WENGER’S PINBALL WIZARDS ARE MAGIC
Arsenal seal place at Wembley thanks to two deflected goals and prove they’re up for a fight
IT was the old, increasingly unfamiliar, almost embarrassed double-fisted salute, the one that was once Arsene Wenger’s trademark.
He knew how important this was for his credibility, knew how important it was not just to reach another Wembley final but to show the legion of doubters that he still has a team that can compete, still has one that can fight for him. After Eden Hazard’s opener, an own goal from Antonio Rudiger and a luck-assisted poke-in from Granit Xhaka sent Arsenal to a final date with Manchester City. But it was spirit rather than quality, cussedness rather than class that got them there. With another Premier League campaign stumbling drunkenly along and Champions League football off the agenda, this mattered big-time to Wenger and Maybe that is why they put on a pre-game light show. Alas, the only people dazzled early on were Arsenal defenders, blinking into the dazzle of Pedro and Hazard.
The warning was switched on when Pedro sauntered on to N’Golo Kante’s chip but was a fraction offside, a warning completely unheeded as three Arsenal sentries waved Hazard through to dink home the simplest of Pedro passes.
If you could halt attackers with a raise of the arm, the Gunners would be impenetrable but it doesn’t work like that and, not long after, Willian found himself in a similar position to Hazard, only to hook his effort wide.
By then, though, Arsenal were level. Nacho Monreal demonstrated his newly-found knack of finding penalty-box vacuums to head a corner from Mesut Ozil (above) goalwards. A double-diversion off the heads of Marcos Alonso and Antonio Rudiger did the rest. It was a lucky spike in the unsteadiest of Arsenal openings and their cause received a further jolt of fortune when Willian had to limp off before half an hour was up. It meant an introduction for Ross Barkley, who instantly achieved what must be something of a first – riling his manager before setting foot into the action. Antonio Conte (far left) ordered Barkley to disrobe about 10 times before the message finally clicked with his new signing. Once stripped, it was an eventful welcome for Barkley, taken out abruptly by Jack Wilshere. The booking summed up Wilshere’s evening, always just a little out of control. Not in a malicious way, in a mistimed way that suggested he was straining just a little too hard to establish himself as a gameArsenal.
changer. Game-changers were at a premium in a contest that was compelling but hardly high on quality.
For long periods, Chelsea looked the more accomplished with Hazard clearly the most creative force on the pitch. But without a conventional striker to play off – Alvaro Morata had a bad back – he too often found himself isolated.
When he did get in behind Shkodran Mustafi, Hazard went to the floor, seemingly the victim of a phantom trip.
It could easily have been construed as a dive – and a second yellow card after his early crime against Ozil – but ref Michael Oliver gave him the benefit of the doubt. He just fell over, mouthed Oliver. And he was right.
If fortune favoured Chelsea on that occasion, it soon turned on them in familiar fashion.
There was rarely any threat when Alexandre Lacazette was in the penalty area and his pull-back was destined for little until it hit the hapless Rudiger and turned itself into a tap-in for Xhaka. It was a reward for Xhaka’s decent performance but harsh on Chelsea. But in the end, they could have no complaints – they were far from outclassed, just outfought.
They were probably even a touch surprised at the intensity of an Arsenal side that have too often seemed to go through the motions in these late stages of their manager’s reign.
That’s why he will be quietly euphoric.
And that is why that old salute came out – for old time’s sake.