A quarter final played on a Saturday against a very resolute and good team, always wets the appetite and the main talking point before the game was would Wenger put out his strongest team in a competition that in reality we have a good chance of winning or would he have one eye on the Bayern game to follow just three days later.
There were doubts about Koscielny who has been outstanding all season and his partnership with Mertesacker has usually a telepathic understanding that has been vital to us for most of the season
He wasn’t risked and Vermaelen stepped in and the biggest surprise, and not for the first time in such an important game, Sanogo was asked to lead the line.
We weren’t to be disappointed and the failure at The Britannia the week before was quickly forgotten. Cazorla and Ozil combined perfectly for Ozil with pin point accuracy gave us an early lead. It was an open game and then a rather messy goal by Lukaku nearing half time put Everton right back in the game.
The second half began and there was more resilience and fight by our boys and eventually the persistence payed off with Barry bringing down the excellent Oxlade-Chamberlain in the penalty box and Arteta had the dubious task of having to twice take the penalty awarded.
To me that was the pivotal moment in the game and after some astute substitutions, Giroud came on for Sanogo and scored a brace. The game was done and dusted…..
I make no excuse in naming three players as Man of the Match in fact everyone who played made a significant contribution.
Ozil for the vital first goal and the way he reads the game and put more effort in than lately, especially as he has been under the microscope.
The Ox, as he caused problems all over the pitch, his enthusiasm, directness, and general play improves all the time, a real contender for the England squad but more importantly for us,hopefully for years to come.
Arteta under immense pressure having to take the penalty twice and restoring the lead gave us that extra impudence.
Others also played their part and I am sure you will add to my considerations.
Santi who with Ozil ran a good part of the game and was much better than recently and though he didn’t score he is always looking for an opportunity to shoot or play a decisive pass.
.
Vermaelen, hardly played all season, made one slip but generally had a very good game against stiff opposition.
Ollie had a rest, a couple of affairs 🙂 and looked sharp.
Flamini, though prone to get carded always urges the players on.When Ozil scored and a few congratulated him he urged others to join in..
Sagna one assist and one assist to an assist, we would dearly miss him.
Everyone went home happy, not a day to be judgemental about those who didn’t play or who we should buy in the Summer, so may the momentum continue. Wembley here we come.
Written by kelsey
Arsenal News 24/7
arsenalarsenal.net 
Sorry Keksey no time to read post, family Day planned will be back later, just checking in to say to Chas, now seen your Swans offer….not ignoring you, if it’s available i’d love to go.
Thanks, kelsey.
Sunny report after a sunny win and a sunny day to bask in the afterglow.
When I read it the first time, I read Koscielny and Mertesacker as having a telescopic understanding. 🙂
Love Arteta giving us extra impudence. His second penalty was just that.
Cheers, GIE.
I thought you might not be able to commit to going just yet.
Either that, or you just hadn’t seen it. 🙂
Yours if you want it .
Right off for an outdoor swim. Bliss.
Another lively summing up on a fine afternoon. Agree about the MotM, but have a slight leaning toward Ox because he set the tempo for the rest of the team.
His aggressive running will be a feature of future AFC teams – add in Ramsey and Gnabry and we are almost kushti
Kelsey,
That was the sort of performance that AW always relishes, a real team performance and multiple MOM’s. The level and quality of football is what I enjoy most about our team. Evonne is so right it’s easy to get a good nights sleep dreaming of games like that – and what’s really great is that when you wake up you discover that it really did happen.
I enjoy your reviews as they are, factual, straightforward and from the heart – thank you.
Oh, by the way, can you give us a preview of your review of the upcoming Spurs game?
I think I have said on numerous occasions over the five odd years that I have been reading your match summaries how much I like them and today is no exception.
You have a great eye for the game and often spot things that many people miss.
I hadn’t noticed Flamini encouraging others to join in the celebrations with Ozil after he scored — good spot.
A very good Post, Kelsey.
LB is right – you do have a ‘fan’s’ way of writing and picking up on things not always seen by others.
My MOTM just has to be the Oxo kid, without his determined and energetic run into the penalty area to be fouled, all the rest may not have happened.
Did you notice that when Barry first fouled him in the box, he actually tried to stay on his feet. It was the second trip that put him down.
Contrast that with what Etoo or Suarez would do in similar circumstances — it is admirable and is the way football should be played – but it isn’t – and I hope next time he goes down straight away, or he is relying on sometimes dodgy refs to blow for the second challenge, and that might not come on another occasion.
Just saying!
