A feeling that for all our good work this season, for all of our fighting and scrapping and regularly brilliant football, it would all come crashing down in the worst way possible.

As the fourth official held up his board to indicate six minutes it looked for all money as if a thuggish Hull City team lead by the awful, hypocritical  man that is Phil Brown, would be the ones that derailed our title charge.

But rather fantastically, it wasn’t to be.

Nicklas Bendtner provided the vital contribution, scuffing home his effort after Hull’s goalkeeper could only parry Denilson’s long-range strike to spark passionate celebrations from the players. In an instant a disappointing draw became a thrilling victory and ensured we took three more vital points back to London.

There were huge similarities with the win at Stoke a fortnight ago – the late goal, the ability to overcome adversity in a hostile environment – but the crucial difference was that we did not play well here. Gifted the advantage of an extra man for the entirety of the second half after George Boateng’s tactless challenge on Bacary Sagna, we struggled to make it count. Until Bendtner’s late effort, that is.

The first half was a controversial and entertaining affair.

We took a deserved lead through a deceptively good goal by Andrey Arshavin (check out the build-up play) and looked likely to run away with the game.

But the referee and linesman combined to gift Hull an equaliser, first by missing an obvious offside and then by awarding a penalty after Sol Campbell’s innocuous challenge. The only Hull player worth his weight in salt, Jimmy Bullard, slammed home the kick to level things up.

The goal seemed to stunt our momentum and galvanise Hull’s team, however they should have been down to ten men shortly afterwards when their captain, Boateng, inexplicably poked Bendtner in the eye. The referee booked both players on the lineman’s advice but the replays showed once again that the men in black had got it wrong as Bendtner was blameless and Hull’s captain quite simply a disgrace.

Thankfully he got his just desserts just before the break when another horrible tackle, this time on Sagna, saw him dismissed. In my opinion the referee again got it wrong by only issuing a second yellow instead of a red but the important thing was that Boateng was forced to leave the pitch.

With an extra man and the advantage of some half-time advice from Arsene Wenger I expected our boys to take the game to Hull and potential tear them apart. It didn’t happen though as Hull rallied well and our midfield of Samir Nasri, Abou Diaby and Denilson struggled to play as a cohesive and quick-thinking unit.

The referee partially redeemed his earlier efforts by correctly waving play-on after Campbell’s hard but fair forced Kamil Zayatte off the field. There was some bleating after the game (mostly from that idiot Brown) that the English central defender’s challenge should have seen a yellow card but anyone who knows anything about football would know that this was a million miles away from Ryan Shawcross’ leg-breaker: a genuinely fair tackle made in a 50:50 situation by a defender with eyes only for the ball.

With our attack falling a little flat the manager did the sensible thing and brought on Theo Walcott for Emmanuel Eboue on the right and the winger’s pace and directness had an immediate impact. Given a full half-hour to show what he could do, Walcott made his mark with some terrific dribbling and perhaps most importantly, some genuinely threatening cutbacks into the area.

Walcott’s energy fashioned clear chances for Arshavin and Bendtner before the end but it all looked in vain as the game moved into added time with the scored locked at 1-1. However, Myhill’s mistake and Bendtner’s anticipation ensured we stole the win.

This was not a great team performance as Walcott’s cameo and Bendtner’s all-round persistance provided the only outstanding individual contributions.

At the back Sol Campbell had a tough night trying to contain Jozy Altidore while the rest of the defence was largely untested. Denilson had a decent enough game in the middle despite dwelling on the ball on occasion, while Diaby and Nasri were below-par after storming midweek performances.

Arshavin scored a delightful goal but was found wanting with some woeful efforts while Eboue’s decent efforts were upstaged by his younger, pacier replacement. Bendtner never stopped trying and was rewarded with a goal while Eduardo struggled to make any sort of contribution after being thrown on for Nasri.

But all that mattered was the result.

Thoughts?

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All that matters right now is that we go to Hull City tomorrow night and pick up three points.

There’s been a bit of bad blood in this fixture over the past couple of years and with us fighting for the league and Hull desperate to avoid relegation I don’t expect anything different. This will be a fierce, physical encounter where the odd goal might be all that separates two teams of vastly contrasting quality.

Our boys go into this one a little bit understrength with Cesc Fabregas and a host of others unavailable. Alex Song serves the second game of a rather ridiculous suspension while William Gallas and the long-termers are also out and Tomas Rosicky is a doubt for a so far unnamed injury. We can only hope it doesn’t turn out to be another two-year problem.

Of the players that are available I expect the same back five that played against Porto to start, particularly given the rather straightforward efforts that were required in midweek. There are no travel issues so I see no reason why any of them should be given a rest, including Sol Campbell.

