Wenger Waspadalah, Everton Incar Posisi Keempat
Watch Out Wenger, Everton Behind You...
Editor : Ismail Gani
Translator : Novita Cahyadi
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London (B2B) - Sebuah gol bunuh diri pada menit 90 oleh Mathieu Flamini telah menggagalkan kemenangan Arsenal atas tamunya Swansea City Rabu pagi ini.
Padahal sampai menit ke-89, The Gunners sepertinya akan memastikan meraih tiga poin setelah unggul 2-1.
Per Mertesacker berusaha menghadang manuver Leon Britton dan bola lepas dari tangkapan Wojciech Szczesny yang kemudian membentur Mathieu Flamini sebelum berputar masuk gawang sendiri, seperti dilansir Yahoo Sports.
Gol bunuh diri ini memupus keunggulan 2-1 Arsenal setelah The Gunners bangkit usai tertinggal 0-1 sejak menit 11 ketika Swansea mendapatkan sebuah gol dari Wilfried Bony yang melepaskan satu sundulan usai menerima umpan Neil Taylor.
Butuh waktu 52 menit bagi Arsenal untuk menyamakan kedudukan ketika pada menit 73 Lukas Podolksi menjebol gawang Swansea dengan tendangan kaki kirinya dari tengah kotak penalti usai mendapat asistensi dari Kieran Gibss.
Hanya satu menit dari gol itu, Arsenal membalikkan keadaan untuk unggul 2-1 atas Swansea berkat gol Oliver Giroud yang kali ini Podolksi menjadi pangaransemen gol tersebut.
Arsenal seakan pasti mendapatkan poin penuh tiga untuk terus mengancam, Chelsea, namun gol bunuh diri Flamini menggugurkan kemenangan Arsenal.
Arsenal yang menguasai 61% distribusi bola pun harus puas menempati posisi empat klasemen dengan 63 poin atau dua poin dari Liverpool yang berada di posisi tiga dan tiga poin dari Manchester City yang menempel ketat Chelsea usai menghajar rival sekota Manchester City 3-0.
London - Arsenal´s nightmare continued as a bizarre own goal from Mathieu Flamini in the last minute handed Swansea a 2-2 draw at the Emirates Stadium.
Gunners boss Arsene Wenger had called for a response to the "accident" of his side´s 6-0 thrashing at Stamford Bridge which ruined his 1,000th match in charge on Saturday.
Having trailed to an 11th-minute header from Wilfried Bony, it was not until the introduction of substitute Lukas Podolski just before the hour that Arsenal finally sparked into life with two goals in the space of 60 seconds which looked to have won the match.
First, Kieran Gibbs - whose red card at Chelsea in a case of mistaken identity was overturned on Monday night - darted down the left and supplied a low cross which was bundled home by Podolski in the 73rd minute.
The German then turned provider as he charged clear of the Swansea defence to send in a low cross which Olivier Giroud smashed past Michel Vorm at the near post.
However, Garry Monk´s side - fighting against being dragged into the relegation battle - had defended resolutely and were themselves dangerous on the counter-attack, eventually forcing a late equaliser. Following a disputed free-kick, the ball broke to Leon Britton at the edge of the Arsenal penalty area. As the midfielder pressed forwards, riding a couple of challenges, he stabbed the ball goalwards. It was partially blocked by Per Mertesacker, then ricocheted off goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny and back onto Flamini before rolling into the net.
Wenger was left less than impressed, and will be in no doubt of the challenges which now lie ahead in a campaign which has promised so much - and continues with the visit of Manchester City on Saturday.
Arsenal had both midfielder Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and left-back Gibbs in the side after successful disciplinary appeals from the fallout of Saturday´s fiasco at Stamford Bridge.
