A routine victory or did we make it difficult for ourselves?

Arsenal were back in action very quickly after the Liverpool game on Thursday night. The disappointment that was bestowed upon them by Liverpool, threatened to keep going with a tricky away day. Portsmouth linger towards the bottom of the Championship, but the magic of the FA Cup runs deep in teams outside of the top tier. Fratton Park, in the dead of winter, is a daunting prospect. They’re loud and proud and are a club that feels like they belong in the top flight. Arsenal needed to contain the emotions of the crowd.

First Half

Arsenal started the game under immense pressure from Portsmouth. They were man-to-man pressing and weren’t letting Arsenal escape. This resulted in the best start possible for Pompey. Noni Madueke lost the ball deep in our own half. The Portsmouth wide man was looking to get a cross off, but noticed a team mate on the edge of the box, unmarked. He slipped the ball to him and the player managed to get a shot off. This was saved by Kepa Arrizabalaga, but his parry of the ball landed at the feet of Colby Bishop who thumped it home from close range. The home side deserved the lead. But, that lead was short lived as an own goal was scored at the other end. A corner was swung in and, through a body of players, the ball was knocked into the net by Andre Dozzell. Christian Norgaard initially celebrated the goal, but he just ensured the ball hit Dozzell. But, Pompey weren’t dismayed by that equaliser and went on the hunt to restore their lead. Colby Bishop had an attempt saved as well as Harvey Blair. But, all the hard work was about to be undone. Gabriel Martinelli leapt the highest, from Madueke’s corner, and guided his header beyond the keeper. 2-1. Martinelli then had a brilliant opportunity to make it 3-1, but couldn’t provide the finishing touch. As the half went on chances became a premium. The Gunners were able to produce two more attempts before the first half ended. Martinelli found himself on the end of a cross, but could only hit the post when he had an open goal to aim for. Madueke won himself a penalty, took responsibility and curled his effort wide of the post. It should’ve been 4-1 before the half even closed out, but the door was left slightly ajar for Portsmouth.

Second Half

John Mousinho’s men started the 2nd half with more intent than the away side. They had a couple of half chances, one which required a huge block from Ben White. Barely a couple of minutes after that goal saving block from White, Portsmouth were 3-1 down. Myles Lewis-Skelly opted for a quick free kick which caught out the Pompey defence. Gabriel Jesus sent a wicked ball straight across the face of goal which Martinelli was on the end of. His task was simple, tap it in to an open net. His successfully completed his task. After the 3rd went in, the Gunners began to control proceedings. The home side still had a few sighters, but the defence was alert enough to block any attempts. Mikel Arteta’s men also had a couple of blocked shots. The game was ebbing towards an Arsenal win, but the away side felt the need to solidify that status with a fourth goal. Another Madueke corner was met by the head of Martinelli again. The goal was a carbon copy of his first. The Brazilian ran to the front post and leapt highest to power a header beyond the keeper. Hat-trick for our man. Portsmouth still had a couple of efforts left in them, one which required a strong hand from Kepa. Ultimately, Arsenal had the game won, it was just by how many. Kai Havertz had a couple of shots blocked and Eberechi Eze had a strike saved. The final score, 4-1 to Arsenal.

Statistics

Arsenal had the better of the chances, but Portsmouth certainly held their own. The Gunners had 15 shots in total with only 4 on target. This resulted in an xG of 2.89. Arteta’s men also created 6 big chances. The home side had 13 shots with 5 on target. This generated in an xG of 1.07, only 1 big chance was created though.

Player Ratings:

Starting XI

Kepa – 7 – He could have possibly done a little bit better for their goal, by parrying it away from the attacker. However, he made a couple of good saves and was used regularly to take the sting out of the Portsmouth press.

White – 8 – I thought he had an excellent game. He was up and down the wing the whole time he was on the pitch. He made a couple of really good crosses, something we’ve missed since having Jurrien Timber at right back. He was solid defensively, apart from one moment that warranted a yellow card. Overall, he showed his class.

Norgaard – 8 – I’m always really impressed with him whenever he gets to play. He slotted in at centre back again and performed admirably. Strong in his challenges and smart with his distribution. I would like to see more of him as the season progresses.

Gabriel – 7 – He had a decent game, nothing outstanding. He made a couple of important blocks, but did struggle a little to beat the Portsmouth press. A few wayward passes were a feature of the first half.

