West Ham 3 Arsenal 3

It was a captivating game for neutrals, but the result was no good for either side. West Ham's aspiration for a Champions League spot was dealt a blow, while Arsenal's faint title hopes all but ended. In normal circumstances, a draw would have not been a bad result against an in-form West Ham side, who went into the game atop of the London-derby mini-league with 14 points, including their opening day win at the Emirates and 1-0 defeat of Tottenham at Upton Park. However, what was most disheartening for us, Gooners, was the way our team threw away a 2-0 lead. The capitulation came after an encouraging few weeks and, in fact, a reassuring display in first 35 minutes of this game.

True to his words prior to the match, "I am reluctant to change anything that works", Arsene Wenger named the unchanged starting XI who started in impressive wins over Everton and Watford in the last 2 weeks. This meant that fit-again Petr Cech remained on the bench alongside Per Mertesacker. Other places on the bench were occupied by Aaron Ramsey, who has returned from a thigh injury that kept him on the sidelines for a month, Calum Chambers, Kieran Gibbs, Theo Walcott, and Olivier Giroud.

The team sheet raised a few eyebrows among us who were unaware of Wenger's pre-match comment. Against Andy Carroll's physical threat, Mertesacker seemed to have been a natural answer to us. The English striker is not known for his speed, so BFG's lack of pace is unlikely to be exposed. In the post-match interview, Wenger stated that he did not expect Carroll to feature in this game as he hadn't played for the last 5 or 6 games. It was Diafra Sakho who mainly led the line during the period and he was omitted from the matchday squad all together. The official reason for the absence was a minor injury, but rumours are rife that the Senegalese striker had fallen out with Slaven Bilic. So we don't know whether the West Ham coach's decision to play Carroll was a tactical or forced one, but the selection proved effective.

Another talking point prior to the match was whether Cech should replace Ospina. The Colombian keeper has put in an almost impeccable performance since deputising for the first-choice keeper during his injury lay-off. It would have been unfair to him if he had had to be dropped to the bench as soon as Cech had returned. On the other hand, some think that the first-choice keeper should play whenever he is available. Also, Ospina's relatively small build for a goalkeeper was always regarded disadvantageous against big strikers. Cech's commanding presence in goal and his ability to communicate with defenders and organise set-pieces might have been helpful in this game.

After feisty and eventful opening stages, Arsenal were 2-0 up thanks to goals from Özi and Alexis. Just when we thought we were going into half time with a two-goal lead and our team were totally in control, Carroll struck twice in 160 seconds just before the break. At Doolan's Bar, the buoyant mood was wiped off.

Carroll was a continuous menace after the break and completed a hat-trick (although this will be disputed at the Dubious Goal Committee without doubt) 7 minutes from the restart. Wenger made offensive changes, bringing on Ramsey and Giroud at the expense of Coquelin and Elneny. Laurent Koscielny restored the parity and both sides looked for a fourth goal, which wasn't to be.

A few decisions by the officials came under spotlights. After Lanzini's goal was chalked off as off-side at early stages, replays suggested that Hector Bellerin kept him just about on side. Some pundits and West Ham supporters claimed Slaven Bilic's side has been the victims of wrong decisions in recent weeks, including the eventually overturned suspension of Kouyate, but we also have a case here to complain about a decision. Andy Carroll was lucky to get away with his late and potentially dangerous challenge on Koscielny with only a yellow card and he was even luckier when his flailing arm caught Gabriel in the face early in the second half. On  balance, you may say West Ham were not as unlucky as they claimed as they could have Carroll suspended for Wednesday night's FA Cup quarter-final replay against Manchester United and of course, he scored their third goal after his challenge on Gabriel, when he shouldn't have been on the pitch.

We argued what Wenger could have done to prevent the defensive capitulation. Maybe another defender, perhaps Mertesacker, should have been brought on specifically to mark Carroll. But the Frenchman never makes early substitutions unless there is an injury. Especially, a defensive change is beyond his imagination. In contrast to Wenger's tactical rigidness, Bilic replaced Tomkins for Emenike at half time, when he had witnessed enough evidence for West Ham's 3-4-2-1 system being ineffectual, with both Ozil and Alexis exploiting space behind defenders through the left-hand channel for their goals.

After the match, Arsene Wenger pointed out his side's vulnerability against headers in the box since the start of the season. If he has identified the weakness, why hasn't he sorted it out yet? Leicester is not where they are for no reason. Ranieri successfully transformed an attacking side with a "you score, we score" approach (which was taken advantage of by Arsenal in their 5-2 win at King Power Stadium) into a solid defensive unit in the middle of the season, which was key to their sustained run of form during Vardy's goal drought.

Our target remains the same: to win all the remaining games. It is interesting to see if Wenger's "if it is not broken, don't fix it" approach will be forced to change now the frailty of his new unit has been exposed. In particular, will Koscielny-Gabriel pairing continue? Will Cech reclaim his place in the team? Can Ramsey return to the starting line-up, breaking up Coquelin-Elneny partnership? As Koscielny called for more help in defence from wingers in his post-match interview, defending is a collective responsibility. We allowed West Ham to cross too easily. We hope this game -both performance and result- did not undermine the team's confidence and spirit that had been built over the last few weeks. Hopefully, we will put things right before the next game and get back to winning ways quickly.

Players ratings

Ospina: 6
Could not do much about Carroll's goals.

Bellerin: 6
He should have closed down and stop crosses in.

