It was one of those matches when you have to ask yourself how this Arsenal side didn’t win the league or at least have a decent crack at it. We looked like an advertisement for total football, like The Invincibles when they were toying with beleaguered opponents a decade back.
Here are the key points from Monday’s win…
1. Alexis was unplayable
The Chilean genius scored twice and should have got his first Arsenal hat-trick. He was destroying Hull’s defence from the very beginning with his movement, passing and dribbling. With two goals against Hull, Alexis has 16 league goals to his name and 24 in all competitions. Hull defenders won’t look forward to meeting Alexis again as he has now scored four times in three clashes between the sides this season.
2. Mesut Özil was beyond brilliant
Yes, I will start with ‘The Flick’. What on Earth was that?! How did he do it?! And, the most intriguing thing is how did he manage to make that pass look both l’art-pour-l’art-esque and the most practical solution at the same time?!
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Of course, it would be unfair to focus solely on just that moment of brilliance. He was putting Hull’s defence under pressure when they were in possession too and after he pick-pocketed Huddlestone, and we scored. A phrase “poetry in motion” springs to mind as the best description of Özil’s performance.
3. Santi Cazorla’s passing was an integral part of Wengerball at the KC Stadium
Our second goal could have been a classic. The Spaniard’s pass for Ramsey combined with a perfect first touch and turn from the Welshman looked like something Dennis Bergkamp had drawn for our players before the game. The only thing that took away somewhat from the goal’s aesthetics was Brady’s deflection.
That was just a part of Santi Cazorla’s display. His role in our passing geometry was key. Most of the time it looked like we always pick the best way to pass the ball around and behind our opponents. It looked like our players turned KC Stadium into a giant drawing board and drew lines of passing to comply both with mathematics and aesthetics. The first line was usually drawn by Santi who controlled the game once again.
4. Aaron Ramsey proved Martin Tyler right
After Tom Huddlestone’s poor tackle, we all feared the worst. Fortunately, Ramsey didn’t just run off his injury but also made a huge impact by scoring our second and creating our third with a sublime through ball for Alexis. When Ramsey was lying on the ground in pain, Martin Tyler mentioned Ramsey’s goals in away games as one of the reasons why the Welshman is so important for Arsenal. Indeed, Ramsey has scored ten goals in all competitions and just two of those were scored at the Emirates.
5. Jack Wilshere is finally back
The most talented English midfielder is back after five-and-half months on the sidelines and he looked sharp, energetic and full of desire to play. He will find difficult break into the starting XI again but it only proves how strong a team we have.
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