Chelsea 3 Arsenal 2

Arsenal slipped to a second defeat of the season at Stamford Bridge yesterday after an entertaining (to neutrals) 3-2 loss to Chelsea. It was an amazing game, especially the first half, thanks to both sides' lack of defensive solidity. As Emery admitted in his post-match interview, his side is still looking for the right balance of defence and attack.

Pedro found the net just in the 8th minute. Morata extended the hosts' lead in the 20th minute, just after Auba missed a sitter at the other end. Arsenal's defensive line was as high as the half-way line, when Morata shrugged off Mustafi's shepherding to have a clear run at goal. With two centre-backs with little pace, this high defensive line was suicidal. 

After the blow of the second goal conceded, Micki spurned a clear-cut chance, failing to keep his shot low, but in 37th minute he made amends by drilling home a left-footed shot past Kepa from the edge of the box. The Armenian turned a provider 4 minutes later for Iwobi's equaliser. Arsenal were finding openings in Chelea defence. Auba squandered another glorious chance. Iwobi was also at fault for not converting a goal-scoring chance. We could have put the game out of sight before half time, had we put away all these chances. 

It was refreshing to see a substitution at half time as Xhaka, who was totally anonymous in the first half apart from being booked, gave way for Torreira. Emery cited the yellow card for part of the reason for the change. It was also clear that he was reluctant to start two young players new to the Premier League in Guendouzi and Torreira together at the heart of midfield.

Another bold decision we have never seen under Wenger was Ozil being subbed in 68th minute by Ramsey. Emery insisted that the change was purely tactical, but he could be ruthless enough to drop the Club's highest-paid player from the starting lineup.

Arsenal were hanging on deep in Chelsea's half and Laca was finally brought on in 75th minute for Iwobi, but it was the French striker's wayward back-pass that ultimately undid our resistance to give Chelsea a late winner. As we pushed for an equaliser, Cech had to pull off another brilliant save to deny Giroud in stoppage time.

It is a slow process of rebuilding a team. At least nobody questioned our character after coming back 2-0 down so early. Out of the two newly appointed head coaches, it was Sarri who came out victorious, but he was allowed to bring in a key player familiar with his system in Jorginho with a big price tag. Emery didn't have the luxury of that. Once his players have mastered how the new coach wants to play, hopefully they should start benefiting from what we were promised that Emery would bring to the club, such as meticulous game preparations using videos and game plans to nullify opponents' strengths and exploit their weakness.

We welcome West Ham on Saturday in a normal kick-off. Under Arsene Wenger, Arsenal traditionally dominated in these fixtures against lesser teams at home. This is where Emery has to prove that he is taking the club forward not backwards. The onus is on both Emery and Pellegrini to get first points of the season next weekend. This will be a fascinating encounter for another reason as Wilshere and Lucas Perez face their former club for the first time.

Arsenal 0 Manchester City 2

Arsenal's new era began with a 2-0 defeat to Man City at the Emirates yesterday. It was a tough start to Unai Emery's side against the defending champions, who already beat last season's FA Cup winners Chelsea 2-0 in the Community Shield last weekend.

Cech was given captain's armband in the long-term absence of club captain, Koscielny, ahead of other matchday captaincy candidates, Ozil, Ramsey and Xhaka. Sokratis made a Premier League debut, paired with Mustafi in central defence, which did not come as surprise. On the other hand, Matteo Guendouzi's inclusion in the starting XI raised many eyebrows. The 19 year-old impressed in pre-season, having joined us this summer from a French second-tier outfit, Lorient, but this was a bold decision in light of the magnitude of the game.

It was extremely disappointing to see all familiar defensive frailty emerging so soon, after having been told that Emery placed his priority to improving defence in preseason. It took us only 14 minutes to concede a first goal of the season. Guendouzi failed to stop him getting a shot away, while Sokratis only managed to get a slightest touch on the shot. Besides, it is arguable if Cech should have stopped it going in.

Perhaps finishing the first half 1-0 was an improvement over the last season. We were still in the game until 64th minute, when Bernardo Silva doubled the visitors' lead. Lichtsteiner was too slow to spot Bernardo, who was given too much space in our box. City could have extended their lead further, when Guendouzi misjudged a bouncing ball and allowed Aguero to have a clear run. But Cech produced a superb save to deny the City striker. Cech looked uncomfortable playing the ball out from the back, but his counterpart, Ederson, looked even shakier. It was pity we couldn't take advantage of those mistakes. Mustafi had a strong case for penalty when he was grappled by Mendy. If Michael Oliver had seen a replay, he would have given a penalty.

As much as we lament our fragile and too open defence, we regret our offensive shortcomings. As Cech pointed out after the game, we lacked quality in final pass. We created enough chances to get an unlikely result at the end of the game, but the final ball let us down.

