Arsenal have a free-kick in the position where Fernandes scored from. Did Lewis-Skelly dive? Yes, but free-kick given. Mazraoui measures the distance to be 10 yards.Arsenal try to find their way through, Casemiro chasing down shadows on the edge of his box. Garnacho gets his first go at Lewis-Skelly, who is strong, too strong, and and commits a foul.Arsenal corner. Onana comes way out. Panic stations, averted when Gabriel cleans out Mazraoui. Arsenal have become more…physical.Arsenal changes. Lewis-Skelly and Martinelli on, Calafiori, toasted, goes off, as does the quiet Nwaneri. Zirkzee then almost pulls off a flicked finish.Arsenal attempt to pass through them. Raya is at the halfway line. Everyone is back for United. It’s a long time to defend so deep.Arsenal chances. Odegaard from distance, and Onana is ruled to have palmed over. Then Rice gets a swing at a volley, a decent chance. Arsenal resume their corners at the United end.Arsenal have to clear. United are targeting that right-hand side. Garnacho goes on a dribble. He’s having Calafiori on toast, which sounds like a rather nice dish, an entree, perhaps.Arsenal strip. After my star-crossed wedding we had three tables in the pub: my mates on ‘Highbury’, hers on ‘Highfield Road’, and us in the middle, dubbed ‘Wembley, 16 May 1987’. “‘Gary Mabbutt’s Left Knee’ had been mooted but ultimately deemed ‘open to deliberate misinterpretation’. “
Pete Smith: “Regarding the farting around at corners, if a goalie holding the ball for 8 seconds results in a corner, then will excessive farting around at corners result in a goal kick? Or does the world continue to be massively biased against defenders?”
Arsenal box.Arsenal fans targeting referee Anthony Taylor, Altrincham’s most famous supporter. Why? Who knows? Previous case history?Arsenal are slower than they were in previous seasons. Perhaps that’s to conserve energy but they were prettier on the eye in 2022-23 and 2023-24.Arsenal have had 70% of the ball. They’re still level with this toiling United fun bus.
Arsenal fans are taunting Onana on the ball. That can’t be helping his nerves. There’s some of the “woaaaaaahh, you’re [expletive] ah” going on, too. Old school. Are they bored?
Arsenal but that falls short when Casemiro can’t keep his end up. Arsenal go on the attack but are again wasteful. Going to pieces in the box.Arsenal continue to dominate but are struggling to locate the final ball.Arsenal had a striker, he says, asking the most asked question in footballArsenal win a corner. Initialise Nicolas Jover….Manchester United, the more appropriate Stone Roses song is ‘I Wanna Be Adored’.”Arsenal. Arsenal resume their dominance of possession. They may be the Raymond Poulidor of the affair, but they are so much better than United.
Source: theguardian.com
