Good win. A bit more entertaining than the shit we've been serving up recently and got a little spicy too. Glad we stood up to their thuggishness.

We actually had quite a lot of openings in this game and really should have done better with so many of them. Overhitting simple through balls isn't gonna get us anywhere in the Champs League.

Qwiss yeah, that's fair. I just find, as I have for the last three years, the one dimensional nature of his game - and his decision making - quite aggravating. But you would be completely correct to say he was our most dangerous player today.

      RocktheCasbah -- he was our best attacker, but also further demonstrated his limitations. One nice cross to Merino, and a good job driving the byline for a blocked cross. But he continues to attack heads down and his shooting output is shocking now.

      I was a huge fan when he broke through but I think its best for both sides that he moves on soon. Next season would be best if we move him to a bit part (attacking sub), and the season after let him go rip Spain apart.

          RocktheCasbah I think we need another winger to raise the level overall but I still like Martinelli and think he's an important player for us. I find calls to move him on a bit short sighted and emotional tbh

              MistaT he would be fantastic backup to a top 5 winger. I wouldn't sell

                Qwiss exactly what I mean. We're quick to call for players like him to leave. Then we end up with Sterling as backup.....

                    Qwiss oh don't get me wrong, I'm not saying I think he needs to be moved on, I just think he should be part of a rotation on the left wing now - ideally with a new signing and not Leo Trossard.

                        Just got back from the game and it was one of the worst games I’ve seen. Second half was a snooze fest. Saliba my MOM, didn’t put a foot wrong.

                        Our lack of attacking threat really worries me if we really want to beat Madrid.

                        CL in the league should be sorted so let’s go all in actually winning the damn thing but concerns we might be a bit toothless.

                        naz exactly. We need more quality and depth. You add someone like Williams then they come in to compete with Martinelli to be the starter.

                        • naz likes this.

                          RocktheCasbah yep agree there. We need more options and he's not undroppable like Saka. Same issue at CF with Havertz

                            USArsenal it amuses me how when he's out you hear folks clamoring for his return like he's some sort of superstar player, "let him cook". Lol. It's Martinelli y'all. Barely belongs in the first team. Barely.

                                RocktheCasbah just finished the watching the second half after I needed to step out and you don't understand how badly I wanted to come on here and moan about the ref. I was so close to spoiling the result for myself but my word wtf was that performance by the ref?

                                He called back play to give Partey a yellow almost a minute later after they had an advantage played, gave Odegaard a yellow for a slide tackle despite 15 seconds earlier in the same play their right back took out one of our players as they were playing the ball into the box. Fucking hell, glad we won but that was a shambolic performance by the ref.

                                How did Fodana escape without a yellow until he threw the ball on the pitch? His first challenge was worse than Partey's his second wasn't too difference to Odegaards and he has one or two more. Should probably have had 4 yellows given what we were booked for. Honestly surprised the ref didn't send Partey off after that mistimed tackle a minute or two after his first yellow.

                                    flobaba Martinelli is a very good forward. There’s just a gap between very good and elite forwards. He should definitely get a lot of minutes but as part of a rotation or behind a main man. But he belongs at a top team

                                      Big Willie just finished the watching the second half after I needed to step out and you don't understand how badly I wanted to come on here and moan about the ref.

                                      Oh, I think we all understand perfectly well.

                                      This is the same ref who told Declan Rice he'd given him "no choice" with the second yellow. It seems that apparently this ref can in fact choose whether or not to issue yellow cards to a player. Absolutely scandalous decisions today and we can be grateful he didn't affect the result.

                                        If Trossard plays any minutes at all next season and if Martinelli starts more than a handful of games, the transfer window would have been another disaster.

                                        The match today was hideous and uncultured and there have been too many games like that this season.

                                          Dom The match today was hideous and uncultured and there have been too many games like that this season

                                          🤣

                                          This would be an incredible TripAdvisor review.

                                            If I didn’t know the result and logged on here, I’d have thought we dropped points.

                                            We beat Chelsea without breaking out of first gear. It wasn’t vintage but was one of the easiest games we’ve had all season.

                                              daredevil if came back from the international space station after nine months, and went through all the comments about the team from this season’s matches you would be forgiven for thinking we are in a relegation scrap with United and Spurs