After the promising pre-season, this was a disappointing result, but it was only one game against the reigning champions. Lichtsteiner had a decent game in his unfamiliar position at the left-back, showing authority. When he came on for injured Maitland-Niles, we feared his lack of pace against Mahrez and Kyle Walker, but as soon as he came on, City seemed to have stopped attacking his flank. He even made himself useful in attack. Torreira looked tidy in possession after being introduced in the 70th minute at the expense of Xhaka. His pressing put off Sterling from crossing, while he got De Bruyne on the book. The Uruguay international nearly claimed an assist with his wonderful pass to release Auba behind the defence. Unfortunately, Auba's goal was disallowed for offside. Torreira should start, stationed in front of the centre-backs to give them protection. Guendouzi grew into the game after a few mistakes. He is the epitome of Emery's philosophy -energy, intensity and industry-, which probably earned him a starting place. It takes time for a foreign player to get accustomed to the pace of Premier League matches, especially coming from a French second division team. Sokratis did little to impress us. He was booked and gave away a free-kick just outside the area, which could have been a goal, had it not been for Cech's brilliant double saves.

As well as new comers to get used to the intensity and speed of Premier League games, the entire squad have to learn how to play Unai Emery's way. They executed high pressing well in patches, but the trouble was that after they had won possession back, subsequent passing was often disappointing. This style demands players to move the ball quickly under pressure. Against Man City, our players were often seen dwelling on the ball too long.

This game was the extension of preseason. Emery was still experimenting team selections and formations. Lacazette should have been introduced earlier, as he made an immediate impact after coming off the bench in 54th minute in place of Ramsey. Ramsey was not so effective in a more forward position than he is used to. Obviously, Arsenal are still a work in progress.

Long before Arsene Wenger's departure was announced, one of our members in the "Wenger Out" camp said he would be happy to see us outside top four for a couple of season, provided we parted with the Frenchman. Now we got changes we wanted, let's get behind the new coach. Emery's pressing football is a more modern style and his brand-new training regime is promising and seemed to have been well received by the players. He has been playing the right tunes so far. It will be a shame if only one game has spoiled all the positivity. It took Pep Guadiola a full-season's experimentation and an enormous budget to build a title winning team. It's crucial for his players and supporters to keep a faith in Unai Emery and his philosophy.

The 2017/18 Season Review

A long and difficult season finally ended on 13th May as Arsene Wenger took charge of his last game as Arsenal manager against Huddersfield Town at the John Smith's Stadium. We thought the 2016/17 season was bad enough, when we finished outside top four, failing to qualify for the Champions League for the first time under Wenger, not least because we finished behind Tottenham for the first time in 22 years. Nevertheless, Arsenal won the most points to finish outside top four in the Premier League history, just missing the fourth spot by one point. Many believe that the FA Cup win at the end of the last season saved Wenger's job and led to his two-year contract extension, but the key factor was that the Frenchman was still capable of turning around his team's form in April by switching to three-man defence and giving the team a new focus.

In fact, that has become the pattern associated with Arsenal in the past few seasons. Our form dipped in February and March for a strong season finish in April and May. So for the 2017/18 season, we hoped for the same turn around in form, but it never happened. Even Wenger's announcement of his departure couldn't inspire an upturn in our miserable away form because he never understood the reason behind it. Arsenal finished their 2017/18 Premier League campaign in sixth place, their lowest finish in 22 years, with their fewest points of 63 in the 38-game era. By the time the season finished, we were used to all these unwanted stats. The Gunners were the only club in England's top four divisions not to pick up a single away point in 2018 until the last game of the season. The run of seven losses was our worst away record since 1966. Arsenal's slow decline in the recent years was as clear as black and white. As a man who loves numbers and stats, like all economists do, Wenger must have realised that he is no longer the man who can take the club forward.

Looking at the squad, we went through a number of changes in personnel this season. Arsenal welcomed the then club record signing Alexandre Lacazette from Lyon and captured Sead Kolasinac on a free transfer, while Oxlade-Chamberlain left us on the deadline day of the summer transfer window for Liverpool for a handsome sum of £35 million. Gabriel's departure for Valencia raised many eyebrows as our pool of defenders continued to thin out, with Mertesacker announcing his retirement at the end of the season. Szczesny was sold to Juventus for a reported fee of £12.2 million after spending 2 seasons on loan with Roma, while our then second longest-serving player Gibbs left for West Brom on the arrival of another left-back. Keeping Alexis Sanchez was widely regarded crucial for Arsenal's title aspiration, but it turned out to be a destructive element in the dressing room. Wenger's plan backfired as Sanchez lost his motivation after Chile failed to qualify for this summer's World Cup in October.

