It was disheartening to see this match end in a stalemate given the many opportunities that we had especially in the first half. You could say that luck was not on our side as both Van Persie and Fabregas rocked the frame of the goal in a match where we truly dominated. If we had converted those early chances, I am sure we would have won the game. At the end of the season, we might have to look at these games: the one on Wednesday night and the match against Chelsea at the Bridge as the ones when we lost the title. We dominated and created chance after chance but failed to bring home the points.
There is no point dwelling on the match anymore so let’s move on from here. The next two matches are equally important (if not more) in our quest to fill our trophy cabinet. We have always performed well in the FA Cup and there should not be any reason why we cannot win the League Cup this year. In fact, it will be a travesty if we do not end our title drought this time around.
Going by Wednesday’s match, I am pretty optimistic with the team. The performance was sharp and lively with the players seeming hungry for the win. The defense held up well to give us a second consecutive clean sheet, somewhat a rarity these days. The loss of Sagna to the red card might be a problem for us, as he is by far the most dependable defender this season.
The game also showed us that Manchester City will not win the title if Mancini is at the helm. It seems they have not learned their lesson from last year. Last season, I would say they lost the champions league place because they were not ambitious enough. Remember how they came to the Emirates just to play out a draw against a Gunners team missing 8 first team players. This year again, they could have taken the game to us but chose to be happy with a point rather than grab all three. As the saying goes, fortune favours the brave. I am sure the Citizens will not win anything this year or the next.
Submitted by The Arsenal Kid.
