Very happy with the 3 points from today's game. It wasn't the greatest game in the world and Reading were very disappointing tonight. Usually at home they come out all guns blazing and for some reason they just sat back and allowed us to control the game. We dictated the game for the first 45 minutes just passing it around, but there was a lack of penetration. We couldn't find that through ball to cut open their defence. Whenever we we went forward we were just met by a wall of 10 men. I really feel that Wenger made a mistake with his selection and formation today. With Reading playing so deep and neither centre back being particularly pacy I thought it would have been the perfect game to give Theo a game up front alongside Ade in a 4-4-2 formation. We were lucky in that Reading were poor and we got a goal at an excellent time.
After only a few minutes we had an excellent chance after a Reading mistake and Ade really should have put the ball in the back of the net. We didn't really create another chance in the first half and Gunnarson probably had the best chance which Almunia dealt with well. It looked like we would go in 0-0 at half time, but a superb burst up field from Flamini to get onto a great ball played across from Hleb gave us a vital lead. Flamini is having an excellent season and once again he was strong today and did his job very well.
That late strike in the first half allowed us to play our best football. We were far more flowing and created a lot more chances. A superb passing move and a great finish from Adebayor gave us the second goal and what sealed the win. Ade hasn't scored in a while and has worked tirelessly up front on his own for the past 3 games and has really missed Robin, so I was delighted to see him grab a goal to pay off for all that hard work. He now only needs two more goals to equal last seasons total in the EPL and I am confident that Ade can score at least 15 goals in the EPL this season.
We then played a superb passing move which was finished off from Ade and was wrongly disallowed by the linesman. We then got the third goal which was an amazing goal from Hleb considering how he did nearly everything to enable him not to shoot. The skill to take him round the keeper was amazing and he put it home to seal the win. He wasn't at his best today, but his control and touch are simply amazing and he will be key to us being successful this season.
I was annoyed at conceding a goal in the last few minutes as it would have put us ahead of United on goal difference and not just on goals scored. Cesc was stupid in picking up a booking tonight. He gave away a free kick which was needless in the first place, but then to be booked for back chatting over a nothing free kick is very stupid. But, at least he is missing Wigan at home and not a more tougher game like Villa, Boro or Newcastle away which we will need him for. He will now not play for us for 3 weeks and hopefully he won't play for Spain either and that will be a nice 3 week break for Cesc.
A good win and we now return back to the top of the league where we belong
by SE13 » Mon Nov 12, 2007 9:59 pm 