Gabriel: 5
Struggled to cope with Carroll's aerial presence. For West Ham's second goal, he managed to block Carroll's initial scuffed attempt, but he should have reacted more quickly to the rebound and not allowed him to have another chance. West Ham's third goal was arguably his own goal.

Koscielny: 7
Captain on the day was our best defender, winning 5 aerial battles and scored an important equaliser.

Monreal: 6
Struggled to cope with Antonio's pace and allowed to him to run past him in the build-up to West Ham's third goal. Unlucky to not score when his fierce low shot was cleared off the line. The rebound fell for him, but he shot it high.

Coquelin: 6
Subbed in the 61st minute. He initiated moves leading to goals by finding Iwobi. 


Elneny: 6
Gave way to Giroud in the 68th minute. Making 64 passes with a 93.8 % accuracy was impressive, but failed to help defence more on the flank when needed.

Alexis: 7
Composed finish for his goal. In Arsenal's search for a fourth goal, he took wrong options.

Özil: 7
Scored his 8th goal of the season. Created 3 chances. Faded in the second half.

Iwobi: 8
Claimed assists for Arsenal's 2 goals in the first half with his through ball to Özi and lofted pass to Alexis, but he was anonymous in the second half.


Welbeck: 6
Claimed an assist for Koscielny's goal. Worked hard, but largely ineffectual.

Subs

Ramsey: 6

Replaced Coqulein in the 61st minutes. Showed some fine skills.

Giroud: 5
Came on for Elneny in the 68th minute. Had 1 attempt at goal, which was a header just wide.

Walcott: 5
Replaced Welbeck in the 81st minute. Little time to influence the game, having only 4 touches.

Arsenal 4 Watford 0

Revenge was sweet. Arsenal put four past a former Tottenham keeper, Heurelho Gomes, who said "When you see Arsenal playing against big teams, they look like a small team" after his side knocked out Arsene Wenger's men out of the FA Cup competition 3 weeks ago. The north London side brushed aside Watford with a convincing performance. Nyom's blatant foul on Özil, which should have seen him sent off, epitomised Watford's sheer frustration during the game.

Arsene Wenger named the same starting XI after his side's impressive 2-0 victory at Goodison Park 2 weeks ago. Petr Cech made a return from injury only to make the bench. It would have been cruel to David Ospina, who hadn't put his foot wrong since the Czech international's injury.

Stats indicated our indifferent starts at home in recent games, but in this game we didn't wait for long to see our team open the scoring. Iwobi's inch-perfect curling cross met Alexis' header, which drew a fine save from Gomes, but the Chile international was quick to pounce on the rebound and poked it into the top corner. It took the Gunners no more than 4 minutes from kick-off. They kept moving the ball around, dominating in possession, but Watford was slowly growing into the game. A one-goal lead is never enough to settle the nerves even when we are on top. A second goal finally arrived in the 38th minute in the form of Alex Iwobi's second goal in as many games.

This season we tend to shut up shop when we are 2-0 up, invite pressure and hold on the lead. As a result, we made struggling teams, such as Newcastle and even Aston Villa, look good. We lacked ruthlessness this season. However, this game was different. Arsenal came out with the same attacking intent after the break and was soon rewarded through Bellerin's fortuitous goal. We have been saying exactly what the 20-year-old Spaniard said about his goal after the match: You have to try, otherwise you won't score. Theo Walcott made it 4-0 with his close-range shot after some good work from a fellow substitute Joel Campbell. Who knows it may all come down to goal difference at the end of the season.

After the game, many questioned why Arsenal couldn't beat this side 3 weeks ago. In fact, we should have been 2-0 up in the first half on that day, but we were not clinical enough in front of goal. Today, we produced 12 shots on target from 19 goal attempts, in comparison with 4 shots on target from 20 attempts in the FA Cup quarter-final. We were more efficient in front of goal in this game.

Another factor is personnel. Since the defeat, Arsene Wenger seemed to have found better partnerships throughout the team: Welbeck and Iwobi up front with pace and mobility, Coquelin and Elneny in the midfield with the right attack-defence balance to protect the back four, and the pacey central defensive pair of Koscielny and Gabriel, who can play a high line to complement a high pressing game.

In the Cup game against Watford, Wenger recognised the lack of penetration and tried to bring on the triple substitutions of Welbeck, Walcott and Iwobi before we went 2-0 down. The effect of changes was obvious with Welbeck reducing the deficit but he could not convert the chance to earn a replay. With Watford defence compact and organised, full-backs' involvement in attack was also essential to stretch their defence. Bellerin and Monreal did this job well today.

Deployed on the right wing, it seemed to have drawn the best out of Alexis, too. He was successful on the left wing last season, stating that it is his best position because he can cut inside with his preferred right foot. This season, however, he tended to dribble into the center and try to beat every player until he got dispossessed. He has more opportunities to make runs without the ball and crosses on the right wing.

Pundits and journalists have sniffed at Arsenal's back-to-back victory, regarding it as an "annual late run after the pressure is off", but is the pressure really off? The win at Goodison Park came when we had our back against the wall and the situation was the same prior to this game. This "late run" is attributed to finding the right formula rather than mental elements. Wenger has been keeping the faith in the same starting XI for the last 3 games. Before the Barcelona game Welbeck had to be eased into games after a long lay-off, while Iwobi's emergence was a revelation even to Wenger. The Coquelin-Elneny partnership has flourished as both equally share offensive/defensive responsibilities. Although Santi's delayed return is bad news for us, Elneny's rise softens the blow.

