Didier Drogba ended his eight year tenure at Chelsea this week
Not many players get to go on top. Stars of the past, great servants of even greater clubs; most have had to exit their last premier stop in ignominy. Thierry Henry’s last campaign at Barca saw his starting placed usurped by…
Not a Chelsea fan but Drogba deserves his respect.
Check out my 1st published article “Of Reds and Blues” on The 4th Official.
Arsenal 2 – 1 New Castle
Thomas Vermaelen sends the gunners within 1 point of third place Tottenham with a stunning goal in extra time to save the day.
The game was tied 1-1 entering the second half, courtesy of Robin Van Persie and Hatem Ben Arfa, and continued to be deadlocked throughout.
Within the last breaths of the game, the ball for the gunners finally found its way to goal.
Both sides played incredibly hard but Arsenal deserved the victory.
Arsenal played well into the first half and dominated the second; over 60% possession.
The gunners kept on hammering throughout the second but could not find the second goal.
Missed chances by Tomas Rosicky and Gervinho could have sealed the game before the dying minutes.
Rosicky and Gervinho however played incredibly well. Rosicky, who recently signed a new contract, is looking to have discovered his place at Arsenal.
Ramsey who also came on with Gervinho played well.
On an interesting note, there was battle within a battle while watching this match.
The Arsenal skipper Van Persie was seen having heated conversations with Newcastle goalie Tim Krul.
Both Dutch players were going at it throughout the match and were even seen to continue at it in the tunnel when leaving.
Vermaelen however was along side Van Persie and shielded his captain. There is much love between the two.
Arsenal is now within 1 point of rivals Tottenham Hotspur. The top of the table is as competitive as ever and Arsenal are no longer settling for fourth but have their eyes set on third place.
Liverpool DOMINATES Arsenal; yet the Gunners get the WIN!
Liverpool 1 - 2 Arsenal
ROBIN VAN PERSIE SAVES THE DAY YET AGAIN!!
What a surprise Arsenal fans? Are we ever truly surprised whenever he scores?
From nothing, a simple chance, Arsenal put’s one into the back of the net and even up the game 1-1 at Anfield during a terrible first half performance.
And even after a terrible second half performance, we go ahead late thanks to an amazing volley by Van Persie to win the game.
This marks the first home loss for Liverpool who are stellar at home this season.
The Red’s were dominant throughout the entire half and even the entire game but could only get one from all their chances. That kept Arsenal in the game and missed chances was the underlying elephant in the room for Liverpool fans. All season long, they can’t finish. Story of my “season” they could probably claim.
Where the goal came from for Arsenal, no one knows. The Gunners were pathetic throughout the entire game. Yet, somehow they pulled through to get all three points. Maybe staying in forth place might not seem so far off.
A quick break away and some space given to Bacary Sagna allowed for a pin-point cross that Robin Van Persie put away to make the game 1-1
And then another great pass from Alex Song see’s Arsenal 2-1 thanks to Van Persie yet again.
Robin Van Persie had only received two passes in the penalty area the entire night vs. Liverpool and scored on both! That is a stat to behold.
Liverpool’s first goal however was a long time coming and very much deserved for all the hard work they put in. From the missed penalty to the numerous missed chances, it was going to happen sooner or later. But from an own goal by Laurent Koscienly… it seems our players can’t stop scoring.
Wojciech Szczesny was fantastic tonight. If Arsene Wegner has anything to smile about this season other than Van Persie scoring goals as sure as a thing as the sun comes up every day, it’s Szczesny coming around to being a great goal keeper. All the headlines will read Van Persie saved the day… but Szczesny was a hero in his own right.
Save after save, Szczesny made them all. Even from the penalty spot, Szczesny kept Arsenal in them in the game. The same ridiculed goal keeper has truly come into his own. Wegner should smile that finally he does not have to worry about that position for a while.
Worry for Arsenal fans however, Mikel Arteta goes down at the beginning of the second half on a freak accident. Not really sure what happened, but there is no blame to anyone. Arteta just falls with a minor collision with Jordan Henderson and is taken off the field. Best of luck to Arteta and hope it’s nothing too serious.
Arteta’s injury is just another one of the numerous injuries that Arsenal have faced this season. It really is something to wonder… when will the injury gods start favoring them? In fact, as much as Liverpool can’t complete their chances, Arsenal can’t seem to keep their men on the field.
Still, it’s a good victory for Arsenal fans, but nothing we should be truly proud of.
Quote of the night: “They should call him the Electric Eel” say’s one of the announcers of Luis Suarez, on ESPN. Really funny.
Amazing Stat: Robin Van Persie only received two passes in the penalty area vs. Liverpool and scored on both! Stat by STATZONE (http://fourfourtwo.com/statszone/share.aspx?i=05RyK)
Photo By: (c) GettyImages
Personal Venting Time: I Have No Where To Run To
My escape was Arsenal…
Another year soon to be gone, and all I can see are the same things haunting us.
Arsenal are on the brink of winning no trophies this year… what a surprise huh?
It kills me as a fan to know our players, coaches, staff, and organization have not won a single thing in almost an entire decade! Last year we came so close, and yet again Arsenal found a way to lose… example the Carling Cup.
With a rich and powerful history, these are hard times for the fans and the club. Probably something that Arsenal fans of recent generations have never experienced.
And with the departure of Cesc Fabregas and Samir Nasri early this season, the Gunner’s faithful might soon to see Robin Van Persie follow in their footsteps… Another shocker right?
Losing Fabregas and Nasri this year was a knock-out blow. Arsenal seemed to have died at the beginning of the season, but thanks to Van Persie’s world class performance, they are hanging onto fourth.
