Holmes_and_Watson

I'd have put Lyanco, but I'm huffy about the elbow first half and headbutt in the second. He even checked the colour of the card himself. 🙂 So, I went for Perraud, who put in his usual hard working shift, and also helped drive us back into the game.

Ouch! I hadn't even sat back to enjoy the moment. 🙂

Ralph will be looking at that as a good day. After the first tactic failed, we switched it (arguaby would we have conceded if we'd played that from the start). We closed the space and contained them (with which there's always some risk, but they didn't take their chances). We grew into the game a bit. We worked a bit more to shut down their centre. Not anything scintillating. But we mixed it up, turning on a press on a couple of occassions, doubling up on others. Someone mentioned guts. Lyanco and Perraud showed that throughout. On the front foot, physical (where Arsenal mewled and the ref was happy with us doing it) and giving the team some purpose and drive. Edozie runs himself into trouble, losign the ball too often (but other players lost it doing far less), but was fearless in pushing Arsenal back when it mattered. Ralph will be pleased that his subs did a job. It's part of how he's trying to shape each game. Theo is well off his best, but seeing him take up a striker's position late on, is something Saints need to have availalble.Mo will have won back some critics. He put in a shift. Tracking back well (which Ralph highlighted as why he's there), while still involved in some link up at the other end. With so many missing, as well as the issues we discuss elsewhere, it's a good point to have agianst the leaders.

Well done to get back into that, and to have posession near their box towards the end, so we weren't hanging on.

Mo is man of the match! This is also the secret password for a takeover of the country. A phrase considered so unlikely, that there could be no confusion if it was used*. 🙂 *I've not complained when Ralph has been picking him, so kidding.

Lyanco had an elbow in the first half, then a head butt attempt there. EIther of those could be very costly for us, and the manager will have to have a word.

ooooh. I was thinking Theo was going to get that.

JWP... that was poor.

Hoof! Good to get that one clear.

Into injury time. C'mon Saints!

That was a weird booking to get from Theo. Ref quite right, but theo battles for it on the floor, after he's dived. Silly.

Good from Edozie, Theo and Mo there. Just don;t forget the containment part and give away something silly.

Yeah, I thought it was odd when he assaulted their keeper, like they would have doen in the late 1800s. 🙂

Crumbs! We can't even get our injury break right. What's it doing on 82mins?! 🙂

Oh, offside from Walcott. But the ball could have been hit by Perraud into the space. #pickysupporter

>whew< just a little slow in picking up the runners there.

Nice little bit opf pressing there.

Mo there? well done.

Ball was out surely...

The ref has rightly pegged Arsenal as a bunch of cheaters right from the start, and the first booking for diving. That's helped us a fair bit today, as they fall over. Even their coach has now been booked for moaning. Man children.

Keep it up son! 🙂

Gah! blooin' sideways form JWP. Clearly better options in that Misty Direction of Legend he sometimes hears about, Forwards.

Promising youngster Theo Walcott on, hoping that he's get another surprise call up for the World Cup. 🙂

Ralph will have screenshots of the move printed out across the dressing room from now on as the perfect Saints goal. 🙂

Oooof.. silky back heels... Stu *and* Aribo linking up... Arsenal not liking the physical bits of the game at all. Boo hoo...