The January transfer window was our busiest ever. Walcott, Coquelin, and Debuchy left for Everton, Valencia, and St-Etienne, respectively. Mavropanos was the first signing of our new head scout Sven Mislintat. Sanchez joined Man U in a swap deal, which saw Mkhitaryan moving in the other direction. Arsenal broke their record for the second time in the same season to bring in Aubameyang. In the three-way deal also involving Chelsea's Batshuayi, Giroud joined Chelsea, looking for more playing time ahead of what is potentially his last World Cup. Ozil finally signed a new contract to end all speculations, which also marked the end of Arsenal's rigid wage structure, along with the arrival of high-wage earners in Auba and Micki.

In a season when we saw more lows than highs, Aaron Ramsey topped the Player of the Season votes conducted by Arsenal website, followed by Nacho Monreal. It is a cause for concern that the Welshman is yet to be offered a new contract, going into the final year of his current contract next season.

On a more positive note, we saw some of promising youngsters coming through the ranks and the group stage of the Europa League set up an ideal stage for that. Among those up and coming talents, Maitland-Niles saw his stock rising, particularly after being named Man of the Match at Old Trafford.

The other bright spot of the season was the signing of a potential 20+ goalscorer in Auba. Despite having not played in an entire month of January, Auba hit the ground running since his move from Dortmund. He racked up 10 goals and 4 assists in 13 games. It makes you wonder how we would have fared  if he hadn't been ineligible for the Europa League due to an absurd UEFA rule which has since been abolished. His successful start to the life at Arsenal should be a platform for Arsenal to build on next season.

The 2017/18 season marked the end of era as Arsene Wenger's 22-year tenure came to an end. As much as we appreciate what he did for the Club and what he achieved with the Club, it was clear that Arsenal need a change. Wenger left unaddressed defensive issues for far too long. Players were feeling too comfortable whether they win or lose. The supporters were growing tired of the way the Gunners play, which is too intricate, too slow and toothless against well-organised defence.

Ivan Gazidis made it clear that a new manager will not have the same authority Wenger had. The roles of the incoming manager are expected to be limited to those of a head coach. With a new management structure in place, it is interesting to see how much control the new head coach will be allowed to take. Wenger was well-known for his frugality, which frustrated us supporters. But was it his policy or did he not actually have money to spend? Rumour has it that the incoming coach will be given a war chest of as meagre as £50 million before any sale of players. The truth will be unveiled. Whoever Arsenal appoint as Wenger's successor, all the supporters should get behind him and be positive about the club's future. Negativity in the past couple of years has really hurt the club.

Arsenal 3 Chelsea 0

Arsenal were on a winless run against Chelsea stretching over nearly 5 years, bar their 1-0 Community Shield win in August last year. We also failed to score in any of the last 6 meetings and had players sent off against them more than any other club (7). Per Mertesacker, Gabriel, Santi Cazorla and Kieran Gibbs (for a mistaken identity) falling victim to Chelsea's tactics in those games were all fresh in our memory. All the players were more than aware that they had to keep 11 men on the pitch this time round. Despite these "inconvenient facts", the north London side were on the up, with newly found confidence from back-to-back emphatic wins away from home. That was the source of our belief that this season could be different.

 Arsene Wenger named unchanged starting XI from the side that started in a convincing 4-1 victory over Hull City at KCOM stadium last Saturday. Wenger's experiment to deploy Alexis Sanchez as a centre-forward continued even after Lucas Perez opened his goal-scoring account in the mid-week EFL Cup tie against Nottingham Forest. Olivier Giroud was only fit to start on the bench after recovering from a toe injury he sustained in the Champions League game against PSG. The exclusion of Granit Xhaka from the starting line-up raised a few eyebrows after the Swiss international scored two stunning long-range goals in the last 2 games in a row. However, for what was expected to be a feisty meeting, more experienced Francis Coqelin seemed a better choice to us, given Xhaka's dubious disciplinary record in the Bundesliga.

The game got off to an intense start fit for a London derby. When Koscielny took down Diego Costa just outside the box, the visitors appealed for a penalty. Alexis capitalised on Cahill's error in the 11th minute to coolly chip the ball over Courtois into the net. 3 minutes later, Theo doubled the lead by slotting home a Bellerin cross after a well-worked  build-up. We had waited for a league goal against the London rivals for the last 3 seasons. Now we got two. On 40 minutes, the goal tally increased to three. Ozil turned Kante (this match-up between the two midfielders was dubbed as the key battle of the game prior to the match), initiating a sweeping counter-attacking move. Ozil released Alexis with his perfectly-weighed pass and the Chilean picked out Ozil at the back post with a fine cross. Our passing was sharp and crisp, with quick movements throughout the pitch. The boss described it as an "nearly perfect" first half.