If mental factors have anything to do with the late surge, it's the team's focus. As Mesut Özil pointed out, the team seemed to have gone into some of the games, thinking just turning up was enough to earn points. In the run-in, they will have enough time to prepare themselves for the next game, playing only one game a week, except for the rescheduled match against West Brom. Hopefully, the boys will keep the same focus they showed in this game till the end of the season.

Players ratings

Ospina: 7
With Watford registering only 2 shots on target, he had little to do, but when he was called upon, he produced a fine save to keep a clean sheet.

Bellerin: 8
He didn't go forward often enough for our liking in the first half, but got more involved in attack as the game went on. Scored his third goal in an Arsenal shirt with his weaker left foot.

Gabriel: 7
Made 6 interceptions and 7 clearances. Largely untroubled, but his slip nearly gave us a heart attack. Fortunately, Bellerin came to a rescue.

Koscielny: 7
Made 6 interceptions and 6 clearances. Kept Ighalo quiet. So much so, the Nigeria international was taken off at half time. He dithered after having won the ball and nearly lost possession under pressure from 2 Watford players. He needs to eradicate this bad habit. 

Monreal: 7
He was always available on the left flank. Made 2 tackles, 3 interceptions 5 clearances and 1 block. His heading clearance off the line helped a clean sheet.

Coquelin: 8
Made 4 tackles, 4 interceptions, and 1 clearance. He also initiated a slick move leading to Iwobi's goal by releasing Alexis up the right wing.

Elneny: 8
Put in a tireless shift in his 8th game, including AFCON qualifiers for Egypt, in the space of 4 weeks, constantly covering 12 km or more per game. His energy and work rate have made a big difference in recent weeks.  Made more passes (127) than any other players on the pitch with an impressive 96.1% accuracy, which meant he completed more passes (122) than any player in a Premier League game this season. He rarely loses  the ball. 

Alexis: 9
Had 4 shots, all of which were on target. Made 5 key passes. Scored Arsenal's first goal and set up the second. Replaced by Campbell in the 78th minute after he was seen holding his hamstring. Hope he is OK. Whoscored.com's Man of the Match with a 9 rating.

Özil: 7
4 goals and he didn't claim assists for any of them. However, he was still pulling the strings for Arsenal's attack. His perfectly-weighed long pass to Campbell led to Arsenal's fourth goal. Had 2 shots, 1 of which was on target, creating 3 chances for his team-mates. Made 111 passes with a 90.1 % passing success rate.

Iwobi: 9
Arsenal fans' and Barclays Man of the Match. Set up Alexis's goal and got on a scoresheet himself. Had 4 shots, 3 of which were on target, making 3 key passes. He is one of bright spots of a disappointing season. 

Welbeck: 7
Had 3 shots, 1 of which was on target. He should have done better when he had a chance to put a shot away in the box. Replaced by Giroud in the 63rd minutes. Wise decision as he does not seem to have completely recovered from the knee injury that kept him on the sidelines for 10 months.

Subs

Giroud: 6

Replaced Welbeck in the 63rd minutes. Had 1 shot, which was on target. 

Walcott: 7
Came on for Iwobi in the 68th minute. The lack of eagerness was clear on his face when he came on, in contrast to an enthusiastic reception from the home crowd for out-going Alex Iwobi. A low-key celebration of his goal also suggested that he might be on his way out.

Campbell: 7
Replaced Alexis in the 78th minute to play on the right wing. Set up Walcott's goal.

Barcelona Trip

12 of us Arsenal Playa Flamenca Supporters Club members travelled to Barcelona on 16 March to watch Arsenal's second leg against Barcelona in the Champions League Round of 16. Eight early risers flew to El Prat airport at the crack of dawn, while the remaining four took train from Alicante station. On the train, we found fellow Gooners on their way to Barcelona for the match that night. They were the 22 strong members of another official supporters club on the Costa Blanca based 100 km north of where we live. It was great to meet them finally face to face.

On the metro, on the streets and in cafes and bars, Arsenal shirts were everywhere in Barcelona. A "Super Sanchez" flag with an old Arsenal badge and a Chilean flag was on display outside a flat in Placa Catalunya. After shocked by the price of drinks on La Rambla (€11 a pint is not what we are used to in our neck of the woods), we found an Irish bar just off the famous busy street, where drinks were served at more reasonable prices. Arsenal fans started pouring into Flaherty's Irish Bar as the afternoon wore on. With Arsenal songs old and new turning up the volume, a pre-match party was in full swing.

There was a controversial  "Arsene: Thank you for the memories but it's time to say goodbye" banner hung among a few supporters-club flags in the Placa Real, where more pre-match parties were going on. We might be divided in our views, but we are all united by love for the Club, whether you are a "Wenger-Out" or "Wenger-In". The riot police and ambulance crew's presence was conspicuous, but there was no sign of their service being required. It was a relaxing and enjoyable afternoon.

Rain started falling 3 hours before the kick-off. After arriving at the Camp Nou, we had to take shelter in the narrow corridors under the away section until just before the kick-off in our feeble efforts to escape from rain and the cold. With the Champions League anthem ringing out, we reluctantly ventured outside. There were so many stewards in the stadium, but nobody was willing to help us find our seats. In pouring rain and strong wind, seats started filling in the away section, but so many home fans did not bother to turn up in this weather. The stadium was half empty (later on official attendance number was announced as just over 76,000). We knew away supporters would be tucked away up in the cloud. Expect the worst, then you will be pleasantly surprised. A view from the away section was not as bad as expected.

