ArsenalSupremo: Olivier Giroud

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Fulham 0 Arsenal 1 - Arsene Wenger pleased with all three points despite lackluster performance.

21st April 2013 By Gordon @Arsenal_Supremo

Arsene Wenger stated that the performance of the players after going a goal up and a man up was not up to the standards of recent performances but knew it was vital of getting all three points after a 0 0 draw to Everton on Tuesday night.

"It was a positive first-half, but for some reason, and I don't know why, our game in the second-half deteriorated and our passing became sloppy. We played with less pace in our game and you have to give them credit - they are a good side and they tried like mad. They played very well today."

"It became hard, and in the second-half especially I think we played with a hand-brake," "We just wanted to keep the lead without taking any risk and had not enough penetration. When a team is down to ten men they focus on defending deep and they defended well. We did not give them enough problems today."

The boss agreed with the referee decisions to send Sidwell and Giroud off in the game.

It looked like it, I spoke with Giroud and he said he slipped when he went for the ball and I don't complain about it."

"Unfortunately yes we have to find a solution up front for the final games, but that can happen and we have to deal with it," he said.

"The result is the most important thing now, but the best way to get the result is still to play well. I think the nerves played a part in the second-half as we did not want to be exposed and we lost our fluency.

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Match Report

Fulham 0 Arsenal 1 Match Report - Gunners provisionally back into third place in the Premier League table with a 1-0 win at 10-man Fulham

12:58 2 comments

20th April By Jeff @ArsenalTrend

Arsenal moved provisionally back into third place in the Premier League table with a 1-0 win at 10-man Fulham on Saturday and are two points ahead of Chelsea, which has two games in hand. Arsenal strengthened its hopes of a Champions League spot after Per Mertesacker's header late in the first half secured the victory. Arsenal dominated possession throughout the game but the Gunners struggled to create any real chances. Arsenal, who started with England midfielder Jack Wilshere on the bench, were given a huge advantage in the 12th minute at Craven Cottage when Steve Sidwell was shown a straight red card for catching Mikel Arteta on the ankle with his studs.

Sidwell had only just returned from a three-match ban following a red card at home to QPR and Arsenal quickly asserted their advantage, with Olivier Giroud grazing the post in the 35th minute. Arsenal struggled to profit from their numerical advantage and Fulham restricted them to few openings. It was, in fact, the home side who created the first clear chance of the game, aided by Olivier Giroud giving the ball away on the edge of the home box in the 21st minute. Urby Emanuelson collected the ball and galloped forward before slipping a pass through to Dimitar Berbatov, whose shot from 16 yards was turned away by Wojciech Szczesny. Emmanuel went close himself in the 40th minute, dispossessing Nacho Monreal before letting fly from the edge of the area. Szczesny again pushed the shot away for a corner.

The breakthrough arrived for Arsenal from an unfamiliar source two minutes before half-time. Theo Walcott's free-kick was headed across goal by Laurent Koscielny and the Frenchman's centre-back partner Per Mertesacker arrived unmarked to head the ball home from close range. It should have been a straightforward victory, but the visitors were unable to kill the game, Fulham kept them at bay and, even came close to scoring an equalizer when Bryan Ruiz curled a free-kick over the bar before a cross from Stanislav Manolev in the 70th minute had Szczesny scrambling backwards to tip it over the bar.

Wenger withdrew Walcott (who was missing for larger part of the game) and Tomas Rosicky (who was Arsenal's best player on the pitch at the time) moments later, introducing Podolski and Jack Wilshere, but Arsenal could not find inspiration and Fulham continued to prove dangerous. Fulham thought they've got a deserved equaliser. In the 76th minute when Manolev slotted the ball into the net from close range after Szczesny parried another Ruiz free-kick but the sight of a rightly raised offside flag curtailed those celebrations at Craven Cottage.

Arsenal striker Olivier Giroud was later sent off for a similar lunge (as Sidwell's tackle on Arteta) in the 90th minute due to a red card after he clumsily fouled Stanislav Manolev. The decision to dismiss Giroud in the 90th minute was more debatable as replays showed the striker did not make contact with Manolev as he won the ball with his challenge. Victory lifted Arsenal above Chelsea, but both the Stamford Bridge club and fifth-place Tottenham Hotspur now have two games in hand on Arsene Wenger's side. Chelsea will regain third place if they win at Liverpool on Sunday, while Spurs can close to within two points of their north London rivals if they overcome second-place Manchester City. Arsenal welcomes Manchester United next at the Emirates.

