match report – player ratings – arteta reaction – Video
Arsenal returned to the top of the Premier League after an emphatic 5-0 victory over Nottingham Forest, with a major contribution from an unexpected source.
When Bukayo Saka had to retire in the first half due to injury, I was a bit surprised to see Reiss Nelson get the nod. His last Premier League appearance was that night at Brentford at the start of last season, and before that, again, he must go back to November 2020 when he came on as a substitute against Leeds. However, it turned out to be an inspired move from Mikel Arteta, as he scored two goals and an assist in a second half that saw Arsenal go on a rampage.
Once again we started strongly, scoring in the 5th minute through Gabriel Martinelli. His header to Saka’s cross was really quite impressive. The timing of the run, the courage to duck where a defender’s boot might be flying, the precision to shoot the ball past the keeper. I mentioned yesterday that he had only scored once in his last 11, so it was good to see him back on the scoresheet.
There were some nuances from Southampton in the first half. Domain without taking risks to make the game more comfortable. Jesus curved one wide and Martinelli saw one clear off the line, while at the other end a bit of carelessness provided a chance for Jessie Lingard, but Ben White’s brilliant defense prevented it. It was hard not to think about the previous week, and the fact that in recent weeks our second halves haven’t been good, but the coach asked for a restart after the game against PSV, and he got it.
The verticality of the second goal is quite nice when you see it again. It’s just straight line football with no fuss. Aaron Ramsdale throws it to Thomas Partey, who takes it and plays a perfect pass down the path of Granit Xhaka whose runs from deep teams still don’t pay enough attention to him, and from there Gabriel Jesus feeds Nelson. Perhaps there is a touch of good fortune that he took a second bite of the cherry after his first shot was saved, but he wasn’t wrong with that one for his first Arsenal goal since scoring against Molde in the Europa League ago. two years.
So it was even more surprising and pleasant that he got another one just a couple of minutes later. Martin Odegaard and Gabriel Jesus combined well in the area, the first half of the Brazilian center to the near post was very good, and Nelson applied a deft touch to finish and make it 3-0. That he was involved in the fourth goal, providing the pass for Partey to produce an almost carbon copy of his incredible goal in the North London derby sealed his winning contribution to the game. I certainly didn’t expect it to have such an impact, but as I have said many times, football is a game that can surprise you. Even when you think you know 100%, you don’t.
If Reiss Nelson hadn’t been injured in preseason, he would most likely be out on loan elsewhere at this point. If Saka hadn’t been kicked unprotected, his chance wouldn’t have come yesterday. The coach could easily have picked Fabio Vieira or even Marquinhos to come in, but when the opportunity presented itself, he took it with both hands and fair play to himself.
Then he said:
I am very happy and overwhelmed by the occasion. I think it gives me all the confidence in the world you know. And like I said, I’ll keep training every day, however I can. As strong as I can, if I get another chance, just to keep going, really help the team, and keep pushing.
One swallow doesn’t make a summer and all that, but whatever his future, what he did yesterday will be unforgettable for him. And for another guy from Hale End who got lost a bit while others settled down, it’s nice to see him remind people that he’s a talented player.
Captain Martin Odegaard added the final sparkle to the scoreboard, with beautiful quick feet in the box and a powerful finish into the roof of the net. The rest of the game seemed to revolve around us trying to get Jesus on the scoreboard. There were chances, the goalkeeper made a good save from one, but I think he probably should have done better with the shot. Clearly, he’s saving his goals for next week against Chelsea, and the quality of his overall performance was such that I’m not particularly worried about him at the moment.
Mikel Arteta spoke afterwards about a great win and responded to the midweek loss to PSV, saying:
It was great, we’ve certainly been creating chances to score and we haven’t hit the target enough, we’ve discussed that all week and today individual talent obviously made the difference, they scored some fantastic goals and shared the goals. which I think is important too.
Big teams have to respond as quickly as possible and we did that after the disappointment on Thursday night, you don’t have time, you go here on Friday night. Half a training session and being ready not only physically but mentally again for another challenge against a team that beat Liverpool and the pressure is on, you lose first place and you’re there. And we have to get used to that.
So, in a month with 9 games, our record ended at 7 wins, 1 draw, and 1 loss. In the Premier League we took 13 points out of 15 available, and when you consider that we had some tough trips in October, it’s an impressive comeback. After the start of the season, this month was seen by some as another kind of marker for this team. Can we cope with the schedule? Could we produce when we play every three days? Was the squad deep enough?
I think the answer to those questions is yes, despite the loss to PSV last week. Sometimes you lose. That is true for all teams. It was true for the best Arsenal teams I’ve seen, particularly during those hectic Europe > Premier League > Europe weeks, and based on what we saw during October, that result was something of an anomaly. I’m not saying we didn’t deserve to lose, just that the points we gained during October were more than deserved and that should be the focus, not the problem.
Obviously there is still a lot to do this season, and I think the mid-season break for the World Cup should see the club work hard to add more depth to a couple of positions, but none of that can happen until January as Coming Soon. For now, these players and the coach deserve your support. We are at the top of the table, and it is not by accident. That’s something to be really encouraged by.
By the way, I have some thoughts about Bukayo Saka and her treatment, but I’ll save them for tomorrow’s blog.
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Ok, let’s leave it there for now. Regarding today’s podcast, we won’t be able to record until tonight, so sorry about that. Keep an eye out for questions later this afternoon on Twitter @gunnerblog and @arseblog on Twitter with the hashtag #arsecastextra, or if you’re an Arseblog member on Patreon, leave your question on the #arsecast-extra-questions channel. on our Discord server.
I don’t know the exact times yet, but I’m sure we’ll have fun later. Until then.
