Arsenal (3) – (0) Tottenham Hotspur
Van Persie (42′, 62′) Fabregas (42′)
The Emirates Stadium, London

Before the game, I was thinking that this match was Arsenal’s chance to prove they are worthy title contenders.

After the big disappointment of throwing away leads both at AZ Alkmaar and West Ham United last week, the North London Derby was the perfect chance to see if Arsenal had learnt their lesson and could close out games, keep a clean sheet and obviously get all 3 points.

And Arsenal delivered.

Tottenham had impressed in the opening games of the Premier League season but have recently been going off the boil, and Arsenal simply had too much for them today and completely dominated for large portions of the game. And it wouldn’t have been an exaggeration to say Arsenal could, and should, have won 6 or 7 nil.

The first half was a little cagey and Arsenal’s best chance came to Fabregas who saw his left foot shot saved well from Gomes after some quality work from Arshavin. As you would expect, Arsenal were pulling the strings and Almunia’s comeback was mainly uneventful, bar having to collect a few crosses.

Bendtner came off with an injury and was replaced by Eduardo after 36 minutes, after the Dane looked lively and was having a decent game.

And on 42 minutes, the game sparked into life.

A quick throw in from Sagna on the right was returned to him by Fabregas, and the Frenchman’s low cross was inch perfect as he found the in-form Robin Van Persie who darted in front of Bassong and nicked the ball under Gomes for the opening goal.

I have to say that Van Persie has been a revelation this season, and his game has adapted and improved greatly. From a natural second striker, he has become the target man we’ve needed and his passing, vision, control and team play has been just fantastic this year. Credit to his ability and desire to change the way he plays for the team, and as well as having a rocket shot from distance his positioning in the box shows real intelligence.

After that, Tottenham collapsed and a moment of brilliance from Cesc Fabregas almost blew the roof off the Emirates.

Straight from kick off, a lazy pass from Palacios was intercepted by Van Persie and the ball rolled into the path of Fabregas who started running at Spurs. He breezed past Palacios, nutmegged Ledley King and brushed off Corluka before coolly placing his shot into the near corner.

A stunning goal!

Then Arsenal saw out the remaining few minutes and led in the North London Derby at half time.

As the second half kicked off, the big question was how would Arsenal perform after conceding similar leads over the last seven days.

But after 20 minutes, Van Persie essentially killed the game off.

Eduardo had the ball on the right wing and was hacked down by Assou-Ekotto but referee Mark Clattenberg waved play on. Sagna stopped, played on and then crossed for Van Persie who tapped in from close range after Bassong and King could deal with it.

With the game dead and buried, it was a case of making sure Arsenal could show that they had learnt from previous games and keep Tottenham at bay and whether Arsenal could keep a rare clean sheet.

Eduardo and Diaby had chances to make it 4 but were guilty of profligacy and the scoreline stayed a only 3.

Arsene Wenger was clearly animated on the touchline despite the 3 goal margin and this was hugely encouraging to see.

We was absolutely livid as he was shouting instructions to his midfield to sit back and make sure that we didn’t concede another sloppy and unnecessary goal.

Obviously the last 2 competitive games and the dropped points have been discussed behind closed doors and while this is only the start, it is good to see that Wenger finally realises that we’re guilty of taking our foot off the pedal and are prone to throwing away leads. If Arsenal are even going to be considered real title contenders then closing out games is a vital part of fighting at the top of the table.

And fortunately, it looks like this issue is being addressed.

There is obviously a long way to go this season but sitting second in the league (with a game in hand after this weekend) is encouraging to see after a quarter of the season.

And from a usually pessimistic Arsenal fan, the signs at the moment are positive.

We have players such as Rosicky, Walcott, Denilson and Nasri to return and push for starting places, and with Vermaelen and Arshavin this season then we might just have that extra quality we need to really challenge.

If we’re near the top of the league come Spring, then that West Ham game might just have been a blessing in disguise.

Player & Referee Ratings

Manuel Almunia: 6/10
Mainly had to deal with crosses which generally, he did okay with. He did drop a couple and luckily the mistakes didn’t prove to be decisive. Was asked to make a one or two routine saves which were dealt with, but on the whole was a stroll in the park.

