Match Report – Match Highlights – Post-Match Press Conference
Final Result: RC Lens 2-1 Arsenal (Thomasson 25′, Wahi 69′ | G. Jesus 14?)
Arsenal XI (4-3-3): Raya; Zinchenko (White 70′), Saliba, Gabriel, Tomiyasu; Rice, Havertz (Smith Rowe 70?), Odegaard (Nketiah 80′); Saka (Vieira 34?), Jesus, Trossard (Nelson 70?)
Mikel Arteta went out with quite a strong squad for the match with RC Lens with half an eye on the all-important clash against Manchester City, but I was bewildered to see David Raya continue in goal ahead of Aaron Ramsdale, while Ben White needed a breather and Takehiro Tomiyasu got the nod. Leandro Trossard shrugged off an injury and started from the left, allowing Gabriel Jesus to lead the line, and led the line he did.
RC Lens drew first blood when Kevin Danso was unmarked in the Arsenal box from a corner kick but his quick-timed shot went wide. Adrien Thomasson got on the end of a cross from the right wing and nodded his chance wide. However, Thomasson was culpable for the first goal of the night when his misplaced pass went straight to Bukayo Saka who fed Jesus with a swift pass to instigate an attack. Jesus controlled the ball and picked his spot before placing the ball past Brice Samba in the RC Lens goal.
Arsenal was in complete control after that goal but the wind was knocked off their sails when Saka hit the deck for the third consecutive game in a row. After spending some time with the physio, his night was over and Fabio Vieira came into the fray. I have a feeling that he will still be fit for the Manchester City game, but I would be hoping he’s not called up by England for international duty to allow him rest well. He’s clearly not 100 percent fit.
Arsenal had a chance to go two up when Oleksandr Zinchenko dinked a pass over the defense to Kai Havertz but his one-timed shot stung the palms of Bamba and that was it. However, Arsenal turned out to be the makers of their own undoing when Raya’s attempted cross field ball to Tomiyasu was anticipated by Deiver Machado, albeit with his arm, that saw him skip past Tomiyasu before bundling the ball to Elye Wahi who was sandwiched between Gabriel and William Saliba. Wahi acrobatically cushioned the ball for Thomasson who curled it past Raya to level the contest for RC Lens.
Certainly a goal that shouldn’t have been conceded, as another error comes back to bite the team in the arse. The errors didn’t stop, as Gabriel’s attempted pass to Havertz was anticipated and the RC Lens turnover saw Przemyslaw Frankowski get the better of Zinchenko, and his cut back was met by Salis Abdul Samed but the Ghanaian’s shot hit the side netting.
Arsenal had a glorious chance to go ahead again when Tomiyasu got on the end of Martin Odegaard’s corner kick, but the Japanese defender fired his shot straight at Samba for a parry. If only he aimed at one of the far corners instead, there would have been raptures in the away fans section on the pitch, pubs in London and most especially, the land of the rising sun. He would later speak about how he regretted the missed chance in a post-match press conference.
With the Gunners failing to take initiative, RC Lens scored what proved to be the match winner when Zinchenko was ball watching further up field, and an attack from the right saw Frankowski drill a cut back in behind Gabriel and Saliba to an unmarked Wahi that slotted it home with a first-time effort. There has been a lot of pressure for Wahi to turn up, as he was the high-profile replacement for the departed Lois Openda, so scoring in a match of this magnitude and such a glistering stage would have done wonders to his confidence.
Arteta responded immediately to the goal conceded throwing on Reiss Nelson, Emile Smith Rowe and Ben White into the mix, but they didn’t have any significant impact – White wasn’t in the same wavelength with Vieira, Nelson attempted a handful of touches from the left and had a big chance that was blocked in the six yard box and cleared, while Smith Rowe had an effort aimed straight at the goalie.
It was a shocking loss to say the least, as the players were rightly stunned by their inability to come up with the goods on the night. Despite a very good start, Arsenal continued to make naive errors that came back to haunt them and this wouldn’t inspire confidence ahead of the clash with Manchester City.
My major concern remains the fitness of Bukayo Saka and I will be monitoring the situation in the course of the week. I’d also take solace in the fact that PSV Eindhoven left it really late to equalize against Sevilla, which ensures that Arsenal remains in second place ahead of the double header with the perennial Europa League winners.
That’s your lot for today. I need to leave here and go banter some Manchester United fans at work.
Sayonara.
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