Arsène Wenger’s having a party: bring your vodka and your DVD of Fortuna Köln versus Paderborn. The Arsenal manager is no hell-raiser and he has long had his leg pulled about his idea of a big night, which – according to legend – has to feature German third division football. One thing was plain after this anti-climactic comedown from Wednesday’s 6-0 Champions League win against Ludogorets. His 67th birthday bash would have been the dampest of squibs.
Wenger’s moods are entirely dependent on the results of his team and this was one of those that they throw in every now and then – sometimes when they are least expected. Arsenal had entered the game as the form team in England, having won seven on the spin in all competitions, while Middlesbrough had never had so few Premier League points after the first eight matches of a season. But Arsenal could not find their fluency – they were slow and flat, and it was surprising to see how few clearcut chances they created.
It was Middlesbrough who distinguished themselves and if anybody deserved to win then it was them. Aitor Karanka got his tactics spot-on and, with the right-winger, Adama Traoré, showcasing his pace and power, they had the opportunities to take more than the one point. Petr Cech saved Arsenal three times in the first half and he would be worked again by Traoré in the second period.
Wenger admitted that Arsenal “could have lost the game in the first half” and he lamented his team’s lack of pace, creativity and sharpness in the combinations. He also felt they had paid “a little price” for their exertions against Ludogorets, even if it had not looked like a particularly taxing evening. “I have a frustrated face,” Wenger added. “But, at least, we were intelligent enough not to lose.”
Arsenal dominated possession but they struggled to outmanoeuvre Karanka’s reworked midfield. Instead of using his usual 4-2-3-1 formation, the Boro manager asked Adam Clayton to anchor a central midfield trio, with Adam Forshaw and Marten de Roon either side of him. In the absence of a No10, Gaston Ramírez started off the left.
Middlesbrough’s problems had been well-documented – the dismal run of results, the lack of creativity and goals – but they made light of them. If nobody could have predicted how disjointed Arsenal would have looked, then it was still a surprise to see the visitors as the more dangerous team, particularly in the first half.
They had chances and they were glorious ones – particularly the third of them, when Traoré crossed, Álvaro Negredo and Laurent Koscielny challenged for the ball and it looped up to the unmarked Ramírez at the far post. His header packed a punch but it was too close to Cech, who blocked instinctively.
Karanka’s team had first carved Arsenal open in the 19th minute, following Negredo’s flick from Daniel Ayala’s high ball forward. Koscielny moved across to deal with the loose ball but he was robbed by Traoré, who blasted away from him and made for the area. Confronted by Cech, his shot was saved and, when the ball broke to Negredo, the goalkeeper saved again. Negredo ought to have done better. Middlesbrough could also point to Ramírez’s whipped free-kick moments later, which came back off the crossbar.
Arsenal flickered – they always do – but there was no one chance that they could look back upon with particular regret.
It was Alexis Sánchez who was central to what they did muster. The centre-forward went close with two free-kicks while he twice forced Víctor Valdés into smart saves in open play. There was also the moment shortly after half-time when Valdés, the former Barcelona goalkeeper, failed to claim a high ball and Sánchez chipped it back into the middle for Koscielny. The cross was over-hit.
Like the Swansea City winger Modou Barrow here last weekend, Traoré had plenty of joy; there was worry among the home support whenever he tore forward on the counterattack. He went close on 59 minutes, after a surging run and low shot for the far corner – Cech tipped it around the post – and, with time almost up, he drove again and played in Negredo. Koscielny stretched to make the saving challenge.
“We deserved to win,” Karanka said. “Our concentration was good throughout. The fact that Cech was Arsenal’s best player says that we did a really good job. Now, we have a very important home game against Bournemouth next Saturday.”