However, the overall condition of the away section was appalling. Earlier this season, Bayern Munich fans walked out of the Champions League group-stage match at the Emirates for the opening 5 minutes in their protest against the ticket price. We don't know how much they had to pay for the match, but we are quite sure that they had a much better deal than we did here at the Camp Nou. We paid €84 or £65 for this colour-faded hard plastic seat on the top layer of the stadium exposed to the elements. Bayern fans must have enjoyed better views in the Emirates' padded seats. We learnt later during our stay in Barcelona that the Camp Nou is classified as a five-star category stadium. What category status has the Emirates been awarded then?

Those who braved the weather were treated to an entertaining game. As Arsene Wenger stated, Barcelona are almost perfect, but not perfect. They always gives you a chance. In fact, we had numerous chances throughout the game. We started brightly. Mesut Ozil carried the ball 30 yards forward before flashing his shot wide from the edge of the box and this was just a beginning. It was disheartening that despite the encouraging start, we fell behind as early as in the 18th minute. However, the goal didn't change the landscape very much. The bottom line was that we still needed 3 goals to progress.

Arsenal got a deserved equaliser 5 minutes into the second half through Elneny's first goal in an Arsenal shirt. The goal changed the entire mood in the away section. We heard one fan say "we might do it".  But Suarez's wonder goal 13 minutes later almost extinguished our hopes. Arsenal didn't give up, though. Welbeck hit the crossbar from the close range and Alexis (how he wanted to score against his old club!) had a goal-bound free-kick well saved. However, it was Barcelona who had the final word. Messi completed an MSN hat-trick to make it 5-1 aggregate.

The scoreline flattered Barcelona. We had enough chances to win the game on the night with Barcelona's defence a suspect, but in the end, what made a difference between the two sides was finishing. We couldn't convert chances we had created, which is an all-too-familiar story in the recent months. Arsenal's European adventure has come to an end for another season, but what mattered was to make sure that the boys would go into the next game with their heads held high. Although the result was not what we hoped for, we were quite happy with our team's spirited performance. We hoped that this night's showing would become a springboard for a successful run-in. Signs are promising as Arsenal ran out a comfortable 2-0 victory at Goodison Park just 65 hours after this match. Making only one forced change from the starting XI that faced Barcelona, Wenger may have found a winning formula.

During the match, there were signs on the board and announcements through the PA system to request Arsenal supporters to remain in their seats until the end of the match. It may have appeared that disappointed away fans deserted their team before the final whistle, but the truth was that they tried to avoid being kept in the stadium for 45 minutes after the match and make their way straight to nearest underground stations. They reached a nearby metro station swiftly only to find it closed.

We saw through the game but made our way swiftly to the covered area as soon as the final whistle had been blown. As expected, we were held inside until all the home crowd donwstairs left the stadium. Relieved from the cold and rain rather than frustrated for the long wait, some Arsenal fans started singing and they were soon joined by others. The bare concrete ceilings created an tremendous acoustic effect, which presented one of the highlights of the night.

We finally got out of the stadium, but we didn't know where we were. Hundreds of stewards, if not thousands, watched us leave the ground as if they had been giving us a guard of honour. There was heavy police presence outside the stadium, with some police officers handling straying away supporters heavy handed. We had no choice but to follow the crowd, without knowing where we were or where we were heading for. Barcelona is an inhospitable city for away supporters. We were very disappointed with how this city and Barcelona FC treated us.

Arsenal 2 Leicester City 1

At the final whistle coming through TV speakers in Doolan's Bar, we were as happy as exhausted after the roller coaster of emotions. There were plenty of dramas. At the end of the first half, the tentative gap between the two side at the top was as large as 8 points, which would have dealt  a massive blow to our title aspiration. Going into stoppage time, a point looked a very likely result, with Leicester weathering wave after wave of the hosts' attack. Then, in the last seconds of injury time, the 83rd-minute substitute Danny Welbeck put his glancing header into the bottom right-hand corner of the net, which saw the Gunners move just 2 points behind the leaders Leicester City. Arsenal were now truly back on the track for the title pursuit.

Arsene Wenger made 2 changes to the starting XI that beat Bournemouth 2-0 at the Vitality Stadium a week ago. Prior to the game, one of the major talking points was whether Gabriel should keep his place for his pace, or Mertesacker should replace him for his better reading of the game and aerial edge against his compatriot Huth, who claimed 2 goals against Man City last Saturday. As it happened, the boss didn't  even have the choice as Gabriel suffered a slight hamstring injury in training. Mertesacker against pacey Jamie Vardy was not a prospect we looked forward to. Meanwhile, Francis Coquelin made his first league start since his return from injury at the expense of Mathieu Flamini, who dropped to the bench. Among other substitutes, Danny Welbeck's return since April 2015 was a big boost after his lengthy lay-off. Wenger previously stated that the England striker could feature in the following week's FA Cup 5th round tie against Hull City, while some reports suggested a possibility of the ex-Man U player involved in this game. We were scepitcal about the reports as he had only an hour of an U-21 game under his belt, which seemed to be far from a sufficient preparation for such an important game.

As it was expected, The Gunners enjoyed majority of possession, creating decent opportunities in the opening stage. However, they were 1-0 down at half time as Jamie Vardy scored from the spot in the 45th minute.

