Wow. What a performance. If you’d read my preview for the game, then you’d know that I wasn’t feeling particularly confident going into the game. I was almost certain that with the state of our defence, we would at least concede one goal. To keep a clean sheet against one of the most potent attacking teams in Europe is a spectacular achievement in itself. Then to score two high-class counter attacking goals on top of that just proves the game plan was executed to perfection.
The first goal was a beautifully worked goal which began with Arsenal passing the ball out from the back, something Arteta has vehemently encouraged since he took the reigns. After some great hold up play by the persevering Lacazette, the ball eventually gets worked out wide to Pepe. I mentioned in my preview that he was the kind of player that can change a game with a moment of magic and that's exactly what he did here. He shifted it onto his favoured left foot and delivered a peach of a cross for the late arriving Aubameyang to poke goalwards at the back post. I think that's the kind of goal that really gives Arsenal fans confidence that the team is going in the right direction and that Arteta is the right man for the job. It's obvious that Arteta has a certain ‘pep-style’ philosophy and to implement his ideas into these players in the way he has, just gives us further insight into his man-management. I think if the club gives him the financial backing he needs, he can sign the players he wants to turn us into a competitive team again.
The second goal was unsurprisingly also as a result of a counter attack. Pepe did really well to hold the ball up for support to arrive. Tierney then provided a delicious clip down the line for Aubameyang to run through and put through the legs of Ederson. I’d been reading some tweets about Aubameyang recently with some claiming he went missing in big games especially after last week's disappointing North London derby. This really was the perfect way to silence those doubters with two well taken goals to fire us into the final. Massive credit also goes to him for not letting his head drop after he missed a relatively easy chance when the scores were still level early on. It shows his elite mentality that he knew he would get another chance and the next time he did, he knew he would take it.
I genuinely can’t remember a defensive display as strong as that in recent years from Arsenal. I can’t believe I’m saying this but massive credit to David Luiz. He really had the bit between his teeth yesterday making a whopping eleven clearances (whoscored.com) and making a crucial block against Sterling to deny what would've been a certain goal. I called for him to be a leader in the heart of our defence and he really stepped up to the plate on this occasion. It reminded me of Per Mertesacker's performance against Chelsea in the 2017 FA cup final. It was really impressive considering his widespread criticism in recent weeks and to bounce back in that fashion is just a testament to his character. In addition, Tierney was absolutely sublime in his role of left centre back. Read the game like a novel and was willing to put his body on the line on multiple occasions. Also had a big part to play in both goals. On the other side, Mustafi also had a good game despite almost gifting them a goal early on. We kept a clean sheet so I won’t scrutinise him too much but I still think we are desperate for a defender who has composure and doesn’t make mistakes every other game.
The surprise inclusion of the match was Ainsley Maitland-Niles who had a defensively good game at left wing back. I assume that must have been the thinking behind his selection as Saka and Kolasinac are far more forward thinking. AMN was good in the tackle and made some vital interceptions. However, I do think he was very sloppy going forward, wasting a number of opportunities when he got into crossing positions. The trouble with AMN is that he hasn’t nailed down any position yet and if rumours are true that he wants to leave in order to get more first team football, then honestly I wouldn't stand in his way. I think we could get good money for him which we could then reinvest into the squad. Having said that, kudos to him for coming in and performing that well when he hadn't played much recently.
In midfield, Xhaka and Ceballos were superb. They showed fantastic composure on the ball when we were playing out from the back and both made big contributions defensively. Ceballos in particular made a team high four tackles alongside three interceptions (whoscored.com). Xhaka was better on the ball and completed 93% of his passes. Their partnership was massive to our success in this game and they really showed grit and determination to keep their concentration levels up for the whole game. I just hope we can work out a deal with Real Madrid for Ceballos because he has come on leaps and bounds since Arteta's appointment. In my opinion, he’s only going to get better and to watch him do that at another team would be a disaster.
Our front three worked really hard and all put in performances that would please the gaffer. He won’t get as many plaudits as others on the team, but I think Lacazette was vital to the win today. He’s criminally unappreciated by our fanbase, someone who can link up the play as well as any other striker in the world. Maybe he didn’t get a goal or assist but he was crucial in holding the ball up and I think we would have struggled without him. While it again wasn’t Pepe’s kind of game, he still managed to have a big impact and that's the kind of quality he has. He can be quiet for a long time and then muster up a moment of class to change a game. Provided an assist for the first goal and had a part to play in the second, I think he will be satisfied with his contribution. Aubameyang was excellent as usual and worked very hard off the ball alongside the goals. I just hope he can see the significant progress we are making under Arteta and signs a new contract. If Ozil is on 350k a week then I’m sure we can give him what he wants. Speaking of Ozil, he was in training for the build up of this game but predictably didn’t make the squad. Maybe I’ll write a separate article on him soon.
According to whoscored.com, City had a whopping 70.8% possession in contrast to our 29.2%. They also managed 16 shots in comparison to our 4. However, someone once said that statistics are like bikinis, they don’t reveal everything. Despite the stats, I think City looked rather blunt going forward and just resorted to crossing the ball in from wide areas. Something that I would back our defenders to be able to deal with the majority of the time. We knew the game plan would mean we wouldn’t keep much of the ball so it was important that we were clinical in front of goal. For me, it was a tactical masterclass from Arteta and the apprentice got one over on the master. Must be rough, teaching him everything you know, only for him to use it against you. Not that I’m complaining.
Quick player ratings:
Martinez 8
Mustafi 8
Luiz 10 (MoM)
Tierney 9
Bellerin 8
Ceballos 8
Xhaka 8
Maitland-Niles 8
Pepe 8
Lacazette 8
Aubameyang 9
Willock 6
Torreira 6
Kolasinac 6
Holding 6
JH
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