Arsenal-West Ham (3-1)

On 9 December, we played our London rivals West Ham. We had been in terrible form before the game, our last win (in all competitions) coming nine games ago. Our current interim manager Freddie Ljungberg used to play for West Ham! He signed for them on 23 July 2007, after nine years at Arsenal. The Swede is still without a win as Arsenal boss but I had a good feeling that this was the game.

In the thirty-eighth minute, there was a goalmouth scramble following a corner. The ball broke on the edge of the box for Pablo Fornals. He took a touch then whipped it into the box. Angelo Ogbonna threw himself at the ball and headed it past Leno and into the goal. West Ham were ahead very early in the game which isn’t very surprising because our defence has not been great so far this season.

Fifteen minutes after half-time, Kolasinac made an amazing run down the left flank. He crossed the ball into the box where Martinelli was waiting to blast it past David Martin to equalise the game. He is the youngest player to score for Arsenal on their first Premier League start.

Six minutes later, Aubameyang laid the ball off for Pepe. He took a few touches, cut inside from the right and curled the ball past Martin and into the top corner! The Ivorian had put us ahead for the first time in the game with an outstanding shot. This was his first goal from open play as an Arsenal player and hopefully this will kick-start an amazing career with the Gunners.

Three minutes later, Aubameyang beautifully back-heeled the ball to Pepe. He proceeded to deftly chip the ball into the box where Aubameyang was waiting to smash it into the goal to give us a two goal lead! This was Aubameyang’s eleventh Premier League goal of the season which is very impressive. There have unfortunately been some rumours suggesting that Aubameyang wants to move to Real Madrid or Barcelona which would be terrible for us because he has been carrying us quite a bit this season.

During the game we made three substitutions. In the twenty-ninth minute, Tierney suffered a dislocated shoulder which is going to rule him out for three months. He was replaced by Kolasinac. In the eighty-sixth minute, Guendouzi replaced Xhaka, and finally, in the eighty-eighth minute, Pepe was replaced by Nelson.

The game ended 3-1 to Arsenal which is an amazing result for us. This was Ljungberg’s first win as Arsenal manager and hopefully not his last. We came from a half-time losing position to win a Premier League away game for the first time since 2011. Martinelli played outstandingly on his first Premier League game for the club. Our next game is against Standard Liege in the Europa League and I am predicting that it is going to be a great game!

MAN OF THE MATCH

Nicolas Pepe

PLAYER RATINGS (STARTING ELEVEN)

Bernd Leno: 7

Ainsley Maitland-Niles: 6

Calum Chambers: 7

Sokratis Papastathopoulos: 6

Kieran Tierney: 6

Lucas Torreira: 7

Granit Xhaka: 5

Mesut Ozil: 6

Nicolas Pepe: 8

Gabriel Martinelli: 7

Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang: 7

Arsenal-Brighton (1-2)

On 5 December, we played Brighton. This was Freddie Ljungberg’s second game as Arsenal manager. It was also Lacazette’s one-hundredth game as an Arsenal player. We have played Brighton nineteen times and won twelve; we have drawn four and they beat us three times. We are having our worst start to the Premier League in forty-two years. If history was anything to go by, this game should be a goal-fest because we have failed to score in only two of our last fifty-nine home games in the Premier League, which is very impressive.

Thirty-six minutes into the game, Pascal Groß crossed the ball into the box from a corner. Following a goalmouth scramble, Aaron Connolly brought the ball down on his chest. Adam Webster then proceeded to blast the ball past Leno to put the visitors ahead. We had now conceded twenty-three goals in only fifteen Premier League games which is not good enough for a team of our calibre.

In the fiftieth minute, Ozil crossed the ball into the box. Lacazette leapt into the air at the front post and headed it towards the goal. Davy Pröpper, Mathew Ryan, and Sead Kolašinac attacked the ball but it went right through the defence and into the goal. We had equalised through Lacazette! All five of the Frenchman’s Premier League goals have been scored at the Emirates this season. Mohamed Salah is the only player who has scored more with 100% of them coming at home this term.

Between the forty-sixth and seventy-seventh minute, we made three substitutions. Pepe came on for Willock in the forty-sixth minute, Tierney replaced Kolasinac in the seventy-second minute, and Lacazette was replaced by Martinelli in the seventy-seventh minute.