To make the matter worse, Laurent Koscielny was replaced by Chambers at half time after suffering a dead leg. Two slow centre-backs facing Leicester's counter-attacks looked increasingly problematic. The mood at Doolan's Bar was fairly subdued as we talked about how our seasons petered out in the space of a couple of weeks after losing big games in title races coupled with exits from domestic and European cup competitions. However, Simpson's sending-off changed the mood. Ranieri seemed to have decided to sit back and protect their narrow lead for the remaining 40 minutes with 9 men behind the ball, when he took Riyad Mahrez off  for a defender Marcin Wasilewski. Although Mahrez was kept quiet by then, it was a relief to see the back of him.

From this point onwards, it was just one-way traffic. Wenger threw Theo Walcott in at the expense of Francis Coquelin, who was already on a yellow card and whose role looked redundant in what appeared to be a case of attack v defence. The 61st-minute substitute scored an equaliser 9 minutes after his introduction as the hosts mounted pressure. With 20 minutes remaining, it appeared that we had a good chance of winning this game. However, as has been the case in recent weeks, the Gunners' finishing left much to be desired. Arsenal amassed 22 attempts at goal throughout the game, of which only 6 were on target. In fact, Theo's equaliser was Arsenal's first shot on target. Aaron Ramsey, Mertesacker, Alexis all had their chances, but could not find the net.We thought Arsenal needed more mobility in their attack and Welbz was just the man who could provide it. But how ready is he? Wenger replied to our call by bringing the England striker on in the 83rd minute.

After Welbz missing a glorious chance in front of goal and Giroud's powerful shot denied by Casper Schmeichel, we nearly resigned that this could be one of those days. As the game entered the last seconds of four added minutes, Leicester substitute, Wasilewski's mindless challenge on Monreal gave us the last hope. Mesut Ozil's free-kick was perfect. There was wild celebration at Doolan's Bar. Apparently, Welbz' goal was Arsenal's 100th goal after the 90-minute mark. Surely, Man U should be the specialists in "Fergie-Time goals", shouldn't they?

One of the biggest post-match talking points was the referee's decisions. We have to agree with Martin Atkinson's decision for the penalty. Nacho Monreal did outstretch his leg in front of Vardy, but is Leicester earning more penalties (10) than any other club just a coincidence? It's safe to say that they are good at winning them. Mahrez's try in the second half was another example, which the referee waved away correctly.

We had a legitimate penalty claim in the 8th minute, when Kanté handled the ball in the box to stop the Ox's cross. The French midfielder clearly moved his arm to block the ball. Also, prior to the penalty incident, Ozil was fouled by Wes Morgan at the other end , but the referee didn't even acknowledge it.

Pundits claim that Simpson's sending-off, especially his first yellow card, was too harsh. However, Leicester got away with too many fouls in the first half. Martin Atkinson even turned an blind eye to Drinkwater's potentially leg-breaking lunge into Ramsey. Instead, Arsenal ended the first half with 3 yellow cards. OK, Alexis demanding the referee a card was not commendable, but he was fouled 4 times, more than any other player on the pitch. A yellow card should stop this kind of crude approaches to stop Arsenal playing. Committing another foul just 5 minutes later, Simpson has only himself to blame for his dismissal. Pulling Giroud's shirt by the sleeve and holding him back was a cynical foul (as cynical as Koscielny's yellow-card offence ).

Despite the massive result, all is not necessarily rosy as we still have a problem with our finishing. However, we take more positives from this game. First of all, the Gunners showed their passion and desire to win. They weren't content with a draw and kept fighting for 3 points until the last second against a resolute Leicester side. "A must-win" label on this game seemed to have motivated them rather than pressurised them. They started a lot better than in their last two home games.

Secondly, we are pleased with improved depth in the squad. We had literally game changers on the bench on this day. A month ago, our attacking option on the bench was limited to two teenagers. Both Santi Cazorla and Jack Wilshere are expected to be back in a few weeks, according to Wenger, which should provide a further boost to the squad depth.

Our next opponents in the Premier League are Manchester United who are struggling to find consistency. This is considered as one of our most difficult away games remaining this season, but we have a blue print for this match. We adopted an away-game tactic against them in October's reverse fixture, which turned out to be the only game in which we have actually blown away somebody so far this season. But before that, we have to face Hull City this Saturday and Barcelona next Tuesday in two different competitions.

Players ratings

Cech: 8
With Leicester registering only 3 shots on target, he had little to do, but made an excellent save in the first half, when Vardy's header was heading for the left-hand bottom corner of the net.

Bellerin: 7
He was guilty of allowing Vardy's header, but was involved in the build-up for the equaliser by delivering a decent cross for Giroud.

Mertesacker: 7
We feared his lack of pace against Leicester, but he did OK, making a tackle and 2 clearances. However, he should have put his free header at least on target.

Koscielny: 7
Made a tackle, 2 interceptions and 5 clearances in his 45 minutes on the pitch. Replaced by Chambers at half time due to a dead leg. Hopefully, he should recover by the time when we face Barcelona. Shown a yellow card for his challenge on Kanté.

Monreal: 7
Although he conceded a penalty, he was always available for Alexis in the attack. Made 5 tackles, 3 interceptions, and 4 clearances, delivering 9 crosses.

Coquelin: 6
Quiet game, making no tackle, only 2 interceptions and 1 clearance. He made his presence felt most when he was furiously complaining about Mehrez's slow exit when the Algerian was substituted. Shown a yellow card in the 35th minute and gave way for Theo in the 83rd minute.

