Michu 89 mins & 90 mins
Att: 60,098
Today was the day of the Black Scarf Movement walk. At 1:30pm, around 1200 fans gathered outside the Cannons pub for the demonstration which lead right up to 'Bear roundabout' outside the Emirates Stadium. It was a tense atmosphere, and the songs that were sung ranged from Anti-Gazidis to Pro-Arsenal in terms of material. It was a demonstration which left me feeling very proud of the Gooners who took part, as we showed to the board (and to the Prawn-sandwich brigade) that Arsenal's true core supporters are not happy with the current situation.
Arsenal went into the game off the back of two draws against Aston Villa and Everton. Both games, granted, were away from home, but Arsene Wenger was surely dismayed that Arsenal only managed to take two points from a possible six. Alarm bells were being readied by the Arsenal fans, who knew that the next two home matches against Swansea and West Brom were must-wins.
What happens next? Or rather, what happened next? The Arsenal fans who took part all strove for the same message: let's kick greed out of football, and let's reinstate that fighting ambition the club once had, instead of focusing on a fourth-place finish every season. And as if it was Sod's law was at work, Arsenal lost at home to Swansea City for the first time since 1982, being comprehensively outplayed by Michael Laudrup's young side. Where did it all go wrong?
The game began in similar fashion to the performance at Villa Park last weekend. No real clear-cut chances were fabricated by either side, and Arsenal were demonstrating the same kind of passionless, dreary non-football, which is to sheepishly caress the ball around the edge of the box, without having a shot.
There was so little to talk about in the first half, and it seemed like these kind of lacklustre displays were becoming the status quo for Arsenal; against Everton and Villa, the side barely showed any attacking intent - after Walcott scored inside 50 seconds, the Arsenal eleven were merely spectators for the rest of the game.
And as the teams returned for the start of the second half, it seemed that all the game needed was a bit of zest, an infusion of brilliance, even the slightest glimmer of inspiration, and then one team would go on and win this. However, and rather sadly for Arsenal, that spark was not found. Arsenal continued in the same way as they had ended the first - fannying around with the ball. As the ball was frequently exchanged between Gibbs and Oxlade-Chamberlain, there seemed to be no striker for them to pick out. The general movement of the Arsenal forwards was atrocious, and, combined with sloppy passing, made for a pretty desperate situation for Wenger and his team.
The Arsenal faithful were not happy, not even close. It seems the natural consequence for Arsenal to concede before anything happens, be it good or bad. And when Arsenal finally did concede - in the 88th minute - there were real questions as to how it was Swansea could unlock the Arsenal defence that easily.
Michu, Swansea's £2 million signing, linked up with Luke Moore, exchanging quick passes. All of a sudden, Michu was bearing down on the Arsenal goal, with Szczesny in his way. What followed was simply an act of brilliance. The Spaniard finessed the ball into the top left corner with ease, and the boos rang out around the Emirates. Some Arsenal fans headed for the exits - they'd seen enough.
As if to rub salt into the wounds, Swansea scored again. As Arsenal pressed for an equaliser - though to not much avail - the ball landed at Michu's feet, and, thanks to a defensive slip-up, he found himself clean through on goal, again with Szczesny in his way. He opted for a low drive this time, sending the travelling fans into delirium, and the boos rang out around the Emirates again. This time, there was a monumental fire exit from the fans. Similar to the defeat to Schalke last month, the Emirates quickly emptied, though the fans that did stay made their feelings loud and clear.
The final whistle went, and Arsenal were left speechless, astounded and disappointed.
Was the BSM's protest in vain? Were they at fault for the team's below par performance? I'd say certainly not, as every fan has the right to say what they think about the club - after all, they're the ones forking out the money to go and watch them. Arsenal lie tenth in the table, 12 points off the pace of Manchester City. There is little more I need to say on the matter, as the following picture sums up the situation of the club at the moment. Thanks for reading.
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