GUNNER FLY HIGH AS A KITE
Who needs gas ballons to float up the table?
and is hungry, he has the hunger we need.”
Emery did not need more defensive problems though.
But after losing Rob Holding for the season due to a knee injury in m i dwe e k Shkodran Mustafi limped off with a hamstring injury while the German and Sokratis both picked up their fifth bookings of the season.
“I need to take my mind off it for two days,” said Emery (right) when asked who he will play next week at Southampton. “I don’t know how we are going to play but we have players – Stephan Lichtsteiner, Laurent Koscielny is also coming back and Nacho Monreal.”
For the first 27 minutes Huddersf i eld’s timewasting and tactical fouls disrupted Arsenal’s flow.
But referee Paul Tierney lost patience, dishing out seven bookings to both sides in a feisty first-half finish and nine by fulltime, including three to Arsenal players for diving.
Granit Xhaka, Mustafi and Matteo Guendouzi were the offenders. Sadly there weren’t as many moments of attacking quality as cautions.
Pierre-emerick Aubameyang and Alexandre Lacazette blew first-half chances in quick order.
L acazett e then had a goal controversial ly ruled out after he latched on to Mathias Jorgensen’s poor back pass having been offside in the phase before, and Jonas Lossl’s flying save from Torreira extended the Gunners’ run this season of not leading a Premier League game at the break. However, Arsenal might have trailed but Alex Pritchard blasted over j ust before half-time.
A r s e n a l ’s huffing a nd puffing continued after the break but they rarely looked like blowing down the wall protecting Lossl’s goal and a point would have been huge for Town to take back home.
And the celebrations were getting started with suspended striker Steve Mounie sat in with the fans and leading them in song.
But Huddersf i eld’s hearts were broken when Aubameyang’s chipped cross was acrobatically volleyed in by Torreira.
Terriers boss David Wagner said: “The players have to keep their heads high. We have to show we can keep competing at the highest level and then we will collect points for sure.”