Further afield Denilson will come into the side for Song with support coming from Abou Diaby and Samir Nasri.

Nasri took on the Fabregas role midweek and performed superbly while Diaby showed yet again why he has gone from scary own-goal scoring dingleberry to one of the most constructive midfielders in the Premier League. I have absolutely no doubt about the pair’s ability to take on the responsibility of driving our attack from the midfield and am really looking forward to watching them play.

The front three will likely be Andrey Arshavin, Nicklas Bendtner and Theo Walcott, with Emmanuel Eboue providing the punch off the bench. An alternative to that setup could see Eboue start on the left and Arshavin be given a rest after his midweek performance, however my advice to the manager would be to play the in-form Russian and sub him off early if the job gets done.

Another player I am keenly looking forward to watching is Bendtner. Woeful finishing against Burnley was followed by a hat-trick against Porto and it’s anyone’s guess as to what he will come up with tomorrow. My prediction would be at least one goal to continue his charge towards the 10 I have predicted he will score before the end of the season. Maybe he’ll score six tomorrow?

I can’t really be bothered going into Hull’s strength and weaknesses because the simple fact is that if we turn up tomorrow and play well we will probably win.

Here’s to three points and the other two dropping some points.

Huzzah!

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Tonight our team must overturn that deficit to book a place in the quarter-finals of the Champions League and we will have to do it without Cesc Fabregas.

The captain’s hamstring tweak means he misses out with the extra responsibility of creative midfield duties likely to fall to Samir Nasri. The Frenchman put in a superb performance against Burnley on Saturday after moving central as a result of Fabregas’ substitution and he should be supported from more defensive positions by Alex Song and Abou Diaby.

Nasri has a real platform to show us what he is made of tonight.

His move from Marseille to Arsenal has seen him go from star man to a medium-sized fish in a big pond but he was not touted as France’s great hope a few years ago for nothing. He is a fighter and a natural leader, a player that relishes responsibility and is the most like-for-like replacement for our captain. If he plays well tonight it will send a clear message to the club and the supporters that a very special career for Arsenal may still be on the cards.

Song’s return is a no-brainer but there is an argument to be made for Denilson’s inclusion given that Diaby has only just returned for injury and did not start on the weekend. However, with the team requiring goals I feel the Frenchman will get the nod over the Brazilian and look to hurt Porto with his surging runs from the heart of midfield.

In defence Sol Campbell returns to the team to partner Thomas Vermaelen, while the need for stability over style should see Emmanuel Eboue benched and Bacary Sagna reinstated on the right. Gael Clichy should will play on the left while Manuel Almunia, who participated in the pre-match press conference, will captain the team from between the sticks.

Up front Nicklas Bendtner will have the opportunity to put Saturday’s shocker behind him while support on the flanks could come from a number of players. Personally I feel the manager will plump for a combination of experience and pace and that means Tomas Rosicky and Theo Walcott with Andrey Arshavin, Eduardo and Eboue providing possible impact from the bench.

I’m a little bit at a loss to try and predict what sort of game tonight will be.

Porto will know that it could very easily be a repeat of last season’s 4-0 win at The Emirates if they let us take control of the game, so it will interesting to see how they respond to that threat. Will they play a counter-attacking game in the hope of locking us out at the back and sneaking an away goal of their own? Or will they play the sort of attacking game that allowed them to grab a deserved 2-2 draw at Old Trafford last season?

It is worth noting that despite Porto’s victory in the first leg they certainly didn’t show themselves to be a brilliant side. Although our performance was poor and we deserved to lose, the feeling I get is that if our boys can play near the best then we will simply have too much attacking power for the Portuguese side to handle.

An interesting night awaits.

Thoughts?

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They are yet to win away from home, picking up just one point from fourteen away games this season, and currently have the worst away record this season. Meanwhile our home record is strong, our performances in the last couple of games has been good and we’re on a bit of a roll at the moment.

The injury to Aaron Ramsey will ensure that any complacency going into this game will be ironed out. The Arsenal boys know the media is on them at the moment and they will be waiting for anything to keep selling papers; a bad Arsenal tackle, a half-hearted physical performance. Anything.

It won’t happen though. Our team will be ready to send another message out to everyone that we are the team to beat, that we can cope with this sort of scrutiny and we deserve our billing as title contenders.

The early kick-off means a four-goal win would see us move to the top of the table, albeit briefly. I wouldn’t be surprised to see it happen. Honestly, I can see us scoring five or six.

