It helped that their 3 forwards were lazy as ****. They gave no help defending, so our fullbacks could join in the attack. We had numbers, time on the ball and space. I am pretty sure City won't play that way next week.
I'm happy with a point considering how our season has started and thd fact we were losing 2.0 against a top 6 team.
Cleverley was a titan today. Taken some stick in the past, but he was sensational in his work ethic. Hughes is a guy who does work hard too, but Cleverley seems to do it in a way that raises the bar for the whole team, and he’s so good at disrupting the opposition. Really good to see him being confident enough to shoot today. One of the best things about his spell here as a youngster was his ability to get in and around the box to get goals.
I am certain that every one of our players thought that our goal this season was to compete for Europe
Don't be surprised if we do get spanked. Arsenal players said they played scared second half at 2-0. Man City scared? Don't see it.
That was great. Loved the spirit and fight in the second half. It’s crazy that we were 2-0 down and I’m actually upset we didn’t win that: We’ll be fine.
I've not read any moaning, more elation, tinged with the quite remarkable realisation that a great turnaround and point could have and should have been an historic comeback and win. 5-2 wouldn't have flattered us by the end, but we're lacking confidence in the finish and concentration in defence. I don't see anyone being negative or that it's negative to enjoy that performance, but recognise we should have taken 3 points.
Not sure if anyone has mentioned it, but the atmosphere in the second half was electric. The Vic was rocking for sure. That has to be one of the best crowd noises I've heard there. It seemed so loud. It's not always very easy to get all the ingredients though. A new manager, a top 6 side, we're doing something good or unusual against them, sunshine. Also, we've been on such a terrible run at home, that fans were just gagging to cheer for something. It all goes into the melting pot to inspire people. It's a shame that a lot of stars need to align before we get a fantastic atmosphere, but fans can take a lot of credit for yesterday. The noise in the second half was brilliant.
It was a foul, but not a clear and obvious one which would be overruled. It falls into the category of allowing the referee to officiate the match and not to referee it remotely. Taylor saw it and decided to let it go. Bad call for us of course, but it should not have led to a goal. Capoue switched off and we were left exposed because of that. I'd blame us more than the ref on this occasion for the goal being scored.
2-2 felt like a win for us and a defeat for them, had we actually won it would have been (in my estimation) one of our top ten results ever! When their 2nd goal went in a few people around where I sit left for drinks (I guess) and returned on about 55 minutes, however everyone stayed right to the end, which was nice to see and gave the team their well awarded applause at the end!
What I noticed was the surprising lack of the QSF song. Seemed like the obvious go-to for me. Loved seeing my 7 year old get into the full swing of joining in the songs, calling Arsenal cheats and loving the atmosphere. She's been going to games for 3 years but yesterday it all clicked.
Very true - and I don't think I'm being overly positive by saying that we're now only two wins off third place on the table...
What a magnificent second half of football, played at an incredible pace with no shortage of skill and boundless energy. Just shows what we are capable of. I was interested to read the comments before the game about the line up but actually I wasn't too disappointed except maybe that there was no Welbeck (injured). The difference though was the tactics. It was very notable that our full backs weren't pushing up as much and when one went the other stayed giving us cover at the back. It wasn't a perfect performance defensively but it was a huge improvement on the last few games. I thought we started very well in the first half, working hard to put them under pressure and creating a few half chances but I did feel we needed to take one or we would pay for it. Arsenal's first goal was more about playing to the whistle rather than defensive frailties. I didn't think it was a foul on Hughes but the reaction to not getting the free kick was simply not good enough. Capoue in particular stood for a couple of seconds and lazily jogged back with no real effort to get back. The second goal showed up the defensive problems with Holebas caught flat footed and not reading what was going on and Dawson not being with his man. Holebas is an issue as he really seems to be struggling this season and I suspect the club knew this hence the bid for Danny Rose. Dawson I thought improved and looked a far better player second half. Those two goals really hurt us and for a few minutes we looked like we might get a hammering but just before the break Delefeou went racing through on goal after a lovely touch from Gray (probably his only one) and although he didn't score (actually felt he should have done better) it seemed to lift the team a little and a bit of belief came back. Second half was just immense, wave after wave of fast attacking football, played on the ground and we scared the living daylights out of one of the top 6 to the point where we should have won. Delefeou and Cleverly were excellent and hopefully the former can now complete 90 minutes more often as he was unplayable at times. Doucoure was much improved despite my mate next to me saying how rubbish he was for most of the game, up and down all the game and really deserved to have got the winner but it was not to be. Sarr looked a little nervous when he came on but grew in to the game and really started to look like a handful by the end That was 100% better than recent matches and it does give us hope that in fact we will be fine. City away next and it's hugely unlikely that we will get anything out of that but Wolves and Sheff Utd after that may give us a chance to get a desperately needed first win and start climbing the table. At half time yesterday I thought we were doomed but it's incredible what a difference that second half has made to most peoples views on the rest of the season.
