As far as I'm concerned, the Premier League 2010/11 season started last night, and may I just say, what a way to kick off the season. 

We finished 1-1 at Anfield (Ngog 46, Reina 90 og) so it really wasn't a breakthrough performance from the lads.

It was one Laurent Koscielny though, who made such an impression that I am pretty sure everyone knows (and can pronounce) his name after this game. He got Joe Cole sent off right before the end of the first-half, nicked Kuyt in the nuts in the second, and got sent off himself in the closing seconds. If that's not the making of a cult hero, you tell me what is.



Arsenal took the game to roaring Anfield with a stinging first strike from Thomas Vermaelen. Samir Nasri had laid off the short free-kick for the assist, and if not for Reina's fully stretched form, Arsenal would have had the early lead.

Disappointingly, there were a few floundering moments in our own box as the new defensive lineup looked apprehensive, and Almunia was extremely flustered from dealing with simple set pieces.



I reckon it really is not the fact that we do not have a good enough keeper. Instead of putting the blame on one man all the time, we need to pull the rearguard sufficiently tight so that they give the keeper more confidence as well.

I am not discounting Almunia's errors. The entire backline (including Manny) HAVE to do so much better. 

The highlight of the first 45 minutes must surely be the sending off of Joe Cole after his ferocious tackle on Koscielny.

To be fair, it did not look like Cole had much (if any) malicious intent, but referee Atkinson flashed the red without hesitation and our centre back was stretchered off. When Koscielny resumed play after the break, I was elated and surprised. Finally! We have a player capable of taking on the brutes!

That gladness was short lived though as the opening minute saw Ngog score a smasher against us to send Anfield cheering. There was no blaming Almunia for that - it was a very good goal.

I do however, fault the defenders for not halting the move earlier. 

Liverpool must have had a good 10 to 15 minutes of spirited play after going in front. Arsenal came back well to settle in the game. After the introduction of Rosicky and Walcott, we were back to good form. Reina did very well to deny us a couple of times (I remember one Walcott freekick that was narrowly saved), and the lads were plain out of luck not being able to score even from the scrappiest pieces of play.



The one confused moment that eventually salvaged a point for us came in the 90th minute when Rosicky's cross caused a little fracas in the box. Chamakh was there and I am still not entirely sure what he did, but it was enough to send Reina scampering the ball into goal for us. Tough luck for the Spaniard. He had been superb for Liverpool all night.



Our Almunia showed he can palm away bullets too when he parried away Gerrard's effort in added time. Koscielny got booked for kicking Kuyt in the crotch, and then unluckily got sent off when he was booked again for a handball just before the whistle.

So it ended a point a side in a game where one debutant was sent off at the end of each half. While I am glad that we took something away from Anfield, I'm thoroughly unsatisfied that we didn't use the numerical advantage at all.

Truly, this first game of the season exposed many undeniable concerns.

 Our defence faltered and the midfield looked disturbingly empty. It simply cannot be that we cannot find someone to distribute the ball in the absence of Cesc Fabregas (as incredible as our captain may be).

Jack might have been a little out of place, but the youngster was trying. He just was not getting much out of his gallops. Eboue was brilliant in the first half. Diaby was well... okay. Nasri worked his French behind off from flank to flank. And our frontmen were disappointingly quiet. Perhaps Arshavin and Chamakh have not quite found the right chemistry yet.

Whatever it is, we have a lot of work to do. But take heart my fellow Gooners, for as much as we were lacking in our element, I honestly thought we brought together a very good game. In fact, I still think we deserved three points out of this.

 This is just one down. We have 37 more to go.



The Arsenal!