Late show saves Gunners

Arsenal 3-1 Norwich

During yesterday’s post match press conference and highlights programmes, much was made of the penalty decision, taken in the 85^th minute, which ultimately played a crucial role in changing the outcome of this match. Some said it was a harsh call while others proclaimed surprise that the linesman could make such a decision, given the distance between himself and the incident.

As the debate raged on and on, it merely turned the focus away from the fact Norwich City got exactly what they deserved from a game in which they made no attempt to secure victory and a vital three point haul. The Canaries arrived at the Emirates with the sole aim of spoiling the game in the hope of ambushing the Gunners and effectively stealing a point. As several sides have done in the past, Norwich sought to frustrate the home side by getting as many men behind the ball as possible and keeping them there, defending extremely deep leaving no space for Arsenal to exploit. The fact that at half time the visitors had registered absolutely no attempts on goal, spoke for itself as did the time wasting which began as early as the first period.

With Chris Houghton setting his side up as he did, it was crucial for Arsenal to score an early goal to open up the game. Had the Gunners taken the lead in the opening twenty minutes, the visitors would have been forced to abandon their negative tactics, becoming more adventurous in search of a goal and ultimately leaving space which Arsenal could exploit.  Unfortunately, despite their best efforts, Wenger’s team just could not break the deadlock.

First, Giroud was extremely unlucky to see his looped header from Sagna’s cross come back off the crossbar, before Wilshere’s attempted pass to Ramsey was just in front of the Welshman, allowing Mark Bunn, in the Norwich goal to come out and collect the ball. The Gunners continued to push forward and seemed certain to break the deadlock when Cazorla’s wonderful through ball saw Gervinho race clear, only for him to take a heavy touch as he attempted to round the goalkeeper. With the angle becoming more and more acute, the Ivorian should have looked up and played the ball back to Giroud for an easy finish, but instead decided take the shot on, only to see his effort sail wide of goal. With halftime approaching, Cazorla let fly from distance, but his shot was straight at Bunn and with seconds left, Giroud’s goal bound header was cleared by Steven Whittaker.

Despite enjoying promising moments in the first half, the Gunners struggled to maintain their momentum at the beginning of the second period. The only way to break down a side who sit so deep and seek to get every man behind the ball, is to have players running beyond the opposition’s midfield. At times yesterday it was far too easy for Norwich to defend as the Arsenal players would often slowly pass the ball amongst themselves, in front of the away side’s midfield and therefore not stretching the visitors at all. This can only be achieved with quick passing and movement. Once the opposition are pulled out of position, mistakes begin to occur and opportunities are created.

With the Gunners struggling to break down a resilient Norwich side, the last thing the home team needed was to fall behind. Yet with eleven minutes of the second half played, Norwich were awarded a free kick as Kamara tripped over his own legs. It was clearly not a foul, but this incident was largely brushed aside after the game. Nevertheless, Arsenal’s defending was absolutely shocking as Sagna completely lost Michael Turner, allowing the Norwich man a free header on goal, which he directed into the bottom corner to give the away side an undeserved lead.

Wenger reacted immediately, bringing on both Walcott and Podolski for Wilshere, who was clearly off the pace all afternoon and the underwhelming Gervinho. The changes had an instant effect, with Walcott’s searing pace on the wing causing havoc amongst the Norwich defence. But the Gunners were still finding it difficult to create goal scoring opportunities, with the slick and greasy pitch not helping as on several occasions, the ball skimmed off the surface and ran out, resulting in howls of frustration from the home fans.

As the clock ticked down, and the tension increased with every second, it appeared as though this would not be Arsenal’s day. With eleven minutes left, Giroud cushioned the ball into Podolski’s path and the German unleashed a wonderful effort which seemed destined for the back of the net but instead cannoned back off the crossbar. Then with 85 minutes on the clock, the Gunners were offered a way back into the game thanks to that penalty award. While it was difficult to spot in real time, the replay clearly showed Kei Kamara pulling Giroud’s shirt in the box. Whether it was the linesman or the referee that gave the decision the main thing is that it was the right decision.

With the Norwich players arguing with the linesman and referee, Mikel Arteta had to wait an age before dispatching his spot kick precisely into the corner of the goal. Bunn got his hands to the ball, but could not prevent it from going in. Having drawn level, suddenly the floodgates opened and three minutes later the Gunners took the lead. Oxlade Chamberlain, who had come off the bench and been deployed in the middle of the pitch, embarked on a surging run down the right flank. The young Englishman reached the touchline before firing low across goal, where Bassong turned the ball into his own net, under pressure from Giroud.

The Emirates stadium went wild, but seconds later, as had happened in the home encounter with Norwich the previous year, Arsenal almost threw it all away. A long ball forward was headed down to Howson, who was in acres of space and fired on goal. Fortunately, Fabianski got his angles right and was able to block with his feet.

The shredded nerves of the home fans were not helped with the six minutes of injury time indicated at the end of the game as Norwich benefited from their constant time wasting. However, Lukas Podolski made sure the Gunners could rest easy for the final few minutes, the German turning on the edge of the box, before unleashing an unstoppable shot past Bunn to secure all three points.

Arsene Wenger once again praised his side’s great spirit, character and never say die attitude as they snatched a vital victory from the jaws of defeat. It was crucial for the Gunners to maintain their fine recent run of form and heap as much pressure on Tottenham and Chelsea as possible. The match against Everton on Tuesday night is now absolutely huge. Wenger must surely be concerned at the defending which almost cost Arsenal dear here, as Everton will definitely test them with Leighton Baines’ excellent set-piece delivery. However a draw will not do for David Moyes and so his side must attack, potentially leaving the Gunners space which they must seek to exploit. One thing is certain; it will be another tense 90 minutes at the Emirates.