First off, I want to say West Ham played amazingly. They played with conviction and though their priorities may be should lie elsewhere (not getting relegated), they were industrious and were not giving Arsenal any room to breathe. Considering the way West Ham played, I thought they deserved a replay at the Emirates once Ramsey scored. It was cruel when Eduardo got his goal. Behrami, who I've been impressed with in other WHU games, was absolutely all over the pitch. He was the man of the match for me even with Arsenal winning.
Alright, onto Arsenal.
I thought Fabianski played well. A keeper can only do so much when he's one on one with the attacking player. He almost deflected the shot wide. I've seen Arsenal use the offsides trap a few times, and I can't say I'm a huge fan of it. It can very easily leave you vulnerable if your defense is not on the same page. You saw that with Silvestre who hasn't played much with the other three. It pretty much gave a free pass to Diamanti and there was no way to recover from it.
I thought Wilshere and Merida looked hopelessly lost on the pitch. Both of them need to mature more. At the start of the season, if you asked me about Arsenal's top young players, I would have said Wilshere and Merida without a second to think. If you asked me now, my answer undoubtedly would be Aaron Ramsey. It's not that I didn't expect anything from Ramsey, it's that I saw more from the other two and that I didn't expect the marked improvement from Ramsey. I'm disappointed in Wilshere and Merida because I have high expectations for them. I'd like to see Merida get more playing time, though I think his window of opportunity may be closing. I think Wilshere can't contribute to the team on the level that they need him to at this moment and that he would do well on a loan where he can gain experience and deal with the physical challenges of the premiership.
Vermaelen and Gallas were solid, especially the Belgian. The defense was constantly under pressure, and I think Vermaelen's fearlessness was important in guiding Arsenal through. The difference in the match was probably the substitutions. Diaby and Nasri definitely added a new element to the team that was missing with Wilshere and Merida. Diaby sometimes doesn't look pretty, but my is he effective.
Up front, I was once again very glad to see Eduardo score. That's two games in a row. I think the number one thing for him has been his confidence and getting his timing back. I think he's starting to get both back, but there's definitely some improvements to be made. I thought Vela was absolutely fantastic on the left wing. He didn't get to penetrate the box as much as I would've liked, but he drew West Ham out to the wing, opening up enough space for Arsenal to capitalize.
I can't say enough about Ramsey. He's easily becoming one of my favorite players on this team. It's hard to believe his only 19. He's very calm on the pitch and I think he will have a huge impact for Arsenal in the present and in the future. He too scored his second goal in as many games, though he definitely could have had more. I think there are big things to come from the Welshman and we should see him feature against Bolton on Wednesday for the game in hand.
Here are the match highlights if you missed them:
Aaron Ramsey really has impressed this season and he continues to produce. The way he's developed over the course of a year and a half is just impressive. I thought he had talent, but I didn't expect him to grow up that fast. The media in Britain are rightfully in love with him:
That he is doing all of this while still a teenager is remarkable. Fabregas did it. Lionel Messi did it. Ryan Giggs did it. Wayne Rooney did it. Cristiano Ronaldo did it. The best of the best do it.Garside goes onto say:
Wilshere lags a little behind Ramsey in temperament, not touch. As Wenger acknowledged, he needs games to quiet his urgency. Just now he is trying too hard to please. Ramsey is blessed with iron belief. Wales have another hero.His performances have made him worthy of that praise, but he's not doing it alone. Carlos Vela, Abou Diaby, Eduardo, and Alex Song put forth a strong effort in attack as well.
To the big story of the FA Cup Third Round Proper, League One's Leeds United knocked out Manchester United. Jermaine Beckford scored the only goal of the game. Here are the full highlights of what was a great game:
Sir Alex Ferguson was not happy with the added time:
But Ferguson, who this season has already called for the responsibility to award added time to be taken out of the hands of refeeres, was also angered by Foy's decision to signal five extra minutes. He said: "The referee gave five minutes. That is an insult to the game and the players out there."He runs on a clock of his own. I would say the match was overall pretty even. I don't think United ever really had a clear chance on net and Leeds converted their one big opportunity. United have never lost this early in the competition under Sir Alex Ferguson.
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