Arsenal’s victory over Hull – Chalkboard analysis
Two successive late victories away from home against Arsenal, both against scrappy Northern sides – Stoke and Hull – who had been reduced to ten men. They haven’t showed their best football, but the old adage that “A good side is one that wins without playing well” appears to – for once – be applicable to Arsene Wenger’s side.
A few issues from the game….
Firstly, a clear difference between the two sides was the success rates of their clearances. A relatively obscure issue, perhaps, but one that can be crucial. Hull’s 32 unsuccessful clearances meant the ball was gifted back to Arsenal for yet another attack – Arsenal’s successful clearances meant they were able to launch a counter-attack of their own. This can partly be attributed to Arsenal having an extra player for half of the game, but also because their defenders are far more comfortable on the ball than Hull’s.
Despite Arsenal’s second-half dominance, they struggled to test Boaz Myhill. Indeed, they didn’t have a second half shot on target until the 89th minute of the game. This details their efforts from 46 to 89 minutes.
Theo Walcott continues his impressive run of form. His display yesterday was not a headline-grabbing one, but he offered Arsenal natural width and genuine pace to scare the Hull backline. He replaced Emmanuel Eboue on 66 minutes, and was immediately more dangerous. This Chalkboard shows how much more often he got into the channels and played dangerous balls into the box:
After Nicklas Bendtner’s disastrous performance last weekend, and then his midweek Champions League hattrick against Porto, this was somewhere inbetween – until his last minute winner. Bendtner does give Arsenal a genuine aerial threat, and won the majority of aerial challenges he contested:
An ugly win, but a vital three points.
Arsenal’s victory over Hull – Chalkboard analysis
Again, Arsenal need the opposition to lose man to get win away from home. That’s the only statistic you need here.
What about all the other way wins beside Hull and Stoke?
Playing away against 11 men Arsenal have only won twice since November.
Victories against Liverpool, Portsmouth, West Ham (FA Cup) and Bolton would appear to be more than 2.