In the sixty-second minute, Ozil sent a great cross into the box from a free kick. Luiz made a great run across the box then headed the ball into the goal. We had turned the game around, or at least that’s what I thought! Following a VAR review, the goal was ruled out for offside.

In the eightieth minute, Australian midfielder Aaron Mooy crossed the ball into our box. Neal Maupay threw himself at it, and it flew past Leno and into the far corner. We had fallen behind for the second time.

The game ended 2-1 to Brighton, which was so annoying because we had lost yet again. We were now winless in nine games in all competitions, which was our longest streak since a run of ten in 1977. Freddie Ljungberg is still without a win as Arsenal manager but hopefully the time will arrive very soon. This game was Brighton’s first ever Premier League away win against ‘big six’ opposition which is not a record I am proud to be part of. Our next game is against West Ham and hopefully that game will be Ljunberg’s first win as Arsenal manager.

MAN OF THE MATCH

Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang

PLAYER RATINGS (STARTING ELEVEN)

Bernd Leno: 6

Hector Bellerin: 5

Sokratis Papastathopoulos: 3

David Luiz: 3

Sead Kolasinac: 5

Lucas Torreira: 5

Granit Xhaka: 6

Joe Willock: 5

Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang: 4

Mesut Ozil: 5

Alexandre Lacazette: 7

Arsenal-Norwich (2-2)

On 1 December, we played newly promoted side Norwich. This game was interim coach Freddie Ljungberg’s first game in charge of Arsenal. Neither team had been in very good form coming into this game. We were coming off the back of a seven-game winless streak which stretched all the way back to October, whereas Norwich had only won three games this season. Aubameyang had scored 80% of our away goals this season which is not a good sign because the moment he gets injured, our season will go down the drain.

Twenty-one minutes into the game, Kenny McLean played the ball through the defence and to Teemu Pukki. He took a touch, turned, then blasted the ball towards the goal. Unfortunately Mustafi was standing in the way so the ball ricocheted off his body and into the goal. I was so irritated because this was a really cheap goal. Luiz and Mustafi kept backing off until he shot so Pukki wasn’t challenged at all.

Three minutes after Pukki’s goal, Ozil crossed the ball into the box from a free kick. Christoph Zimmermann attempted to head the ball away from his goal, but in doing so he accidentally knocked the ball away with his hand. It was a penalty! Aubameyang stepped up and blasted the ball at the middle of the goal, but Tim Krul was ready to punch it away and Max Aarons cleared the ball. Following a VAR check, though, it turned out that Aarons had encroached inside the penalty area before Aubameyang had touched the ball meaning that the penalty had to be taken again. The Gabonese forward buried the ball into the bottom left corner on the second time of asking to equalise the game. Since his Premier League debut, Aubameyang has scored twenty-seven goals in games played on a Sunday!

In the forty-seventh minute, Onel Hernandez made a blistering run down the right flank before laying the ball off for Todd Cantwell. He took a touch then blasted it past Leno to put Norwich ahead again. This was Cantwell’s fourth goal of the season! Our defence wasn’t good enough again. The Englishman was wide open when he took the shot and we really need to be closing him down.

In the fifty-seventh minute, Ozil swung a corner into the box. Mustafi volleyed the ball towards the goal but Sam Byram blocked it. Luckily, though, Aubameyang was ready to collect the rebound then tuck the ball into the goal to equalise the game! Aubameyang has scored ten goals in eleven Premier League games against newly promoted sides.

Between the seventieth and eighty-ninth minute, we made three substitutions. In the seventieth minute, Torreira replaced Willock; in the seventy-eighth minute, Guendouzi was replaced by Saka; and in the eighty-ninth minute, Martinelli replaced Ozil.

The game ended 2-2 which is a huge disappointment because Norwich are newly promoted and haven’t been doing well this season. We are now without a win in our last six Premier League games which is our longest such streak within a season since December 1994. Our next game is against Brighton at the Emirates and hopefully Freddie Ljungberg will claim his first win as Arsenal coach!

MAN OF THE MATCH

Gabriel Martinelli

PLAYER RATINGS (STARTING ELEVEN)

Bernd Leno: 8

Calum Chambers: 4

Shkodran Mustafi: 3

David Luiz: 4

Sead Kolasinac: 5

Matteo Guendouzi: 6

Granit Xhaka: 6

Joe Willock: 6

Mesut Ozil: 5

Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang: 7

Alexandre Lacazette: 4

End of the road for Emery!

