Twitter raves over Arsenal fan favourite after late win v Huddersfield

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Arsenal were made to work for a 1-0 win over Huddersfield Town at the Emirates on Saturday.

Lucas Torreira scored the only goal of the game less than 10 minutes from time to extend Arsenal’s unbeaten run to 21 matches and send them into third.

Here are five things we learned from the tight affair.

1. Emery’s first-half struggles continue

The Premier League season is now 16 games old and Arsenal are still yet to lead at half-time.

Following Saturday’s first-half stalemate with Huddersfield, the Gunners have now gone in at the break level 12 times to add to the four occasions they’ve been behind. Cardiff City, currently in 16th, are the only other team yet to lead at half-time alongside Arsenal this season.

Part of the reason has come down to poor form in front of goal with only one of Arsenal’s five shots on goal hitting the target in the first half against Huddersfield, with Jonas Lossl saving Lucas Torreira’s effort.

But luck has also played a part in Arsenal’s poor first halves, with the Gunners having a goal ruled out potentially unfairly five minutes before half-time. But more about that later.

Unai Emery combatted this poor first half by making two changes at half-time, with Henrikh Mkhitaryan and Alex Iwobi replacing Alexandre Lacazette and Stephan Lichtsteiner, switching to a back four.

2. Lucas Torreira proves Arsenal’s man once more

What a signing Lucas Torreira is showing to be for Arsenal.

The Gunners were getting dangerously close to being frustrated by Huddersfield at the Emirates, with the Terriers doing so well in keeping their attack at bay.

Even after Emery’s positive half-time changes the Gunners struggled to create too much worthy of troubling Lossl until an unlikely goalscoring hero emerged.

Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang controlled the ball well inside the Huddersfield box before chipping into the middle, with Torreira lurking to beat Lossl from close range with an overhead kick.

The Uruguayan is usually known for his tough tackling and ability to marshal the midfield but on Saturday, he added another string to his bow – his second goal in as many appearances at the Emirates.

And it sent the Arsenal fans crazy.

3. David Wagner ultimately pays price for defensive football

Huddersfield are enduring a tough second year in the Premier League, winning just two games so far this season.

Going into the game, the Terriers were one point outside the relegation zone and on a run of two consecutive defeats. So David Wagner would not have wanted his side to go up against an Arsenal side in good form and confidence after positive results against Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester United.

Wagner only had one choice for the match, setting up his side to frustrate and bully Arsenal, putting pressure on their opponents and hope to secure at least a point.

And it worked brilliantly for 82 minutes. Huddersfield rarely troubled Bernd Leno in the Arsenal goal but their own goalkeeper, Jonas Lossl, was not much busier.

That was until Torreira scored with a bicycle kick from close range to shatter all Huddersfield’s hard work.

The defeat now sees Huddersfield drop back into the relegation zone with Cardiff City leapfrogging them following their win over Southampton.

4. Gunners building a bad reputation

Saturday’s game was a tough physical battle for Arsenal with Huddersfield trying to out-muscle the Gunners as other teams have to success in the past – though not under Emery.

In total there were 32 fouls at the Emirates with Huddersfield committing 19 to Arsenal’s 13. Nine yellow cards were shown by referee Paul Tierney with Arsenal receiving five.

On the face of it, it may seem a normal amount given Arsenal’s fouls with the possible explanation that theirs were worse than Huddersfield’s.

But three of the Gunners’ five yellow cards were shown for simulation with Granit Xhaka, Shkodran Mustafi and Matteo Guendouzi all being booked for diving.

Some Arsenal fans may point at Mustafi’s yellow and call it unfair, but the Gunners need to be careful of building a reputation for diving.

5. Time to clear up the offside rule

Did Arsenal have a goal incorrectly disallowed in the first half against Huddersfield?

With a few minutes to go before half-time, Bernd Leno’s goal-kick was headed on by Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang but the ball fell to Mathias Jorgensen. The Huddersfield defender attempted to play it back to Lossl but Lacazette intercepted, rounded Lossl and put the ball into the open net.

However, the goal was ruled out for offside. Granted, Lacazette was offside when Aubameyang headed the ball on, but debate ensued on whether Jorgensen’s attempted pass, no matter how brief his time on the ball was, counted as the start of a new phase.

The offside section of the FA’s website states: “A player in an offside position receiving the ball from an opponent who deliberately plays the ball (except from a deliberate save by any opponent) is not considered to have gained an advantage.”

On this definition, Lacazette is not deemed to have gained an advantage from his initial offside position and therefore his goal should not have been disallowed. The only possible explanation is the referee’s assistant may have believed Lacazette challenged Jorgensen for the ball, which would had vindicated the decision.

One thing which is certain, however, is that the offside rule needs clearing up for fans, players and officials alike.

The post Torreira steps up again: Five things learned as Arsenal secure late win v Huddersfield appeared first on Squawka News.



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