Arsenal moved past Chelsea to move within six points of league leaders Liverpool thanks to a 1-0 win at home to Ipswich Town on Friday night.
Kai Havertz was responsible for the only goal of the game as the home side started quickly and strongly, but Mikel Arteta’s men failed to extend their lead. Ipswich Town took part in it arsenalfrustrations and even quickened the pulse of an increasingly nervous household with a late surge of activity.
However, the north London side won 1-0 to keep the pressure on Arne Slot’s table-toppers. Ipswich, by comparison, remains settled in the drop zone.
How the game developed
The crowd at the Emirates had barely finished singing the final verse of “London Forever” when Ipswich caused an early scare with a ball across the box. It turned out to be a totally misleading opening for 30 seconds.
“Our organization will have to be very good,” warned Kieran McKenna before the game. It wasn’t good enough. The visitors’ defensive resolve was stretched and strained to breaking point during a suffocatingly one-sided contest, framed in their own defensive third as Arsenal kept their collective boot firmly on Ipswich’s throat. Mikel ArtetaThe title chasers boasted 91% possession when Kai Havertz fired in an opener in the 23rd minute.
Leandro Trossard got away from Ben Johnson, finding enough space to sneak in a low left-footed cross that ricocheted across the Ipswich six-yard box and into the grateful path of his German team-mate.
A combination of Ipswich’s defensive rigidity and a tired post-Christmas atmosphere prevented the Gunners from creating another chance of note in the first half. That changed after the break.
Gabriel missed his marker when he pounced on a second-half corner, hooking the ball into the turf from three yards out and somehow beyond Arijanet Muric’s post. Declan Rice had a creative counter-attacking effort blocked, sweetly connecting with an effervescent hip-high corner by Martin Odegaard that was met by a mass of blue shirts.
There were also chances in open play. Arsenal’s Norwegian skipper curled a close-range effort over the bar shortly before Trossard and Havertz combined again. The Belgian again played the role of provider but Havertz palmed home his effort from seven yards.
The German’s first-half tap-in ultimately proved to be enough, extending Arsenal’s unbeaten run to 11 games in all competitions.
Check out the player ratings for Arsenal vs Ipswich here.
‘London Forever’ was played with his usual gusto, Mikel Arteta’s hair was perfectly coiffed and Gunnersaurus Rex had his signature smile, but something was missing at the Emirates on Friday night. For the first time since May, and only the third time this calendar year, Arsenal lined up for a Premier League home game without Bukayo Saka.
The wounded star he will remain on the sidelines for “many weeks”, leaving a yawning chasm on the Gunners’ right side. Gabriel Martinelli filled the void on paper, running diligently through the final third with more effort than end product. As Arteta was quick to point out before the game, no one player can be expected to solely replace Saka’s increased production and Arsenal had their best moments with a collective approach.
“No playmaker in the world can be as good as a good counter-pressing situation,” former Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp once declared. In spite of his long association with Pep GuardiolaArteta’s best Arsenal teams have always bore a strong resemblance to Klopp’s high-energy Reds.
When up against Ipswich’s compact 5-3-2, the Gunners spent much of the game stroking the ball meekly in front of their visitors. Without the game-breaking team change Saka’s offers the north London side, winning the ball back in the final third proved to be their most potent weapon on Friday.
Trossard collected a loose header to set up Arsenal’s first goal, but this stage of the game had been preceded by a large number of turnovers as Gabriel Jesus and Martin Odegaard led the attack. The aggressive approach on the ball also limits the opposition’s threat – Ipswich didn’t force David Raya into a single save.
Arsene Wenger could not contain his fury after his Arsenal side slumped to a 2-1 defeat at Stoke City in November 2008 thanks to a pair of goals both created by Rory Delap’s free-kicks. “It’s a bit of an unfair advantage,” the French coach said after the game. “He’s using a force that’s not normally a force in football.”
Delap’s son Liam does not have the same unique skill set and had his best-known strength, physicality, neutralized by Arsenal’s experienced defensive duo. Delap junior struggled to get away with a piece of loose fluff, let alone any change, from his one-sided scrap with William Saliba and Gabriel under the bright lights of the Emirates. He might have had more joy in Staffordshire.
