Report: Arsenal 1-0 Ipswich (inc. goal)
Yesterday at 05:08 PM
Arsenal: Raya, Timber, Saliba, Gabriel, Lewis-Skelly, Rice, Odegaard, Havertz, Martinelli, Jesus, Trossard
Subs: Neto, Kiwior, Zinchenko, Tierney, Calafiori, Jorginho, Partey, Merino, Nwaneri
Arsenal jumped to second in the Premier League after beating Ipswich 1-0 at Emirates Stadium on Friday, thanks to a first half strike from Kai Havertz.
Mikel Arteta made two changes from the team that beat Crystal Palace last Saturday, with Declan Rice and Leandro Trossard coming into the side for Thomas Partey and Bukayo Saka.
Ethan Nwaneri was the only attack-minded player on the substitutes bench, with four left backs and two defensive midfielders also included due to a shortage of forward options.
Within the first 20 seconds, there was a chance for Ipswich when Leif Davis’ deflected cross caught Arsenal unaware and Sammie Szmodics found himself in front of goal, but couldn’t divert his effort towards goal.
But the game settled into a familiar pattern after that early scare with Arsenal dominating possession, pressing and probing against a sea of blue shirts doing their best to stand firm.
Despite their superiority on the ball – the Gunners had 90% possession after 20 minutes – they struggled to create any clear cut opportunities until Havertz broke the deadlock with a strike for the box crashing folder.
The goal was created by Leandro Trossard who did well to isolate himself against and beat defender Ben Johnson, before crossing perfectly into Havertz who tapped home from close range. 1-0.
Arsenal had found their rhythm by that point and looked smooth in possession, but did a great job of denying Ipswich any chance to escape with great physicality and ball winning across the pitch.
Gabriel Jesus had the ball in the net shortly after, finishing brilliantly from a tight angle after being found by Trossard but he was offside in the build up.
Heading into half time, the visitors continued to make things difficult and managed to settle after conceding, with Arsenal maybe lacking some incision and speed in the final third despite their obvious strength.
On paper, it was everything you wanted from a half of football although Arteta might have asked for more urgency from his team during the break.
Into the second half, the Gunners started brightly with two or three early attempts at goal but lost that early momentum with Ipswich working their way back into the game once more. Frustration was starting to seep into the crowd after some wayward passes which looked to impact the team at times.
Just after the hour mark, Arsenal should have doubled their lead when Gabriel found himself free after escaping his marker from a corner, but somehow headed wide from three yards out with the goal gaping.
It was a sitter for the Brazilian who is usually so reliable from set piece situations, but he got his bearings all wrong.
With 20 minutes remaining, Mikel Merino was introduced for Gabriel Jesus to try and spark some energy into the team, and it did just that with a flurry of Arsenal chances which put the visitors under pressure again.
Odegaard stung the fingertips of goalkeeper Aro Muric after a mazy run from deep, before Havertz went through but couldn’t find a clean connection on the ball after being pulled back by the Ipswich defender.
There was also a strong penalty shout when Liam Delap hauled Gabriel down from a corner but referee Darren England was (unsurprisingly) unmoved.
The game eventually fizzled out and all of us watching were rewarded with the referees’ final whistle, ensuring Arsenal jumped into second place – six points behind Liverpool – although the league leaders have a game in hand.
Arteta’s men rounded off 2024 with a win and despite the flat performance, will quickly shift their eyes to Brentford on New Year’s Day.
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