Every Witch Way Not Lose

THE LOOSE CANNON

Arsenal 1–0 Hull City: Witchcraft, VAR and a Captain Who Knows How to Win Ugly

Arsenal extended their lead at the top of the Premier League to six points with a fifth successive league victory, but anyone expecting a footballing masterclass at the Emirates would have been better off staying at home and watching paint dry.

Hull City arrived looking like desperate extras from The Crucible, apparently determined to turn the Emirates into Salem, Massachusetts. There was plenty of suspicion, a fair amount of hysteria and, inevitably, the usual witchcraft from VAR.

The only thing missing was someone accusing Mikel Arteta of dancing naked in the forest with the devil. Although, given some of his touchline antics, perhaps we shouldn’t rule it out.

For much of the afternoon, Arsenal seemed determined to make life unnecessarily difficult for themselves. The first half was particularly exasperating, with the Gunners repeatedly launching high balls towards Tzolis on the left wing.

Now, Tzolis is a talented footballer, but at 5ft 10in — assuming whoever measured him wasn’t standing on a stepladder — he’s hardly Peter Crouch. Asking the Greek international to win an aerial bombardment against Hull’s defenders was a tactical masterstroke roughly equivalent to asking a goldfish to climb a tree.

Perhaps someone could remind Arsenal that football can also be played on the ground.

Then, of course, there was VAR.

Kai Havertz had his shirt quite clearly tugged in the penalty area. In any sensible universe, this might constitute a foul. Unfortunately, we inhabit the parallel universe of Premier League officiating, where Arsenal apparently require a player to be mown down by a combine harvester before anyone considers pointing to the spot.

Admittedly, Havertz was offside, which rather spoils the argument. But there were other penalty shouts, and one suspects that even if an Arsenal player were decapitated in the box, VAR would spend six minutes examining whether his detached head had strayed beyond the last defender.

Still, champions find ways to win when the football isn’t flowing, and in the 72nd minute Martin Ødegaard provided the necessary intervention.

Noni Madueke fired towards goal, Hull goalkeeper Konstantinos Tzolakis made the save, and our captain reacted faster than anyone else to slot home the rebound.

One-nil. Relief. And another three points.

It wasn’t exactly a goal worthy of hanging in the Louvre, but nobody will care much about artistic merit in May if Arsenal are lifting the Premier League trophy.

Madueke nearly helped himself to a second late on, bursting through before being stopped by Tzolakis. The ball then ricocheted off the unfortunate Nobel Mendy, only for Brooke Norton-Cuffy to clear it off the line.

It would have been a gloriously ridiculous way to finish the contest, but Arsenal had already done enough.

That’s five consecutive league victories since the 3–0 defeat against Brighton in September — still the only occasion this season when Arsenal have dropped points.

And therein lies the real story.

This wasn’t vintage Arsenal. The passing lacked imagination, the tactics occasionally bordered on the incomprehensible, and the opposition seemed to have taken their inspiration from a seventeenth-century Puritan witch trial.

But Arsenal won.

Manchester City can reduce the six-point gap when they face Nottingham Forest later on Saturday, but for now the Gunners are sitting pretty at the summit.

There will be prettier victories. There will certainly be more entertaining ones. But winning ugly is a habit that title-winning teams need to acquire.

As for Hull, they can return home with their pitchforks, bonnets and accusations of sorcery.

And VAR?

Well, we all know who the real witch is.

Three points. Six clear. Top of the league.

The witch hunt continues. Up the Arsenal.

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Gyo-goal On Target

Gyökeres Delivers as Arsenal Survive Slavia Scare to Maintain Unbeaten European Run

Slavia Prague 1–2 Arsenal

By The Loose Cannon

Arsenal’s impressive start to the season continued in Prague as Viktor Gyökeres demonstrated why Mikel Arteta was so keen to bring him to the Emirates. A goal and an assist from the Swedish striker helped the Gunners secure a 2–1 victory over Slavia Prague, maintaining their unbeaten record in this season’s Champions League.

But while the result was another welcome addition to Arsenal’s growing collection of victories, the performance told a rather different story. For 45 minutes, the Gunners looked comfortable, confident and in complete control. For much of the second half, however, they looked anything but.

Following Sunday’s historic Premier League victory at Anfield, Arteta made six changes to his starting eleven. Kai Havertz was among those rested, allowing Gyökeres another opportunity to establish himself as Arsenal’s leading striker.

And the Swede certainly made the most of it.

Gyökeres Shows His Quality

Arsenal needed just nine minutes to take the lead, with Gyökeres playing a crucial role. His clever hooked pass caught the Slavia defence flat-footed, releasing Noni Madueke, who raced through and finished with the confidence of a player increasingly comfortable in an Arsenal shirt.

It was an excellent piece of forward play from Gyökeres, combining awareness, technique and timing.

