Arsenal got the win last night after a very tight game in Montpellier. I'm not going to go into the details which I'm sure every blog has done however I will be giving my thoughts on the game.
In the first half we were decent, passing the ball around and creating many chances of which 2 were converted. I feel most of the was down to Montpellier's slack work off the ball, they gave us time to run at their defense without really bothering the man on the ball. Their penalty was legitimate, though it looked harsh at first. Vermaelan was back to his old self - trying to get the ball too quickly which was not necessary as the striker was heading away from goal.
The second half was pretty shocking to watch. Montpellier responded to the crowd and pressed us quickly and crowded the wide players. We couldn't string any passes together and when we did it looked very dangerous and unconvincing. They bombarded our penalty area and created about 2 clear chances - 1 from Diaby giving the ball away in the box and the other from a cross which landed at the feet of Belhanda, who scuffed his shot.
Overall it was an ugly win which is sometimes needed. I thought it was a game of 2 halves and they deserved at least a point. The defense was good in the second half and I cannot complain with 3 points away in France. Time to move on with Man City to come on Sunday.
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Player Ratings:
Mannone: 7.5 : Some decent saves, looked confident all game.
Jenkinson: 7.5 : Solid, nothing spectacular. Got a good assist. Growing with every game.
Mertesacker: 7.5 : Composed and best defender on the night.
Vermaelan: 6 : Gave away a sloppy penalty but grew with the game.
Gibbs: 7 : Solid in defense and going forward.
Arteta: 7 : Reliable as always and got stuck in with some great tackles.
Diaby: 6.5 : Good going forward but sloppy on the ball in dangerous areas.
Cazorla: 7.5 : Classy, elegant. Another good display.
Gervinho: 8 : Scored our winner. Looks very good at the moment.
Giroud: 6.5 : Gave Podolski the assist for the first goal, but otherwise a quiet night.
Podolski: 8 : Scored another efficient goal. Very exciting times for the German.
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