The second-half may have been a little quieter affair as Arsenal were happy to sit back and trying to attack on the counter. Perhaps, that's the reason why our possession was surprisingly low at 49% despite the dominance. We should have added a couple more goals, but Arsenal's inclination to overplay was to blame. Nevertheless, Arsenal were in total control. We stayed strong not to get Chelsea back in the game. Diego Costa cut a frustrated figure as Koscielny and Mustafi totally negated his threat and totally ignored his theatricals. Overall, it was a very strong team performance from the Gunners. We outplayed Chelsea in all areas.

The only negative was Coquelin's injury. The French midfielder was taken off in the 31st minute due to a knee injury. After the match, Wenger revealed that it was the same knee he injured last November. On that day, Coquelin was replaced by Mikel Arteta, who scored an own goal in his cameo appearance before being taken off through an injury to himself. The game ended in our 2-1 defeat to West Brom. It used to be that an injury to a major player would result  in a lesser player coming on but we now have strength in depth especially in midfield. On this occasion, Xhaka was introduced to fill the void Coquelin left, seamlessly integrated into the team. Coquelin's injury is a blow, but we now have some depth in the squad to mitigate it. Xhaka will probably be a starter in the absence of Coqulin, which should put an end to an argument as to whether Wenger is right to not start the £35 million signing. Elneny can also share the responsibility.

It took some time for us to get going this season, largely because of injuries and Euro 2016 exertion to the key players. Wenger may deserve criticism for the late arrival of reinforcement, but we are truly up and running now, with the Koscielny-Mustfi partnership starting to look a real force. Hopefully, we can build on this impressive performance. Before we get back to the Premier League action, we have a must-win home game against FC Basel on Wednesday night.

Players ratings

Cech: 6

With his former club registering no shot on target until 75th minute, he had little to do. But when he was called upon, he produced a brilliant save to deny Batshuayi's shot.  

Bellerin: 8
Delivered a perfect cross to set up Theo's goal. Used his pace well to make a last-ditch tackle on Pedro at a crucial moment.

Mustafi: 8
He has started proving a great signing for us as he has begun to form a solid central defensive partnership with Koscielny. Made 3 tackles, 6 interceptions, and 5 clearances.

Koscielny: 8
Took no notice of Costa's provocative actions. Kept him quiet throughout the game, together with Mustafi, with the result that Diego Costa only had 2 touches in the box. Made 3 tackles, 4 interceptions, and 7 clearances.

Monreal: 7
His positional play was a cause of concern for us in recent games, but he coped alright in this game. As usual he made a lot of overlapping runs down the wing.

Cazorla: 8
His powerful shot drew a fine save from Courtois in the early stages. Made more passes (85) than any other player on the pitch, with a 88.2% accuracy.

Coquelin: 7

Played well until he got injured. Made 1 tackle, 2 interceptions and 22 passes with a 86.2% passing completion rate in his 31 minutes on the pitch. Hopefully, his injury is not too serious. 

Walcott: 9

As Wenger predicted, he is a different animal this season with a renewed hunger. The difference this season is his defensive commitment. He takes a great pleasure in keeping a clean sheet as if it was his foremost priority. Worked hard, tracking back, covering the right-back, and pressing the Chelsea players. Scored Arsenal's second goal. Unlucky not to score another. On another occasion, when he should have gone for a goal, he instead over-hit a cross for Alexis.

Özil: 9

Made 72 passes, including 3 key passes, with an impressive 90.3% accuracy. Good finish to complete the great counter-attacking movement he initiated. He even contributed to defending as well, making 2 tackles and 2 interceptions.

Iwobi: 8

Picked out Bellerin's run in the build-up to Theo's goal. 

Alexis: 9

Scored a goal and set up another. He was at his best in this role, showing his pace, composure and skills.

Subs

Xhaka: 7

Replaced Coquelin in the 31st minutes. His incisive pass to pick out Walcott's run on the right-hand side nearly paid off. Made 3 tackles, 1 interception, 3 clearances and 49 passes with a 93.9% passing success rate.

Gibbs: 7
Came on for Iwobi in the 69th minute to shore up the defence. It was also Wenger's offensive tactical change to respond to Chelsea's 3-men defence. While Iwobi tends to cut inside, Gibbs stays wide and runs to the byline, which stretched Chelsea's narrow defence. Astute substitution from Wenger.

Giroud: 6
Replaced Alexis in the 79th minute. He had a simple  task of keeping the ball up and failed to accomplish it.

