Chapter 44: Overtaken
In the 50th minute of the game, Arsenal easily conceded a goal, which was also a very unpleasant signal for Arsenal.
Defoe received a long pass from the back and headed the ball, Van der Vaart chested the ball to Bale, who was inserted in the back, and the Arsenal defenders were attracted by Van der Vaart and had no time to return to the defense, allowing Bale to score with the goalkeeper one-on-one with his right foot at the penalty spot; At 1-2, Bale beat Fabianski's 10-finger pass to help Tottenham Hotspur pull a goal back.
Bale barely created chances on the left in the first half, but in the second half he had a wider range of movement, slotting diagonally from the left and right, and it was a well-timed follow-up on the right that created the goal. And there was a hole in Arsenal's overall defense, when Tottenham quickly counterattacked, Asso Ecotto's long pass, Arsenal left only two full-backs in the backfield, Klicy and Defoe failed to compete for the top, Defoe gave the ball to Van der Vaart, although Sagna caught up to help defend, but still did not have time to stop Van der Vaart from giving Bale the ball.
Arsenal's premature second-half goal changed the mentality of both teams, with Arsenal starting out slackening and then starting to put pressure on their backs to equalise, while Tottenham were keen to score again.
That's true, this game is really crucial, no one wants to lose to a century-old enemy in such a big battle, especially in this game Arsenal had a clear advantage, they can't afford to lose at this time, they have to withstand the pressure at this time.
Tottenham Hotspur pulled a goal back, and they finally withstood the pressure from a huge disadvantage; They took advantage of Arsenal's slight relaxation to score and now Tottenham are in control of their destiny and they are not going to be defeated in what is a crucial north London derby.
Thereafter. Tottenham went on a frenzied attack. Luka Modric shot slightly over again from distance. And Arsenal's firmly controlled midfield began to loosen. Cesc Fabregas's midfield became lifeless.
In the 56th minute, Defoe tripped Klicy on a lateral dribble on the right, and the referee signalled in favour of the attacker, and Modric's right-footed long-range shot from 25 yards out would go over the crossbar. In the 59th minute, Cesc Fabregas made a clever pass, and Caboul made a timely move to destroy Arshavin's one-on-one chance. In the 63rd minute, Nasri's corner was not cleared, and Cesc Fabregas knocked the ball back to Nasri. Nasri's cross was headed high by Xiao Qing.
In the 67th minute, Alexander Song brought down an increasingly active Modric at the edge of the box, and Tottenham's free-kick was taken by Van der Vaart; In the face of this time a free kick that was not very threatening, Arshavin and Cesc Fabregas both raised their hands to block Van der Vaart's free kick, and the referee was morally ruthless and awarded a penalty!
Van der Vaart personally took the penalty this time, and Van der Vaart steadily volleyed into the bottom right corner of the goal, 2 to 2!
Arsenal, who were in high spirits in the first half, conceded two goals in the opening 20 minutes of the second half, and Arsenal's lead was instantly wiped out, and they were already equalised by Tottenham Hotspur, which was definitely a huge blow to Arsenal's morale.
Van der Faen equalises from the penalty spot. In a surprising gesture of celebration, he defiantly rushed to the stands of the Arsenal fans behind goal. Waving a finger at the same time, presumably meaning to shut up the opposing fans. The Dutchman's move was reminiscent of Manchester City striker Bam Adejo's provocative celebration after breaking the Gunners' goal, for which he was punished and received a yellow card.
Arsenal fans watched Van der Vaart revelry in front of them, and it was inevitable that they would not feel good in their hearts. Before the game, Gunners striker Robin van Persie revealed that he had strongly recommended Wenger to sign Van der Vaart, but unfortunately it was not accepted. Van Persie once said: "Van der Vaart is a great player, I know how good he is, I would prefer him to be part of Arsenal, in fact I have recommended it to the club many times but it has not been taken. And now Arsenal can only helplessly watch Van der Vaart score at the Emirates Stadium, and it is Arsenal who are injured.
Van der Vaart's arrival gave Tottenham the finishing touch, and now everyone can see what Van der Vaart can do for a team, Tottenham used to be a good team, but now they have a top level. Van der Vaart may not be Tottenham's most important player and the most promising player, but he is definitely a player who can elevate the team, and he is a central figure who can make a difference in the Premier League.
Arsenal, who were equalized, was extremely frustrated, and Arsenal's manager Arsene Wenger was also quite angry at this time; The 2-0 first-half result put a smile on Wenger's face. Who would have thought that the situation changed suddenly in the second half, Arsenal conceded two goals in a row and was equalized by the opponent, and the three points that were thought to have been in hand instantly became a point. And Tottenham Hotspur, who have played with full momentum, are obviously more aggressive at this time, and they will not waste such a good opportunity, and after the equaliser, Tottenham Hotspur will be hoping to continue to make a crazy comeback at the Emirates Stadium.
