Talking Points In London Derby As Arsenal Stun The Bridge

 Arsenal were 4-2 winners at the Bridge putting to an end our three match losing streak. It was a much needed win for the team and Mikel who was under immense pressure from a section of the fan base. It was no surprise that it was the Hale end boys who stepped up again when it mattered. Nketiah with a brace, Smith Rowe and Saka completing the score.

It was a defiant performance from us. We had twice taken the lead only to relinquish it in five minutes or less. Previous Arsenal sides would have folded. The manner in which we conceded both goals was a bit disenchanting. Timo Werner equalized just four minutes after Nketiah's opener, his shot deflecting off Xhaka and past Ramsdale. I felt that Ramsdale could have done better especially with his positioning. The second was again only five minutes after Smith Rowe made it 2-1. Ben White seemed to have been fouled but the ball found it's way to Mason Mount who put in a lovely cross for Azpi who's finish was superb. 

Arsenal however were not to be denied. More calamitous defending from Chelsea gave Nketiah half a chance which he gladly took after confusion from the Chelsea backline. He toe poked the ball into the net. It was a complete performance from Nketiah. His pressing, finishing, link up play, work rate and team work were brilliant on the night. We have badly missed a striker with a scoring instinct and Nketiah has that in abundance. He always seems to be in the right places at the right time. You do not teach that. 

It was a big performance from Nketiah on the back of the Southampton game in which he didn't particularly get any real chance to make a difference. His overall performance was not bad but strikers are judged on goals. Nketiah's timing was splendid. He was on the Beautiful Game Podcast where he was unapologetically honest about his situation at Arsenal. 

Nketiah: "I see players my age who are starters, I wonder what the difference is. I was their captain as a youngster. It's not that I don't like them, I'm happy for them, but I realize that they're where they are because they've played, they've gained experience." Credit to Eddie, he walked the talk. Full interview here https://youtu.be/g-u4oDMI55M

Bukayo Saka rounded off the win exorcising his penalty demons in the process. The young gun had tormented Chelsea all night and it culminated in Azpi fouling Saka in the box . Saka did what any forward would do in the modern game. 

The end result? Three points and back in contention for the Champions League. Saka taking a penalty was a show of his growth and his position in the team. He is the leader of the Hale end boys. Mikel also admitted that he expected Martinelli to take it but Saka grabbed the ball and from there there was no turning back.

Mikel," No. I thought Gabi was going to take it and when I saw that Bukayo was going to take it honestly, the first thing I thought was back in the summer and what happened. But again, I said to you guys, when that happened to Bukayo it happened for a reason. He learned so much and he's been through so much that's why he's having the season he's having today. "

It was another great performance from Elneny or the Pyramid Pirlo as fans call him. It was a performance similar to last season when Arsenal won 1-0 at the bridge and he chased everything for 90+ minutes. With him you know what you are going to get. No penetrating passes, no runs from midfield, no flashy skills but what you'll get is ninety minutes of hard work. He will give everything and in a match like this he was pivotal to the win. His partner in crime was superb too. Granit Xhaka was the general on the pitch. He was always talking, pointing, encouraging. Arteta's eyes on the pitch. He has his crazy moments but when he is good he's excellent.

The defense was well marshalled in the second half. Holding grew into the game and got more comfortable as Chelsea reverted to crossing into the box. Ødegaard I thought was excellent, the little touches to open up spaces, the movement,the ball retention. Credit to the team for this win.

The win was even more important to the manager. Pressure was mounting. There was huge over reaction after the Southampton game. Arsenal Twitter was divided. Some of the Arteta outers had already sharpened their knives ready to strike . Mikel Arteta's response was to set out a team full of hunger and desire out there. They were well up for the game. The team spirit in this Arsenal side is one of the best and that's credit to the manager. 

A switch to a back three seems like the go to solution for Mikel when things get out of hand. Ideally he would love us to dominate games and suffocate the opposition but without top quality that is difficult. Yesterday he flexed his tactical prowess. The team switched between a back four and three depending on the phase of play. The set up worked especially in transition but the question I think even Mikel wonders is whether it would work against a different proposition. But on the night he got it spot on. Whether he sticks with the set up against Man United we'll see. 

What a difference one win makes .Suddenly everything looks and feels much better. It wasn't a complete performance but the difference is that we were decisive in key moments of the game. If Saka scores the chance against Southampton then it's a different game all together. It's the fine margins that make the difference. 

Arsenal vs Man United next.