FA Cup
Arsenal Fans’ Nightmares Manifest Themselves In FA Cup Defeat To United
After the dust settled on the FA Cup fourth round, Arsenal fans are still sick. It’s not simply that they lost, but rather how they lost, that is infuriating the fan base. Murphy’s law says anything that can go wrong, will. Arsenal’s law says the Gunners will manage to lose games in the fashion and circumstances most unpleasant to fans. The law was in full-effect when Arsenal hosted Manchester United in the showpiece fixture in the FA Cup last weekend. With the soccer world watching, Arsenal fell at home 3-1. The manner of the defeat exposed supporters to banter from all angles. Gooners have found themselves in a similar situation so often after big games that people almost felt bad for them…almost.
The Goal Scorers
The two United players Arsenal fans were desperate to keep off of the scoresheet were Alexis Sanchez and Jessie Lingard. Arsenal managed to concede to both of them in a two minute span. The Gunners have an infuriating habit of allowing goals to ex-players who have left the Emirates on unceremonious terms. Adebayor, Van Persie, Fabregas, Nasri and now Alexis have all scored (or assisted) against their former employers while being the most hated player on the pitch by fans.
Alexis forced his way out of Arsenal a year ago and was booed relentlessly every time he touched the ball. In the 31st minute, he broke an offside trap far too easily and deftly chipped the helpless Petr Cech. For a moment it appeared he would show respect and refrain from celebrating. However, when the camera panned back to the Chilean he was engaged in a full-team NFL touchdown style celebration.
With Arsenal fans still seething and cursing Alexis for his disrespect, disaster struck again moments later. Public enemy number two for United was Lingard. The diminutive attacker has struggled to maintain a place in United’s strongest 11. However, he transforms into Leo Messi against the Gunners. The Englishman has now scored four times against Arsenal in the past two seasons. There was no doubt about the celebration this time, as Lingard is known for his dancing. Arsenal fans had to suffer the indignity of watching him moonwalk on the same patch of grass Alexis had just vacated.
Lukaku Showing a Different Side to His Game
Romelu Lukaku has been a target for criticism when Arsenal fans jibe their United counterparts. Gooners love to boast that both Alex Lacazette and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang are better strikers than the expensive Belgian. Fans argue that Lukaku lacks the finesse, touch and awareness to be a top player. They maintain he’s unable to contribute anything aside from being a battering ram who can plunder a few goals from close range. As luck would have it, Lukaku was the man who provided clever assists on both the opening two goals. Meanwhile, Arsenal’s chief playmaker Mesut Özil was again benched by Unai Emery. Predictably, United fans have taken to calling Lukaku a better passer than Özil to taunt the Arsenal supporters.
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s Lineup
Both sides fielded a strong starting 11, but Arsenal fans were confident of getting a result when the lineups were revealed. Emery named his strongest side, aside from continuing to bench Özil and using his cup goalkeeper, Cech. Solskjaer, United’s interim boss, risked his side’s impressive winning streak by leaving regulars De Gea, Rashford and Martial on the bench. De Gea had single handedly won United’s match at the Emirates last season. Arsenal managed 33 shots in that match but fell 3-1 due to De Gea’s heroics. Gooners lamented that if United didn’t have the best keeper in the world, the result would have been different.
Instead, without De Gea the score line was exactly the same. Arsenal again dominated the match with 63% possession and 5 more shots. Still, it never felt like they would win the match. Sergio Romero looked comfortable in goal also. When Arsenal needed an equalizer, they brought on Matteo Guendouzi. The teenager has yet to score or assist a league or FA Cup goal in his life. When United needed an insurance goal, they brought on Marcus Rashford – one of the best strikers in England. The fact that 2-1 become 3-1 instead of 2-2 was hardly a surprise. Arsenal fans were forced to reconsider their belief that one or two players are the only difference between the sides.
More Defenders go Down
Arsenal have had a defensive crisis this season. The crisis began the last time they faced United in December. Center back Rob Holding suffered a season ending injury that night. Since then, the team’s defensive performances have left fans wondering if the manager works on defense in training at all. After a 1-0 win last match against Chelsea, there was hope that the defense was improving. Unfortunately, it was revealed right back Hector Bellerin suffered a season-ending ACL injury in that match.
Arsenal controlled this match until center back Sokratis went off injured in minute 21 with Arsenal controlling the match. The defense was shambolic after that and became even worse when Koscielny went off injured in the 64th minute. So not only did Arsenal lose this god forsaken game, two more defenders were casualties on the night as well. The Gunners now head into vital premier league clashes this week against Cardiff and Manchester City with yet another full-blown defensive crisis.
Arsenal Must Ensure Positives Remain in Light
Arsenal have had some tough losses this season. This one may have been the worst of the lot. However, its imperative they keep things in perspective. Had they managed to equalize, they would have been forced to play a replay at United next week. Their already thin squad would have been stretched to its limit if forced to play that extra mach. It was going to be extremely difficult for Arsenal to win the FA Cup with Manchester City still in the field. An early exit will help them focus all of their efforts on reaching next season’s Champions League.
Additionally, Arsenal still sit above United in the Premier League on goal difference. United remain in three competitions and are about to endure the most demanding portion of their season. If Arsenal can recover quickly from this disaster, there is still a good chance they can finish above United. Perhaps even Chelsea or Spurs can be caught to reach the top 4. The team and the fans need to find the unity needed to put this game behind them – somehow, some way. Thankfully, bouncing back from a soul-crushing defeat is also part of the Arsenal law.
Photo credit to Sandeep Pal via Flickr
