Young Gunners throw it away
It was a painful match for the Arsenal faithful and a famous one for Wigan fans. It wasn’t always that way, though. In fact, for almost eighty minutes, it was the other way round as Arsene Wenger’s lads led 2-0 away from home in a bid to rejuvenate their title hopes. In the end, they failed to hold on to their advantage and allowed their hosts to score three times in the last 11 minutes.
The DW Stadium erupted with joy when Charles N’Zogbia netted the game winner towards the very end of the game. In contrast, the Arsenal bench appeared to be absolutely stunned. Although conceding the two previous goals to Ben Watson and Titus Bramble would have only earned them a disappointing draw, allowing the third sealed a humiliating 3-2 defeat as well as a very tough trip back to North London.
Saturday’s Premier League action offered its promised share of twists and turns as leaders Chelsea were beaten away to Arsenal’s bitter rivals Tottenham. As a result, the Gunners could have closed in on within three points of the Premier League summit had they held on to their two goal lead. Without key defender Thomas Vermaelen, though, there was always a chance for a slip up. Wenger acknowledged this as well, stating that his team’s lack of focus kept the door open for the Latics.
“No, I never thought the game was over. I saw that we were having difficulties keeping the ball and creating opportunities. When you do not create chances in football you are in trouble. After we went 2-0 up our game lacked cohesion and discipline and I always felt that we could be punished,” said the Frenchman.
“I believe that we were not focused and were not disciplined and we got caught. We were a bit unlucky as well but overall, in football you have to keep focused for 90 minutes or you risk or a bit much, especially against a team who has nothing to lose and fights not to go down. They will not give up and in the end we were punished.”
Wenger went on to conclude his post-match press conference by saying that his men quickly need overcome the disappointment of falling behind in the title race to ensure that they can finish the season strong. Manchester City and Tottenham can both finish in the top four at Arsenal’s expense if the Gunners fail to win any of their three remaining games. The Arsenal boss is wary of that threat too.
“Spurs can catch us, Manchester City can catch us. We have to win at least one game,” he concluded.
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