Arsenal moved to second in the table following a dominant yet less than enthralling victory over Ipswich Town.
Arsenal took the lead through a well-worked Kai Havertz goal, the German latching on to another close-range cross which made it impossible to miss. Chances came and went for Martin Odegaard and Declan Rice but it would be just the one goal that separated the sides at full-time.
While the game was indeed broadcast on Amazon Prime the cameras are not able to catch everything. Thankfully, football.london were in attendance to provide a glimpse at what was missed inside the Emirates.
Ooh Santi Cazorla
There are few players who can endear themselves to a fan base quite like Santi Cazorla did, especially playing in the difficult period that the Spaniard did. However, his contributions in FA Cup finals, particularly the free-kick against Hull City will see him live in the memory forever.
This was the first time in 11 years that he had made his way back to the Emirates Stadium because, despite being 40 years old, he is still playing. He has made 18 appearances for a promotion-chasing Real Oviedo side.
As he came out the chants rang out around the ground, “Ooh Santi Cazorla!” A worthy response for a brilliant footballer.
Hutchinson booed
One of the potential narratives of the game was the return of Omari Hutchinson. The former Arsenal youth graduate left the club after failing to agree a contract before signing then for Chelsea, the side he left for Arsenal as a child.
Many fans saw the move as somewhat begrudging, with his brother taking to Instagram at the start of 2024, around two years after he left, criticising Mikel Arteta and calling for him to free more young players.
Oshaye wrote on Instagram: “Some people owe my brother an apology. All the abuse and hate comments he received when he left Arsenal. I hope you guys are all seeing why!
“Man City [youth] debut, Chelsea debut, Liverpool, Spurs youth played. Arsenal [did not]. I feel sorry for my Arsenal youth man. Free the guys.”
In the first half, he was even punished for diving. Naturally, it sparked quite the reaction from the supporters, with many booing the winger for the rest of the match.
Trossard shouts at Lewis-Skelly
Despite having four other left-backs on the bench, Myles Lewis-Skelly was again given the nod over the more than £100million-worth of players. Riccardo Calafiori, Kieran Tierney, Jakub Kiwior and Oleksandr Zinchenko were all told to sit and watch the Hale End teenager play.
Still young, he was paired with the far more experienced Leandro Trossard on the left-hand side. In an altercation with Liam Delap, Trossard could be seen shouting to the youngster in an attempt to not only get him to calm down but also refocus on the task at hand.
Join the football.london Arsenal WhatsApp channel
Join our Arsenal WhatsApp channel and get all the latest breaking news, opinion, podcasts and in-depth stories from football.london's dedicated Arsenal writers straight to your phone!
By following this free service you will be the first to know the news from the Emirates Stadium as it happens, when it happens.
To join our dedicated Arsenal channel, all you have to do is click this link and you can join thousands of others following our Gunners coverage!
If you're curious, you can check out our privacy policy here.
