Publications
Partners
London - Arsenal left it late but ultimately got the goal they wanted as they beat a stubborn Huddersfield side 1-0 at the Emirates Stadium on Saturday.
It was tough going for the hosts early on as they struggled to make any inroads against a Huddersfield side that had clearly been instructed to pile on the pressure and press the opposition backwards whenever they had the ball.
The lack of any noticeable action led to a very subdued atmosphere at the Emirates, as hopes of an early goal or two and an easy win went up in smoke.
Arsenal seemed to warm to the task a bit more midway through the first half, controlling possession more effectively, and they were rewarded with two great chances to go in front just short of the half-hour mark.
A mishit shot from Granit Xhaka led to the ball falling nicely for Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang six yards out, but luckily for the Terriers, the former Dortmund man's volleyed effort was just wide.
And just a minute later they had an even better chance after Matteo Guendouzi squared the ball for Alexandre Lacazette, who slipped and made a meal of his effort with the goal at his mercy.
The Gunners should perhaps have been in front on 41 minutes through Lacazette, but the striker was controversially ruled offside after finding the back of the net. Replays showed that while he was out of bounds when Aubameyang flicked a header into the area, he seemed to be back onside when he intercepted Jorgensen's short back pass and scored in what seemed like a separate phase of play.
Arsenal then had a bit of their own luck just before the break when Huddersfield spurned a golden chance, Alex Pritchard the man failing to find the target despite being teed up superbly by Jonathan Hogg at close range.
And the Terriers had another great opportunity early in the second half after Aaron Mooy sent a delayed pass to Tommy Smith, who opted to cut back on his left foot rather than take a first-time shot from the edge of the box, effectively wasting his chance.
It seemed like neither team had brought their scoring boots along for the game, but the goal the Arsenal faithful were longing finally arrived seven minutes from time.
Guendouzi started the move with a clever dink over the top for Aubameyang at the back post, who managed to center it after a bit of a scramble for an unmarked Lucas Torreira. The Uruguayan just needed to finish and did so in style courtesy of an acrobatic volley to put the Gunners 1-0 up.
Despite seven nervy minutes of injury time, Arsenal were able to hold on for the valuable win, collecting all three points to move into third place on the Premier League table and keep their impressive unbeaten run going.
