba on in THAT situation?
How about being objective – did Luiz actually deserve the red card or even commit a foul? History is history and irrelevant to the actual incident.
I can’t understand how Gabriel or Mari aren’t selected ahead of David Luiz.
So right OG…Gabriel is starting to get the Saliba treatment from Arteta, which is probably why Arteta was waxing lyrically about his once again BFF Luiz in recent days…I’m telling you this kind of talk on the heels of Arteta facing questions regarding Luiz’s contract renewal scares the living crap out of me because it worries me that this train wreck waiting to happen will be on our roster next season…this could further hinder the development of those who were supposed to be the future defensive starters on this squad; not to mention, he’s not a cheap option either
Really? you think that someone’s past indiscretions don’t enter the equation when the same situations arise again and again…it happens in all sports and maybe rightly so, depending on the seriousness of the offences in question…regardless of that, it’s difficult to understand why you’re trying to defend someone who was caught way out of position and then actually made matters worse by running in the only place where this exact situation could occur, even though there was no way he was going to impact the play in a positive manner…3 straight red cards and 6 penalties given in 18 months on the job, so save your empathy/sympathy for someone who truly deserves it
Only if what he did was actually history repeating itself – then you can judge the man. First you have to judge the incident objectively
It was….so I did
if we out against benfica arteta deserve to be sacked its simply just not good enough
SILLY JUVENILE COMMENT!
…he ought to have been despatched with alacrity long ago, especially for sending Saliba and Guendouzi away for speaking out.
He is towing his master’s way.
He was employed without expectations so just buckle your seat belt if you’re an arsenal fan. I guarantee a long round ride.
Ah – Alan Acrity, one of my favourite players. Fidel, I am confused – what does “towing his master’s way” mean, because it sounds kind of naughty?!!!!!
Well we had a great 44 minutes! So we found another double jeopardy loophole Somebody falling over concedes a penalty and gets sent off. Bad ref even worse VAR. Thought 3 of our back 4 were poor today. I didnt start counting from KO but Bellerin was beaten ELEVEN times in a row on the right and didnt prevent one cross., and he wasnt even facing Traore! What is the point of him? Holding was very poor, immobile clumsy didn’t shut down or tackle. I take back all my kind words. ESR had his worst game, MA made awful substitutions – left on ESR and bought on AUBA when we needed to fight and create. Couldnt have had a worse second half but still lost by the one goal. Miserable. I need some vegan cheese now…
All these started after the double jeopardy.
We would have goñe out of site if those agonizing mises were converted.
“double jeopardy loophole” – so well put.
I don’t think it was us who found the loophole though, any sensible reading of the rule would surely have determined that was never a red card. It’s down to the referee
Luiz was entirely to blame for thr defeat. The Leno situatuon leading rto his daft handling outside the area wiuld not have happened has Luix not been a clown. Or let go last summer a s I was praying to happen! Howver for thr longer ten things look vert bright and we have agood team atlast . Once ALL the CB clowns have finally left(2 down 1 to go) and we start next season afresh we wil look a real good team I hadlong ago written off this Pren seqasonm which weas WHY I prayed for a stronner team in the FA CUP.
BUT THAT HAS GONE; SO HAS ANY EURO QUAL CHANCE SO NOW IT IS ALL ABOUT THE LONGER TERM AND THAT LOOKS BRIGHT.
BUT PLEASE LEAVE THIS SUMMER Co- Co the Clown Luiz!
jon, it was David Luiz’s poor defending on the halfway line that led to him being in the predicament, being beaten and running back.
None of Mike Riley’s referees will be getting an international game any day soon.
Using Japanese English,we should be called ” make drama Arsenal.” Can’t wait for the Villa game though,if only to see how much character this manager really has. On another note Xhaka was not responsible for tonight’s calamities, but I think he should be packed off next season. He offers us nothing in terms of motivational drive or keeping the ball moving forward. I know Partey had some wayward passes,but at least he was aiming to drive the ball forward. He should be paired up with Ceballos or a similar type player.
@Joe.S, Thank you very much,Sir!! Only few astute Arsenal fans see this!! Thomas Partey MUST be paired with a Right-footed Midfielder!!
Look@Ndidi-Teilemanns in Leicester or Rodri-Gundogan @Man City!! Both forward thinking midfield pairings!!
For Arsenal, the best player to partner Partey was undoubtedly AMN or even Dani Ceballos n NEVER Xhaka!!
But Arteta seems so afraid of Xhaka and deliberately misused Niles as RB, LB and has loaned him to West Brom!!