The manager's mood changed with the score on the field, and Wenger felt strange after the equalizer, watching the time pass little by little, the "professor" demeanor was not there, and even seemed a little crazy. Arsene Wenger was called "The Professor" when he first arrived in the Premier League, which meant that he was personable, but in this game, the Frenchman did not have the slightest sense of elegance, in fact, the Arsenal manager has long been used to being mad on the sidelines in the past two years, like other coaches.
Tottenham boss Redknapp Sr. once commented: "When Arsene Wenger first came to the Premier League, I remember reading articles saying that he was acting like a professor on the sidelines, where all the other maniacs were jumping up and down and yelling, but Wenger was different from them, he just sat there and watched everything on the pitch, like he was playing chess. At that time, Arsenal didn't lose much. ”
But now Arsene Wenger has become one of the madmen, and one of the biggest madmen! That's the pressure you are under and now it has affected Arsene Wenger, he doesn't sit quietly anymore, he's there arguing with everybody. In recent years, Wenger's temper has become bigger and bigger, he and former Tottenham coach Jol, former West Ham coach Pardew have quarreled on the sideline, and even almost made a move, the former professor who "played chess" on the sidelines is gone, replaced by today's mad man, in fact, a sentence from the old Redknapp sums up a lot of things, Wenger is like a professor, it is a period when Arsenal does not lose much, and now the team's performance is not ideal, and the French will naturally have more troubles.
Arsenal made a substitution immediately after Van der Vaart's equaliser, with Robin van Persie coming on for Chamark. In the 71st minute, Koscielny received Van Persie's free kick header, Fabregas headed the ball to Xiao Qing, Xiao Qing headed the ball in, but he and Fabregas were in an offside position, and the goal was invalidated.
In the 73rd minute, Fabianski pounced on Bale's cross and got rid of it, but Van der Vaart didn't stop with his right foot and missed a golden opportunity. However, Tottenham's attack became more and more vigorous, and Arsenal narrowly escaped the catastrophe, and they were almost overtaken by Tottenham Hotspur in a crazy way.
Although Arsenal escaped by luck, the thrilling scene just now still made the Emirates Stadium sigh with palpitations; At this time, Wenger was holding a bottle of water and drinking it carelessly, when suddenly the professor went crazy, and he threw the water bottle on the ground so hard that the bottle jumped three feet high after the bullet on the ground, and the water splashed on the ground.
In the 76th minute, Gomez saved Fabregas's curling shot in front of the penalty area; A minute later, Xiao Qing's cross found the unmarked Koscherny at the left post, but in the face of most of the empty goal, the French central defender actually headed the ball high, and Arsenal missed a key opportunity to take the lead again.
The furious Wenger was a little hysterical, he squatted on the sidelines, and when he saw that Arsenal's attack was blocked, he slapped the turf with both hands, and there was a big beating of his chest and crying, but unfortunately the Gunners were not angry, they not only failed to score again at this time to lead Tottenham Hotspur, they even conceded three goals in a row in the second half of the game.
Tottenham's offensive is getting stronger and stronger, while Arsenal have been unable to score for a long time. Finally, in the eighty-first minute, he committed another heinous crime in defense.
Koscielny was booked for a foul on Bale on the right, and Van der Vaart took a free-kick into the box; There are only three points in the Tottenham penalty area, Caboul in front, Galla in the middle, and Crouch who came on as a substitute outflanked the back point, but Xiaofa and Van Persie couldn't stop the opposing central defender Caboul from grabbing the header, which was really the most amateur mistake in the set-piece defense.
Cribboul scored his first goal of the season and it was a crazy comeback for Tottenham Hotspur to score three goals against defending champions Arsenal in the second half!
Tottenham Hotspur are likely to break the nightmare of years of league winless spells against Arsenal, and now they are likely to end their curse of 18 away games without a win against Arsenal in 17 years, and it must be clear that Tottenham are indeed strong and deserve a Champions League place. Under the tactics of Lao Lei, this team with both experience and talent will become an increasingly difficult opponent for Arsenal, oh no, bad news for all the big clubs.
A speechless Arsene Wenger squatted on the sidelines and covered his face with his hands, a game in which Arsenal played in the second half really made him very ashamed; In fact, the Arsenal players at this time are also very ashamed, they really can't accept the humiliating reversal by the opponent in this game. Time is running out, but they won't give up. (To be continued......)