Ramsey: 7
Made 4 tackles, 2 interceptions and 1 clearance and also made 106 passes with a 89.6% success rate. Had 4 shots, none of which were on target. His finishing let us down again.

Oxlade-Chamberlain: 7
Lively on the right wing, occasionally swapping sides with Alexis. Created 3 chances and delivered 10 crosses.

Özil: 8
He looked struggling against a physical Leicester side in the first half, but he still created 6 chances, delivering a whopping 12 crosses. His deft lofted pass to release Giroud behind Leicester defence nearly led to an opening goal before it was choked off as Giroud was adjudged offside. Claimed his 17th assist of the season with his free-kick leading to Welbz' winner. Daily Mail and Whoscored.com's Man of the Match.

Alexis: 7
Did not quite live up to expectations. His bad habit of ball hogging was more noticeable in this game. Had 6 shots, none of which were on target.


Giroud: 8
As Arsenal bombarded Leicester defence with a massive 50 crosses, he was the central target. Won an impressive 12 aerial duels. His link-up play was excellent, providing an assist for Walcott's equaliser by cleverly knocking down Bellerin's cross into the England striker's path. Unlucky not to get on the scoresheet himself. Had 7 shots, 3 of which were on target. Made 4 key passes. He may not have scored for a month, but his contribution to the team is immense.

Subs

Chambers: 7

Replaced Koscielny at half time. We worried about his lack of playing time this season, but he didn't look rusty. Perhaps helped by Leicester's change of tactics after the sending-off. Made a tackle, 2 interceptions, and 2 clearances.

Walcott: 7
Replaced Coquelin in the 61st minutes. Scored the equaliser with a skillful finish and composure.

Welbeck: 7

Came on in the 83rd minute for the Ox. Had 2 shots, both of which were on target, including the winner. He failed to make proper contact with Giroud's knock-down when he was ideally positioned for a goal, though. Great to have him back. Arsenal fans' (emotionally chosen) Man of the Match.

Arsenal 0 Chelsea 1

Arsenal went into the game, looking to end their winless run and goal drought against Chelsea. After Leicester's 3-0 win over Stoke and Manchester City's taking a point from a 2-2 draw with West Ham, the Gunners started this game third in the table. Nevertheless, there were still 11 league places separating the two London sides, with last season's champions sitting 14th and 19 points behind Arsenal. Although whether Guus Hiddink's side would park the bus away from home, just like under his predecessor, Mourinho, remained to see, we thought this could be the best opportunity in years to claim a victory against them. However, the potentially good derby game was yet again ruined by the same cheat and the referee's poor decision.

Arsene Wenger made just one change to the side that started in a 0-0 draw with Stoke City the week earlier. Mesut Ozil, who missed the trip to Britannia Stadium through a toe injury, regained his place at the expense of Alex Oxlaide-Chamberlain who dropped to the bench. Among other substitutes, we welcomed Alexis back after missing 10 games since he suffered a hamstring injury in November. New signing, Mohammed Elneny continued to wait for his debut in an Arsenal shirt on the bench. David Ospina, Gabriel, Calum Chambers, Kieran Gibbs, and the Ox occupied the remaining places on the bench. Theo Walcott was awarded captain's armband in the week that marked his 10th anniversary at the Club.

The game started as a typical end-to-end derby game between these two sides at high tempo and once again, the officials' decision played a huge part in the game. This time around, it was Per Mertesacker that saw a red card only 18 minutes into the game. Maybe we shouldn't have played such a high line with the notoriously slow centre-back in the rear guard. The German defender's look at the linesman might have slowed his action even further. He probably should have pulled out of the tackle and left it for Cech to deal with onrushing Costa. With all his shortcomings aside, there was no contact with Diego Costa, who rolled over the ground after taking a big leap. With 72 minutes to play with 10 men, the sending-off gave us a mountainous task.

It got even worse for us 4 minutes later. Conceding such a soft goal was a killer blow. Monreal was too slow to close down Ivanovic, who was allowed to deliver a cross on the right wing. It was very disappointing that we allowed Costa to tap in the cross at near post, despite his obvious threat in front of goal.

At Doolan's bar, we were reasonably content with trailing only by a goal at half time, especially after Flamini just missing a glorious chance in the stoppage time. The French midfielder ghosted into the box between the two Chelsea centre-backs, trying to volley Ramsey's cross. This Chelsea defence was not faultless.

Arsenal came out strong in the second half. Alexis was introduced in the 57th minute in place of Campbell. You couldn't fault the Gunners' efforts. They never gave up. It was hard to tell which side was a man down. They could have nicked a point when Courtois flapped at a corner or when Flamini's flick was saved by the Belgian keeper. 5 minutes were added at the end of normal time. Cech came up for an Arsenal corner. However, it was Chelsea that came away with 3 points as the final ball did not just quite come off for us.

One of the big talking points of the game was Wenger's decision to take Giroud off. The French striker was sacrificed to accommodate Gabriel who replaced Mertesacker. It was clear in the home crowd's expressions on the camera that his call raised many people's eyebrows. In the post-match interview, Wenger explained his decision as a tactical one. Pace was key in counter-attacking after sending off as Arsenal were supposedly forced to drop deep. The Frenchman also admitted that the risk of injury to Giroud was on his mind. The France international missed training the day before through an ankle problem. If he had got injured during the match, the boss would have had to use one of the remaining valuable substitutions. As three of our best chances fell to Flamini, we wondered if Giroud could have converted some of those chances. But then, probably Terry and Zouma wouldn't have allowed Giroud to run past them. Giroud is a more obvious target and easier mark for them.

