After enjoying a rich vein of form, claiming all 21points in their last seven Premier League encounters and hitting the back of the net 22 times, Arsenal seemed unstoppable and looked like they were going to beat all comers no matter who it was.
Confidence was high in the Gunners camp and this was expected as the results of past games and current standings in the league are a sure source of assurance.
Off to west London to honour their date at Loftus road, home of QPR, for a derby day encounter that last happened about a decade ago.
Arsenal were deployed with the league’s top marksman leading the lines, supported by Theo Walcott on the right. Aaron Ramsey, Tomas Rosicky, Mikel Arteta and Alex Song were all deployed in the centre of the pack in a manner that looked to choke the midfield and add some weight. The back four consisted of Kieran Gibbs, Thaoms Vermalean, Laurent Koscielny and Bacary Sagna, providing cover for Wojciech Szcezny in goal.
The game kicked off and it was the home side that looked to show more desire for the three points at hand. Bobby Zamora playing as a lone striker was proving a hard nut to crack as he bullied Kos and Verma consistently with his upper body strength. Moroccan star Adel Taraabt was another that proved too slick to handle on the day as his sublime skills were seen in all parts of the field. He was behind every move QPR made as he was handed a free role by Mark Hughes. The Gunners though could not get out of first gear, as the west Londoners had them pinned back in their own half with dead ball after dead ball being swung in by the lively Taraabt. The Arsenal were coping though, but it was uncharacteristic of them being outplayed by a relegation threatened opponent.
It was not until the 22nd minute that Rangers’ pressure paid off when Clint Hill played a slide rule pass that strayed through the Arsenal midfield, which Taraabt latched on to and took past an onrushing Tommy Gunner. His shot at the near post beat Shezzer before Kos could cover. This jolted Arsenal back to life and as they piled forward to respond, Zamora was still posing a threat to their rearguard on the counter attack.
A rare Robin van Persie inspired attack saw him release Theo in the centre of Rangers’ box and he converted his chance at the second time of asking after his first attempt rebounded off the woodwork and came back to him.
With eight minutes plus injury time to play, the Gunners looked to build on their equaliser, but the half ended with both sides level.
Sparky must have been impressed with the energy and commitment his side showed and Arsene Wenger must have been telling his lads to up their tempo in the dressing room.
The second half started off with both sides trying to get their noses in front and the Gunners looked to have woken up from their first half slumber. They played with a little more urgency and moved the ball more quickly than the first 45.