Join in with our Arsenal community, we have connected with the Disqus comment system, it is now easier to comment on our posts to connect and talk with the Arsenal fans around the world. You can now post a comment using your Social Network plugins or if you don't want to leave your name you can sign in as a guest. Leave your comments on the game. Did we deserve the three points? Can we finish top 4 still?

Stats & Facts

Arsenal have now won 16 of the 24 Premier League meetings between the two sides but this was their first victory in five, since a 2-1 home success in December 2010.via BBC

Arsenal have the best defence in the Premier League away from home having conceded just 14 goals.

There have been more red cards (8) in Premier League games involving Arsenal than any other team in the top flight this season.

Arsenal have been given five red cards in the Premier League this season; more than any other side.

Arsene Wenger SkySports Post Match Reaction

"It became hard, and in the second-half especially I think we played with a hand-brake.

"We just wanted to keep the lead without taking any risk and had not enough penetration. When a team is down to ten men they focus on defending deep and they defended well. We did not give them enough problems today."

Martin Jol Match Reaction

"I really thought we did very well and it is disappointing to play for 83-minutes with ten-men but I said to them in the dressing room we fought like lions and we could have had a result and a draw would have been deserved."

Arsenal 0 Everton 0 Match Report & Match Highlights

15:16 2 comments

16th April 2013 By Jeff @ArsenalTrend

Arsenal wasted a chance to cement their place in the Premier League's top four as the Gunners were held to a 0-0 draw by Everton on Tuesday. Arsene Wenger's side would have moved four points clear of fifth placed Tottenham with a win at the Emirates Stadium. But they were forced to settle for a point as obdurate Everton's physical approach succeeded in frustrating the hosts. Third placed Arsenal are now two points clear of Chelsea and Tottenham in the race to qualify for the Champions League.

However Arsenal still have plenty of work to do as Chelsea have two games in hand on Wenger's team, while Tottenham have played a game less than their north London rivals. Everton remain in sixth place, two points behind Chelsea having played two games more, and a spot in the Europa League now looks their best bet. David Moyes' men should have taken the lead in the opening moments when Steven Pienaar eluded the statuesque Bacary Sagna and raced onto Seamus Coleman's pass. But with just Wojciech Szczesny to beat, the South African midfielder lifted his shot high over the crossbar. Despite admitting he had rushed Jack Wilshere back from an ankle injury too quickly, Wenger gave the England midfielder his second appearance in four days. And the Frenchman was wincing as Wilshere came in for some rough treatment in the early stages.

Crunching challenges from Ross Barkley and Kevin Mirallas left Wilshere writhing on the turf while Wenger leapt to his feet to berate referee Neil Swarbrick for failing to afford his player more protection. Everton's aggressive approach had knocked Arsenal out of their rhythm and it took a mistake from Marouane Fellaini to gift the Gunners their first sight of goal. Fellaini's wayward pass was collected by Kieran Gibbs in space on the edge of the penalty area, but the left-back's powerful strike flashed over the bar. Everton's attempts to stifle Arsenal were becoming increasingly crude and Darron Gibson's foul on Theo Walcott finally brought a booking from Swarbrick. Gibson was fortunate to avoid being sent off for a second booking soon after when he barged into Walcott with no attempt to play the ball. Swarbrick settled for a quiet word with the Everton midfielder, in the process infuriating the increasingly exasperated Wenger, who made his feelings clear to fourth official Kevin Friend.

The temperature rose even higher when Pienaar was booked for taking out Walcott. But Victor Anichebe went close to opening the scoring when his shot from Barkley's pass was blocked by Szczesny. The best chance of the half fell to Arsenal striker Olivier Giroud. Aaron Ramsey's burst down the right produced a teasing low cross that picked out Giroud, only for the France international to drag his close-range effort woefully wide. Santi Cazorla threatened for Arsenal early in the second half as the Spaniard's half-volley forced a good save from Tim Howard and moments later Giroud clipped a first-time shot narrowly over.