Bacary Sagna: 9/10
Excellent today. Full of running, dealt with the aerial threat from Peter Crouch well and more importantly his crossing was paramount in today’s win, with two quality deliveries for Van Persie’s brace. Robbie Keane drifted out to the left a lot throughout the game and didn’t get so much as a look in.

William Gallas: 8/10
On the whole, solid but made a couple of errors – one of which was giving away a freekick on the edge of the box for a handball. Did make an excellent last ditch interception though when Robbie Keane was through on goal to prevent and almost certain goal.

Thomas Vermaelen: 9/10
Sensational again. In the air he is colossal and dealt with most of Tottenham’s crosses with ease. Was extremely unfortunate to get a booking when he clearly won the ball fairly from Corluka.

Gael Clichy: 8/10
Up and down the left side throughout the entire game and looked very comfortable. Passing and decision-making seems to have improved and hopefully he can keep this consistency over the season.

Alex Song: 8/10
Excellent again and covered a lot of ground. Was quick to close down any Tottenham players and his distribution was top draw. Even managed to pull of some skills while beating players and was very commanding.

Abou Diaby: 5/10
For me, far to sloppy in possession and his unwillingness to track back was disappointing. I kept an eye on him closely and his positioning is poor as well. The passage of play which summed up his performance for me was when he had the ball on the edge of the box, tried to stupidly beat a player and then lost possession. Tottenham then proceeded to have their most threatening move of the match. If Tottenham would have scored from that, I, like Arsene, would have been f*cking livid. Also somehow managed to ‘head’ the ball with his shoulder from 2 yards out and with the goal gaping.

Cesc Fabregas: 9/10
Along with Song was very commanding and controlled midfield with ease. Again, he was pulling the strings with some glorious passing and really should have had more assists when Diaby and Eduardo spurned good chances created by the captain. Great ability and desire to score that stunning goal and it was hugely deserved.

Andrei Arshavin: 7/10
Not his best game, and was only influential at times but did oozed that quality in everything he did.

Robin Van Persie: 8/10
Scored two poachers goals, and technically set-up the other for Fabregas. Clever movement in the box and his desire to score was there for everyone to see. Not everything came off for him, but delivered when it mattered.

Nicklas Bendtner: 7/10
Looked lively when he was on but his game was cut short after only half an hour.

Eduardo Da Silva: 7/10 (Replaced Bendtner on 36′)
Did well when he came on and I would have given him an 8 or 9 if he scored his chances, which you would have to say in Eduardo terms are sitters – that’s how high we all regard his finishing. But still finding his feet and will get better with more games under his belt.

Emmanuel Eboue: 6/10 (Replaced Arshavin on 78′)
Didn’t really have much to do, but did release Ramsey with a great ball near the end of the match.

Aaron Ramsey: 6/10 (Replaced Van Persie on 86′)
Not enough time to make an impact, although had a glorious chance to play in Eduardo but failed to beat the solitary defender.

Referee – Mark Clattenberg: 4/10
I have to mention the referee because I thought he was awful. Although Arsenal won, he was shocking poor in my opinion. He failed to book David Bentley for a blatant handball, and then minutes later failed to issue a card after a terrible (and late) challenge on Vermaelen. It was a highly dangerous tackle and his studs were up and it could have seriously injured Thomas. I understand that he may have tried to ‘keep the game flowing’ but his reluctance to blow his whistle was, at times, ridiculous. And how half the Tottenham players didn’t get booked and Vermaelen did for a clearly good tackle is beyond me.

West Ham United (2) – (2) Arsenal
Van Persie (16′), Gallas (37′)
Upton Park, London

Well that was nothing short of a shambles.

The game against West Ham was literally a game of two halves.

In the first half, Arsenal were energetic, eager and moving the ball around well. We got two goals and only a ‘typical’ Arsenal performance of old would deny us of all 3 points.

Unfortunately, that’s what happened.

The second half typified everything I hated about Arsenal over the last few seasons, and the main reason for my ranting.

A lack of application, desire and passion.

And to let slip a two-goal lead when you’re a team that is challenging for the Premier League title is unforgivable. Seriously, which other Top Five club would collapse like that?

It happened so often last season – remember the 4-4 game at the Emirates against Spurs?

The second half was awful to watch, and every Arsenal fan could see it coming.

Arsenal thought they had won the game, were in cruise control and we’ve seen it time and again – if a team does manage to score against us, just like West Ham did, then because we’ve slowed down the tempo we struggle to get back into the game if we need to step it up.