Team news going into the game is mixed, Ramsey won’t be there, Alex Song misses out due to a two-game ban and Sol Campbell has surprisingly been ruled out. William Gallas will not return while Andrey Arshavin, Denilson and Abou Diaby will all be back in the squad.

The changes means Mikael Silvestre will slot in alongside Thomas Vermaelen at the back. The onus on attack may see Emmanuel Eboue play at right-back like he did against Sunderland, with Bacary Sagna benched.

Midfield will be Denilson, Cesc Fabregas and probably Abou Diaby, although the manager may see playing two just-returned players as being a little risky and draft in Tomas Rosicky or Samir Nasri to help out. Up front Nicklas Bendtner will be supported by two of Rosicky, Nasri, Arshavin, Eduardo or Theo Walcott.

I don’t expect us to take Burnley lightly and it is for that reason that I think we will beat them comprehensively.

I’m looking forward to it.

Thoughts?

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The Carling Cup final means Manchester United have a week off league action, while Chelsea face a tough lunch-time visit from Manchester City. It’s an opportunity to gain more ground, for sure.

What has surprised me are the number of Arsenal fans are extremely cautious, even worried, about our ability to go and beat stoke at the Britannica. To be perfectly frank, I’m not one of them.

There’s no denying that the last two games we have played Stoke have ended in defeats, 3-1 a couple of weeks ago in the FA Cup and a shabby 2-1 loss at the start of the previous campaign. But many people seem to be ignoring the quality of the team we will be putting out tonight. William Gallas, Andrey Arshavin and Abou Diaby are still out but our first eleven will be excellent.

Manuel Almunia will sit behind a defence of Bacary Sagna, Sol Campbell, Thomas Vermalaen and Gael Clichy. Emmanuel Eboue may get a game on the right after his impressive performance at Sunderland, however I think the manager would be wise to stick with the better defender and reintroduce Sagna. Campbell will provide much-needed in the physicality and with Vermaelen alongside we will have the height and power to deal with set-pieces.

The midfield three will be Alex Song, Cesc Fabregas and (hopefully) Aaron Ramsey. All three are good users of the ball and have the aggression and physicality to win the battle in the centre of the park. I feel that Ramsey’s inclusion would be a huge advantage over playing Denilson, allowing us an alternate creative outlet if/when Cesc gets targeted as well as a superior physical presence.

Nicklas Bendtner will surely lead the line and in my opinion will be supported by Tomas Rosicky and Theo Walcott. Rosicky looks the winger most likely to get us a goal in Arshavin’s absence, while Walcott’s pace will ensure Stoke are stretched at the back in an attempt to turn this into an attacking game. If Walcott puts in a performance as energetic as he did against Sunderland, it will help the team immeasurably.

Other options, meanwhile, come from Samir Nasri, Carlos Vela and the returning Eduardo.

The team above includes just three of the players that started in the FA Cup loss to Stoke a month ago. Frankly, it shouldn’t be used an example of why we might struggle today. I mean, Francois Coquelin was playing at right-back and Jay Emmanuel-Thomas as a striker, for goodness’ sake.

My personal feeling is that we are going to win and win well today.

It’s not that I think it won’t be difficult, just that our team is full of quality and has a full week off, meaning we will be extremely fresh. Games like this tend to be decided more on the application put in by the team: if we apply ourselves well today then the quality should shine through.

I might sound a bit cocky but I assure you I’m not. I just think we will win today.

Thoughts?

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Anything less than three points would mean relying on Chelsea and Manchester United to drop points at Everton and Aston Villa respectively and although they are both tough fixtures I don’t expect that to happen.

The team is likely to be the same as the one that lost to Chelsea.

Manuel Almunia will probably be in goals while Nicklas Bendtner is still not fit enough to start the game.

If the defence don’t concentrate on defending it could mean the same problems that have plagued us for the last two fixtures.

Not much else to say really except – COME ON ARSENAL!

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Instead I thought I’d just create a space for the readers to share their thoughts both before and after the game.

Cheers – and here’s to an Arsenal win!

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For the first time in a number of seasons both teams are in with a good chance of winning the Premiership and that makes for a spectacular game. United sit four points behind Chelsea after their overnight win over Burnley while Arsenal are a further point back in third place. In short, with fifteen games still to play, there’s nothing in it.

With our boys having to play Chelsea at Stamford Bridge next Sunday and Liverpool at The Emirates the following Wednesday, I really feel that winning tonight could be the catalyst to a red-hot run to the title. Psychology plays a huge part in football and the confidence and belief a win over Manchester United would bring to the going into the Chelsea game could be vital.

There’s nothing to say we can’t win tonight either.

We thoroughly outplayed United at Old Trafford with only a debatable penalty and Abou Diaby’s moment of madness to blame for our failure to come away with a win. We are also the league’s in-form team and have lost just one game at home all season.