As it turned out, it was Chelsea who opted for counter-attacking after half time. Arsenal had more play than Wenger anticipated in and around the Chelsea box, where Giroud's presence would have been useful. But this is all hindsight.

2 points from difficult away games at Anfield and Britannia Stadium were creditable, but this loss dealt with a significant blow to our title credentials. Taking 2 points out of the last 3 games was damaging for our title challenge, but the race is a long way with 15 matches remaining, including games against our title rivals. We are still in the mix, 3 points behind Leicester City and level on points with 2nd-placed Manchester City. Hopefully, we can get back to winning ways on coming Saturday against Burnley in the FA Cup 4th Round to restore our confidence. We look forward to seeing our new signing on the pitch for the first time in an Arsenal shirt. Also, we have a few players coming back from injuries in the next couple of weeks. Rosicky had 45 minutes under his belt after playing in an U-21 game on Friday. Coqulin has already resumed full training, while Danny Welbeck is expected to be back in full training this week. Alexis Sanchez looked sharp, causing problems for Chelsea defence. He always has a potential to conjure up a goal out of nothing. By the time we face Southampton at home in the Premier League Tuesday week, hopefully our squad will be in the better shape.

Players ratings

Cech: 8
He was at no fault for the goal and made some smart saves. His decisions were spot-on as well.

Bellerin: 7
Made a tackle, 5 interceptions and 3 clearances. His pace made the difference in defence and attack.

Mertesacker: 5
Costa dived, but he has his own faults as well. 

Koscielny: 6
Perhaps he could have done better in the first goal. With captain's armband handed over by Theo around his arm, he looked distraught after the final whistle, helped up by Cech.

Monreal: 6
His slow reaction to the loose ball ultimately cost us a goal. That said, he combined well with Alexis going forward but took a touch too many when he received the ball in a great position from the Chilean. Cleared a short off the line.  

Flamini: 6
Left the back four exposed at times.


Ramsey: 6
His passing was wayward, although his passing success rate does not read too bad at 87.9%. As Flamini bombed forward on every occasion, he had to take a defensive responsibility. Made 5 tackles, 2 interceptions and 2 clearances. 

Campbell: 6
He always works hard, making 3 tackles in this game but his finishing lacked quality. 68.8% passing success was poor. Replaced by Alexis in the 57th minute.

Özil: 6
Struggled to find space. Created only 1 chance, made 64 passes with a 76.% accuracy, which speaks volumes for his under-par display. Hopefully, he will rediscover his form soon. 

Walcott: 6
Made some clever runs, but adjudged off-side often (and missed the target anyway in one of those occasions). It was a disappointing display from the man who celebrated his 10th year at the Club this week.

Giroud: 6
His link-up play looked good before he was taken off in the 21st minute. 

Subs

Gabriel: 6

Replaced Giroud in the 21st minute after the sending-off of Mertesacker. He failed to deal with Costa in the only goal of the game, although other defenders, including Flamini, may be to blame, too. Made 2 tackles, 2 interceptions and 1 clearance.

Alexis: 7
Replaced Campbell in the 57th minutes. He looked dangerous going forward and even made a crucial tackle after tracking back. Made a big difference to the game.

Oxlade-Chamberlain: 6

Came on in the 74th minute for Walcott. He had a half-chance towards the end of the chance, but failed to connect. But used his pace well.

Liverpool 3 Arsenal 3

Going into the midweek match, Arsenal were slight favourites to win it despite playing away from home. The table told us there were 7 league positions and 12 points between the two sides. We were confident that this team had enough quality to beat an injury-ravaged Liverpool side especially after a convincing performance from our young team against Sunderland in the FA Cup 3rd round. As it turned out, a number of Liverpool players became available in 48 hours prior to the game, recovering from injuries just in time for the big match (just as Arsene Wenger predicted, citing "Arsene is a very good doctor - they always heal when they play against us!"). There were suggestions that injuries were Jurgen Klopp's excuse to field a weakened side against a League 2 outfit, Exeter City, last Friday. Although they were still missing key players, likes of Skrtel and Coutinho, Liverpool were able to field a much stronger side widely anticipated.

On Arsene Wenger's side, the Frenchman made 5 changes to the side that started in a 3-1 victory over Sunderland. Per Mertesacker was recalled at the expense of Gabriel, after having a breather. Nacho Monreal replaced Kieran Gibbs at left-back. Mathieu Flamini and Aaron Ramsey came in for the central midfield partnership of Calum Chambers and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, who both shone on Sunday. After rested against Sunerland, Mesut Ozil replaced Alex Iwobi, who also impressed in the three-man midfield alongside Chambers and the Ox. David Opsina failed to pass late fitness tests again after missing the FA Cup match through a groin problem. 21-year-old Matt Macey travelled instead. Among other substitutes were Gabriel, Chambers, Gibbs, the Ox, Iowabi and Mikel Arteta. Amid rumours about his loan move away from the north London club during the January transfer window, Debuchy was not on the bench.