From left: Unai Emery, Freddie Ljungberg

After eighteen months as boss of Arsenal, Unai Emery has been sacked following the club’s longest winless run since 1992. It was announced on 29 November after our 2-1 loss to Frankfurt on the same day. He took over from Arsene Wenger on 23 May 2018. The Spaniard managed fifty-one Premier League game, winning twenty-five, drawing thirteen and losing thirteen. Within those games, we scored ninety-one goals and conceded seventy. During his tenure, he signed twelve players: Matteo Guendouzi, Bernd Leno, Gabriel Martinelli, Lucas Torreira, William Saliba, Kieran Tierney, Sokratis Papastathopoulos, Nicolas Pepe, Dani Ceballos, David Luiz, Stephan Lichtsteiner and Denis Suarez. He also guided us to a Europa League final and a fifth place position. On 29 November, it was announced that ex Arsenal player Freddie Ljungberg and Per Mertesacker would take over as interim manager. In today’s post I will be writing about ten of the candidates who could take over as Arsenal boss and then giving them a rating out of ten. Enjoy!

Freddie Ljungberg

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Ljungberg is an ex-Arsenal player who was was known for his iconic red hairstyle. The Swede made 216 Premier League appearances for us, scoring 46 goals within that time. He also played an important role in our invincible season in 2003-04. He was the assistant manager at Wolfsburg in 2017 and the Arsenal U23 manager in 2018-19. He is a good choice because he already knows what it is like to be an Arsenal player and has a little bit of experience as a coach as well. He has been selected as interim coach, but if he does well he might earn himself a permanent job. 7/10

Per Mertesacker

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The German recently retired from football in 2018 after an impressive playing career with Hannover 96, SV Werder Bremen and Arsenal. He was also a World Cup winner in 2014. Until recently, he was managing the Arsenal academy. During his time at Arsenal the Big Friendly German (BFG) won three FA Cups and two FA Community Shields. He has been selected as interim assistant manager. He doesn’t have much experience as a manager though. 5/10

Nuno Espírito Santo

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Nuno Espírito Santo is currently the Wolves coach. The Portuguese man had an impressive twenty-five year playing career which included spells with Vitória Guimarães, Porto, and Dynamo Moscow, among others. He has also managed Valencia and Porto. Santo led Wolves to the Premier League in only his first season at the club. He is my favourite candidate because he is known for being tough and Arsenal need a bit of toughness. 10/10

Mauricio Pochettino

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If someone had told me that Pochettino would be a candidate for Arsenal manager several weeks ago I would have laughed in their face. But after he was fired by Sp*rs and then replaced by José Mourinho, I think this a realistic suggestion. During the Argentine’s playing career, he played for Paris Saint-Germain, Espanyol, Bordeaux and Newell’s Old Boys. He has also managed Espanyol, Southampton and most recently Sp*rs. During his five year spell at Sp*rs he changed them from a mid-table team to Champions League finalists. I think he would be salty because several hours after being fired, Sp*rs already had a replacement which means that they had been negotiating with Mourinho before they fired Pochettino. 9/10

Massimiliano Allegri

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Allegri is an Italian manager who most recently managed Juventus. He had an impressive nineteen-year playing career which included spells at Napoli, Livorno and Cagliari. He is one of the most successful managers ever. He led Juventus to five consecutive Serie A titles, four Coppa Italia triumphs and two Champions League finals in five years. He is also the coach with the highest win percentage in the history of Juventus with 70.4%. I think it would be a good idea because he has a lot of experience. 8/10

Rafael Benítez

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The Spaniard played for Linares and Parla during his eight-year playing career. During his managing career he has taken charge of thirteen teams which includes Liverpool, Inter Milan, Chelsea, Napoli, Real Madrid, Newcastle and most recently Dalian Yifang F.C. He is earning £12m-a-year which makes him one of the highest paid managers in the world. I think he is a good idea because he has managed Liverpool, Chelsea and Newcastle, so he has experience in the Premier League. 8/10

