With eight minutes gone in this meeting of upper-to-mid‑table powers there was a significant little wonky detail. Arsenal had just taken the lead on an afternoon when they passed the ball with speed and verve through midfield, with Mesut Özil and Henrikh Mkhitaryan producing some sublime touches.
It was from Özil’s free-kick that Shkodran Mustafi rose above a mildly interested Watford defence to send a firm header wiffling into the far corner: “And that ladies and gentlemen is Arsenal’s ONE THOUSANDTH goal in the Premier League!!” a ludicrously upbeat voice declared over the Emirates Stadium PA as the players celebrated.
Except, it wasn’t. It was Arsenal’s 1,000th goal at home. Across two grounds in an arbitrary period of years sparked by a new TV deal. But never mind. A burblingly meaningless stat greeted by sarcastic applause from a two-thirds full stadium.
Welcome to Arsenal, a place where nothing is as clear as it seems, and where even the sense of crisis seems a little hard to believe on days like these where the outline of a fine, engaging, distinctly Wenger-ish team can still flicker into view.
Source : foxnews
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