2016/17 Premier League Fixtures

Premier League published the 2016/17 fixture list earlier today. Arsenal will kick off their campaign at home against Liverpool and finish the season with a home match against Everton under new coach Ronald Koeman. All the final games should be played on 21 May at the same time, but our opening game against Jurgen Klopp's side is likely to be rescheduled as TV companies will make selections later. As Friday night Premier League fixtures will be introduced next season for extended TV coverage, Saturday normal kick-offs will be even more of rarity in the 2016/17 season.

Then, we will travel to the King Power Stadium to take on the Premier League champions, Leicester City, on the following weekend. What sort of a team we will be facing remains to be seen. According to the media, a few key Leicester City players' futures are uncertain at the moment, including Jamie Vardy's. With the Champions League commitment for the first time in their history, Claudio Ranieri will be no doubt looking to expand his side as well.

The first north London derby will be held at home on 5 November (fireworks) unless we are drawn against Tottenham in the early round of the League Cup like last season. The reverse fixture on 29 April is expected to be an even feistier affair than usual as the game falls on the decisive part of the season.

Another fixture we first check when the fixture list has been published is a game around the end of February, when our annual trip to Benidorm takes place. The last season's Benidorm trip was replaced by the trip to watch the Champions League match in Barcelona, but we are hoping to go back to Benidorm in the coming season. Southampton away is always a tough fixture, but hopefully, we will get  revenge on last season's humiliating 4-0 thumping by then Ronald Koeman's side.

In addition to Everton (and obviously, Southampton), Chelsea, two Manchester clubs and Watford will all be welcoming new managers. Hopefully, Arsene Wenger will finally get his first league win over Mourinho next season. Arsenal will travel to Old Trafford on 19 November and host Manchester United on 6 May.

Premier League will also welcome three newly promoted clubs: Burnley, Middlesbrough, and Hull City. We are quite familiar with these new boys through the FA Cup ties over the last two seasons. They are expected to reinforce their squads with a financial boost given by the TV money, but we cannot see any problem against them at the moment.

We have experienced some disappointment over the last decade, but the 2016/17 season was arguably the most frustrating season. We added what looked to be a missing piece of the jigsaw in Petr Cech, following the two seasons of big name signings. We were top of the table at the beginning of 2016, after a promising 2015. Yet we fell short of winning the league again. We somehow managed to finish above Tottenham and clinched second place, but it was not really a consolation. With a £30 million-signing already under the belt, hopefully, we will see more reinforcement arriving before the season starts.

(All the dates are subject to changes)


August

13 Liverpool (H)

20 Leicester City (A)

27 Watford (A)

September

10 Southampton (H)

17 Hull City (A)

24 Chelsea (H)

October 

1   Burnley (A)

15 Swansea City (H)

22 Middlesbrough (H)

29 Sunderland (A)

November 

5   Tottenham Hotspur (H)

19 Manchester United (A)

26 Bournemouth (H)

December 

3   West Ham United (A)

10 Stoke City (H)

14 Everton (A)

17 Manchester City (A)

26 West Bromwich Albion (H)

31 Crystal Palace (H)

January 

2   Bournemouth (A)

14 Swansea City (A)

21 Burnley (H)

31 Watford (H)

February 

4   Chelsea (A)

11  Hull City (H)

25 Southampton (A)

March

4   Liverpool (A)

11 Leicester City (H)

18 West Bromwich Albion (A)

April

2   Manchester City (H)

4   West Ham United (H)

8   Crystal Palace (A)

15 Middlesbrough (A)

22 Sunderland (H)

29 Tottenham Hotspur (A)

May 

6   Manchester United (H)

13 Stoke City (A)

21 Everton (H)

Arsenal 4 Aston Villa 0

Arsenal went into the game as heavy favourites at odds of 1/8 against already relegated Aston Villa at the Emirates on the final day of the 2015/16 season. A point would secure an automatic qualification for the Champions League for the 20th consecutive season, but our target was to take all three points to overtake Tottenham to the second place in case Newcastle pulled off a shock victory over our local rivals. Perhaps the Gunners' emphatic win was not all that surprising, although they did their best to make it a hard viewing for us as usual, but the most astounding part of the story was Tottenham's capitulation in their 5-1 defeat against 10 men. When Sunderland sent their arch-rivals to relegation on Wednesday night, we thought our hopes of clinching the second place had all but faded. After all, however, Newcastle players' and fans' desire to convince Rafa Benitez to stay with their club seemed to have outstripped Spurs' determination to finish above their north London rivals.

Arsene Wenger made four changes from the side that started in a 2-2 draw with Manchester City at the Etihad last weekend. Mesut Özil, who missed the trip to the northwest through a slight hip problem, was restored to his usual No. 10 role at the expense of Alex Iwobi, who dropped to the bench. Santi Cazorla and Francis Coquelin, who were both impressive in the U-21s' promotion play-off final on Tuesday night, formed the central midfield partnership for the first time since their injuries in November. As some fans were becoming tired of the Elneny-Ramsey pairing in the middle of the park, this was a refreshing change. Jack Wilshere earned his first start since the final day of the last season. Meanwhile, to our sadness, Danny Welbeck was ruled out for 9 months after having surgery in the wake of a knee injury sustained during the Man City game.

