Lewis-Skelly on for Eze. I can't tell if he's going into midfield or if we're going 5 at the back. If it's the latter, I think that's a mistake as it's going to invite more pressure.
6 minutes added time. This is getting very nervous and jittery. This is what we get though for not killing the game off when we had the opportunities to.
Terrible performance BUT 3pts is all that matters right now. We can improve our football, but whilst we are playing so poorly, picking up 3pts is vital
FT. 1-0. God, that was awful at times, but a huge win. Palace are an excellent team, so this is a big win. I still have concerns about our performance and how inefficient we are in the final third, but for now, we are doing enough to churn out the wins. Second half was a lot better and we restricted them, whilst having some good chances that we kept spurning. Overall, a great weekend of results. Liverpool lost, City have lost and us winning is only a good thing. On we go .
We really need to be giving the 9 position to Martinelli now. Let Gyokeres spend a bit of time on the bench and be used for a plan B when we need it.
Great result. Amazing result in fact - City and Liverpool both lost. Performance was meh - but Palace made it very scrappy. Just hope Rice and Saliba are Ok.
4 pts clear at the Top. 6 pts clear of City and 7 pts ahead of Liverpool. City have some tough fixtures coming up. COYG
3 goals conceded in 13 games. 0 conceded in all games since Woltemade's goal. Just outstanding stuff. Defensively, we really are a different beast. We know how to suffer and we know how to dig deep when we haven't played well. That level of resilience puts us in good stead moving forward. We still have areas we can improve, but I take it as a positive sign that we've not found our final form yet and we're still leading the way in the league, as well as getting maximum points in the Champions League.
Yes, Liverpool and City due to play each other soon. Away to Burnley next - need to dig out the 3pts there too.
Disagree - end of last year he played very well fighting for the ball and holding it. It also somewhat lost that he started as a youngster as a 9 and looked very good. His heading is also good.
Arteta confirming that Calafiori, Rice and Saliba all struggling with issues that forced them to come off earlier than he wanted. Saka has been ill and wasn't in training too, so it explains why he didn't have a good game. I don't want to see a single one of these players in Carabao Cup action during the week. Wrap them up for Burnley game.
This is why we need Havertz, White, Jesus and Odegaard back ASAP. Arteta needs to be rotating a lot more than last Season. Make sure key players like Rice, Saka, Gabby and Saliba arnt overworked.
Not a classic, but another 3 points in the bag and another clean sheet Take that every day of the week.
When I think about we were all bit harsh on this performance. Beating this extremely dogged Palace side off the back of a UCL game against Atletico Madrid - is a big deal. This is exactly the kind of fixture we usually drop points.
I think in general the performances - regarding our attacking fluency and patterns of play - need to be better. And the Palace game was an extension of that being a recurring theme. However, it's important to acknowledge that - of all the teams who played in the Champions League last week, only us, Spurs and Newcastle had won their games over the weekend. It's not easy, especially against a team as well-organised and tactically astute as Glasner's Palace. And yes, I'm aware we had an extra two days' rest on Palace; but there's clearly a huge difference between playing Atletico Madrid and AEK Larnaca! I guess the other thing is it's difficult when the opposition defend so deep and are only concerned with stopping you then nicking something late on. When I think about the opportunities Palace had, they came about from us gifting them the ball, as opposed to them constructing meaningful attacks. They applied a bit of pressure in the final 10 minutes of the game, but they still didn't force Raya into any saves. We also ended the game with no Rice, Saka and Saliba, and that's inevitably going to invite pressure when 3 of our best players aren't on the field. With Havertz, Odegaard, Madueke and Jesus still to come back, I think we are missing these players more than we may have thought. We really do need them back as soon as possible so that the load distribution is evenly managed.
I don't think the new players have all really settled yet - it's not a physical thing, rather they don't seem as confident as they need to be in their new environment. Gyokeres, Zubimendi and Eze all look well below of what they are capable of IMO. I think Mosquera has settled the best and also Madueke before he got injured. I like the early glimpses of Hincapie also. I think there is a lot more to come, let alone the injured more established players coming back.
