Charles N’Zogbia, a player who could rival Obafemi Martins for the player most linked with Arsenal awards, played a one-two with Watson and saw the whites of Fabianski’s eyes but his shot was tame and too obvious

Match Review – Wigan 3 Arsenal 2 – Premier League

If you have come here for a positive point of view then I am afraid you will be met by a rather tired looking, emotionally drained, frustrated Gooner who is pointing at the exit door and telling you that you have the wrong address.

The last thing we needed after our last two defeats was to lead 2-0 against a relegation side then lose the game with ten minutes to play, simply unbelievable.

Amoungst all the frustration, disappointment and head scratching I must say I feel a bit of relief. I had died and the pain has disappeared. I was shot at Birmingham and put on a life support machine when Phillips scored the late equaliser, I was hanging on in there until things took a turn for the worse at White Hart Lane. The doctor said the chances were slim but were trying to make me stable until I passed away at 3.17pm on Sunday 18th April 2010.

Before the collapse, Arsenal were on their way to a comfortable victory away from home. A victory that the team would have needed to push some of the recent disappointment out of their systems and even if the chances were slim that the title could be achieved it would have been good for the players to have known they were in it until the very end.

Wigan started the stronger of the two sides, they passed it quicker and settled into the game quicker. N’Zogbia had an early chance, but he missed. It was a first of a few and we all know that his last one counted.

It would be easy to forget about some of the decent performances during the game, had I not taken a mental note of those performances then I would have probably packed everyone together in a big box labelled ‘rubbish’ such was my annoyance after the second Wigan goal.

I was disappointed that Robin Van Persie was on the bench and not starting the game, I didn’t find out the line up until just before kick off which is rare for me, so I was taken aback to see Fabianski starting and Robin on the bench. We would still win this though as Wigan have a new pitch and the players will want to put the wrong’s of shite hart pain right.

I thought the early exchanges between Nasri and Rosicky worked pretty well, some of the passing and movement was very good. Theo Walcott looked sharp on the right and Eastmond looked tidy in the middle.

I paid close attention to the work off the ball from the players, how hungry they were for win the ball back and the players had responded. I was happy with the teams effort when Wigan were in possession. One example of this was when Rosicky ran back a good 30 yards to put a challenge in.

Theo Walcott was looking dangerous and the player most likely to create or score a goal. Memories of St Andrews came flooding back when Diaby slid in Walcott on the right but his cut back was cleared when going for the bottom corner was surely the better option.

Less than ten minutes later, Walcott made amends for his bad decision. Walcott latched onto a terrific through pass from Nicklas Bendtner and Theo brought the ball under his spell and slotted under Kirkland. There was a hint of Bergkamp and Ljungberg about that goal. 1-0 just before the break, Arsenal in control.

The second half well and truly got off to a flier. A minute in and I thought Samir Nasri had conceded a penalty. My first reaction was that he pulled back Ben Watson in the penalty area but on second inspection, it looks as if the former Crystal Palace man was doing his best Didier Drogba impression and went down very easily with very little contact. Moments later Mikel Silvestre was heading into the corner of the Wigan net cue my ‘he has just earned himself a new contract’ message on Twitter.

The game should have been well and truly buried at that point. Wigan have had a problem scoring goals lately and we should have had plenty left in us to score again but it was not to be. The intensity dropped, the desire disappeared and the focus went AWOL.

Arsenal could and perhaps should have been punished instantly. Charles N’Zogbia, a player who could rival Obafemi Martins for the player most linked with Arsenal awards, played a one-two with Watson and saw the whites of Fabianski’s eyes but his shot was tame and too obvious. Like Squid boy said on the pre match comments section, I wish he had scored at that point, it might well have woken the players up a little earlier. Instead we continued to stroll around as if we were 7-0 up with thirty seconds remaining.

Wigan upped the heat, they had nothing to lose and continued to knock on the Arsenal door. A door that was swung open when another well linked player, Victor Moses who had appeared from the Wigan Bench to sneak around the Arsenal back four and cut the ball back to Watson to place past Fabianski.

The rest of the game was played in our half and we do not do defensive pressure very well these days. Nasri had already cleared off his line before Fabianski dropped a routine catch onto the head of Titus Bramble to score from a yard from goal. Robin Van Persie was brought on to find a stoppage time winner. His fight and commitment should be noted by many out on the pitch. Even with Van Persie on the pitch, you could sense that there would only be one winner.

When I saw Charles N’Zogbia cutting inside without being stopped I just knew that the ball would end up in our net. It was a fantastic strike. In my self pitying way I stood up and just applauded the strike whilst shaking my head continuously. All my stress and anger had switched off and was replaced with confusion and bewilderment.

Before I forget I want to stand out of my seat and give a round of applause to the Wigan team, they have a manager in charge who play the game the right way and didn’t resort to physical violence like we see from many of the opposition in the Premier League. They played with heart, spirit and passion, so congratulations on their survival in the Premier League. It is teams like Wigan who should be praised not the likes of Stoke City.

As for Arsenal, I do not need to criticise the performance, it has already been done and everyone knows that the club expect much higher standards than the one we witnessed in the last third of the game. The players must learn from that, and concentrate on beating Manchester City who will want to bounce back from their derby defeat.

Once we cement our place in next season’s champions league then the manager can assess where things have gone wrong, especially in games like Wigan and Tottenham.

The Wenger out crowd have been hiding behind the bushes waiting for the right moment to strike, they have had a long wait while we were fighting for the title but now they have used this to jump out and vent their spleen over the internet. Whilst it is normal to express your disappointment after a defeat such as the one suffered at the JJB DW stadium, a sense of perspective is advised. Even though the team that played were certainly good enough to win against Wigan, it was hardly Arsene’s first choice team. The side have had very hard knocks in recent weeks against Birmingham and Barcelona. Perhaps this injury ravaged squad have been pushed a little too far mentally and physically.

I am happy to wipe the slate clean, get our injured players back and watch the new additions walk through the doors during the summer.

Arsenal. One thing I ask of you. Please do not let the scum finish above us.

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