Arsenal secured a 3-2 victory over Kairat this evening, surviving a late scare to seal the points at the Emirates. With nothing riding on the result, Mikel Arteta still selected a decent starting line-up, and the Gunners began the contest with confidence and control.
Despite some rotation, the quality on display meant this could not be described as a reserve side. Given the value and experience within the team, Arsenal were expected to dominate proceedings, even if certain players might not have featured had the match carried greater significance.
Early Control and First Half Response
The Gunners wasted little time asserting themselves, opening the scoring through Viktor Gyokeres after just three minutes. From that moment, it appeared the visitors were in for a difficult evening. However, Kairat responded in surprising fashion by equalising from the penalty spot, briefly disrupting Arsenal’s rhythm and forcing a reaction.
That moment proved to be the spark Arsenal needed. Arteta’s side quickly regained its composure and restored its advantage through Kai Havertz. Momentum firmly swung back in their favour, and before the interval, Gabriel Martinelli added a third goal to give Arsenal a comfortable lead at half-time. The first half performance reflected Arsenal’s dominance in possession and attacking intent.
Late Pressure but Points Secured
Following the break, Arsenal replaced the returning duo of Havertz and Riccardo Calafiori and continued to push forward in search of additional goals. Their control of the match remained evident, and they maintained sustained pressure in the final third. The evening also provided an opportunity to introduce Brando Bailey Joseph from the bench, handing the young player his debut.
Gabriel Jesus later found the net, but his effort was ruled out for offside, preventing Arsenal from extending their lead further. That decision kept Kairat in the contest, and the visitors capitalised by pulling a goal back through Ricardinho, creating a tense closing spell. Despite the late pressure, Arsenal managed the final minutes effectively and ensured the points stayed in north London, closing out the match as deserved winners.
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No idea why but the team this year has become incredibly selfish which is not the Arsenal way, there were at least 4 clear cut basic square passes for a tap in that weren’t played
Opposition was not of great quality but Norgaard is a breath of fresh air. Joins the attack well and always playing forward passes even when under pressure. Should be getting more opportunities
No injuries and top, a good end to the group stages
👍PJ-SA, I too have noticed the selfishness or lack of awareness of teammates this season. In this game it cost Arsenal a number of goals.
I agree with you on Christian Norgaard, who has been underutilized.
Excellent goals by Gyokeres and Havertz, with Gyokeres thriving with forward passes.
Shipping two goals is a concern, particularly stupid penalty given away by Calafiori.
Qualified with 8 out of 8 wins; can’t do more. Now keep up the momentum, one game at a time!
Impressive Kairat? 🥹
You’d wonder wouldn’t you?🙄
It had all the atmosphere of a pre season friendly and nothing about it approaching a real contest
Immpressive the number of fans Kairat brought though. Fair play to enjoying their night out. 👏🏻
In truth it was a scruffy performance from Arsenal, in a take candy from baby mismatch only 3-2
If the mission was to show we do have clinical cutting edge, it was a failed mission. A horror compendium could be put together of the poor decisions around the box, and awful finishing.
Pressure building for the Leeds game. Ars will have to show character from now, and a clinical cutting edge we haven’t shown for a while.
Would think this game would be a confidence boost but looks like 2 big mistakes gift the opponent goals, and 2nd half of this match was another slog and missed chances. I only made it to the 75th minute tbh because I couldn’t take it anymore. Leeds away up is next and thats a hard place to go. Big question marks still hanging over this side. On the positive side, a joy to see Havertz back!
Kai The Undead – former Divine Assassin and the last of the Brunnen-G.
He’s back!
keep waiting for a game that resets and gets us going, this wasn’t it. We should have won 10-2, physically and skill wise we were so much better, except at finishing. Glad for the win but heck, what is going to move the needle for these guys…
Exactly. We are just not at it are we? We are just not clinical. Arsenal are in a slump. A funk. 😱
Seriously thinking why we are in this slump, to answer your question, scrapping around out there.
The sheer amount of matches over December and January, fatigue takes the edge off players?
The sheer amount of key players who are first names down on team sheet, yet don’t have form or edge to their game at moment? Saka certainly in that group, Saliba too. Gyok.
We have been struggling for solid left back without Ricky. Just that one change could alter players around the left side, more defensive work for Rice, Trossard, Big Gabi, changes what they bring to attack?
You need confidence and belief, even swagger, to take on risky through balls, like naturally, without thinking about it, and they are getting nervous, second thoughts about playing it forward?
Persisting with Gyok, even though it’s not working. There was a clinical Gyok who put hattrick passed Man City last season, who wasn’t out there against Kairat tonight imo. So not bad buy, not proven yet – just not working at the moment.
Add all this together to explain our struggle.
The ball is not sticking or bouncing for a lot of them – hopefully it changes for someone soon. We just need one person to find some consistent magic to get a couple of games under our belt.
I just don’t know who – maybe Kai is able to do this or put Merino back up front because the ball just seems to find him by times.
On Gyok’s start and minutes tonight, looks like Holy Gabi to start at Leeds.
I don’t think he is the answer – great feel good story but he doesn’t finish.
It is either Gyokeres doesn’t know how to anticipate an oncoming ball or the ball comes to fast for him, I will be lenient to him to pick the latter being that he hasn’t really been playing with us that long to understand that passes come quickly in a very fast paced league, so I will excuse him for this season.
Overall I made up my mind before the game that this was just an over glorified training session, which we did in the first half , the second half saw some excellent and strange performances. Let me leave it at that.
Norgaard need to be playing more,
Eze is playing with more urgency now which is very good, (smh) at madueke, Kai Havertz plays better passes and through balls than Eze and odegaard, Mosqera did well. Not an important game but some players were underwhelming.