Among the subs' bench were David Ospina, Kieran Gibbs, Mohamed Elneny, Aaron Ramsey, Alex Iwobi, Joel Campbell, and Mikel Arteta. The club captain was lucky enough to be given a chance to make his last appearance in an Arsenal shirts as he, Tomas Rosicky and Mathieu Flamini were to leave the Club at the end of the season when their contracts expire. Theo Walcott missed the final game of the season all together through a hamstring problem. After the match, Wenger stated that the England forward would be available for the Euro 2016 should he be called up to the England squad on Monday, but with Roy Hodgson in the stand on this day, Theo's absence probably put a nail in his coffin as far as his participation in the Euro 2016 is concerned.

Arsenal started the game with intent. Within 5 minutes of kick-off, we were 1-0 up thanks to Giroud's free header. The news was welcomed that Tottenham were trailing at St. James' Park, but we had to make sure first that we would take all three points from our game. As the Gunners struggled to take chances, Villa looked increasingly dangerous on the break. Arsenal dominated the game, but their intricate style of play frustrated us once again.

The game grew even more agonizing in the second half. Chances went begging and passes went astray. Substitute Elneny had a gilt-edged chance to score, but he volleyed high over the bar. Meanwhile, Lamela's strike at St. James' Park in the 60th minute looked to have signaled Tottenham's comeback, followed by Newcastle's goalscorer, Mitrovic's sending-off in the 67th minute. Despite our anxiety, 10-men Newcastle scored their third goal to put the game to bed. Now we really had to get our job done. With just 12 minutes remaining in normal time, relief was finally brought to us as Giroud met Özil's cut-back from the byline at the near post. The team celebrated it emphatically, with everybody running towards Rosicky. 2 minutes later, Giroud completed a hat-trick after being released by Bellerin's inch-perfect through ball.

Newcastle assured us that there would be no coming back of Tottenham as they added 2 goals in quick succession to make it 5-1 with 4 minutes to go. We were now enjoying the game to the full extent. Mikel Arteta and Joel Campbell were brought on in the 87th minute for the former to bid a farewell as he had decided to hang up his boots. In stoppage time, Alexis laid the ball on for Areta, whose fierce shot cannoned off the crossbar before it hit the goalkeeper and crept over the line. Arteta claimed the goal, although it was technically Bunn's own goal, but it was a dramatic ending to an amazing game.

The final whistle was blown, which was a cue for St. Totteringham's Day celebration. Never mind finishing above them, we once resigned to accept the prospect of our bitter rivals winning the league during the season. A lot of us admitted that they are a good team, which makes their collapse in the final few weeks all the more incredible.

All in all, it was a much better final day of the season than we braced ourselves for. Petr Cech won the 2015/16 Golden Glove outright with his 16th clean sheet. Mesut Özil finished the season at top of the assist table in Europe's 5 top-flight leagues with 19 assists. It was a shame that he fell short of Thierry Henry's league record (20), but there is always another season. With more clinical finishers in the team next season, he will have a good chance of setting a new record. Above all, Arsenal ended the season second in the league, the highest finish in 11 years. We have also achieved an automatic qualification for the Champions League, which means that we don't need to go through a tricky qualifying round or face fixture congestion as soon as a new Premier League season has kicked off.

We finished the season on a high, but that cannot disguise the fact that this was a disappointing season for us with many lost opportunities We fell behind the champions Leicester City by 10 points, which was not good enough. After the match, Wenger hailed the team spirit that allowed Arsenal to finish second, but that team spirit should have seen a more solid run-in. We finished the season on an unbeaten run of 10 league games, but we shouldn't have dropped points in those four games of the five we drew during the current run.

We have now two major tournaments coming up during the summer, the Euro 2016 and the Copa America Centenario. Hopefully, all our players involved in the competitions will come back in good shape and have a good rest afterwards. Let's hope that we will do some good business in the summer transfer market as well. Wenger has acknowledged the fact that we need to sign outfield players this summer as three midfielders are set to leave the club, while we will be without Danny Welbeck for almost a season (On the other hand, he might say that Yaya Sanogo, Chuba Akpom and Jon Toral are just like new signings). The boss should know that the current squad is far from adequate to challenge for the title next season, when all other clubs are set to have significant reinforcement.

Players ratings

Cech: 6
With Aston Villa registering only 2 shots on target, he had little to do. When he was called upon, it was his defenders (Koscielny and Monreal) who came to rescue.

