Odd game last night. Felt Nuno got the team and tactics wrong and that (plus awful individual errors) is what cost us.
CHO and Yates should have started ahead of Montiel (Neco at RB) and Danilo, (instead of the wide players being a CM and RB) and then hook Wood, plus one of Domingues or CHO for Taiwo and Elanga with 30 to play.
We defended very well first half, happy to let Arsenal have the ball in front of us and wide, (which tbf, is probably why Nuno started the wide players he did), but offered nothing going forward.
Second half, we tried to be a bit more expansive and attacking and got caught.
We needed a Paul McKenna-type in the ref's ear, managing the game, which Yates would have offered. (few incidents where MGW was miles away from the ref, when we needed the captain in his ear subtly influencing decisions). We might have got away with the first goal as the ref had stopped the game when Saka went down injured, but then Neco was down (and very slow to get up, not for the first time) and the ref allowed Arsenal to take a quick throw into where Neco should have been, and they scored - if we'd been in his ear earlier on, he might not have allowed the quick throw, but made them wait until Neco was up.
Also being on at the ref may have made him hurry Arsenal up, as they were allowed to be so slow over every single set piece (right from kick off, not even just when they were ahead).
Second goal, a howler from Montiel, who is good going forward, but a terrible defender.