I don't think I've ever been to a game where an opposition goal kick is greeted with more anticipation than a Watford corner! COYH!
Best football we have played in a long time absolutely dominated one of the best teams in the league in that second half. When I seem Cleverly in the starting line up I was not sure but I think he had a great game. Doucoure looked like the old Doucs and Del boy was the best player on the pitch by a country mile. I also thought Kiko had his best game of the season..
Yes their goal kicks were crazy, had that been us these posts would have reached four figures by now!
Actually I noticed this. I don't think it was as much the the fullbacks didn't push up, just that there was a conscious awareness from others to cover their space when they did. I noticed Doucoure, Capoue and even Sarr filling in at right back at times, when Kiko or Janmaat had been caught up field. It's basic stuff really and the fact that QSF has instilled this discipline into the team within just a week, shows that it was neglectful to have not addressed it under JG.
Sensational match. I'd well and truly written cleverley off but he was immense. And that match shows deulofeu can last 90 mins and that gracia taking him off early every single match was just terrible management. What sort of a ****** hauls of their best player time and again? Edit c retin is a swear word now?
I think yesterday highlighted how far we'd slipped under Gracia. The first half, although had promise in those opening 15 minutes, ebbed away quickly after the first "avoidable" goal. A foul not given on the half way line, should not result in a goal being scored. The second goal was a typical Arsenal goal, which also avoidable, was well-crafted by them and sometimes you have to give the opposition credit. At 0-2, I thought we were done. No new manager bounce and the same old problems....nothing changed. I thought the rest of the season would surely be a struggle from now on in. But the players responded very well. I think they felt they had to. The game was gone, so in the mind you can relax a bit and play. The first goal, as always, was crucial and it came at a good time. Early in the second half. It lifted the whole team and home support. Arsenal suddenly lost that swagger and began to look nervous. The biggest thing to come out of yesterday's match was Watford's belief. That's going to be huge for us for the remainder of the season. There a little things being said now from the players. I think when Gracia was here, they felt he was doing a great job, but players are not always the best barometer. Now Kabs has come out and said it helps when the coach is more vocal on the touchline, whereas Javi was very quiet. I think there is a growing realisation that things were not working under Javi anymore and I think the players are fully on board with Flores. They can see why a change was necessary and they now understand it. That's important that the squad believe in the club and what we are doing. City next, which may or may not be a good thing. It could go in two ways. It could be a great time to play them, or the worst possible time, depending on what the Norwich defeat did to them. Our progress will probably be halted but, at least we'll be rid of one of the hardest fixtures in the entire season. As long as we do not get thrashed, I think we'll see it as a positive and move on to two more winnable games in Wolves and Sheff Utd. This is where our season starts and where we HAVE TO win at least one of those games.
If you'd never seen a game of football until yesterday, you'd watch their goal kick routines and assume they were being penalised in some way having to play it out like that.
Interesting, and encouraging, that you now categorise Wolves away as a winnable game after you and others had been certain that we would lose the next three, starting with Arsenal.
We’re all delighted with our comeback and draw with a ‘top 6’ team yesterday, but if Arsenal continue to play like that there’s no way in the world they’ll finish in the top six.