Everton went even closer in the 65th minute when Barkley worked space for a superb strike that beat Szczesny but curled agonisingly past the far post. Wenger responded by taking off Wilshere and Walcott, with Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Lukas Podolski coming on. Oxlade-Chamberlain should have made an immediate impact when Cazorla's pass sent the England winger through on goal, but instead of shooting he opted to pass to Giroud, allowing Coleman to get back and clear. Arsenal had Moyes' side on the ropes, yet couldn't deliver the knockout blow as Giroud lashed over from a tight angle.

After the game Wenger said "We had the chances to win the game, we can only look at ourselves. We must come back in the next game and win it." "We dropped two points but if we win our coming games we will get there. We can't depend on the other teams." Wenger concluded. Arsenal must now forget the stalemate against Everton quickly and look forward to another tough challenge at Craven Cottage where the Gunners must defeat Fulham to keep their top 4 chances alive and in their hands.

Mikel Arteta on the game : "It was two points that got away. It was a big battle and we had the better chances and better play. We were unlucky not to score. There is a lot to play for, if Everton won they were right in the mix. They are physically very strong.

"When we had our chances we didn't hit the target and that's why we didn't get the points. The pressure is on every team, Chelsea and Spurs have got tough games coming up. David Moyes is doing an unbelievable job at Everton. He has a chance of Europe and he deserves a lot of credit."

Martin Keown said on Five Live :

Darron Gibson should definitely have been sent off. That's a rugby challenge. He got it very wrong but he's a lucky boy to be still on the pitch.

Arsenal : Szczesny, Sagna, Mertesacker, Koscielny, Gibbs (Monreal 90), Arteta, Ramsey, Wilshere (Oxlade-Chamberlain 68), Cazorla, Walcott (Podolski 69), Giroud Subs not used: Mannone, Vermaelen, Rosicky, Gervinho

Booked: Arteta, Monreal

Everton: Howard, Baines, Gibson, Jagielka, Mirallas (Oviedo 90), Distin, Barkley (Jelavic 76), Pienaar, Coleman, Fellaini, Anichebe (Naismith 90) Subs not used: Mucha, Heitinga, Hitzlsperger, Neville

Booked: Gibson, Pienaar, Barkley
Referee: Neil Swarbrick

Attendance: 60,071

Join in with our Arsenal community, we have connected with the Disqus comment system, it is now easier to comment on our posts to connect and talk with the Arsenal fans around the world. You can now post a comment using your Social Networks plugins or if you don't want to leave your name you can sign in as a guest. Leave your comments on the game, are you still confident we can still finish top 4? Should Wilshere been on the bench for today's game? Who was your MOTM ? vote now on the right hand side of the page. Do you think Wenger was right to put Podolski back on the bench?

Match Pictures

Arsenal vs Everton MATCH HIGHLIGHTS by footballdaily1

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Arsenal 0 vs Everton 0 Match Pictures

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16th April 2013 By ArsenalSupremo

Starting line up

Arsenal 3 Norwich 1 : Thomas Vermaelen & Olivier Giroud give their post match reaction

14:46 0 comments

14th April 2013 By ArsenalSupremo

Captain Thomas Vermaelen wants the Arsenal to carry on the great run of form as the race for the Champions League places heats up. The Gunners are now gone on a 4 game winning streak since beating Bayern Munich in the second leg. Here is what Vermaelen had to say :

“In the second half we conceded a goal and we've shown before that we always fight back. You could see that today and we scored three good goals at the end.

“Norwich were not really dangerous in front of goal. Their goal was their first attempt but we knew they were strong at set-pieces and we conceded a goal from one today. That's a bit of a shame but I think we came back really strong.

Scorer of the second goal Olivier Giroud spoke to the Arsenal player on his delight of getting all three points and pointed to the Arsenal's never say die attitude the reason for the comeback.

“We feel relieved tonight because we had a bad start,” he told Arsenal Player. “We had some chances to score but we didn't succeed to in the first half.

“In the second half, Norwich scored from a free-kick. We knew [that was where they are strong] so we need to be more concentrated at set pieces. Fortunately we had a good run and succeeded to score three times.

“We never give up and we try to play until the end of the game so it's one of our qualities.

Match Report & Match Highlights

Manager's Reaction

Match Pictures

Join in with our Arsenal community, we have connected with the Disqus comment system, it is now easier to comment on our posts to connect and talk with the Arsenal fans around the world. You can now post a comment using your Social Networks plugins or if you don't want to leave your name you can sign in as a guest. What did you think of the game? Was it a penalty? Are we going to finish 4th or 3rd? let us know below!