Even David Luiz who cost us dis match shouldn’t have started..We had Mari and Gabriel, I think!!
MA seem afraid of Players!! Hoping he is not a Weakling!!😒😒😏
Mari, who I think is the number one pick, but like several others has a calf injury. Gabriel as you saw plyed the second half. He didn’t impress, poor passing and looks low on confidence ATM
AMN is a championship player. Never at same level as xhaka.
He should never return to arsenal
I agree. Shake prefers to to hedge his bets when he plays and always opts for the same sideways or backwards pass, that doesn’t exceed 10 metres. He quite often appears to have a good game when hiding amongst the teams collective performance on those occasions when we do, get it together. However, when the team is poor, he hides amongst the collective poor performance and plays safe so as not to expose himself. He a bit of a chameleon in that way! We definitely need a more two-dimensional midfield centering with two players that are forward thinking and willing to take on the opposition at close quarters and hopefully turning that momentum into an opening of some sorts ie a pass, attempt at goal etc. Partey and Ceballos could manage those roles in tandem as they’re both offensive and, moreso in Parteys case, have defensive qualities too.
Meant to say Xhaka. Predictive text is a pain !
Arsenal shud stop playing man u all the time we play them we end up loosing our next matches. Y will arteta take of pepe
Arsenal should at least finish better against Manchester United to get 3 points. Same issue against Wolverhampton Wanderers poor finishing not rectified in training.
Dismal start to the season, followed by improved performances, now 5 points dropped in the last two games.
If we can ship out Sideshow Bob, Bellerin and Eddie next window I’ll be very happy. Hopefully send Cellabos back permanently and sign Odegaard if he does well.
Cedric RB and we’ll need to get cover for the wing backs. Promote Balogun
Well played Holding
PJ-SA, Bellerin keeps being selected despite his poor defending putting pressure on Arsenal’s right side. Unfortunately he is Arteta’s “adopted son”, having boarded with Arteta when he first arrived in Spain.
Hopefully Barcelona will come for Bellerin and he can continue his modelling career there.
The first 45 minutes showed exactly what MA is building at our club.
We were organised, attacking, defensively sound and miles ahead of Wolves in every department… without Tierney, Mari and Auba only just returning.
I’m not blaming Luiz for this red card – having watched it time and time again, I still cannot see the contact that warranted a penalty and sending off.
It doesn’t matter how many times Luiz has been sent off either – that’s history.
As for Leno, there is no explanation for his actions, but haven’t we all reacted in a crazy manner at least once in our lives?
The referee and VAR officials were a disgrace in the Luiz incident and it is obvious none of our referees have ever played football in my opinion.
Finally, anyone who blames MA for this result, needs their heads examined – just as those who blamed AW when we lost the cup to Birmingham all those years ago.
I feel so deflated, as we could see just how MA is transforming our club, now let’s see how we react against villa.
Well said ken and I don’t think people watching on tv realise just how bad the conditions were, pissing with rain and blustery wind which I’m sure added to the difficulty.
Well said. Agree with all your points.👍👍
All these started after the double jeopardy.
We would have goñe out of site if those agonizing mises were converted.
Did you have to mention the League Cup versus Birmingham Grandad? My first and worst trip to Wembley… and here I thought tonight get any worse 😉
Sorry I meant Ken1945. I’m losing it…
Good post Ken, well balanced. Dont blame MA for selections as not a lot of choice. I thought his substitutions were very dodgy though – Auba in that situation?
Well said. Exactly my thoughts and opinion.
Some stupid comments on here tonight and you basically said everything I was thinking top man @ken1945.
So Ken- who was to blame for the Birmingham defeat if it wasn’t Wenger? At the end of the day the final buck stops with the manager, just ask Frank Lampard,
Only if you want to blame AW for everything Phil… which I know you do of course.
I read that AW was to blame for questioning referees decisions… it didn’t seem to make a difference when fergie did it though – but let’s keep blaming AW!!
As for the referees decisions following tonight’s games, I guess that’s all down to… who Phil?
Arteta or Wenger?
Ken you are side stepping here. The Manager is the one who is held accountable and that’s exactly how it should be.
The first 44 minutes of tonight’s game was probably the best we have played this season, probably only Chelsea at home being comparable. What was needed at the end of the first half was two things, Game Management and Leadership. We showed none of this towards the end of a half we had dominated. Why?
Ask Arteta Ken as he is the one responsible. Coasting at 1-0 and as soon as Luiz did what he did the game was lost, simple as that. Arteta picks the team and trains them. The buck stops solely with him.
And as for me blaming Wenger for everything? I once had a undercooked pie at half time. Who else other than Wenger was responsible for this?