Patrick Vieira

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The Frenchman is an ex-Arsenal star and the captain of our famous invincible season in 2003-04. Apart from his spell at Arsenal, he also played for Cannes, AC Milan, Juventus, Inter Milan and Manchester City. He also won a World Cup with France in 1998. He managed New York City FC from 2016-18 and recently started managing OGC Nice. I think he is a very good option because he has lots of experience both as a manager and a player, and along with that he also has strong ties with Arsenal. 8/10

Mikel Arteta

The Spaniard has enjoyed a very successful playing career which included spells with Paris Saint-Germain, Rangers, Real Sociedad, Everton and Arsenal. During his time at Arsenal, he won two FA Cups and two FA Community Shields. After retirement, he became Pep Guardiola’s assistant at Manchester City. I think he would be a great replacement for Unai Emery because he knows his way around the club and has quite a lot of experience. 6/10

Carlo Ancelotti

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The Italian had a very illustrious career which included spells with Parma, AC Milan and Roma. What he is very well known for, though, is his managing career. He is one of only three managers to have won the Champions League three times. He is also one of only seven people to have won the Champions League as both a player and a manager! Some of the biggest teams he has managed include Juventus, AC Milan, Chelsea, Paris Saint-Germain, Real Madrid and Bayern Munich. He is currently managing Napoli in Serie A. Due to his experience and success as a manager, I think he would be a great success. 9/10

Brendan Rodgers

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The Ulsterman had a quiet playing career which included spells with Ballymena United and Reading. When he was 20 he was forced to end his professional career due to a genetic knee condition. He went on, though, to manage the Chelsea youth team, Watford, Reading, Swansea City, Liverpool, Celtic and currently Leicester. In his first season as manager of Celtic he managed to secure a record 106 points, and they became the first Scottish side to complete a top-flight season undefeated since 1899. When he took over from Claude Puel, Leicester were a mid-table team but since he took over they are looking like title contenders! Unfortunately, though, he is unlikely to leave his current job. 5/10

As you can see, there are lots of possible candidates who could take over as permanent manager. Hopefully Freddie Ljungberg and Per Mertesacker will do well in the meantime while we wait for a new coach. My personal favourite is Nuno Espírito Santo, but any of the candidates would do well. Our next game is the first one since the end of the “Emery Era” against Norwich and hopefully we will get a good result.

Arsenal-Frankfurt (1-2)

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On 28 November, we played German side Frankfurt for the second time. We beat them in the first leg 3-0. It was clear that the fans weren’t happy with the team because only 1,000-2,000 fans sat down at the Emirates, which is believed to be a record low. We hadn’t won in five games so I was hoping that this would be the game that turned our fortunes around.

Thirty-one minutes into the game, David Luiz collided with a Frankfurt player resulting in a bruised rib. He was replaced by Guendouzi. On the stroke of half time, Martinelli crossed the ball across the floor. Saka dummied the ball and it went to the far post where Aubameyang was waiting to smash it off the crossbar and into the goal to put us ahead! Aubameyang has scored thirty-one goals and provided nine assists in forty-four appearances for Arsenal at the Emirates Stadium.

Ten minutes after half time, Danny da Costa passed the ball to Daichi Kamada. He took a touch then curled it into the bottom corner to equalise the game. The goal was way too easy for them to score and we really shouldn’t concede goals like that.

In the sixty-fourth minute, Frankfurt were awarded a corner. The ball was ferociously swung into the box by a Frankfurt player. Martinelli headed the ball away from the goal but directly into the path of Kamada who blasted it into the bottom corner! We had given away our strong lead which we had gained in the first half and now we were behind.

Between the sixtieth and seventy-sixth minute, we made two substitutions. Ozil replaced Martinelli on the hour mark, and Mustafi was replaced by Torreira in the seventy-sixth minute.

The game ended 2-1 to Frankfurt. We have now gone six game without a win. Unai Emery has done well, but I think that enough is enough and he should be sacked. Our next game is against Norwich in the Premier League. Thanks for reading!

MAN OF THE MATCH

Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang

PLAYER RATINGS (STARTING ELEVEN)

Emi Martinez: 6

Calum Chambers: 6

Shkodran Mustafi: 5

Sokratis Papastathopoulos: 4

Kieran Tierney: 5

David Luiz: 6

Granit Xhaka: 5

Joe Willock: 7

Gabriel Martinelli: 7

Bukayo Saka: 7

Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang: 8

Arsenal-Southampton (2-2)

On 23 November, we played Southampton. We had not been doing well of late but neither had Southampton who were sitting in eighteenth place in the Premier League table. We were unbeaten in our last twenty-four games against Southampton so if history was anything to go by, this should have been an easy win.