Nice write up kelsey. Out for family lunch so will comment more later rather than from my phone.
Feels like first day of Spring in Uk, everyone is probably out garden tidying or just drinking in the sun….yes it is that warm!
Fine report from Kelsey, whilst I like Flamini’s organisation of others I do think he should also concentrate on his own game a bit more. BFG when he arrived had to get himself sorted into the requirements if defending in the PL and now is chief organiser at the back. Flamini’s lunge in their half of the pitch earned him a yellow which then meant he could not make a lunge to stop Barkley which would have halted their goal. Thankfully it didn’t cost us yesterday….but it could have.
GIE,
Maybe it’s just as well that he couldn’t lunge as it may have resulted in the triple whammy – red card, penalty and suspension.
Your weather sounds great, here it’s -5c with just a few clouds and no snow.
We call it spring in Canada?
I meant it’s not snowing but there’s still plenty left on the ground and that won’t disappear until we get a run of plus temperatures.
We turned our clocks forward last night, so all we can do is wait and hope that spring has not been cancelled – the forecast calls for below zero temperatures for at least another 2/3 weeks.
Kelsey have you gone into hiding as well?
Right that’s it I’m off to watch the ice thawing on my windows!
So much for playing Charlton.
Lovely match report, smiles all around. And if a couple of affairs is what it takes for the Handsome one to score, than I am happy to read the dirt about him in the press.
Yeah, Arteta showed the nerves of steel, cannot be easy to retake a perfectly executed pen. But he did, fair play to him. Thank Dennis Ozil didn’t volunteer to step up to the task.
Thanks Kelsey, you’ve done a good job!
GN5 – minus 5 in Canada? Jeez, I always thought it was a horrible country, now I am certain. Minus 5 on a sunny spring day and one week hols a year….who’d want to live there? Where is Rocky?
Nice report. Just hope we avoid MC in the semis. If we have to play them make it the final.
About the Ox,if u would recall against stoke,a stoke player made contact with him in d box and he stayed on his feet and managed to pull that ball back for sanogo who blazed the ball over the cross bar.if it war any oda player they would have gone down.i love his desire to play fair.
Rocky is most likely frozen in?
Evonne, I now have 52 weeks a year to spend anywhere I desire and Canada is my choice. It’s relatively crime and pollution free the people are great and there are so many wonderful places to visit that I would need another lifetime. Anywhere from Vancouver on the west coast to Halifax on the east coast – you simply cannot go wrong. Don’t knock it until you’ve tried it – I’ll take a long cold winter over an overcast rainy and damp climate anytime.
frozen Rock !!
you sound very convincing GN5, but I won’t let you pull wool over my eyes! There is no better country than UK and nothing better than a sunny day after 5 months of rain 🙂
chas – I sent you photos of young Peaches and young Raddy, did you get them?
Hi all
Gorgeous afternoon here so I’m really outside……..
Rocky is on holiday for a couple of weeks, he said he’d try to pop in but he’s not going to be able to write our Monday post this week or next so we’re stuck without a post for tomorrow. If anyone wants to volunteer to start the week off that would be grand 🙂
kelsey – I love your preview reviews and I’m very pleased you’ve started writing them up for us again.
For anyone who didn’t see the game I have to mention a fantastic save that Fabianski made where he was going to ground and somehow plucked the ball out of the sky and held on to it too. He kind of bounced and caught it ……….. oh maybe you needed to see it for yourself 😦
16:03:
FA Cup semi-final draw
Manchester City/Wigan v Arsenal
16:03:
FA Cup semi-final draw
Hull City v Sheffield United
Geez even with a 50/50 draw we come up with the short straw.
poo. when ?
If it wasn’t for bad luck … we wouldn’t have any luck at all 🙄
The weekend of April 12/13 – we don’t know the specific date yet.
Penalty for Wigan.
Wigan it is then 🙂
Worst thing is if we get to the final do we really fancy ourselves of favourite?
In all fairness we have had a tough run of games to get here PL opponents every round except Coventry home, and not just any PL side but ones in Top 7. Yes they’ve all been home ties but none easy, why would we expect the semi to be easy?
You have to beat them all to win it, so no different the semi final or final.
1-0 Wigan
1-0 to the Latics! With Demichelis on the backline Wigan has a chance…
Haha I started my comment before Wigan went 1-0 up.
Any reason Demicheles did not see red?
I haven’t seen the incident – I was bust doing a crossword, nuit I heard the commentator say that the Wigan player trailed his leg
I’m assuming that’s a fine write up GiE but I only saw the last 15 minutes… 🙂
I had a world clock malfunction, having failed to realise that the kick-off was 4.45am where I am. I still would have got up for it, but cocked up my maths.