The striker then turned goalscorer himself before the interval. Linking neatly with Mikel Merino, he found space on the edge of the penalty area before curling a superb effort in off the post.

It was precisely the kind of finish Arsenal supporters have been hoping to see more regularly.

Gyökeres has occasionally struggled to impose himself on matches, but this was a reminder of his considerable ability. His hold-up play was effective, his movement intelligent and his finishing clinical.

Strikers thrive on confidence, and a performance like this could prove enormously important as the season progresses.

A Tale of Two Halves

At 2–0, Arsenal appeared to have the match firmly under control. With Declan Rice dominating midfield and the defence looking largely untroubled, there seemed little reason to anticipate any serious difficulties.

But football rarely works quite so conveniently.

Slavia emerged for the second half with renewed determination, and David Raya was immediately called upon to make a fine save from Oskar Kubiak.

Suddenly, Arsenal were struggling to maintain possession, their passing became increasingly careless and the home side began to believe they could rescue something from the contest.

Gabriel Magalhães was required to clear a Mojmír Chytil header off the line following a corner, while Raya experienced an uncomfortable moment when he failed to deal convincingly with a delivery into the penalty area.

Arteta responded with substitutions, introducing fresh legs in an attempt to restore control. Yet Arsenal never quite rediscovered their first-half authority.

Slavia eventually received some reward for their persistence when Wiktor Nowak scored from close range in the 90th minute, setting up a nervous conclusion.

Fortunately, Arsenal held on.

Rice Continues to Set the Standard

While Gyökeres deservedly collected the headlines, Declan Rice was arguably just as important to Arsenal’s victory.

Wearing the captain’s armband, the England international produced another commanding performance, combining defensive discipline with an increasingly impressive ability to dictate proceedings.

Rice has developed into the sort of midfielder around whom successful teams are built. He wins tackles, reads danger, carries the ball intelligently and sets an example through sheer determination.

His consistency this season has been remarkable.

Madueke also deserves considerable credit. His direct running caused problems throughout the first half, and his opening goal was taken with admirable composure.

Piero Hincapié provided energy and aggression from left-back, while Gabriel once again demonstrated his importance with that vital goal-line clearance.

Not everyone reached those standards. Eberechi Eze faded after some promising early moments, while Martin Zubimendi still looks as though he needs more competitive minutes before we see him at his best.

Arteta Refuses to Paper Over the Cracks

One of the most encouraging aspects of Arsenal’s development under Arteta is the manager’s apparent refusal to become satisfied simply because his team keeps winning.

Despite another three points, he was far from impressed.

“We were extremely far from our standards,” he admitted afterwards, expressing particular frustration with the second-half performance.

His assessment was justified.

Arsenal surrendered the initiative far too easily, allowing opponents they had previously controlled to dictate the tempo.

Against more accomplished European opposition, such lapses could prove extremely costly.

Nevertheless, there is something reassuring about a team that continues to find ways to win even when its performance falls below expectations.

Last season, Arsenal recorded a perfect league-phase campaign in Europe. This season, they have collected four unbeaten results from their opening four matches and sit third behind Paris Saint-Germain and Real Madrid.

That is an excellent position from which to build.

Arsenal Player Ratings

David Raya – 6: Made an important save early in the second half but was less convincing when dealing with crosses.

Ben White – 7: Dependable and composed. Rarely looked troubled defensively.

Ezri Konsa – 6: A reasonable performance, although a needless foul and subsequent booking slightly spoiled his evening.

Gabriel Magalhães – 7: Another solid display, highlighted by a crucial goal-line clearance.

Piero Hincapié – 7: Aggressive, energetic and adventurous. His overlapping runs helped create space for Eze.

Martin Zubimendi – 6: Neat and tidy without exerting much influence. Still finding his rhythm.

Declan Rice – 8: Outstanding again. Led by example and was Arsenal’s most influential midfielder.

Mikel Merino – 7: Combined effectively with Gyökeres and played an important role in the second goal.

Noni Madueke – 7: Direct, lively and increasingly confident. Took his goal extremely well.

Eberechi Eze – 6: Showed flashes of creativity but struggled to maintain his influence.

Viktor Gyökeres – 8: A goal, an assist and some excellent centre-forward play. His most convincing performance for some time.

Substitutes: Mosquera 6, Tzolis 6, Timber 6, Ødegaard 6. Dowman – too late to rate.

The Loose Cannon Verdict

Four Champions League matches, no defeats, and another victory to add to Sunday’s triumph at Liverpool. Arsenal supporters have every reason to feel optimistic.

Perhaps the most significant development in Prague was Gyökeres producing the sort of all-round performance that could transform Arsenal’s attacking options.

If the Swedish international can begin delivering goals and assists consistently, Arteta will have another formidable weapon at his disposal.

