By Boris Mellor
March 21 2015

Arsenal shaded the game at Newcastle by a knee, Giroud’s knee to be precise, the knee that got the first of his two first half goals. I watched the match at the Arsenal on the big screen with a large and very hopeful crowd. The first half verified that hope, as Arsenal went 2-0 up and perhaps could have had a couple more. Anyway it was a very satisfied several thousand supporters that went for their drinks break.  

Giroud enjoys a knees up for first goal

A game of two halves

If ever this cliché applied it was to the second half of this game. Arsenal didn’t leave the dressing room for the second half. Rumour had it that Mike Ashley wouldn’t let them leave until they all bought a jumbo size sports carrier bag each, others that Wonga wanted the £10,000 interest back on the money they had loaned last week to Jack Wilshere to fund his Lambert and Butler habit, whatever the reason it was awful.

Chambers and Monreal were on the rack, Carzorla and Alexis’s legs had gone, the only reason Arsenal didn’t concede more than one goal was the brilliant keeping of Oooospina, on one occasion he was diving the wrong way but hooked the ball out with a flailing leg. Welbeck worked hard and menaced the bar codes defence but was unable to score, but his work rate was invaluable.

Arsenal looked as dreadful as Newcastle had in the first, and none of the forwards could convert the few chances they still got. All that was to be done was to hang on, and it wasn’t until Bellerin was brought on that the points were finally secured.

The refereeing was odd to say the least, he allowed Newcastle to punch us all over the place, but also allowed us a few favourable decisions in the Arsenal area.

Anyway it was a good three points which I suspect were influenced more by what had happened at Monaco on Tuesday, than anything that happened on Tyneside.

Though the performance was chaotic it showed mental strength, even if they couldn’t get out of first gear in the first half. The Emirates crowd gave a mighty cheer of relief as the whistle went and left feeling that £8 had been spent quite well.

MotM

Giroud got two goals, but my MotM goes to Ooooospina because without his display I doubt we would have kept all three points.