Losing Van Persie at the end of this season will completely destroy me. He has been the only thing I could flaunt about when mentioning Arsenal. He has been the only thing this year that has made me truly happy in all of my fandoms, which I will tell later down.
Watching Arsenal games from a small computer screen in an already small dorm building is painful enough. But seeing your team get smashed 4-0 in the Champions League while watching the game in those circumstances makes you feel even more depressed.
Where is our club heading? What is Arsene Wegner thinking at this moment? Van Persie, will you leave us? Arsenal… we have the money, I know it. We are the 4th richest club in the world so why is it we can’t buy players of world class talent!?
I just don’t understand…
Arsenal was my escape from sports. I have many different fandoms which most people do as well, I think… For Baseball it’s the White Sox, for Basketball it’s the Los Angeles Lakers, for American Football it’s the Indianapolis Colts.
All of those organizations are in no championship form. White Sox have been terrible since 2005, its amazing they even won a championship that year. The Lakers did one of the most dumbest moves I have ever seen this year by trading away Lamar Odom and Kobe Bryant is in the twilight of his career. The Indianapolis Colt’s had only two wins this entire season! And our Hall-of-Fame quarterback Peyton Manning’s future with us are as good as gone.
All my teams this year seem to be in complete confusion. How utterly amazing and sadly coincidental at the same time. What a cruel joke sport gods… what a cruel joke indeed.
Arsenal had seem to be in the same situation, rose from the grave early on in the season. They gave me hope! After the destruction Manchester United left upon us, Arsenal bounced back through the leadership of Robin Van Persie and are currently in fourth! The things RVP have done this year for our club, I will remember for a life time.
Losing the FA Cup today to Sunderland 2-0 put the nail in the coffin however. I was fooling myself. I knew all along Arsenal chance’s of winning anything this year was gone. I knew that.
I thought maybe, just maybe, somewhere out there a miracle can happen! We could maybe win the Champions League for the first time ever! Our team could finally get a trophy, and on the biggest stage at that! And Arsene Wegner can finally get off the hot seat… but I knew deep down I was fooling myself.
And now, I have no where to run anymore. All I can do is sit, watch, and endure.
Thierry Henry puts in a stunning goal to send the Gunners back home three points happier.
With a well placed cross for the ex-gunner by substitute Andrei Arshavin, Henry shows why he has the nickname “king.”
This match really came to life in the second half starting with goal by James McClean for Sunderland in the 70’.
Per Mertesacker was on defense and pulled up with an injury, leaving the ball free for James McClean to drive into the Arsenal box and seal away a impressive goal.
Mertesacker’s injury is currently unknown, but it appears to be a problem with his ankle or achilles.
Aaron Ramsey then came on for Mertesacker in 72’ and three minutes later equalized for the gunners with a good shot on goal. Aaron Ramsey’s impact would foreshadow just how important the substitutes would be in this game.
Thierry Henry came on in the 66’ for Alex Oxlade-Chamberlin and Andrei Arshavin late for Theo Walcott in the 87’.
Those two subs teamed up for a spectacular match winner that puts Arsenal right back into the race for a Champions League spot.
With fortunate losses to Liverpool and Chelsea, Arsenal have life.
Tottenham plays New Castle later tonight… and as much as Arsenal fans hate Tottenham, we need them not to lose to New Castle.
So go you lowly Spurs, do us some good and beat New Castle.
Arsenal striker Robin van Persie has scooped the Barclays Golden Boot prize for already scoring 20 goals in the Premier League this season to cap an incredible first half to the season - Photo and Quote by Barclays Premier League
What looked like a turn for disaster ended with a hearty win for the Gunners. Arsenal were down 2-0 starting the half but somehow managed to rally back and defeat the resilient Aston Villa.
Goals from Richard Dunne (32’) and Darren Bent (45’) saw the Villa side through at the half. Arsenal, though known for their lack of defense, did not play poorly. In fact they had a strong performance but were just a tad unlucky. However, at the start of the second it looked as if the tides have changed.
The same two players that scored in the first half were the same two that gave up penalties in the second. Arsenal were presented with a penalty at the 54’ which Robin Van Persie sealed confidently.
Moments later, Theo Walcott made a brilliant run and lured defenders deep within their box. As fate would have it, and with a little bit of trickery thanks to Walcott’s skill, the ball found the back of the net and it was instantly 2-2 by the 56th minute.
Walcott had a bounce back performance and it was very great to see him play so lively. Maybe the influence of Alex Oxerlade-Chamberlin threating to take a starting role has gotten him more lively. Which is a great thing to see.
Another good performance was by Thomas Rosicky. He showed calmness and helped to push with Van Persie in the midfield. It was good to see him have a good game after so long.
Not to far after the Walcott goal, Laurent Koscielny raced all the way into the penalty box and drew another penalty. Koscielny has been playing out of this world for us this year. And again it shows that he can be one of the best defenders in the world. Signs of his skill were there when he defended Lionel Messi last year in the Champions League. Now they are even more evident.
Van Persie again took the penalty and sealed the goal that put the gunners ahead 3-2 in the 61st minute. And after that, the Gunners never looked back.
A welcomed surprise was seeing Bacary Sagna back on the pitch. He played only a few minutes but was great to see him run around again. Sure enough, with Sagna back in our starting 11, Arsenal’s defense will surely improve.
Arsenal Standouts: Robin Van Persie, Laurent Koscielny, Alex Oxerlade-Chamberlin, Theo Walcott, Thomas Rosicky.