Arsenal 3 Norwich 1 Match Report & MOTD Extended Match Highlights

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13th April 2013 Written by Jeff @ArsenalTrend Edited by ArsenalSupremo

Arsenal scored three late goals to earn a comeback 3-1 win over Norwich on Saturday and climb into third place in the Premier League. Norwich, who remain worried about the prospect of relegation, were leading thanks to Michael Turner's 56th minute opener when referee Mike Jones awarded Arsenal a penalty, ruling on the advice of a linesman that Kei Kamara had fouled Olivier Giroud. With just five minutes remaining, Mikel Arteta converted that to set the stage for even later goals from Giroud and substitute Lukas Podolski, who had earlier hit the bar.

The three points lifted Arsenal above their London rivals for a Champions League place, and the Gunners will now play twice before Tottenham are next in Premier League action. They have a Tuesday's home game with Everton and then the short trip across London to take on Fulham on Saturday. The visitors defended in numbers and restricted Arsenal to only a few crosses in the opening 20 minutes but City goalkeeper Mark Bunn had to be both brave and alert to deny Aaron Ramsey a few minutes later.

Wilshere helped on Giroud's flick as Ramsey burst through the Canaries back-line and Bunn had to rush out to get to the ball before the Wales midfielder. Giroud saw his header from Bacary Sagna's cross from the right loop over Bunn but bounce off the top of the crossbar and over. Arsenal continued to attack but Bunn pulled off a reflex stop at his near post to deny Giroud, with Sagna again the supplier. Sagna was then booked for hauling Robert Snodgrass down but, after Cazorla had fired straight at Bunn from outside the box, referee Mike Jones decided not to caution Norwich defender Russell Martin for a late challenge on the Spain midfielder.

The half ended with Whittaker heading away Giroud's goal-bound effort after the Frenchman had met another corner with his head. Arsenal came out in the second half with a barrage of pressure that Norwich somehow withstood, with Jack Wilshere seeing his shot blocked by Turner. The ball hit the Norwich defender on an arm but referee Jones refused the inevitable appeals for a penalty. Turner was immediately in the spotlight again at the other end when he lost his marker to head home Snodgrass's free-kick from the right-hand corner of the box, with Lukasz Fabianski in the Arsenal goal, rooted to the spot as it went in.

Wenger made an immediate double change with Gervinho and Wilshere replaced by Theo Walcott and Podolski. Walcott soon went down in the box as Whittaker challenged but again play continued. Norwich were forced to replace the injured Bradley Johnson with David Fox but could have doubled their lead through a counter-attack that saw Bassong set up Martin for an shot that was straight at Fabianski. Norwich's luck finally ran out when referee Jones ruled that Kamara, defending a corner, had pulled Giroud down by the shirt and awarded a penalty, which was dispatched by Arteta with just five minutes remaining.

Norwich protested bitterly beforehand and were unhappy with the award of the corner as well, as Snodgrass did not appear to have made contact before the ball went out of play. Arsenal threw everything at the visitors in the hope of three points and were rewarded when Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, another substitute, played a one-two with Podolski and squared the ball across the Norwich goalmouth, where Giroud, arriving simultaneously with defender Bassong, turned it into the net. Fabianski then had to make a save to stop Jonny Howson making it 2-2 but the points were Arsenal's when Podolski turned to fire a low left-footer past Bunn in stoppage time. It was a massive win at the end and another vital three points for the Gunners. Arsenal soaring high, can we do it again on Tuesday night against Everton?

Teams

Arsenal: Fabianski, Sagna (Oxlade-Chamberlain 80), Vermaelen, Koscielny, Gibbs, Arteta, Wilshere (Walcott 59), Ramsey, Cazorla, Giroud, Gervinho (Podolski 59).

Subs not used: Mannone, Monreal, Jenkinson, Coquelin.
Booked: Sagna.
Goals: Arteta 85 (pen), Bassong o.g. 88, Podolski 90.

Norwich: Bunn, Martin, Whittaker, Bassong, Turner, Johnson (Fox 62), Snodgrass, Howson, Tettey (Jackson 90), Holt, Kamara.

Subs not used: Camp, Garrido, R Bennett, Fox, E Bennett, Jackson, Becchio.
Booked: Snodgrass, Bunn.
Goal: Turner 56.