Your argument is nonsensical Phil.
Was it Arteta who told Leno to handle the ball outside the area and are you suggesting he trained him to do that?
Was it Arteta who told Lacs to make sure his toe was offside in order to ensure that Saka’s goal was offside and are you suggesting he trained him to do that?
Was it Arteta who trained the defence to watch on as a wonderful strike settled the match?
The result tonight cannot possibly be down to Arteta and to argue otherwise is strangely reminiscent of your claim that Wenger was responsible for the action of the players on the field and your unfortunate episode with a cold pie.
The first 45 minutes I witnessed tonight was some of the best since our fa cup win over Chelsea – the fact that our inept referees are reading the rules completely differently to every other association in the world (twice in one day) is ripping the heart out of the wonderful game… but you want to blame managers?
You don’t need a cold pie PAL, you need cold turkey!!!
Looks like I’m the only person here who thinks both the penalty decision & red card were correct as was the Leno red card.
An accidental foul is still a foul and if it denies a goal scoring opportunity then it has to be a sending off. Too bad really as I think Luiz was trying not to tackle the guy, but caught his heel.
Leno had a brain storm and we’ll be without him for some tough games. Won’t miss Luiz though will we!
No Jax they were red cards according to the rules and no issues with Leno, but I thought we no longer had double jeopardy – you lose a goal and a player, primarily because it was an accident, meaning he couldnt even try to get the ball and wasnt trying to interfere at all. It’s like arresting somebody who has a heart attack in the middle of the road while the lights are changing for jaywalking..
I agree completely. If it was reversed and that happened to Laca we’d be in agreement.
Unlucky Luiz but still a foul on the last man
Just read the Guardians match report and they disagree with me in that the foul had to be deemed “careless, reckless or excessively forceful”. I’m not sure if that’s for the penalty or red card or both, but I seem to be right out of touch with the laws of the game these days. They do agree that he was unlucky in that he did not make a challenge and the contact was accidental.
Jax can I ask do you think it was a mistake playing weak team in cup ?
Leauge season is now over
i didnt even see a foul
There was
No foul because there was no contact.
Jax, you are NOT alone The accidental clip was still a sending off, as was LENOS HANDLING OUTSIDE THE AREA. I do not blame MA, as I had long ago written off this Prem season.
I still have high hopes but for NEXT season. MA is building a top side but just needs to lose the one remaining clown CB, in Luiz, and a few other not good enough squad players first.
I think LENO ONLY MISSES ONE PREM GAME, IF I AM CORRECT THOUGH.
Jon, have you heard Arteta’s take on the incident regarding Luiz?
He states quite clearly that, after watching the replay numerous times, there was no contact… yet VAR took less than a minute to reach the decision.
NOW, as you and I agree that Mikel Arteta is an honest man and it is obvious Luiz was not attempting to foul the opponent, how do you see the ACCIDENTAL trip that he doesn’t as a red card and a penalty decision?
It’s a sending off. Some are just sentimental.
Well to my understanding the double jeopardy rule was brought in to prevent this excessive punishment when a penalty is enough. It’s one thing to be unlucky and make accidental contact and give away a penalty, quite another to pile on a red card and suspension as well. How is that remotely fair and in the spirit of the game? Surely anyone can see that is an excessive punishment for a simple mistake?
The rule, as I understood it, was that this situation would only be a red card if the foul was intentional – otherwise players would just start fouling strikers in goalscoring positions knowing they would stay on the field. This makes perfect sense to me.
Also the lack of a double jeopardy rule positively encourages diving – you risk taking a yellow but if you succeed you can inflict massive and excessive damage on the opponent. Why wouldn’t players want to do that?
Ken- you are completely missing the most obvious. Who ultimately pays for the failures of the team? Wenger was sacked simply because he was taking the club backwards. Emery was sacked because he proved to be incapable of managing a big club ( PSG are NOT a big club) and Arteta will be tesponsible if he continues to oversee failure. Nobody will mention the isolated incidents, only the collective results. Mid table mediocrity is where we are and where we will most likely be this season. Who is responsible for this? I agree the players are culpable, but ultimately the manager is responsible.
And yes, Wenger WAS responsible for my cold pie. Who else could I possibly blame ?
Speaking of David Luiz. I remember two cartoons that appeared just after Germany destroyed Brazil in the world cup. One had the chairman of PSG looking through the garbage bin for the receipt so that he could refund him back to Chelsea from whom he had just been signed. The other was from a Brazilian news paper showing a doctor going through David Luiz”s hair looking for goals as if they were fleas. “Look, I’ve found another one make it 0-7 now.” Cruel but he has always been that type of player. A rock as when Chelsea won the Champions League, or totally out of it as we have been fortunate to witness at Arsenal.
