Well, all good things must come to an end and Sunday saw our 10 game winning streak stopped at the Hawthorns. A point here is no disaster and we can be proud to sit top of the table going into the international break.
Jack Wilshere continued to grab headlines after his cheeky mid-week ciggy. In the first half he was caught in possession more times than Pete Doherty and went down more times than Linda Lovelace but he raised his game after the break to show some of that mental strength Arsène likes so much. He scored the equalising goal and played a superb ball to Olivier Giroud which would have resulted in a winner if it wasn't for some good work from Boaz Myhill.
When Claudio Jacob headed the Baggies in front in the 42nd minute it was the first time we conceded the opening goal this season and we knew we were in for a real test. Our first half was uninspiring, lacking our recent zip and fluidity. It could have been worse had the impressive Wojciech Szczęsny not pulled off a stunning save following a wicked buttock deflection off Matthieu Flamini. With Jack and Rambo on the wings our narrow attacks were snuffed out without too much trouble. Hopefully when the international break is over, we will have Cazorla available again and the Ox, Theo and Podolski shouldn't be too far behind.
The second half was more open and Nicolas Anelka thankfully spurned two good chances to put the match out of our reach. Thomas Rosicky came on for Aaron Ramsey and had a positive impact, laying the ball off for Wilshere's goal and providing a bit more pace and decisiveness.
Overall a draw seemed a fair result to me and it is a decent point, especially considering their win at Old Trafford the previous weekend. We have a host of challenging games coming up against Dortmund, Liverpool, Chelsea and United. If we come out of those games with some good results then we must be considered serious title-challengers.
When Claudio Jacob headed the Baggies in front in the 42nd minute it was the first time we conceded the opening goal this season and we knew we were in for a real test. Our first half was uninspiring, lacking our recent zip and fluidity. It could have been worse had the impressive Wojciech Szczęsny not pulled off a stunning save following a wicked buttock deflection off Matthieu Flamini. With Jack and Rambo on the wings our narrow attacks were snuffed out without too much trouble. Hopefully when the international break is over, we will have Cazorla available again and the Ox, Theo and Podolski shouldn't be too far behind.
The second half was more open and Nicolas Anelka thankfully spurned two good chances to put the match out of our reach. Thomas Rosicky came on for Aaron Ramsey and had a positive impact, laying the ball off for Wilshere's goal and providing a bit more pace and decisiveness.
Overall a draw seemed a fair result to me and it is a decent point, especially considering their win at Old Trafford the previous weekend. We have a host of challenging games coming up against Dortmund, Liverpool, Chelsea and United. If we come out of those games with some good results then we must be considered serious title-challengers.
Despite not taking all of the points yesterday, there was one rather large consolation for the better half of North London as our neighbours were hammered 3-0 at home by West Ham. I've always liked Sam Allardyce...
Man of the Match: Wojciech Szczęsny
Man of the Match: Wojciech Szczęsny
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