THE VERDICT: ARSENAL 1 TOWN 0 Heartbreak as scrapping Terriers are out-gunned TOUGH DEFEAT TO TAKE FOR FANS AS BATTLING TOWN DESERVE POINT BUT SLIP BACK INTO BOTTOM THREE

TOWN RATED

Back in the starting side for the first time since March and did not look out of place before going off. Had a great chance in the first half but fired over. Busy and linked well but could not get on scoresheet. SUSPENDED Steve Mounie was an impromptu Town cheerleader as David Wagner’s battling heroes suffered an agonising 1-0 defeat at Arsenal which put them back in the bottom three.

The Benin international was among the travelling blue and white faithful to hand out shirts of his own as a ‘thank you’ to fans for their backing this season.

And he joined in the buoyant Yorkshire chorus as Town scrapped every inch of the way, before being undone by a Lucas Torreira winner for Unai Emery’s Gunners eight minutes from time, when Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang provided a classy tee-up.

It was a tough defeat for Town and their fans to take because their battling deserved the reward of a point.

Wagner made three changes to the starting line-up, with Danny Williams making a first league start since March in place of the suspended Philip Billing.

Club captain Tommy Smith and fit-again Chris Lowe replaced Flo Hadergjonaj and Erik Durm in the wing-back positions.

With Mounie serving the second match of a three-game ban, Laurent Depoitre led the attack alongside No10 Alex Pritchard as Town looked for a first away win against Arsenal in 64 years.

Granit Xhaka was back from suspension to captain an Arsenal side featuring Laurent Koscielny among the subs for the first time since he tore an Achilles tendon in May.

Town began at an excellent tempo, illustrated by Depoitre charging down a clearance from dallying keeper Bernd Leno, while Williams announced his presence by making a tremendous block on Xhaka - much to the delight of the noisy travelling Town fans.

Unfortunately, Town’s first effort at goal was way off target by Lowe, after he was released into space by Aaron Mooy.

The momentum broke when Jonathan Hogg had to be treated for a left wrist injury after falling awkwardly when avoiding a challenge from Alexandre Lacazette.When play resumed, Jonas Lossl was smartly off his line to deny the speeding Hector Bellerin and Town were quickly back into their routine of pressurising Arsenal on the ball.

Bellerin, down the Arsenal right, was proving a problem for Town, but Wagner’s men were enthusiastic in every challenge and the home team’s frustration was apparent when Xhaka was booked for a dive while shadowed by Mooy in the 25th minute.

Arsenal should have opened the scoring, however, on the half hour when Xhaka’s driven cross found Aubameyang on the sixyard line and he somehow volleyed wide.

Lacazette then fired over from another clear opportunity after Matteo Guendouzi picked a hole in the Town back line.

Pritchard was booked for what referee Paul Tierney decided was persistent offending, before Williams also collected a yellow card for a lunging tackle from behind on Lucas Torreira which sparked a flare-up, after which Stephan Lichtsteiner was booked.

Tommy Smith and Sokratis, for a crunching foul on Hogg,