The Premier League season has not reached its halfway point and yet Arsenal knew this was a game they had to win. Liverpool’s stunning form at the top of the table had seen to that. It was scrappy for long spells, Ipswich digging deep, determined to show a response to the 4-0 home drubbing against Newcastle from last Saturday – the only time they have taken a real hammering this season.
Arsenal were restricted. They found chances difficult to come by. But in the end, one goal was enough – together with another clean sheet for David Raya, his 23rd in 50 league appearances for the club. The goalkeeper has more at this stage of his Arsenal career than the great David Seaman did.
Kai Havertz was the scorer, turning home a Leandro Trossard cross midway through the first half and he made it look simple. The game was not that way for Arsenal and Ipswich, who remain in the relegation places, could take plenty from the resilience they showed.
Arsenal did what they had to do, keeping alive the division’s only unbeaten home record in the process. They are up into second place, six points behind Liverpool, albeit having played an extra match. “Boring, boring Arsenal,” the Ipswich support chanted towards the end, as Mikel Arteta’s team saw it out, a few nerves jangling. Everybody of an Arsenal persuasion smiled at that.
It was the night when Arsenal started their stretch without Bukayo Saka, who has had hamstring surgery and will be out for a minimum of two months; when they had to begin to find a way to replace his goals and assists.
Arteta’s move, as expected, was to switch Gabriel Martinelli over to the right wing and recall Trossard on the left. More broadly, Arsenal’s idea is to do better without Saka than they did without the captain, Martin Ødegaard, when he missed seven league games from mid-September. The team won only three of them. This was a step on the right path, even if Martinelli got little change out of his marker, Leif Davis.
Kieran McKenna wanted Ipswich to be compact. He wanted his team to keep Arsenal in front of them and, most definitely, not allow them to get in around the sides. Which is why the concession was so frustrating for him.
Ipswich were solid enough for the first 20 minutes or so. But then a cross from Martinelli on the right found its way all the way through to Trossard on the other flank and it was a straight one-on-one between him and Ben Johnson. Trossard won it with ease, flicking on the afterburners to get to the byline and cross. When the ball reached Havertz – and it eluded a couple of blue shirts on the way – the close-range finish was assured.
Ipswich switched between a five and a four at the back; it was more five than four, depending mainly on where Johnson was on the right-hand side. They created a half-chance inside the opening minute when a Davis cross deflected and Sammie Szmodics could not get anything to it as it bounced. But the pattern for the remainder of the first half was deeply entrenched, Arsenal dominating the ball, Ipswich with everybody behind it. After 27 minutes, Arsenal had hogged a jaw-dropping 92% of the possession.
Liam Delap looked to put himself about at the tip of the Ipswich formation and it certainly said something that the visiting goalkeeper, Arijanet Muric, was jeered for time-wasting just 20 minutes in. That was after Jurriën Timber had blasted straight at him after rushing through a small seam in the centre of the pitch.
Arsenal created little in the first half. Trossard had a shot blocked by Kalvin Phillips, who impressed on his first start since 2 November. Declan Rice whipped one high from distance. Gabriel Jesus had the ball in the net only to be pulled back for offside.
Arsenal chased a fourth successive clean sheet at home in the league and it was a bold move by Arteta to persist with Myles Lewis-Skelly at left-back, with Riccardo Calafiori back to fitness. The 18-year-old had a lovely moment in the first half when he turned upfield, away from a challenge, trying to make something happen. If that was noteworthy, it was because there was plenty of niggle and not so much inspiration.
The home fans needed a second goal to allow them to breath more easily and it was a mystery how Gabriel Magalhães did not score it after Rice arched over a corner in the 63rd minute. All alone and three yards out, Gabriel headed past a post.
Ødegaard grew in influence after the interval, driving in the final third. He worked Muric and picked out Rice for a volley from the resulting corner. Dara O’Shea blocked. Arsenal pushed. Havertz missed his kick when well-placed; the substitute, Mikel Merino, extended Muric. It was equally about how the home team kept the back door bolted. Despite getting into good positions in the second half, Ipswich did not truly threaten.
