SOBS ON GUNNERS

The Lads travelled to the current equivalent of the marbled halls of Highbury as massive underdogs and... well, like I said about last Monday's game, teams are where they are for a reason. Arsenal are the best, we're somewhere in the middle and, while 3-0 might have been a tad harsh on us, it didn't really flatter a classy set of Gunners. Well, perhaps a little bit. Having said that, they should be deducted at least six points for having a drum. Top of the league, on course to win it, in three cup competitions, and they need a drum to liven up over 60,000 fans?

Get in the sea.

It being a daft o'clock start, Friday evening was spent at the town hall watching the radio play about Bishop Auckland FC's link to Man U. Even if you have no liking for Man U, and I certainly don't, it's worth remembering what Bishop did in the wake of the Munich air disaster - which was 68 years ago to the day. The casting was definitely radio-based, with Bobby Charlton played by a fella with curly hair and a beard. A fitting final performance.

... and early to bed, remembering at 3:30 that I'd left the phone on silent.

Anyway, down to London, where the buskers do their research - the one at Bond Street underground was playing Wise Men Say... as he was last time down here, at another station.

A couple of cocktails before a visit to the Princess Louise - what can I say, it's a pub with lots of doors and lots of rooms - and it was like an episode of Some Mothers Do 'Ave 'Em, as various people went from one to the other and tried doors that weren't doors. But the team news arrived, with no surprises:

Roefs

Hume (c) Ballard Mukiele Alderete Reinildo 

Le Fee Diarra Sadiki Talbi

Brobbey 

... and a bench of Issy, Cirkin, Ellborg, Geertruida, Mayenda, Mundle, O'Nien, Rigg, and Angulo.

And an appearance of Quinny before kickoff!

In our blue shirts, we defended the end nearest our fans and Arsenal set things away. There wasn't much between the sides in the opening exchanges, although Arsenal looked cool while we stopped them doing what they wanted to in the final third. They fouled Hume on halfway and, with seven minutes gone, we lifted it into the box and gave Raya a good clattering which seemed to make him nervous - but only for a little while, more's the pity.

Just after the quarter hour Nordi put in a tremendous sliding tackle in the right back spot -right in front of our fans, which got us going a bit more. With his hand/arm injury still an issue, Hume was on long throw duty - and they weren't bad. Unfortunately, neither was the Arsenal defence. 

The game's first corner fell to the home side when Trai sliced a clearance over our bar, and Roefs had to palm it away for another. In about 25 minutes crude foul on Brobbey on halfway brought a yellow for Saliba, but they dealt with our free. In front of Roefs, we were defending cleverly without getting desperate, and Reinildo even popped up at right back with a great tackle. Enzo took a bang on the head just before the game's first real shot - just over from Rice. As the rain came down, we hoped Rice would do what rice does in water, and swell up to bursting point. He didn't.

After they defended another of our frees, we had to block, punch, and produce the first save of the afternoon - comfy for Roefs, though.

Another corner was successfully defended, then they moved it in from their left and the low shot was in the only place Roefs wasn't - in, through the tiniest of gaps and off the foot of his right hand post.

Bugger. Only four to the break.

Almost immediately, 60,000+ people acknowledged a very obvious offside just in our half, but play went in until the ball was in our box and VAR had to consider both offside and penalty. Just put your bloody flag up, liner!

Four added minutes, there was a save at his near post by Raya, then Brobbey won us a corner on the right - which we took short and Arsenal dealt with.

That was half time - Arsenal restricted to three shots. One over, one saved, one in. Not too bad a performance, all things considered.

No changes for the second half, and a point was very much still there for the taking. For a while, anyway. We pretty much repeated our first half display with some solid defending and patient buildup play but only had Talbi's shot to show for it, and that was comfortably saved. Oh, and Hume nearly dribbled his way through their box, but not quite. 

Arsenal made a couple of changes on the hour, so we swapped Talbi for Mundle, but the next meaningful action came when Arsenal came in from their left and boom - it was two to them. 

Off went Sadiki in favour of Geertruida after another foul on Brobbey - twenty to go, could we get something back? Just a bit of a consolation, eh? Mundle ran and crossed from the right, winning us a throw on our left for Hume to launch and Arsenal to defend. He then dropped a bit deeper with Diarra going further forward and it caused the home defence a bit of concern - nowt they couldn't deal with, mind. 

With five to go, Trai and Brobbey made way for Isidor and the new boy. Alunga slunga in a free from the right that we headed down and over (honest) as six additional minutes were announced.

Unfortunately, as we pushed forward for that consolation, Arsenal got a throw out of defence and gave themselves a fifty yard run from halfway towards Roefs. 

0-3. Boo

Man of the Match? Look, we were canny in the first half and not much worse in the second - but if Arsenal don't win the league I'll buy Eddie Howe a pint. Shandy, of course. You can do pretty well against them, but at the vital moments, they'll just do it a bit better than you. Just check the stats to see how close we could have been. 

Diarra for me, at the back and going forward.