Giving away penalties is part of the DNA of Luis and always will be.He simply cannot be trusted.The sending off of Leno effectively ended the game.What an utterly frustrating night for Arteta and all Arsenal fans.
We could appeal Luiz 1 match ban and try to get 3 😊
Hehehe Perry!
Really, please let’s do it if it’s possible. But then, I would have loved it if it be extended to seven match barn, or better still someone should just run over his legs with a car.
Luiz is on a mission from Chelsea.
We’d lose 😂
Whatever we do, we can’t excuse Luiz, even if you believe that the red card and the subsequent penalty call seemed harsh because if that becomes the narrative we might re-sign Sideshow Sr. and actually give him the captain’s armband…the worst case scenario should have been a conceded goal, not Luiz doubling-down on his own stupidity by trying to overcompensate for his horrific positioning, thereby leaving us in a tie game and undermanned for the whole second-half
Finally….logic!
Yes it was harsh but Luiz created the whole situation himself with his positioning
I recon Luiz will get a new 3 year 300,000 a week new contract!!
you guys can blame luiz for the positionig, where was Partey for both goals
That’s not logic. Punishment has to fit the crime. Conceding a goal one way or another would have been enough but the punishment cost us the entire game
No it didn’t…many teams have either won or managed a draw following a red card…so stop pretending you’re the messenger of “logic”
I was daydreaming just before half-time about the player marks I should give – Pepe 8, Saka 9, Partey 9 etc. Little did I suspect…
Just goes to show as I get older that the ability to live in the past is vastly undervalued.
I hate the kind of referee what was wrong with luiz to get a red card …??
Lets focus on the next game I have full trust on arsenal team
The rules are clear: “Players committing accidental fouls that deny a goalscoring chance will now be cautioned instead. But deliberate fouls will still incur a red card.”
Oficials made themselve men of the match
Leno incidence, VAR showed y he was sent off but no comment for Luiz
I didnt know that – neither apparently did the tv commentators, the match or VAR refs. Nice work Ada. Replay it is then!
Players committing accidental fouls while
attempt to play the ball = yellow card.
Luiz did not attempt to play the ball =
red card .
here it is where it becomes extremely murky,
gray field: Luiz technically did not commit an offence, or initiate any OFFENCE. Jose kicked up to into Luiz’s knee, that exactly what happened, watching the replay 20 times.
IMO it was a horrible call no red card for me.
👍 Unfortunately there appears to be no discretion or common sense with VAR.
How unlucky for Luiz. I’ve seen the video more times. I cannot see any contact. But if any then its was by accident certainly not intentionally. No red card should have been given, only yellow. How can the referees give red card. Its beyond me. Great goal by Pepe though, who did show great will power.
No way is that a sending off, he’s been done on reputation that’s all, people saying he shouldn’t be running back in that position are crackers, he had no choice as the ball was being played across him, that was the best almost first half I’ve seen us play for a long time and we’ve been done by rubbish refereeing, just hope we don’t lose confidence going in against villa.
It could be worse guys – Southampton got two red cards tonight and lost 9-0…
The bad new is most EPL referees have no idea how to interpret the new rules /VAR
AFC lost the last four games refereed
by craig pawson , just my 2c
Guys I get Luiz but don’t get why some are saying Leno was harsh
He handles ball outside area ?
Simple
Leno’s mistake was a red card, even a blind man can see it.
Having read the comments here I had to remind myself that our revolution in communication also requires greater tolerance. So who Sarah! Some years ago a committee comprising of ex-players and officials decided to put in a rule that would discourage pull downs. Rules have aim and context. If neither the aim of the rule or context is applicable then discretion MUST be applied. We now have VAR to add to today’s bizarre episode of ‘Stick it to them’. Now the replays were excellent. I shall explain for those with poor sight. David pulled out the way as advised. As the striker went pass he cut across as strikers are trained to do. His studs hit David’s knee that was still in motion. The referee’s decision did not reflect fairness or interpretation of the rules as there was neither context or action that created the rule. There was also the chance to check. The referee’s decision was at best limbic or chemical rather than cognitive. It was informed by prejudice or David’s history or personal issue – not the application of the harsh rule.
Why did Luiz change his direction while running when it was obviously clear there was no way he could stop the player without fouling him .
That change in direction was clearly the reason the I feel the contact was intentional.
That was a foul ,a penalty and a red card .
Luiz is calamity .