Header Ads Widget

Etheridge's Cardiff beaten by classy Arsenal at home

Alexandre Lacazette blasts Arsenal's match winner over Neil Etheridge and Cardiff City tonight Manila time. Premier League photo
By Kevin Estrada

MANILA--Before setting off for Bahrain in the upcoming international break, Neil Etheridge made himself big once again for Cardiff City when they faced Arsenal at home, but the visitors had the final word when they pipped them with a 3-2 away win in South Wales Sunday afternoon (evening Manila time).

Unai Emery's side have been pegged back twice by the home side, but his decision to pair Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Alexadre Lacazette paid huge dividends to barge into the top half of the Premier League table.

The Azkals number one had been given the rudest of starts eleven minutes into the first match, when he had not given a chance to stop Shkodran Mustafi's rocket header from a Mesut Ozil corner after he was forced to clear Sean Morrison's ball when it was deflected off the Frenchman into the byline.

But Victor Camarasa made amends deep in first-half stoppage time to peg at level footing heading into the break as the Betis man on loan to the Bluebirds fired his right foot into the roof of Petr Cech's net after being picked out by Joe Bennett just outside of the six-yard box.

Etheridge got even at Mustafi in the second half, palming away his downward header in the 54th minute, but he was beaten by Aubameyang's curler into the bottom right corner eight minutes later.

Cardiff had thought that they got the point they desperately need when Danny Ward headed home to level matters at 2-2 in the 70th minute, but Lacazette blasted a rocket into Etheridge's roof nine minutes before full time to get the Spanish manager's first away win.

Neil Warnock's men suffered their second defeat of the season to remain two spots above the drop zone and will have 13 days to prepare for their journey to Stamford Bridge to pay a visit to Chelsea.

Follow him on Twitter: @KevinLEstrada