Kevin Whitcher
Where to begin? Well, a very decent and welcome Arsenal performance that had echoes of past times. Some very good football, and some top drawer resilience. Granted, the game should have been out of sight by half-time, but it wasn’t, and the team did well to see out the result after losing Carl Jenkinson with half an hour still to play. There were even some good old safety first hoofed defensive clearances. A joy to witness.
Certainly Arsenal deserved the three points. On the chances created, something like 6-3 might have been a fair scoreline by the end of 90 minutes, but a good number were missed or saved. It was end to end in the second half and great entertainment, if not necessarily good for the heart. As Tottenham had taken their expected three points against Newcastle, a win was vital for the Gunners today if they are to overhaul the noisy neighbours.
The first half was a case of domination, allowing for the odd Sunderland break. Some of Arsenal’s football was a joy to watch, with slick passing forcing Martin O’Neill’s men to play dirty when they could get near an opponent. It was a cynical display from the Wearsiders, and did them no credit at all. It was a case of leaving a foot in until finally a booking was dished out, the referee too lenient early in the game.
Wilshere and Cazorla drove the team on, and Sunderland had real trouble coping with Theo Walcott. Aaron Ramsey looked better in a deeper role, and played creditably when forced to play right back after the interval thanks to Jenkinson’s red card. In that second half, Sunderland predictably came out and pressed Arsenal, and after the dismissal, the game became particularly strung out. The visitors defended valiantly and at times rode their luck, with Szczesny imperious and pulling off two world class saves. It was the kind of performance that should give the team a lot of confidence, although the profligacy in front of goal is something that needs to be addressed. Too many shots from very scoreable positions sail high over the bar, with Cazorla and Giroud amongst the guilty. And of course there were also three or four ‘Oh Theo’ moments, but overall his contribution has improved markedly as the season has progressed.
Consistency in results is what the team require now. A run of victories is going to make the final three months of the season a lot more bearable. The team are good enough to win on any given day. But it is winning on days like today that has proved difficult. The games against Norwich, Villa and Southampton come to mind. Two points out of nine against teams that not so long ago would have been bread and butter. I remember Tony Adams saying if you win your matches against the teams in the bottom half of the table, you will win the league. Arsenal are capable of doing that if they could demonstrate the resilience and character demonstrated today on a regular basis – with a full back playing in central defence no less, in addition to the ten man factor. So there is a chink of light. Let us hope it is not another false dawn.
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