Unto Leeds on Saturday. COYG.
Nice pick Augustus, I noticed that too. It seems Gyökeres is playing himself onside just an inch or two too much. Look at the third goal and the sitter he missed from MLS’s pass. He plays himself onside which is great but both of the crosses are too much in front of him. I dont know if the crosses were ”bad” or Gyökeres is late, could be both.
It’s rather weird reading these views
I was on a jolly with my son courtesy of Emirates and it was akin to a pre season friendly or the dead rubber that it actually was.
You honestly can’t take anything meaningful from this match as there wasn’t an ounce of real intent.
Take it for what it was and don’t waste your energy worrying about the minutiae of the performance
fair point but I can’t believe that I am not over the moon to be 8-0 in CL.
For me it is just how things are going with this team. I have no confidence that they will show up on any given day – they can beat anyone and lose to anyone.
We missed so many chances tonight, which we do every single game whether we play a strong team or weak opponent. On the plus side, we generate a lot but we just can’t finish.
On to Leeds and fingers crossed for me!
Is it fair to say, we all looked for a response to Sunday’s loss, something more clinical from us?
Oh I do understand both you and SM
But the starting lineup was the B team who weren’t going into heavy tackles and Havertz and Calafiori coming back from. It looked for all the world like a team aiming not to get injured.
Yes, I get your points that a statement should be made by players on the fringe but the whole atmosphere in the ground was nothing like I’ve experienced previously in what should have been a competitive game to give Arteta food for thought
Maybe part of the problem is too big a squad? Being known for huge squad of options, but each match day you can only use 11 plus subs for some minutes of it – you’ve only got 90 minutes to get the job done. Does so much rotation between games and in games actually work. The 4 subs at 55 minutes on Sunday made us less of a threat there on in – losing Ode and Rice from their number 8 roles.
A smaller squad that’s more clinical in front of goal could be further clear at the top.
Moon Girl, a shortage of options due to injuries has hurt Arsenal in previous seasons. A deep competetive squad is an advantage, provided no dissension arises.
A win to seal top spot and ensure 100% group phase record. Let’s take it up to Elland road, for another premier league contest. COYG!
Am I missing something?
It was a dead rubber and our second team won
What’s the drama
Agree, little to read from it. Though I would say, Gyokeres short-comings in full sight again, against lesser opposition.
I was impressed by the way the home crowd kept behind the team myself.
I suspect we were all expecting to see a goal fest, with returning players and young players turning in a masterclass to ease the nerves ready for the Leeds game.
Didn’t happen and full marks to our opponents of course.
On the brighter side, we’ve finished too of the tree, unbeaten, just two goals against, second leg at home in the knockout stages, no new injuries, players coming back, while Rice and Merino have served their European bans.
Actually, it was a c**p. game, so let’s move on and get behind the club for the Leeds game. 🍷
Lovely to see us at the top of that long table!
But we done all the hard work for that Top of the Tree back in the autumn when our form was stronger. We are now in a slump, is let’s rest on our laurels, can’t but much wrong right now if you’ve just finished top, really the right way of discussing it?
If it was Bayern scheduled tonight, would our first choice side have played as well against them as we actually did in the autumn?
It’s coming to business end of season, we need to get our first half of season mojo back to hopefully lift at least one trophy.
Prem sides consistently find it too easy in CL Group games. Man City and Liverpool put out sides tonight, who would find it difficult on a Prem Match Day. Liverpool only have 1 centre back left standing, and he’s played virtually every game whilst 104 years old. And they’ve lost Frimpong too. All more good news for Man City tonight, Ars now more hopeful of Spurs taking 2 points off Citeh, than crocked Liverpools chances getting result against Pep’s team.
Surely Liverpool must go into the market this window for some defenders? If they don’t, and Man Utd take Liverpools top 5 spot {hint, they are already in it} that is the very definition of “forced error”. Liverpool really are sending a begging letter addressed to Mr Trouble, Trouble Town, Troubleshire. Crazy if they don’t act in this window.
Not scoring at least 6 against Kairat is a crime and conceding a die minute goal is more crime. There’s been complaints about our attackers not doing well, but when you look at the coaching team, they’re full of defensive and set pieces coaches. That tell you the mentality. If we get Holland in this team, we would still struggle for goals as long as the mentality remains.
I’m seriously nervous about the weekend game against Leeds, they are not push over.
Conceding a late goal has become habit regrettably immediately after Cunha goal; needs rectification asap.
Good to see new teenagers play in Ibrahim and Joseph though Salmon was the only one who was sadly left unused sub.
Good goal from Gyokeres, off the back of a great goal against Inter.
Slight concern for me is, yes those two goals were good, but he’s missing the easy ones. I saw at least two the, with the expectations we have, he should have buried.
Nevertheless, we move on, Leeds next!
For me this game represented a chance to give some of the other players some much needed minutes. Winning their first 7 games gave them the right to do that.
And if the Gyokeres first goal is a sign of things to come, then that was a positive for me. Because up to this point of the season, its taken Havertz just one game to see the type of ball that Gyokeres will thrive on. I hope the other players are taking notes.
I know it’s only one game, but those two already look like the could connect. And I hope for our sides sake they do.
Overall, it was just a nice runout for the boys. Something they earned with as I say, the 7 wins they had before this game. And just for good measure, the made it 8 wins from 8.
Come on you Gunners. 👍
it is just going to take one guy getting hot – that will take pressure off the back as well.
Have been a bit frustrated with the defense but to be fair, they are under a lot of pressure not to let anything in as we can’t count on goals right now. Teams are starting to get a better handle on the set pieces as well.
Onwards and upwards!