Old School Arsenal: Arsenal 1-0 Everton

Arsenal used an old blueprint uncharacteristically this afternoon to hold off a valiant but often overmatched Everton side.  Oh well, unless you were fixated on the match announcers who insisted all match long that Arsenal were poor.  Such as it is these days for the Gunners- you run out 4-1, 4-2 winners and there’s questions of your backline and shoddy defense. Run out to a 1-0 win where you controlled most of the match & held off a side at the end with a decent defensive performance & there’s questions of how you’d do without Robin Van Persie.

Arsenal started the match well and even though Everton threatened on a few occasions themselves, it was the Gunners who nearly broke the deadlock on a couple of occasions with a couple of breakaway chances that were, frankly, squandered, with Gervinho’s miss the most glaring of them.

Everton threatened a few times throughout the match but Arsenal definitely was in control, form my point of view anyway, for the majority of the match.  However, it looked like Arsenal’s early profligacy would cause the club’s 125th anniversary to head towards a nil-nil draw or worse, a late Everton goal spoiling the party entirely.

But, just when it seemed the match was headed to one of those outcomes, up came a moment of brilliance from Robin Van Persie on a volley inside the box on a lovely chipped ball by Alexandre Song.  Goal of the Month, or even Goal of the Year type of stuff from RVP.  That’s 15 goals in 15 league games for Van the Man.  Maybe we’re too reliant on him for goals at the moment but what are we Gunners supposed to do?  Tell him to stop scoring?  Especially brilliant goals like today?  Ain’t gonna happen, haters!

Following RvP’s wonder-goal, Everton threatened a little but Arsenal stayed solid and defended well enough to make some old Arsenal sides of old proud enough considering our defensive woes in recent years.  When the final whistle blew, it was time for that old refrain of the Arsenal classic, “1-Nil to the Arsenal!”

So, the win sees Arsenal move up to 4th in the EPL at the moment pending Chelsea & Man City’s Monday tilt.  Which, speaking of Man City, they are our opponents next Sunday in the league.  Arsenall will be looking to gain a measure of revenge for the recent Carling Cup loss.

The full EPL table:

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