After a miserable week for Arsenal, the Gunners managed to avoid what would have been the biggest FA Cup upset of all time last night as they ran out 2-0 winners against National League side Sutton United at Gander Green Lane.
The tie really summed up the magic of the competition, with the Premier League powerhouses making a trip south of the River Thames to play the minnows on a much-talked about 3G pitch. While the romantics may have dreamt about the most unlikely Goliath slaying off all time, Arsene Wenger’s side were in no mood to heap more pressure on themselves.
Aside from the huge amount of credit the Amber and Chocolates earned last night with a decent performance on quite the occasion for the club, one of the major stories to come out of the game was to do with Theo Walcott.
After eleven years in north London, the England international notched his 100th goal for the club last night, making him only the 18th player in their history to do so. Like him or loathe him, hitting a century for one of the biggest clubs in England is not an achievement to be sniffed at.
So, with Walcott so often invoking the ire of fans for both club and country, it’s time to celebrate the man for once. With that in mind, here’s a closer look at how he joined Arsenal’s 100 club…
Goal #1 – vs Chelsea, League Cup final (25th Feb 2007)
Over a year after joining the Gunners and just over six months after a rather surprising trip to the 2006 World Cup, the promising young forward notched his first goal in the club’s colours.
At the time, the former Southampton prodigy was widely heralded as the man to take over from Thierry Henry, with this effort against bitter rivals Chelsea in the 2007 League Cup Final looking like every inch a strike from the Frenchman’s repertoire.
Playing the ball into Abou Diaby, he used his searing pace and close control to not only find a pocket of space, but force his way through, before cooly slotting past Petr Cech – now his team-mate, funnily enough.
Unfortunately for Arsenal, Didier Drogba had other ideas about allowing the Gunners to leave with the trophy.
Goal #10 – vs Everton (18th Oct 2008)
Walcott would have to wait a while until recording his 10th for the side, rounding off a comfortable win over Everton at the Emirates Stadium in October 2008. Linking up well with Diaby once more, he again found space after the injury-prone midfielder fired the ball back to him.
An instinctive finish, the England international really was becoming more of a palpable goal threat.
Goal #25 – vs Shakhtar Donetsk (3rd Nov 2010)
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Theo at his best. At his worst, one the major grievances with Walcott is the fact he tends to miss chances when he has time to think about where he’s aiming, relying heavily on instincts. Well, away in Ukraine, the England international stretched Shakhtar’s defence, before slotting home with supreme ease.
Counter-attacking football at its finest.
Goal #50 – vs Schalke (6th Nov 2012)
Continuing in the Champions League theme, Walcott nabbed his 50th goal in a 2-2 draw with Germain giants Schalke 04 on a frustrating night for the Gunners in the Veltins-Arena.
Still, the speedy forward helped Arsenal avoid defeat by making the most of a defensive mix-up in Schalke’s backline as he nipped in following an Olivier Giroud flick on. In truth, the fact not more has been made of that little-and-large partnership over the years should be a disappointment.
Goal #75 – vs Aston Villa, FA Cup final (30th May 2015)
One of his best goals for the club, Walcott helped put over a year of injury nightmare behind him, having missed the 2014 World Cup with England in 2014.
Though cup finals are usually rather tense affairs, the 2015 edition was a romp for the Gunners, who ran out 4-0 winners over Tim Sherwood’s Aston Villa.
Yes, the defending is lax, but the way Walcott latched onto a loose ball in the box before rifling home a well-controlled volley was excellent. Technically sweet and one packed with huge emotion, it was a wonderful day for Arsenal.
Goal #100 – vs Sutton United (20th Feb 2017)
Captaining his side for their trip to Gander Green Lane, Walcott became the 18th man to notch 100 goals for Arsenal against the non-league side. Not the best goal he’ll ever score, for sure, though he latched on to a free ball well after some clever movement in the box.
A real striker’s finish.