Bellerin: 7
Provided an assist for Giroud's third goal by releasing him with a long through ball. Made 3 tackles, 4 interceptions and 1 clearance.

Gabriel: 6
Beaten by Jordan Ayew twice. He has learnt little this season. With Per Mertesacker not getting any younger nor faster, we need a new experienced centre-back. 

Koscielny: 7
Our best defender throughout the season. Did well to make a clearance off the line, arriving just in time. Made 1 tackle, 7 interceptions, and  5 clearances.

Monreal: 7
Rarely troubled defensively, but made a crucial interception to Sinclair's pass in the box. Claimed an assist for the opener with a cross thanks to Aston Villa's atrocious marking.

Cazorla: 7
Looked as if he had never been away. We sorely missed him for the last 5 months. His return to fitness came too late for him to earn a place in Spanish Euro 2016 squad.

Coquelin: 7

Encouraged by his offensive contribution to U-21s' play-off win, he made 2 key passes. Also made 1 tackle and 5 interceptions. 

Wilshire: 6

Proved his match fitness with nothing eye-catching. He had a great chance to score when Alexis' cross found him unmarked at the far post, but he couldn't put his shot on target with his right foot. Replaced by Elneny in the 67th minute.

Özil: 8

Claimed an assist for Giroud's second goal. Created 4 chances for his team mates. If Alexis had converted those 2 chances created by Özil for him, the German playmaker could have set a new Premier League assist record.

Alexis: 8

Had 5 shots, one of which was on target. Created 4 chances for his team mates. Great to see him finally rediscover last season's form.

Giroud: 9
Arsenal fans chosen Man of the Match in the second game in a row, after breaking his 15-game goal drought last weekend. Completed a hat-trick with three totally different types of goals: a header, a sliding-in at the near post, and a one-on-one with the keeper after latching onto a long through ball. Statistically, this was his best season in an Arsenal shirt with 24 goals in all competition, including 16 in the Premier League. He may not be as bad as some think, but we desperately need another potent striker we can rely on when Giroud is having a goal drought.

Subs

Elneny: 6

Replaced Wilshire in the 67th minutes. Made 21 passes with a 100% accuracy, but he really should have scored. Had 2 shots, both of which were off target.

Arteta: 6
Came on for Cazorla in the 87th minute. What a memorable appearance to end his career! It may not have been recorded as his goal, but he had a huge hand in Arsenal's 4th goal. Had 1 shot, which was on target, and made 1 key pass. He was reportedly offered three options by Arsenal. Where he will start his coaching career is yet to be seen.

Campbell: 6
Replaced Ozil in the 87th minute. Little involvement in the game with 7 touches to his name.

Manchester City 2 Arsenal 2

The significance of this match could have been much different. At the beginning of the season, or in fact, at the start of the year, this match was regarded as a title decider by many. Since then, both sides have faded away from the title race. Amid the disappointment of the fans, this encounter still presented some importance for both  sides. Going into the game, third-placed Arsenal were 3 points ahead of fourth-placed Man City, whose reaction to their limp performance in their Champions League semi-finals against Real Madrid was under the spotlight. We knew a win at the Etihad would guarantee our place in next season's Champions League without going through the increasingly difficult play-offs. After Tottenham's 2-2 draw with Chelsea on Monday night and resulting confirmation of Leicester City's crowning as Premier League champions, you could sense that Arsenal players' ambition had been turned to a second-place finish. To encourage their belief, the Spurs succumbed to a 2-1 defeat by Southampton earlier in the day, throwing away the lead again. This should have served as an extra motivation for the Gunners.

Arsene Wenger made two forced changes from the starting XI who played in a 1-0 victory over a relegation-threatened Norwich side at the Emirates last Saturday. Gabriel replaced Per Mertesacker, whose season was over after suffering a hamstring injury during the narrow victory. Mesut Ozil missed out on a trip to the northwest due to a slight hip problem. Danny Welbeck came in for the German playmaker, deployed on the left wing, with Alex Iwobi in the No. 10 role. Much to the fans' displeasure, Wenger once again stuck with Olivier Giroud. Among the subs  were David Ospina, Kieran Gibbs, Francis Coquelin, Santi Cazorla, Theo Walcott, Jack Wilshere, and Joel Campbell.

It was believed that Arsenal had a blueprint for the success at the Etihad Stadium. Everybody thought that Wenger would copy the template of their 2-0 victory in last season's corresponding fixture or a 2-1 win at the Emirates Stadium earlier this season, in which the Gunners conceded possession and attacked on the break. However, Arsenal's starting line-up on this day looked too cavalier, with Mohamed Elneny and Aaron Ramsey in central midfield. Was Wenger carried away with the prospect of finishing second after the news of Tottenham's loss?