Arsenal Remaining Fixtures

16 April: Everton (h) 20 April: Fulham (a) 28 April: Man Utd (h) 4 May: QPR (a) 12 May: Wigan (h) 19 May: Newcastle (a)

Jack Wilshere , Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain & Podolski Twitter Reactions

Hi Fans, what a team,Turning the result, making the Arena Crazy! Amazing #Support at #Emirates! Poldi #Gunners #Love twitter.com/Podolski10/sta…
— Lukas-Podolski.com(@Podolski10) April 13, 2013

What a win for us today! Fans were brilliant, kept us going and this is what it means!!! #InItTogether #NeverGiveUp twitter.com/Alex_OxChambo/…
— Alex Ox-Chamberlain (@Alex_OxChambo) April 13, 2013

Great 3 points today! #AFC up to 3rd in the table above Chelsea and Spurs...#COYG
— Jack Wilshere (@JackWilshere) April 13, 2013

Fan's Reactions on Twitter

ArsenalSupremo tweeted out on Twitter to get Arsenal fans there opinions on what they thought on the game here are just a few of them. Remember if you wanted to get involved follow us on Twitter or just comment below on what you thought on the Gunners performance to get involved with the fans.

@arsenal_supremo Awful for the first 70 minutes. Subs changed the game and we were dominant in the next 20. Norwich players are all dicks.
— The Gooner (@TheGooner3) April 13, 2013

@arsenal_supremo Jack shouldn't have started, he looked tired. Ramsey once again brilliant so as back 4. Arteta avg,Santi invisible at times
— Jay (@Gasmuttai) April 13, 2013

@arsenal_supremo Ox once again showing he deserves to be given more game time. It was probably that Capri-Sun he was drinking earlier
— ArsenAli (@AleeArsenal) April 13, 2013

@arsenal_supremo Jack shouldn't have started, he looked tired. Ramsey once again brilliant so as back 4. Arteta avg,Santi invisible at times
— Jay (@Gasmuttai) April 13, 2013

Arsene Wenger Reaction :

"I thought we wouldn't give in, and fight until the end. We have great attitude, spirit and desire and it got us there. We deserved to win but we were against a strong side and needed something special.

"We have shown that we are ready for a fight.

"We want consistency and that demands huge focus because you can see how quickly you're punished. We're not far away but we just have to keep winning."

Watch Here

Norwich manager Chris Hughton:

"A decision has gone against us that a linesman has given from 45 to 50 yards away and the referee is less than 10 yards away.

"For a linesman to give it from that distance, and the third goal was offside and it was 10 yards away from him, it's almost criminal on a day that we deserved so much more.

"It's not as if you'll show it back and [the referee's] view was blocked. He had a clear view and didn't give it and the linesman did and that's really tough on us. We gave a really good account of ourselves for 85 minutes. We need to bounce back but we showed a lot of character and a lot of good things."

Watch Here

Match Pictures

Press Conference

Stats & Facts

1. Olivier Giroud mustered five attempts at goal and set up four more with passes today, contributing to nine of Arsenal's 14 attempts.

2. Mikel Arteta attempted more than 100 passes for the 10th Premier League match this season. It's only been done 35 times in total this season. Mikel Arteta attempted more than 100 passes for the 10th Premier League match this season.

3. Game Stats : Arsenal v Norwich Shots 14-5 On target 7-4, Fouls 10-11 Duels Won 56%-44%, Passing Accuracy 85%-70%, Possession 68%-32%

4. Aaron Ramsey made six tackles today, more than any other player on the pitch.

5. Only Man Utd (27) and Everton (22) have picked up more points from losing positions this season than Arsenal (16).

6. Arsenal have scored more goals than any other Premier League team in the last 15 minutes of matches this season.

7. Mikel Arteta has scored more penalties than any other Premier League player this season. Scoring 5 out of 6

8. 10 of Olivier Giroud’s 11 league goals this season have come at the Emirates. Only Michu (11) has scored more home goals.

Join in with our Arsenal community, we have connected with the Disqus comment system, it is now easier to comment on our posts to connect and talk with the Arsenal fans around the world. You can now post a comment using your Social Networks plugins or if you don't want to leave your name you can sign in as a guest. What did you think of the game? Was it a penalty? Are we going to finish 4th or 3rd? let us know below!

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