Eight minutes into the game, Oriol Romeu was fouled by Calum Chambers. Ryan Bertrand took a quick free kick to Danny Ings who ran at Leno before smashing the ball off the post and into the goal. They were ahead after less then ten minutes which really shouldn’t have happened. Ings had scored six of Southampton’s 12 Premier League goals this season which means 50% of their goals.

Ten minutes later, Tierney crossed the ball into the box. Aubameyang took a shot which was unfortunately blocked by Bertrand. Luckily, though, Lacazette collected the ball and smashed it into the goal to make the score 1-1. Seventy-seven per cent of Lacazette’s 30 Premier League goals have been scored in home games.

At half time, Pepe replaced Chambers. Twenty-six minutes later, Ings made a good run into the box. Tierney attempted to stop Ings but in doing so he pulled his shirt, giving away a penalty. James Ward-Prowse stepped up which was not good news for us because he has taken seven penalties and never missed. He smashed it down the middle but it was saved by Leno. Unfortunately, though, Ward-Prowse pounced on the rebound and tucked it away to put Southampton ahead again.

In the eighty-third minute, we made two substitutions. Willock replaced Torreira, and Bellerin was replaced by Martinelli. I was hoping that they would inspire a comeback.

In the sixth minute of additional time, Martinelli made a great run down the flank. He crossed the ball to Lacazette who smashed the ball into the top corner to equalise the game.

The game ended 2-2, which is really annoying because we have now gone five games without a win. At this rate, Emery will be sacked any day now. Our next game is against Frankfurt in the Europa League.

MAN OF THE MATCH

Alexandre Lacazette

PLAYER RATINGS (STARTING ELEVEN)

Bernd Leno: 6

Callum Chambers: 6

David Luiz: 5

Sokratis Papastathopoulos: 4

Hector Bellerin: 6

Lucas Torreira: 5

Matteo Guendouzi: 6

Kieran Tierney: 5

Mesut Ozil: 6

Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang: 5

Alexandre Lacazette: 8

Arsenal-Leicester (0-2)

On 9 November, we played the 2015-16 Premier League winners. The hosts were in really good form and thanks to some good additions, which they made over the summer, they are now realistic rivals for a top four position. Jamie Vardy has been in really good form recently and (at the time of writing) had scored ten goals. He has also scored eight goals in eight Premier League games against us, which means that he is definitely the player to look out for.

In the sixty-eighth minute, Youri Tielemans cut the ball back to the danger-man Jamie Vardy. He amazingly shot the ball on the turn, first time, and it crept into the bottom left corner to put Leicester ahead. We were yet again on the back foot which is not acceptable for a team of our calibre. He has now scored nine Premier League goals against us which is the fourth most ever – only behind Wayne Rooney, Harry Kane and Robbie Fowler.

Seven minutes later, Wilfred Ndidi made a bulldozer-like run down the middle of the pitch. He passed to the goalscorer, Vardy, who then proceeded to lay the ball off for James Maddison. Maddison then smashed it into the bottom left corner to put Leicester two goals ahead. This goal was his third from outside of the box this season, which made him the player who had scored the most goals from outside the box in the Premier League (at the time).

Before the end of the game, we made two substitutions. Pepe replaced Holding in the seventy-seventh minute and Willock came on to replace Torreira.

The game finished 2-0 to Leicester. Leicester are a good team, but we really shouldn’t be losing by such a margin. We have won 87 points in our fifty Premier League games under Unai Emery, which is one fewer than we managed in our final fifty under Arsene Wenger – which means that we are worse off now then we were before we signed Emery. I am fully on board with the “Emery Out” bandwagon now. Our next game is a must-win game against Southampton in the Premier League.

MAN OF THE MATCH

Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang

PLAYER RATINGS (STARTING ELEVEN)

Bernd Leno: 6

Calum Chambers: 5

David Luiz: 5

Rob Holding: 5

Hector Bellerin: 6

Lucas Torreira: 6

Matteo Guendouzi: 5

Sead Kolasinac: 5

Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang: 6½

Mesut Ozil: 5

Alexandre Lacazette: 6

Arsenal-Vitoria S.C. (1-1)

On 6 November, we played Portuguese side Vitoria S.C. The last time we played Vitoria, Pepe scored two brilliant free kicks in the final few minutes which lead us to a 3-2 victory. We haven’t been in very good form recently, our last win coming three games ago. Rob Holding was named captain for this game.