What Gn5 hasn’t told you Evonne is that parts of Ontario have just had their coldest winter in well over a decade. I like a cold climate but boy am I glad to sit out in the sun here in Las Vegas.
I felt that we would get Shitty in the semis. It would be nice if Wigan can knock them out but….
On the plus side if we knock out Shitty in the semi we can all go to Wemberly with real optimism… Er…. Just like we did against Birmingham a few years back 😦
I just celebrated my 40th anniversary of emigrating to Canada and while I love the country.. I miss the rain. Give me a rainy London afternoon over a clear cold Toronto one any day!!!
On the few days we get a British drizzle I love to go out and walk leaving my workmates thinking I’m nuts!!!
I may well be crazy but loving a drizzle certainly isn’t one reason!! :>)
Hah! I knew it! Away to the Oilers!
Rocky, I is the post preview man 🙂
Well we scored 5 at City even though 2 were disallowed but Ramsey and our hidden weapon Kit should be available,but maybe it will be Wigan
I’ve always thought of Canada as the land of extremes, winters properly cold, but summers properly hot.
Vast expanses of open countryside, forests, mountains and lakes, plus one huge waterfall. But scrazy metropolis like Toronto to be enjoyed.
2-0 🙂
Seconds into the 2nd half 2-0 Wigan.
2-0 Wigan, id rather play City 🙂
Rocky,
Did you mean that is a fine write up, Kelsey?
Or do you think he cheats by writing his post-match before the game – score and all as predicted. 🙂
Or are Exile and Kelsey the same guy?
Citeh 0 : 2 Wigan
Que? 🙂
He is old enough and tall enough to be my son, RA
Whoops – sorry Kelsey 😳
I was confused by seeing an unfamiliar yellow ball in the sky…
Surely the Wiggies are not going to hold on?
GIE, Ontario alone has over 250,000 lakes – most of them still in pristine condition – incredible fishing and hunting (although I am not a hunter). It’s a sports mans paradise.
It’s true that the winters are long but the weather is the summer is very reliable – lots of sunshine to enjoy while out fishing or on a family barbeque. Great country,
I also miss aspects of English life but my many relatives who still live mainly in the London area tell me that things have changed beyond recognition and not for the good.
If City come back to tie the game and there is a replay it would congest their fixture list and may hand the Championship to Chelsea.
Wigan are playing well.
I am going to jinx this aren’t I?
Yep
You are famously handsome, Kelsey, but I notices you said that Rocky was tall enough and old enough (?) to be your son, but there was no mention of ‘handsome’. Is he that bad.
Bum – Citeh 1 : 2 Wigan
It was inevitable,let’s hope worst way it’s a draw.
I have never had the pleasure of seeing him except Rasp had to stand on a ladder to converse with him.
Gn5.5.20 I think all ex-pats would agree with your last sentence!
C’mon Wigan. Not holding out too much hope but it would be nice
Rocky. Hope you are enjoying yourself wherever you are
BR sad but true unfortunately.
Couldn’t agree more Raddy…if only
It’s turned into the Alamo
We play City on the 29th March
Wigan are living on borrowed time
Nasri and de Silva versus Ozil and Cazorla would be interesting.
Who is paying 🙂
Wow
When is the draw
Can you believe it!!!!!!!!!!!!!
When was the last time only one PL was in the semis of the FA Cup. Trouble is we are now odds on favorites.
LB are you joking 🙂
What makes their loss even more satisfying is that Clichy made the error which led to Wigan’s second goal.
Well well well…
Who’d have thought that result would happen?
Okay now over to watch the PGA…
You mean in the sense of what does it matter?
Yeah, I suppose you are right.
If we can’t beat Wigan, Sheffield U or Hull then we don’t deserve the trophy.
Kelsey
Has the draw already taken place, I really don’t know?
Bloody Hell!
Ahh, good old BBC.
When did the draw take place?
Aren’t Hull in the PL??? 😀
Wigan v Arsenal
Hull v Sheffield United
LB. 16.00GMT
Banana skin alert for the SF.
Oh yes so they are Raddy, I got carried away 🙂
City really don’t defend very well even when they win.
All the neutrals will put a lot of pressure on us as firm favourites but we have “mental strength” haven’t we Arsene 🙂
Based on the teams left in the Cup this is our best chance for a major trophy since 2005 when we last won the FA Cup.
