Third preseason trophy
Arsenal 1 (Oxlade-Chamberlain 23′) – Chelsea
Match Highlights – Post-Match Press Conference
That’s the crazy thing about working offshore. One minute you’ve landed on the facility. The next, you’re working your arse off with your only breaks coming when you wanna eat but hey, it’s all about the mulla’.
Arsenal hosted Chelsea in probably the last English game I might watch live this season :'(. With me currently offshore and starting my Masters in September, watching live Premier League matches may not be in my lexicon but I’d definitely watch me some Champions League footie. 🙂
Arsenal’s team selection for the clash with Chelsea was a sign of some things to come in the campaign as Hector Bellerin got the nod ahead of Mathieu Debuchy and Theo Walcott starting ahead of Giroud. The Gunners got off to a rather swift start with the Ox combining with Walcott but Thibaut Courtois was on hand to make a save. Mesut Ozil was trying to make things thick in midfield but he was on the end of some rather nasty challenges from the opposition and there was even an instance when Ramires had his knee in Ozil’s mid-rift.
Arsenal finally got their breakthrough when Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain latched onto a good pass from Walcott, cut inside Cesar Azpilicueta and blasted the ball past Courtois.
Ox’s effort breezed past Courtois
Strangely, that was the Ox’s first goal for the club outside the Emirates Stadium. The lad was just too fond of scoring at home. The Ox has stated that he wants to score more goals this season and I’m hoping that he gets his wishes.
Chelsea some chances to get an equalizer but they fluffed their chances with Ramires missing a header from point blank range. He also fashioned another chance for himself when Hector Bellerin gave out the ball cheaply but his effort went wide.
In the second half, Chelsea brought on Radamel Falcao for the offside Lord, Loic Remy, but the Colombian didn’t fare any better. Chelsea mounted some intense pressure in the second half and it took some spirited defending from the Gunners to keep the Blues at bay. Oscar flighted in a free kick that was destined for the net but Petr Cech stepped up to make a great save. His aerial dominance was on show yet again and I’m sure he most have been very delighted to beat his old side.
Player Ratings
Defense
Petr Cech had a relatively untroubled game by his standards as his defense offered him great protection. 7/10
Hector Bellerin struggled in the game and almost gifted the opposition a goal with his sloppy play. A game he’d rather forget quickly. 5/10
Nacho Monreal put up another efficient performance in defense, doing his duties with minimal fuss. 7/10
Laurent Koscielny was a colossus at the back, breaking up opposition play and making vital interceptions. 8/10
Per Mertesacker had a good game at the back and he read the opposition play superbly. 7/10
Midfield
Francis Coquelin worked hard in midfield and did his bit to break up the opposition attack. 7/10
Santi Cazorla was at his cunning best with his silky touches. 7/10
Mesut Ozil did okay in midfield and was on the end of some rash challenges. 7/10
Aaron Ramsey was ubiquitous in midfield and his all-action play was a pleasurable site. 8/10
Attack
Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain put up another great shift and scored the goal that ended Wenger’s drought against Mourinho. 8/10
Theo Walcott provided a neat assist to the Ox but he didn’t offer much in attack. 6/10
Substitutes
Olivier Giroud was a thorn in the flesh of the defenders but his finishing let him down. 6/10
Mikel Arteta brought some stability to the midfield. 7/10
Kieran Gibbs didn’t play enough to get a rating.
They will soon change from 'Arsene Wenger has never won Jose Mourinho to Wenger has won just once against Mourinho'. World People
— Gooner Daily (@goonerdaily) August 2, 2015
Food for thought.
Sayonara.
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