The first half consisted of lots of opportunities for both teams but no goals were scored. After half time, we made three substitutions. Guendouzi replaced Ceballos in the fifty-fourth minute, Saka was replaced by Lacazette in the sixty-fifth minute, and Torreira replaced Willock in the seventy-eighth minute. Hopefully the substitutions would pay off.

Ten minutes before full time, Pepe swung a great free kick to the far post. Mustafi leapt above all of the defenders before headed the ball past Douglas Renato de Jesus to put us ahead! Mustafi has recently been out of favour due to several big mistakes, but hopefully this is the start of a good run of form which will get him back in the first team.

Deep into additional time, Marcus Edwards crossed the ball to the edge of the box. A Vitoria player headed the ball back across the face of the goal, where Bruno Duarte was waiting to acrobatically bicycle kick it into the goal to equalise the game. I was so annoyed because we had yet again blown a solid lead.

The game ended 1-1 which is very irritating. We have not played well in a long time which is slightly worrying. I have started to think that Emery is not the best fit for Arsenal and maybe we should get a new coach. Our next game is against Leicester in the Premier League. They recently beat Southampton 9-0 which is a Premier League record. Jamie Vardy, James Maddison, Youri Tielemans and co. will use every chance they get to punish our leaky defence.

MAN OF THE MATCH

Shkodran Mustafi

PLAYER RATINGS (STARTING ELEVEN)

Emi Martinez: 5

Sokratis Papastathopoulos: 5

Rob Holding: 6

Shkodran Mustafi: 8

Ainsley Maitland-Niles: 5

Dani Ceballos: 5

Joe Willock: 6

Kieran Tierney: 6

Nicolas Pepe: 7

Gabriel Martinelli: 6

Bukayo Saka: 7

Arsenal-Wolves (1-1)

Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang

On 2 November, we were playing Wolverhampton Wanderers at the Emirates Stadium. This was an important game for us because we have not been on a good run. Wolves recently defeated reigning Premier League champions Manchester City, with Adama Traore scoring twice! This is always a tough team to play, especially when their big players such as Raul Jimenez, Ruben Neves, Joao Moutinho and others are fit. Aubameyang was starting the match as captain for the first time – he’s our fifth different captain in sixteen games in all competitions!

Twenty-one minutes into the game, Luiz crossed the ball into the box. Lacazette controlled it, then passed it on to Aubameyang who side-footed it into the bottom corner. We were 1-0 ahead! This was his fiftieth goal in only seventy-eight appearances, which makes him the seventh quickest player to have scored fifty.

Between the sixtieth and eighty-eighth minute, we made three substitutions. Lacazette was replaced by Martinelli, Saka replaced Torreira, and Tierney went off to be replaced by Kolasinac.

In the seventy-sixth minute, Moutinho lofted the ball into the box. Jiminez leapt above Chambers and headed it past Leno to equalise the game.

We had given away a lead for the third game in a row which is very embarrassing. I thought we should have won that game because we were quite dominant and had 57% possession. Our next game is against Vitoria in the Europa League, and hopefully we can make up for the last two games with a convincing win.

MAN OF THE MATCH

Callum Chambers

PLAYER RATINGS (STARTING ELEVEN)

Bernd Leno: 7

Callum Chambers: 5

Sokratis Papastathopoulos: 5

David Luiz: 6

Kieran Tierney: 6

Lucas Torreira: 6

Matteo Guendouzi: 5

Dani Ceballos: 5

Mesut Ozil: 6

Alexandre Lacazette: 6

Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang: 7

Arsenal-Liverpool (5-5) pens (4-5)

On the final day of October, we were playing the reigning Champions League winner in the EFL Cup. Liverpool have been amazing this season, and they were still yet to face defeat in the Premier League. On the other hand, we have been going through a rough spell. As expected, both teams started a reasonably weak side which consisted mainly of academy graduates. If we were to win this game, it would be a huge accomplishment because Liverpool have been unbeatable this season.