If we fail to get the trophy I will have to take a very long blogging sabbatical as I will not be able to stand the noise.
It really is ours to lose…….I’m going to bloody hate this competition now!!
LB as ever there seems to be a desire with the TV companies to televise the draw, and they want it before the last game of the round.
What was wrong with listening to the wireless on a Monday lunchtime?
https://twitter.com/dagoonerz/status/442729694803156992
Omens omens omens
As GN5 says – now we really have some pressure. Lose it from here and the knives will be out for AW.
Evonne, I have been fortunate enough to visit some 70+ countries in my life time and in my opinion Canada, where i have visited regularly, including a 6 week drive from coast to coast is my favourite, clean, great people and sights both scenic and animal to charm the heart of any serious traveller.
Although the UK is my homeland, I am sad to say it is no longer the wonderful country of mine and GN5’s youth.
Text just received from my City supporting son. “Dad just seen the score, Bunch of muppits”. I like that 🙂
Gary Lineker ✔ @GaryLineker
Follow
Wigan face Arsenal in the semis, encouraged massively by the fact they’ve much more experience of Wembley than the Gunners in recent years.
arsehole 😉
hi Dandan, I am sure Canada is gorgeous and as it happens my favourite scenery includes lakes and mountains covered in snow, but it is a different proposition to visit and to live there day to day. I can easily imagine myself sitting by a log fire, or skiing, or tracking grizzlies, but I’d rather not think about what that cold could do to my arthritic joints. I really don’t like Mediterranean scenery, but my bones love it.
I know precisely what you mean about UK, it is definitely not the country I fallen in love with 33 years ago. I was so happy in London once, now I am moving out and hope never to come back.
Well done Wigan. The dream final vs. City was never going to happen once Wrighty & Son made the draw.This seems to make our chance of getting to the final, and winning it much easier
This is all very well, but.why are we appearing to hand the title to Chelsea when it would seem that prize is also within our grasp? I am not being just greedy. The Premiership should never be so easy to win that Mourinho can do it first time twice. No way Jose!!
I am struggling to see anything special about them apart from Hazard. The remarks the feisty one has made over the years about our manager have not yet been put to right. I do not support that he is special. Good? yeah. But one who needs to be taken down a peg or five.
Evonne,
I remember the winters in London very well. The house we lived in only had coal fire heating and when the fires went out overnight we would freeze. We’d wake up in the morning afraid to get out of bed knowing that we had no hot water and no electricity or running water. To get water heated we had to light a fire and then walk down and then back up four flights of stairs to get some water. Than we could wash and get dressed. I’d wait for a bus to school and freeze my nuts off waiting, get on an unheated bus and go to an unheated school and sit there all day in my top coat. Oh yea those were the days my friend and I’m so glad that they came to an end.
In short I have never been as cold in Canada as I was in London, mind you we accept that it’s cold here and dress accordingly. Damp cold is way, way, worse than dry cold because it eats away at ones bones..
GN5 – very true. I am not half as cold in Poland when it is -20 as I am in London during +1 long spells. The dampness goes right through you.brrrr…..
But then the springs and the autumns here are spectacular. well worth waiting for. Plus, I could never live in a country that is more than 6k km from my mother and 5.5k km from the Emirates.
Evening all. I can concur with GN5 and Evonne as I frequent Norway a lot and the drier cold is more tolerable. Having said that -25 is -25 in anybody’s book and bloody cold, as I found out one new years eve when I had my glove off temporarily and was holding a bottle of champers while out watching the fireworks, only to find that said bottle had started to stick to my hand.
Well I didn’t see that result coming today. Well played the latics. Lets hope they have used up all their banana skins on the oilers.
BTW, loved the match report Kelsey. I feel the big difference was the injection of pace into the side from the Ox. I am not so much into this bringing the quicker player on later when legs are tired. Get players like the Ox on from the word go to terrorise them. It gives our midfield craftsmen more to aim at with passes in behind and allows us to get the ball forward quicker.
Excellent pitch side vid without commentary, watch BFG`s actions for the last 2 goals !.
So….. Arsenal win, Spurs lose, Wigan win, England Rugby team beat the Welsh – would have been a great w/e if the England cricket team made a decent fist of it. Shambolic performance
GB – I was skiing in Poland 2 years ago in -28 and it was great. I had a frozen white moustache and beard, but enjoyed the challenge and the danger tremendously.
Latics did well all right. Despite their extensive experience of playing at Wemberley, I still rather play them than Shitty
You know if you are worried about your moustache and beard going white Evonne they have some great hair dye products on the market these days.
