Arsenal’s travel sickness is one reason they trail in the race for the top four so their manager, Unai Emery, took heart from their first away win in the league since November. But his agitation throughout this game showed he knows his team’s problems have not been cured, even if he declared afterwards that he was proud of his players’ work rate.
They worked, alright, but did not show much class or solidity. This performance was good enough to edge past the Premier League’s bottom side, but Arsenal still looked vulnerable for long periods and the goal they conceded in stoppage time means they have yet to keep an away clean sheet in the league this season. It was Huddersfield’s first goal in six matches and they deserved it.
“This victory is very important and gives us confidence in our target of reaching the top four,” said Emery. “After 26 matches we are one point behind Manchester United. The top four is our target. It will be difficult but our motivation is very great.”
Huddersfield’s first-choice goalkeeper, Jonas Lössl, had talked defiantly in the buildup about staging a sensational late escape from relegation, reckoning that a haul of around 24 points from their remaining matches would see them reach safety. But Lössl fell ill overnight. If that was not an omen, then the fact that his replacement, Ben Hamer, bungled to help Alex Iwobi open the scoring in the 16th minute did not augur well for Huddersfield.
Even before that Arsenal had threatened to score, looking dangerous every time they ventured forward. Terence Kongolo thwarted Alexandre Lacazette with a last-gasp tackle in the eighth minute and two minutes later Iwobi blasted into the side-netting after being teed up by Ainsley Maitland-Niles, who regularly made inroads from right wing-back.
There was no reprieve when Arsenal caught Huddersfield out with a quick free-kick on halfway, Sead Kolasinac, the other wing-back, sent scurrying down the left before flighting a cross to the far post. Iwobi met it with a weak volley from 10 yards but the ball found its way into the net as Hamer reacted too slowly to a deflection off Kongolo.
Huddersfield responded well, Jonathan Hogg, Aaron Mooy and Juninho Bacuna regularly getting the better of Mattéo Guendouzi and Lucas Torreira in midfield. The hosts could have been awarded a penalty in the 25th minute when a corner was only half-cleared and Jason Puncheon’s shot from 20 yards was blocked by Laurent Koscielny’s right hand. The referee put his whistle to his mouth but did not blow.
Henrikh Mkhitaryan, returning to action after seven weeks, looked sharp. He could have finished an attack he led in the 39th minute but was denied by Hamer, who saved his shot from 12 yards. No matter, Arsenal increased their lead five minutes later, Mkhitaryan again feeding the overlapping Maitland-Niles, whose low cross presented the unmarked Lacazette with an easy close-range finish.
Now Huddersfield needed to score twice, a feat they have managed once in the league this season. Emery started to look more relaxed but still felt the need to replace Torreira with Mohamed Elneny in an attempt to gain more control in central midfield. It did not really work and Arsenal’s three central defenders came under regular pressure.
Arsenal still carried menace on the counterattack. Mkhitaryan set up Iwobi in the 70th minute, but the midfielder lacked ruthlessness and Hamer was able to save. Two minutes later, Bernd Leno made a meal of stopping a low drive from 18 yards by Adama Diakhaby. No Huddersfield player was on hand to punish the Arsenal keeper when he spilled it.
Huddersfield never gave up. Laurent Depoitre went close and Nacho Monreal cleared a Karlan Grant effort off the line.
Diakhaby finally broke through in the dying moments, clipping over Leno after being put through by Mooy. Monreal and Kolasinac tried to keep the ball out but could only help it over the line.
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