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Photo from Arsenal.com
Arteta took his title chasing team to the Lancashire coast to play a league cup tie at Highbury, but not the classical art deco Highbury of London N.5, no a much smaller almost non-league version.
These games are extremely dangerous because any Premier League team should on paper, have far too much talent, even if heavily rotated, for a Division Two (old division four) team to withstand. But also when you visit a lower league team in a cup tie you have to be absolutely fully focused and totally efficient in front of goal or else you can come a cropper. You also need a strict referee who doesn’t let casual fouling escape punishment and who isn’t intent on making himself be the narrative.
Mr Michael Salisbury (Preston) was a local man so that was the first red flag, he also made an enormous fuss when a drone was flying outside of the stadium airspace and hovering behind one of the ends, red flag two.
The game had only just kicked-off when Fleetwood right-back Rooney grabbed hold of Arsenal debutant Caedach O’Neill and flung him to the floor as the young Irishman attempted to beat Rooney. The referee awarded Arsenal a free-kick and then spent the next 8 minutes having a hissy fit over the drone. Mr Salisbury is a referee not an air-traffic controller, he has no authority outside of the football stadium. It would have been like the referee in the 1930 FA Cup final taking the players off of the pitch when the Hindenburg flew over Wembley. I guess people weren’t so sensitive and easily triggered 96 years ago!
As it was after a lot of gesticulating and authoritarian behaviour by the referee, the police went outside and sorted out the local drone enthusiast and the game continued. I don’t know if the delay took the edge off of the Gunners because there was a lethargic look to the team, although making 10 changes didn’t help. All the same there was a vulnerability about the defence that I felt and it came to pass. It took 19 minutes before Max Dowman, who was fouled fairly regularly all evening by the brutish Fleetwood left-back Batty, had an opportunity but shanked his shot wide. Not like Max at all and not a good sign.
Fleetwood were energetic, enthusiastic and didn’t hold back on the physicality, some of which bordered on Sunday morning football and as their ‘local man’ with the whistle was quite happy it seemed, to see those ‘stuck-up Londoners’ given a bit of some old fashioned northern grit. Which I guess, gave Fleetwood the green light to ‘leave a bit’ on their opponents. And leave a bit they did with regularity.
Two minutes after Dowman’s wasteful effort his U21 team mate Marli Salmon showed how dangerous it is, even at this level, to have an inexperienced centre-back in situ as Fleetwood’s on-loan from Fulham forward rolled him and got off a shot on Arsenal’s goal which went through goalkeeper debutant Meslier’s legs. Could Meslier had done better? I don’t know but after this game I reckon that there will be quite a lot of Arsenal fans who can’t wait until Tommy Setford returns from his loan at Stevenage.
On 38 minutes Dowman got off a goalbound shot that was deflected to safety and two minutes later Max put over a lovely cross that Kai ‘50p forehead’ Havertz wastefully headed over the bar. He was having a game to forget and alongside him, Gyokeres was totally ineffective. O’Neill who started well had disappeared and the rest were collectively having a mare, meanwhile Fleetwood crunched on. H/T 1-0
Arteta, who was probably quietly seething took off the struggling Salmon at half-time, we might not see him again for awhile, replacing him with Ben White. Jurrien Timber, who had had a couple of efforts on goal, off-target efforts, also gave way for Odegaard and the injection of Odegaard got the team going.
O’Neill began running at the inanimate object that was Rooney and enjoying some success, no doubt after Arteta got into his ear. O’Neill started to look more dangerous as Rooney’s thug-mate Haughley had a go at leaving something on him but that didn’t stop Caedich and his precise cross eventually found its way to Gyokeres who forced the ball home as only he can.
Dowman was learning how to live with his ankles getting tapped by Batty (Jack Wilshere will be wincing) and was becoming a real threat. On 55 Odegaard found Dowman who played in Kai whose point blank effort hit a Fleetwood defender, who knew nothing about it as he patrolled his goal line and deflected it over the bar.
Arsenal were looking a lot sharper and playing around and through Fleetwood who were showing some fatigue. Fleetwood sent on two more crunchers in Cannon and Coughlan but before they could do any damage Odegaard put Havertz through but he fired wide. Kai really doesn’t like the League Cup.
On 66 Arteta sent on Eze for O’Neill, I wasn’t sure about that because I thought O’Neill had been a good provider up till then. Eze went on a run, was fouled but the delightful Mr Salisbury played on blissfully unaware of the laws of the game.
On 78 Eze went on a penetrating run and put over a tempting low cross, but nobody anticipated it and it went to waste. On 82 Arteta sent on Bruno for Zubimendi and Konsa for Myles.
On 86 Cannon launched a two-footed lunge on Dowman who reacted angrily. Coughlan reacted equally as angrily but that was alright, Max was manhandled violently by about three other Fleetwood players, but that was also alright. Then the heavy hand of the PGMOL came down down on Dowman like a ton of red bricks and Mr Salisbury flourished the red card with what seemed a degree of relish ‘flash cockney’ he no doubt thought to himself. I bet Mr Salisbury will luxuriate among his refereeing brethren at his next RA meeting where he can retell them all in his painful Lancashire lilt that he “showed that flash 16 year old cockney a thing or two – now pass me the mushy peas lad”…
Arteta inexplicably said a couple of harsh things to Max as he trudged off which I thought was uncalled for and so the Gunners fought on with 10 men.
Fleetwood continued to play their Total Low Block even against the 10 and Arsenal and actually came close to scoring a winner.
1-1 at the end so straight to penalties. Odegaard, Havertz and Gyokeres scored and Bruno had his saved. Meslier was pretty uninspiring in the shoot-out but then all our goalkeepers seem to be poor in that department under coach Inaki Cana.
Of course the positive, and there’s always a positive, is that Arsenal won’t be lumbered now with a League Cup tie in December when it’ll be 3 games a week. Hopefully Liverpool and Man City will progress to the next round and beyond.
As for Arsenal. Well, We March On…
**By Kev**