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Arsenal Vs Reading: Recap, Highlights And Analysis
Arsenal faced Reading in the EFL Cup on Tuesday night. Here is a full recap including all the highlights and analysis from the 2-0 win.
Arsenal hosted Championship side Reading on Tuesday night in the fourth round of the EFL Cup. After the last time they met in this competition, the match was a 7-5 thriller after extra time, many were hopeful of the same kind of fireworks, particularly with the verve and vibrancy of the Gunners’ youthful attack.
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Arsene Wenger decided to rotate his squad, resting the likes of Mesut Ozil and Alexis Sanchez entirely, giving youngsters like Rob Holding, Jeff Reine-Adelaide and Ainsley Maitland-Niles some precious first team experience as they progress through the system at the Emirates.
The highly changed team certainly displayed signs of misunderstanding. In the first half, the Gunners dominated proceedings for large periods – though Jaap Stam’s side were not without their times of controlling possession – and the interchanging passing of Alex Iwobi, in particular, did cause problems early on.
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However, through a combination of poor finishing and a lack of precision in the final third, chances were not all that clear cut and goals were hard to come by. The breakthrough did eventually come through the right foot of Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, the man who looked the most likely to score if goals were indeed to come. Collecting the ball down the right flank, Chamberlain drove into the Reading box, shifted the ball wide and onto his right-hand side and fired a lethal finish across the face of Ali Al-Habsi’s goal and into the far bottom corner.
It was an excellent finish and while Wenger’s men continued to control the match, there was a definite lack of quality in key areas to break down a stubborn Reading defence.
The second half transpired in much the same way as the first. Olivier Giroud came on and provided a focal point to the attack but was unable to provide the necessary incision – though he did play a lovely little reverse pass for Oxlade-Chamberlain who then poorly shot straight at Al-Habsi and Alex Iwobi scuffed the rebound wide in even worse fashion.
The second goal did come late in the second half and once more, Arsenal have the thumping right foot of Oxlade-Chamberlain. With Reading unable to clear, Rob Holding collected the ball on the right-hand side, wriggled past a couple of challenges, squirmed the ball through to Giroud right on the goal line. With his back to goal, Giroud held up play, then played the ball all the way back to Oxlade-Chamberlain on the edge of the area who smashed it towards goal and then watched the ball sail over Al-Habsi after taking a looping deflection along the way.
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It was certainly nothing less than Arsenal deserved. They dominated the match, winning in relative ease in the end. Reading were never in the same class as Arsene Wenger’s side, and ultimately, the greater quality saw through.