Of course, the second-half collapse in standards cannot simply be dismissed. Arsenal were fortunate that Slavia lacked the quality to turn their territorial advantage into an equaliser before the closing minutes.

Yet successful teams do not always play beautiful football. Sometimes they have to dig deep, survive uncomfortable moments and find a way across the finishing line.

Arsenal did exactly that.

There is still plenty to improve, but the victories keep coming, the squad continues to demonstrate its depth, and the sense of momentum is unmistakable.

The best teams win when they play well. Potential champions also win when they don’t.

Arsenal are beginning to look increasingly like the latter.

Gunners Get Three Anfield Points At Last

ANFIELD AT LAST! HAVERTZ FIRES ARSENAL TO HISTORIC VICTORY AS GUNNERS END 14-YEAR HOODOO

Liverpool 0–1 Arsenal

By The Loose Cannon

Fourteen years. Thirteen Premier League visits without a victory. Countless disappointments, defensive disasters and afternoons when Anfield seemed to possess some mysterious power over Arsenal.

Not anymore.

Mikel Arteta’s Gunners finally buried their Anfield curse with a magnificent 1-0 victory over Liverpool, courtesy of a first-half strike from Kai Havertz and a defensive performance that would have made George Graham weep with pride.

And to think that just four days earlier, Arsenal had been dumped out of the Carabao Cup by League Two Fleetwood Town.

Only Arsenal could lose to Fleetwood on Tuesday and conquer Anfield on Sunday. Football, as they say, is a funny old game.

Before kick-off, Arteta had delivered a simple message: “Today has to be the day.”

And his players responded.

Declan Rice, increasingly indispensable in Arsenal’s midfield, supplied the ammunition for Havertz to score the decisive goal. It was Rice’s fifth Premier League assist of the campaign, another reminder that the England international offers considerably more than defensive protection.

But this was not an afternoon for attacking fireworks. It was an afternoon for courage, concentration and collective bloody-mindedness.

Liverpool came forward in waves, urged on by a crowd that has so often helped turn Arsenal’s promising starts into humiliating defeats.

This time, however, the Gunners refused to buckle.

Gabriel had predicted a battle and chaos before the match. He got both. What Liverpool didn’t get was a shot on target.

Not one.

That statistic tells you everything about the extraordinary resilience of Arsenal’s defence.

There was a time when an Arsenal side under sustained pressure at Anfield would inevitably concede. Usually twice. Sometimes five times. Occasionally with the goalkeeper looking as though he’d rather be somewhere else entirely.

Those days appear to be over.

Arteta has constructed a defensive unit of exceptional quality, one that combines physical strength, tactical discipline and an almost stubborn refusal to panic.

Six clean sheets in nine Premier League matches is no accident. This is a team that knows how to defend a lead, even in the most intimidating surroundings.

And while the attacking football has yet to reach the heights expected of the champions, Arsenal’s defensive solidity is providing the foundation for another serious title challenge.

There are legitimate concerns about the forward line. Fourteen goals in nine league matches is hardly an avalanche, and injuries to Bukayo Saka and others have restricted Arteta’s options. Viktor Gyokeres and Havertz have also struggled to find their best form consistently.

Yet Arsenal have collected 24 points from nine games and sit three points clear at the summit.

Remarkably, that’s two more points than they had at the equivalent stage of last season’s title-winning campaign.

The message to their rivals is hardly reassuring: Arsenal aren’t yet playing their best attacking football, but they’re still winning.

Arteta, who captained Arsenal during their previous league victory at Anfield in 2012, understandably struggled to conceal his satisfaction.

“It’s been 14 years, that’s a long time,” he admitted.

Indeed it is, Mikel.

Long enough for generations of Arsenal supporters to regard a trip to Liverpool as an exercise in psychological self-harm.

But the psychological barrier has finally been broken.

The victory also provides a spectacular response to the embarrassment at Fleetwood. Lesser teams might have carried that humiliation into Sunday’s encounter. Arsenal instead used it as motivation to produce one of their most significant away performances under Arteta.

There is something particularly encouraging about that response.

Championship-winning teams don’t always produce beautiful football. Sometimes they have to grind, scrap, suffer and survive.

This Arsenal side can do all four.

Manchester City remain their closest challengers, but the Gunners are setting a formidable pace while several traditional rivals continue to search for consistency.

Nobody wins the Premier League in November, of course. Arsenal supporters know better than most how quickly a promising position can unravel.

But victories like this matter beyond the three points.

They create belief. They banish uncomfortable memories. They reinforce the conviction that no stadium, opponent or historical record should intimidate this team.

For fourteen years, Arsenal supporters have travelled to Anfield hoping that this might finally be the afternoon.

On Sunday, it was.

And perhaps the most frightening thing for the rest of the Premier League is that Arsenal still have plenty of room for improvement.

The Anfield curse is dead. Arsenal are three points clear. And the champions mean business.

Up the Arsenal!

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