It was a fantastic game to watch, played at high tempo and with intensity from the first whistle to the last. There were some great team movements as well as individual brilliance. Four goals were scored within frantic 25 minutes of kick-off, with Ramsey's shot cleared off the line and Giroud missing a sitter. After Giroud's sublime goal in the 55th minute, the Gunners held on the lead for a long spell, weathering Liverpool's attack. It was very frustrating to concede an equaliser at the final minute of normal time. However, we take heart from the way Arsenal came back from a goal down twice to take the lead. They were cagey at the beginning of the game. We feared the repeat of the 5-1 loss 2 years ago and Wenger cited that game as a factor behind their initial nervousness. But Arsenal turned the match on its head by continuing to play their game.

It was a good night for all football fans. The officials did not have a great night, though. Campbell should have been given a penalty when he was pulled back in the box in the first half. Nathaniel Clyne was lucky to stay on the pitch when he kicked Campbell. It was a bookable offence and the ref would have shown a yellow card without doubt if he had not already done so.

As Wenger stated in the post-match interview, we, too, were frustrated with the result, but content with the performance. Some fans argue this was our best performance of this season so far, even better than the one against Man City or Olympiacos. Given the opponents' performance on the night, this was certainly the best game we have played in this season. But is this two points dropped or a point gained? At Arsenal Playa Flamenca Supporters Club, we were split on that point. We had enough chances to win the game. Had it not been for defensive mistakes, we should have seen out a 3-2 victory. Draws are only useful when it is against your title rivals. On the other hand, Liverpool dominated in possession at 59% to our 41% and were also superior in other stats (i.e., number of goal attempts, shots on target, passing success rates, aerial success, number of tackles). Furthermore, Anfield is always a difficult place to go. Besides, Liverpool always raise their games against big teams. Man City and Chelsea were already beaten by them this season even on home soil. Some journalists talk up the lost points as a vital blow to the Gunners' title challenge. However, we would like to think that our strong position in the title race has been intact, with players like Alexis Sanchez coming back from injury and reinforcement to the squad arriving in January.  

How costly these points dropped are is yet to be seen, but for now, at least we didn't lose ground to Manchester City, who only drew with Everton at home on the same night, while we slightly extended the lead over Tottenham, who was beaten at home by Leicester. A point saw us maintain the top spot, although we let second-placed Leicester City close the gap to  mere goal difference. The tough run of games continue with a Stoke away on Sunday, arguably the most difficult of the three fixtures.

Players ratings

Cech: 7
For the first goal, perhaps he should have done better than only parrying Emre Can's effort straight to Firmino. He could have nothing to stop the Brazilian's second. On the other hand, he got his hand to Joe Allen's shot, but was not able to keep it away from his goal.

Bellerin: 7
Quiet display after the-man-of-the-match performance against Sunderland. He could have done better to stop Liverpool's late equaliser as he wasn't aware of Allen's run till it was too late.

Mertesacker: 7
Pulled off two crucial interventions at the latter stage of the game. 

Koscielny: 8
Assured performance after letting Firmino fire through his legs for the opener.

Monreal: 8
Kept Ibe in his pocket all through the game. Made 3 tackles, 3 interceptions and 7 clearances. 

Flamini: 7
Did a dirty job quietly, but we missed Coqulin, who could have broken up the play more efficiently. Made 3 tackles, 2 interceptions, and 7 clearances. Blocked 3 shots.

Ramsey: 8
Did what he is good at, when arriving in the box late to score an equaliser. Provided an assist by taking a corner for Giroud's first goal.

Campbell: 8
Worked his socks off. Did a lot of defensive work for the team, as well as offensive jobs, including delivering a perfect through ball for Ramsey. Made more tackles (5) than any other Arsenal player. He was involved in Giroud's second goal as well, but he could not direct his half-volley on target when Ozil's clever lofted pass found his run on the right-hand channel. However, he is getting stronger every game. He should keep his place even when Alexis gets fit again.

Özil: 7
Although he was kept quiet most of the first half and couldn't make a telling impact, he was still joy to watch. His touches were excellent. One minute he was surrounded by a couple of Liverpool players with the ball, next second he had an acre of space without the ball. Magic. He still made 3 key passes.

Walcott: 6 
Made an error leading to the first goal, by losing possession outside the box. He did well to make a run through the right-hand channel into the box and square the ball, which Giroud failed to tuck in. He was largely anonymous in the first 20 minutes.

Giroud: 8
Barclays and Arsenal fans' Man of the Match. Scored two goals. Especially, his second goal showcased his excellent skill set. Arsenal's first equaliser started from his header, after which he was left on the floor and then with stitches on the head. His second goal was 11th in his last 11 away games, a remarkable progress for a striker who did not manage to score a goal outside London in his first season. However, he should have scored from 2 yards out. Ironically, the much-maligned striker for his pace or lack of it arrived too soon. Had he not slid in, he might have had a chance to put it away. That said, you cannot fault his tireless efforts. 

Subs

Gibbs: 6
Replaced Walcott on the left wing in the 75th minutes. Standard substitution in Wenger's tactics at this stage of the game, but he failed to keep the ball.

Oxlade-Chamberlain: 6
Replaced Campbell in the 75th minutes. Some fans questioned this substitution as Campbell was playing a vital role in this team, while the Ox was never good defensively. The fear materialised when Liverpool scored in the death, but Campbell was clearly tired, leaving Wenger with no choice to replace him.

Arteta: 6
Came on in the 87th minute for Özil. This was another controversial substitution among supporters. Wenger's intention seemed to be stabilising Arsenal's possession by fielding an experienced fine distributor of the ball as we kept losing balls in the final 20 minutes. The result left us wondering if Chambers might have been able to help see out a 3-2 victory.