Arsenal's Critics Can All Get Stuffed As Gunners Show Character To Battle To Vital Victory At Brighton

Five Key Takeaways as Arsenal beat Brighton to move seven points clear

By Gooner Fanzine print columnist Charlie Ashmore 

1 - This is supposed to be fun…..

Watching football with friends should be enjoyable. 

A nice evening out, away from the stresses and strains of life, right? 

Wrong. 

I spent most of the evening in Brighton feeling sick, shaking like a leaf, praying that we would not do another Wolves. 

Life would be so much easier if our attack was firing (and in that regard, what a difference Kai Havertz makes) but it isn’t right now.

Which means we have games like Wednesday night where it’s all about courage, commitment and the sort of “thou shall not pass” attitude that generations of Arsenal fans and players recognise as an even greater part of our DNA than the free flowing football we perhaps got used to under Arsene Wenger. 

Is it more stressful? 

You bet your life it is. But this is the sort of stress we dreamed about in the wilderness years, so live it, breathe it and enjoy the release that the final whistle brings when the team holds out.

2 - Immense defensive performances.

The sheer will to win being exhibited by some of our players is extraordinary. 

Gabriel, Piero Hincapie and Jurrien Timber were brilliant defensively.  Cristhian Mosquera was hampered by a ridiculous (especially in the context of what was allowed to pass) early yellow card but despite one or two scares did his job in a more restrained way. 

Declan Rice’s performance was summed up by the moment when he lost the ball on the touchline (these little mistakes are a reflection of how tired he is – something for Arteta to ponder) but recovered to make the blocking tackle on the edge of the box having been helped out by Hincapie. 

David Raya made an early mistake but was otherwise faultless and his commanding presence reassures the players around him. Gabi Martinelli and Leo Trossard tracking back – the run Martinelli made to get back when Mosquera was stranded upfield having been tackled/fouled (delete as appropriate), the block in the six yard box that Trossard made….I could go on. 

Superficially this felt like Wolves but actually there was a resolve and defensive determination that was missing in the Midlands. 

3 - The Brighton narrative

“I would never set my team up to win like that” said the Brighton manager. 

Yes, well, young man, you will never be setting up a team to win the league so grow up, stop whining and worry about your own team instead of trying to influence the officials.  

I haven’t been able to find an updated version of the stats but earlier this season, the ball was in play for over three minutes longer in our games than in Brighton’s games (they nestled in at fourth bottom in this particular table).  

So, people in glass houses and all that. 

This of course is the manager who was adamant that Rice’s tickling of a ball a few inches was worthy of a second yellow but his own player booting it forty yards wasn’t (same ref funnily enough last night and he ignored at least one instance of a Brighton player booting the ball away – letter of the law eh?). 

Arteta’s reaction in the press conference was perfect – does he pay any attention to what other managers say? 

Depends on the manager. Priceless.

4 - Now you’re gunner believe us

This was the night belief broke out.  At that final whistle, as the news from Manchester filtered through, two songs were dusted off and bellowed with force – “we’re gonna win the League” and “we shall not be moved”. 

There is still a long way to go, of course there is, but last night just made it that little bit easier.  Seven points means it is no longer in City’s hands.  That’s how we have to keep it. 

We now have two opportunities to ratchet the pressure up on them because we play first against both Everton and Bournemouth at home. 

Neither will be easy – both will low block the hell out of us – but the finish line is in sight and we just have to find a way.  Now is the time for us all to believe and help make it happen. 

Let’s make those two home games cauldrons of noise – win those games and we are nearly there.  Believe…..this really is our time.

5                    and finally…..a message to our friends in the media…

Stuff you.  I mean seriously, stuff you. 

If there was ever any doubt about just how anti-Arsenal today’s media is the reaction to the our last two wins leaves no further room for it. 

Deprived of the lazy “bottler” narrative  they have latched onto the anti-football narrative. 

Years of describing Arsenal as lacking bottle and “street-smarts”, they don’t like it now we are the opposite. 

Like I said….stuff the lot