Very quick morning all and
THANK YOU KELSEY
Sorry not around to enjoy your post more leisurely. Only just seen Wigan result Yippee, any way you look at it, we get our heads screwed on, then our chances of Cup glory have sky rocketed.
Right must go again. Cocked up diaries with Missis, so I have to drop children at school and somehow get to Bristol Airport by 10’ish.
Mmmm, here come three speedy points
Peaches/Rasp….there’s one in drafts for you.
Irish posted this on Facebook:
“I have the greatest respect in the world for Hull, Sheffield United and Wigan but if you want to end a 9 year trophy drought, this is a bit of an opportunity”
She is such a doomer 🙂 A bit of an opportunity, I say!! We can start celebrations now
motning all.
thank you Kelsey, great stuff, nowt to disagree with. 😀 😀 😀
safe journey, Micky. 😀
Evonne: “We can start celebrations now” 😛
yes Arnie, we can. I think I will put my full kit on today to kick if off
Really funny reading the comments on here about the draw and subsequent result.
To begin with, we’re crestfallen at our luck of getting drawn with the oilies.
Then we’re cock-a-hoop that our dreams have come true with the favourites being knocked out.
Doubts start to creep in, though, because we now become massive favourites with all the attendant pressure that brings. If we don’t win the cup, Wenger will be gone.
Lastly, we can already start celebrating winning the trophy with the monkey backpack finally jettisoned.
Did Birmingham not teach us anything?
Chas you’ll probably enjoy my in drafts post 🙂 White beard won’t 😀
Morning all
If you watched the City v Wigan game it is imperative that when we play them we score first otherwise we will be playing Stoke Mark 2.
Morning All,
When MC lose to a Championship side and at home, it is just a blip.
When we lose away to Stoke it is a crisis
what about Birmigham ?
white bear is even better than beard
The magic was flowing quite literally and not just from the magician, Ox played his part and how, add in rozza and oli G’s cameos and we had an absolute cracker of a game, probably the second best game of the season after the napoli one.
Wigan will be confident but complacency is our biggest enemy, we were hit by it in 2011 in that final and we havent yet recovered, come this time, talent will not be the issue, complacency maybe. Per and Bouldie do the team talk please.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uQo6t9vcZYc
Vinay. Always good to read your comments.
I agree Per & Bouldy would ensure the boys are fired up
Micky
Hope you have a stupendous trip.
It’s good to see that the planning is already up to the high standards set by your Dortmund trip. 🙂
Morning all
Thank you GiE for the post 🙂
Next nagging session scheduled for sometime tomorrow afternoon 😉
Micky – have a brilliant trip and a super birthday
Vinay
I’m not sure complacency is the biggest enemy.
Instead, maybe it’s the weight of expectation from people like White Bear. (eh, GIE? 🙂 )
Before Everton I was more interested in our chances of buying Loic Remy !.
Then we beat the Toffee men and with excitement I managed to get a Semi !.
Then the draw and like everyone I thought it was going to be Mansour City.
Expectations then shrunk and I looked down to a sight of such great pity .
It`s Wigan !, I booked to celebrate through Transplant, the Bounds Green Pimp.
Chas then mentioned Birmingham, from full grown Boner to ludicrously limp !.
Micky should get to the ground by half-time
Surely we have a post for Wednesday, too?
https://twitter.com/fumbucker/status/442598327951974401
Nice one, Cockie. 🙂
Did Terry say he could get you a ticket?
Twitter is alive with people after Wembley tickets for the Wigan semi. Some are saying they’ve been to 25+ games this season and still won’t get one.
Nice to see Clichy let one slip yesterday…..
https://twitter.com/Dynamite_76/status/442942441914503169
I can’t remember if this Rambo video has been posted here before. Definitely worth watching.
I really hope he’s given plenty of time to get back to full fitness and up to match speed again.
https://vimeo.com/88332303
BR
I might have to go back to re-read your joint Dortmund post. 🙂
No chance chas, I`m just a feeble Red Member !.
GN5 London is a dump. Can’t wait to see the back of it. What a great weekend for us. Lovely to see peaches and chary at the game.
I heard you were meeting after the game, GM.
We always need to get on the road.
I hope your new life in Vietnam is all you hope it will be.
……and more.
New Post everyone ……………….
Me too GM. Don’t be a stranger!
All the best Michael, keep in touch.
Chas
there is copywright on my picture and or those that don’t know I am not one of a quadruplet.
Apologies, kelsey.
I think everyone knows there couldn’t be 4 chaps who look that good!