Best Moment: Beating Spurs at the Emirates in December
The best moment of Arsenal’s season without a doubt, was their emphatic performance against their arch rivals Spurs in the North London derby at home near the end of 2018. Arsenal took an early lead with Aubameyang, but then conceded twice in a few minutes to Spurs, with the match looking to take a downward turn for the Gunners.
But in the 2nd half, the introduction of Aaron Ramsey changed the course of the match, as Aubameyang, Lacazette, and Torreira found the back of the net in stunning fashion to lift Arsenal over Spurs. It was a comfortable 4-2 victory in the end which had everything – great saves, mistakes, post-whistle scrums, and of course, stadium-lifting goals.
Worst Moment: Collapsing at the end of the season
As mentioned earlier, Arsenal had a top 4 finish in the palm of their hands, and let it slip toward the end of the season. Even in April, the Gunners looked destined to finish above Chelsea and Manchester United in a top 4 spot. However, a loss to Crystal Palace at home started a shocking skid which saw Emery’s men lose comfortably to Wolves and Leicester away from home, and draw to Brighton.
Ultimately, Arsenal finished in 5th, a single point behind the top 4. Mustafi and Xhaka’s shocking errors against Palace and Brighton respectively stood out beyond belief, as Arsenal would have qualified for Champions League football had they not happened.
Ironically, signing Aaron Ramsey for next to nothing, developing him into a top player with 370 appearances, 129 G/A & two POTY awards for the club, only to sell him for less than we initially spent is probably the most accurate description of Arsenal’s business model ever.
— Patrick Timmons (@PatrickTimmons1) June 13, 2019
Best Player: Aaron Ramsey
It seems a little sad to pick a player who is leaving to be Arsenal’s player of the season, but ultimately, he deserves it. As much as Gooners think Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang or Alexandre Lacazette deserve this honour, the former didn’t show up in any big game apart from Spurs at home, while the latter did not show up in any away matches against non-relegated sides.
While Ramsey wasn’t a huge part of Emery’s team during the middle portion of the season, his re-introduction into the side inspired some massive victories over Spurs and Chelsea and kept Arsenal unpredictable and dangerous in the final phase. His injury late in the season coincided with their shocking collapse, which certainly was not a coincidence.
The hierarchy have made a massive mistake in letting Ramsey walk for free, and if they can find a player for next season who can contribute half of what the Welshman does, they will have done well.