Lewis-Skelly – 6 – He was certainly a target in the first half and found it tough to handle the relentless nature of the home side. He won a few aerial duels here and there, but was left on the floor a few times due to getting physically outplayed. He improved in the 2nd half and was key to helping Arsenal grab their third of the game. His quick thinking for the free kick certainly helped.

Merino – 9 – If not for Martinelli, Merino would be my Man of the Match. He was excellent in Zubimendi’s role. Okay, the opposition isn’t Premier League standard, but he adapted his game to suit the level he was at. He was brave in his passing and put his body on the line to protect the club. Going forward, this could be a role for him, ensuring Zubimendi gets some rest.

Eze – 6 – A quiet game for Eze. He didn’t really take the game to Portsmouth and cut an isolated figure in the first half. He was moving between their lines, but was rarely found. He was much better when he played off the left.

Nwaneri – 8 – I felt like that was the performance he needed to earn Arteta’s trust. He put in a great defensive shift, tracking back and making tackles where he needed to. In addition to this, his offensive work was even better. He can comfortably carry the ball over long distances and has clearly worked on his final ball. An excellent display.

Madueke – 8 – His final ball/finishing needs a lot of work. He missed a penalty and could’ve had a couple of goals outside of that, but just delayed his attempts. However, his approach to being a winger is exactly what we need. He’s quick, skilful and determined. As soon as he picks up the ball, he’s immediately looking to get beyond his opponent. It won him a penalty and almost won him another one. He got two assists from two very good corners.

Jesus – 7 – Another player who improved as the game went on, but he was frustrating to watch in that first half. He couldn’t keep the ball under control and offered little threat to the Portsmouth goal. The second half showed an improvement and he was able to get an assist for Martinelli’s second. I prefer him off the left and always will do.

Martinelli – 9 (MOTM) – He’s had a difficult week, most of it brought on by himself, but he needed that performance for his own mental state. The crowd were on him for the entirety of the game and he responded with his first career hat-trick. Two wonderful headed goals and a real striker’s finish amongst them. He was threatening all game and could’ve had five by the end of it. A top performance.

Substitutes

Havertz – 8 – It was brilliant to see him back out there again and I think he had a great cameo. His first action was to send a lovely weighted through ball for Madueke, who couldn’t apply the finish. Throughout his time on the pitch he had some good touches and found himself linking up very well with his colleagues. He also had a couple of chances blocked.

Timber – 7 – Didn’t have much to do except ensure that the Gunners didn’t have an awkward end to the game. He was able to do that and put in a competent display.

Odegaard – 7 – He’s an orchestrator and will forever hold that title. This is good in some sense because it helps ensure the team flows and perform from the same sheet. However, he won’t take risks in case it jeopardises the whole performance. There was a few occasions a passage opened up with a runner in behind, but he opted to retain possession and play a simple pass. So, it looks like he’s having a good afternoon of football, but the reality is that he’s just playing safe.

Salmon – 7 – What a moment for the young lad. Our youngest ever player to feature in the FA Cup. 16 years and 135 days old. You wouldn’t guess his age based on his performance though. It was mature, strong and decisive. He didn’t overcomplicate anything or try and be a hero, he understood what was needed. We even got to see him make one big tackle which was great to watch.

Zubimendi – N/A –

Summary

In the end it was comfortable, but that first half showed signs of vulnerability that’s creeped into our performances over the last two months. I don’t think teams are even leaning on that ‘low block’ anymore. They know that a man-to-man press will expose some lazy passing from us. Having said that, the atmosphere was handled brilliantly. They were loud and only turned up the decibels as the game went on. But, the players just played their game and got on with it. I’ve seen us crumble many times away from home in these kinds of games, but the mentality of these boys is different. Actually, they played some good football too. Some lovely little exchanges. A win is a win and that’s another game out the way.

Predicted Lineup vs Chelsea

I think Arteta will go full strength for the Chelsea game. There was a suggestion that Chelsea won’t take this competition as seriously, but with a new manager in charge, I think that stance will change. What could be better for Liam Rosenior than adding a trophy in his first few months in charge? Most of the players didn’t play at all against Portsmouth or only got 15/20 minutes after the game was already won. There’ll be some fresh legs here. Bukayo Saka, Declan Rice, Viktor Gyokeres, Leandro Trossard, David Raya and William Saliba will all get just under a week’s rest. It’s unclear when Riccardo Calafiori, Cristhian Mosquera or Piero Hincapie will be back. But, I think Arteta will go strong here to get a result and then look to rest a couple for the 2nd leg at the Emirates. If we can take a 0-0 or even a win of any kind, it’ll make life much easier for the 2nd leg. Let’s get it!