There has been a lot of talk about the trouble Sol Campbell may have against Wayne Rooney if Thomas Vermaelen is ruled out, yet more important to our chances is the return of Alex Song to the midfield. Arsene Wenger revealed he is still tired after returning from Africa but if anything is going to wake you up it is a game against Manchester United and I fully expect him to not only start but put in the sort of controlled, physical performance that we have become accustomed to this season.

Nicklas Bendtner may have only played 30 minutes of football in the past three months but the manager would be crazy not to start him today. The Dane lacked a little sharpness off the bench against Aston Villa on Wednesday, but that didn’t discount the fact that his introduction changed the game. His extra height added a focal point to our attack and provided a long-ball option for the defence and perhaps more importantly, Manuel Almunia in goals.

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Bendtner should be joined in the team by the two Eastern Europeans, Andrey Arshavin and Tomas Rosicky, as well as midfielders Cesc Fabregas and Aaron Ramsey. There will be those who question the absence of Denilson from my line-up but in my eyes Ramsey’s supreme confidence and attacking threat makes him a more preferable option to the out-of-form Brazilian. Ramsey’s direct style and ability from long-range would throw a spanner in the works for Sir Alex Ferguson and his United defence.

These sorts of games usually come down to who puts in more effort so it’s imperative our boys show desire and determination from the first whistle. We have the team to do it, they just need to get out there and get the job done.

Win, lose or draw – it’s going to be an epic night at the Emirates.

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It is a massive couple of weeks for Arsenal.

Aston Villa away tonight, Manchester United at home on Sunday, Chelsea away a week later as well as mid-table Liverpool at home just a few days after that. It is undoubtedly the most crucial period of our season and if I’m being honest, just writing about it is making me a little anxious.

Mercifully, the team news going into the first game of this crucial period is superb.

Our first-choice back-five will slot straight back into the side while Aaron Ramsey should slot into midfield alongside captain Cesc Fabregas and Denilson. Up front Eduardo should start centrally with Andrey Arshavin and Tomas Rosicky providing support from the flank, although Arsene Wenger may use either Carlos Vela or Theo Walcott if he wants to add more pace to the attack.

The really big news is on the bench where Nicklas Bendtner (expectedly) and Samir Nasri (unexpectedly) take their place.

In a bizarre way Bendtner’s continued absence from the team has lifted his profile from a decent first-teamer to something approaching a messiah but even so, there’s no denying his return makes our squad stronger. How long he and Nasri get on the pitch will largely be determined by the result our starting team posts but in a situation where we require goals or a change in approach it is reassuring to know we have such good options on the bench.

It has perhaps gone unnoticed that Aston Villa aren’t on a particularly good run of results at the moment. Aside from their freak 6-4 victory over a very average Blackburn team in the Carling Cup Villa have one just one of their last four Premier League games, scoring one goal in the process.

In saying that our previous encounter at The Emirates was a far trickier affair than the 3-0 scoreline suggested and we will need to play very well to win at Villa Park. We know their strengths are their defence and their ability to attack at pace so it’s important our wingers do their fair share of defensive work and whoever slots into the Alex Song position concentrates hard for 90 minutes.

I believe tonight’s game is absolutely critical to our title charge. Points-wise we can afford to draw or even lose if we post good results against the other three but any sort of win against Villa would ensure confidence high going into the Manchester United game. We have a settle to score against last year’s champions after the debacle at Old Trafford but with Alex Song likely to return and Bendtner surely ready to start I sincerely believe that is a game we will win.

Anyway, Villa first. Let’s hope we give them spanking.

COME ON ARSENAL!

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This weekend’s game against Stoke feels a bit like a speed bump.

We’ve just gone top of the league table, we’ve got Aston Villa, Manchester United, Chelsea and Liverpool waiting for us just around the corner and we’re extremely low on players. A fourth-round FA Cup tie away to Stoke is just about the last sort of game I would like us to play just at the moment.

Alas, it does need to be played and if we want to maintain our momentum going into our crucial period it needs to be won.

Injuries to Bacary Sagna and Abou Diaby and a general lack of numbers has forced the manager to concede that he will have to dig a little deeper into the squad for options. We could of course see Sol Campbell in defence, Craig Eastmond is likely to get another game while it wouldn’t surprise me to see Carlos Vela and Theo Walcott get starts. Meanwhile I haven’t the faintest as to who will play at right-back.

The trick for Wenger will be to rest a few players but still put out a team strong enough to get the job done and maintain our momentum.

Enough said, really.

More team news as it appears tomorrow.

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