Our fear soon materialised. Man City started brightly and took a deserved lead in the 8th minute. It was a familiar story. We didn't close down. Elneny was deceived by Aguero, with Koscielny behind the Egyptian just watching Aguero's shot pass him. It was disappointing to see a goalkeeper of Cech's calibre beaten at his near post.

However, Arsenal fought back to equalise within seconds. Giroud headed an Elneny corner into the roof of the net. We hoped that the goal had woken up our team, but no. This was going to be a long late afternoon. Danny Welbeck's injury didn't help. He wasn't moving well since an early knock, but he could no longer continue, giving way to his England team-mate, Jack Wilshere, in the 24th minute.

Arsenal managed to end the first half with parity, but City took the lead again through De Bruyne's goal. It was a carbon copy of Bolasie goal a couple of weeks ago. Once again, we failed to close down and Cech was beaten at his near post.

Wenger made an early substitution by his standards to introduce Theo Walcott in place of Iwobi. Theo made an uncustomary impact when he came on. In the 68th minute, Arsenal equalised once again with Giroud turning to  provider with his brilliant flick. Alexis finished Giroud's lay-off with composure. This was a great example of Arsenal's swift counter-attacking moves. Santi was ready to come on before the goal, but the goal changed Wenger's plan. The Frenchman brought on Coquelin at the expense of Elneny. His thought was clear: if you cannot win, don't lose it.

It was disappointing that we could not fully capitalise on the north London rivals' loss, but the hard-fought point saw us move another step closer to securing next season's Champions League football. The result was far more beneficial to us than the hosts. If Manchester United lose or draw on Tuesday night in the final game at Upton Park, we will secure at least a play-off spot for the next season's Champions League. No matter how other games pan out, a draw with Aston Villa on the last weekend of the season will seal our automatic qualification for the Champions League. Playing in front of their families and loved ones, hopefully, our players will play to their full capacity. Besides, we still have a chance of finishing second, depending on how successful Newcastle  fare against Spurs at St James's Park next Sunday. It was vital to grab a point from this game in order to keep any chance of overtaking Tottenham alive.

Overall, it was another frustrating performance from the Gunners especially the very poor passing, but they deserve the credit for their resilience, fighting back twice to earn a point. Another positive was their efficiency in front of  goal, which has been a problem this season. Arsenal scored 2 goals from their 2 shots on target. The worrying thing was that we only had 5 attempts throughout the game. Hopefully, with Özil's return to the side, we will see more goal-scoring chances created at the Emirates next weekend.

Players ratings

Cech: 5
Beaten at his near post twice, it was a disappointing display from the world-class keeper.

Bellerin: 6
Struggled defensively on the right flank at times. Made 2 tackles, 4 interceptions and 3 clearances.

Gabriel: 6
Some blame Bellerin for De Bruyne's goal, but Gabriel could have done better to stop the Belgian from shooting.

Koscielny: 6
Recovered well from the shaky start. Made 1 tackle, 4 interceptions, and a whopping 10 clearances. 

Monreal: 6
Struggled to cope with Navas' attacking threat. Made 2 tackles, 5 interceptions, and 8 clearances.

Elneny: 6
Claimed an assist for Giroud's goal. He has started taking corners and free kicks recently, which is a positive for us. His defensive stats (1 interception and 1 clearance) were disappointing on this day. Replaced by Coquelin in the 76 minutes.


Ramsey: 6
Made 7 tackles, but he was dispossessed too easily and too often for our liking. Covered more ground (10.6 km) than any other Arsenal player but his passing accuracy was poor at 69.1% even when the team's average rate was uncharacteristically low at 70%.    

Alexis: 7
He was having a quiet game until he scored an equaliser. Made 3 tackles, 3 interceptions and 1 clearance.

Iwobi: 5
He was out of his depth. Somebody with more experience, such as Campbell (if Santi was not fully match fit) should have started in his place.

Welbeck: 5
Early retirement due to a knee injury. Keep fingers crossed that it's not too bad.

Giroud: 7
Arsenal fans chosen Man of the Match. Scored his first league goal in 15 games and claimed his 6th league assist. As Wenger stated after the match, the French striker was sharper than he had been in recent games, in one of which Ramsey was seen shouting at him when he didn't make a run for the Welshman's through ball.

Subs

Wilshere: 6

Replaced Welbeck in the 24th minutes. Great to see him get a chance to prove his fitness. Had a decent game with team highest passing completion rate of 86.7%. 

Walcott: 6
Came on for Iwobi in the 59th minute. Made a few good runs with/without the ball.

Coquelin: 6
Replaced Elneny in the 76th minute to prop up defence. Made 3 tackles, 1 interception and 1 clearance.

Made 6 passes with a 50% passing accuracy.