Six minutes into the game, former Arsenal player Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain made a great run to the corner flag. He crossed the ball into the box where Mustafi accidentally knocked it past Martinez to make it 1-0 to Liverpool.

In the nineteenth minute, Ozil passed the ball to Saka who was in the box. He took a shot at Caoimhin Kelleher but it was saved. Luckily, though, Torreira was waiting in the box ready to pounce on the rebound and tuck the ball away. This was his second goal at Anfield since the start of last season, which makes him the only person to have done so! We were tied.

In the twenty-sixth minute, we took a quick free kick to Maitland-Niles who crossed the ball into the box. After the cross was blocked by James Milner, Maitland-Niles followed up with a great cross into the box where Martinelli was waiting to smash the ball into the top corner to put us into the lead.

In the thirty-sixth minute, the Liverpool defence made a mistake which Saka pounced on. He crossed the ball into the box where Martinelli was waiting to smash it into the top corner to make the score 3-1! This goal made him (at the time) the top-scoring teenager for a top-five European league club this season, scoring an impressive seven goals in seven appearances in all competitions.

In the forty-third minute, Liverpool’s new sixteen-year-old signing Harvey Elliott made a run into the box. Martinelli went up to him and then accidentally tripped him. It was a penalty! James Milner stepped up, which is never a good thing for an opposition team because the Englishman had made twenty-eight penalties from thirty-three attempts which is very impressive. He sent Martinez the wrong way and drilled it into the bottom left corner to make the score 3-2.

In the fifty-forth minute, Milner attempted to pass the ball back to the goalkeeper but Maitland-Niles used his insane speed to intercept it. He passed the ball to Ozil who was at the far post. He unselfishly knocked the ball back to Maitland-Niles who easily blasted it into the goal! We were 4-2 ahead. If we were to not win from this point it would be unacceptable.

Four minutes later, Oxlade-Chamberlain intercepted the ball and then smashed it on the half volley into the top corner! No Premier League player had scored more goals from outside the box in all competitions than him (three goals)!

In the sixty-second minute, Divock Origi received the ball at the edge of the box. He took a great touch, spun, and then smashed the ball at the goal. Martinez got a touch on the ball but unfortunately it wasn’t enough and it went into the goal. They had equalised which we shouldn’t have let them do. I was a bit nervous because we were back to the drawing board and Liverpool would probably take this chance.

Eight minutes after Origi’s goal, Willock received the ball at the halfway line. He dribbled past several players before blasting the ball into the top corner! We were ahead again. If we were not to win at this point it would be ridiculous.

Between the sixty-fifth and eighty-third minute, we made three substitutions. Guendouzi replaced Willock, Torreira was replaced by Ceballos, and Kolasinac went off to be replaced by Tierney.

In the final minute of extra time, a Liverpool player crossed the ball into the box. Origi leapt into the air then bicycle kicked the ball into the bottom corner to equalise the game in the final minute. I was so mad. The game was going to penalties which was not good for us because we don’t usually do very well in penalty shootouts. Here’s how it unfolded:

  • Arsenal – Hector Bellerin (GOAL)
  • Liverpool – James Milner (GOAL)
  • Arsenal – Matteo Guendouzi (GOAL)
  • Liverpool – Adam Lallana (GOAL)
  • Arsenal – Gabriel Martinelli (GOAL)
  • Liverpool – Rhian Brewster (GOAL)
  • Arsenal – Dani Ceballos (MISS)
  • Liverpool – Divock Origi (GOAL)
  • Arsenal – Ainsley Maitland-Niles (GOAL)
  • Liverpool – Curtis Jones (GOAL)

After Curtis Jones finished his penalty, it was confirmed that we were out of the Carabao Cup. It was disappointing because that was probably our only realistic chance of winning any silverware this season. Our next game is against Wolves in the Premier League and hopefully we will be able to bounce back from this loss. If it is any consolation, though, it was an amazing game which included fourteen goals in total (including penalties).

MAN OF THE MATCH

Gabriel Martinelli

PLAYER RATINGS (STARTING ELEVEN)

Emi Martinez: 4

Hector Bellerin: 5

Rob Holding: 5

Shkodran Mustafi: 3

Sead Kolasinac: 5

Lucas Torreira: 7

Joe Willock: 7

Ainsley Maitland-Niles: 7

Mesut Ozil: 5

Bukayo Saka: 6

Gabriel Martinelli: 9