And that’s exactly what happened.

It was all West Ham in the second half and we had no answers.

Arsene Wenger must have been absolutely furious in throwing away 2 points. There were a lot of ifs and buts, like if Van Persie’s last minute header had gone in, or Fabregas’ stunning 30 yard shot had flew in instead of shaving the post, but the fact of the matter is we were shockingly poor in the second half.

West Ham probably should of had a penalty when Gallas swiped at Parker in the box, and Song had no excuse when he stupidly kicked out at Cole to concede that penalty.

And we have to mention Vito Mannone’s awful ‘save’ which gifted West Ham their opener.

I know the kid is young and still learning but that incident changed the game. The only saving grace is that Almunia probably would have let the freekick in anyway and Mannone did single-handedly earn us 3 points away at Fulham.

I guess I’m still seething because I would have loved to write about United’s defeat and Arsenal catching up with them but I’m just annoyed at not taking advantage.

Arsenal (6) – (2) Blackburn Rovers
Vermaelen (17′), Van Persie (33′), Arshavin (37′),
Fabregas (57′), Walcott (75′), Bendtner (89′)
The Emirates Stadium, London

Well despite going behind twice Arsenal showed great spirit and in the end comfortably won the game 6-2, with goals from 6 different goalscorers.

The opening goal from Blackburn really set the pace for the match and because they got it so early you almost expecting an onslaught from Arsenal. After only 3 minutes, a long freekick from Paul Robinson flew into our penalty area and Steven Nzonzi got ahead of Vermaelen and his header looped over Mannone and went in off the bar.

A quite fortuitous goal, but one we always seem to concede now and then.

After that it was attack against defence.

Arsenal were really pushing forward and minutes later a nice cross from Arshavin found Fabregas in the middle who looped a header over Robinson but it hit the bar.

Then on 17 minutes Arsenal got what they deserved.

A great interception by Vermaelen won back possession and despite being fouled, the referee played a decent advantage and waved play on. The ball found its way to Fabregas who fed Vermaelen who needed no second invitation to shoot, and he rifled a stunning left-footed shot right into the bottom corner.

Arsene has made some great signings in his 13 years at Arsenal, but this guy has to be right up there.

Fabregas was running the show at this point and he had a couple of decent long range efforts saved well by Robinson. But as Arsenal piled forward Blackburn took the lead again, this time from a well executed counter attack.

Everyone’s favourite player Diouf played a 50 yard ball to Brett Emerton, who ran 20 yards with the ball without a challenge and played in David Dunn. He cut inside and pulled the trigger and the ball deflected off Gallas and into the net. A lucky goal and there was nothing Mannone could have done about it.

That goal seemed to just galvanise Arsenal and Fabregas made another two assists – one for Van Persie and one for Arshavin – to put Arsenal in front before half time.

In the second half, Arsenal carried on from where they left off and an already fantastic performance from Fabregas was capped off with a stunning left-footed half-volley on 57 minutes. 3 assists and a beautiful goal, not bad for an hours work!

Walcott came on for Rosicky on 69 minutes for his eagerly-awaited return and he only took 6 minutes to make an impact and score a well taken goal.

Fabregas again fed in Arshavin on the left hand side and the Russian ran down the wing before playing Fabregas back in just outside the area. But instead of shooting, Fabregas just ushered the ball on to Walcott on the right who placed a shot right into the bottom corner.

And that signalled the end of Fabregas’ matching winning performance, and along with Arshavin they were replaced by Aaron Ramsey and Nicklas Bendtner.

In all honesty you didn’t notice Arshavin and Fabregas were no longer on the pitch, due to the sheer dominance of Arsenal. Ramsey played particularly well in his 20 minute cameo, creating excellent chances for Bendtner, Walcott and Van Persie. and it was his pass which setup Arsenal’s final goal which was another stunning strike from Bendtner.

In the end, you couldn’t ask for more from a football match. Plenty of goals, a great performance and all 3 points.

Player Ratings

Vito Mannone: 7/10
Despite conceding twice, I honestly can’t fault him for either of the goals. The first was a looping header which was – in my eyes anyway – very fortuitous, and the second was a heavy deflection. After the first goal he came out confidently for crosses and long balls so at least he learns from previous incidents. I don’t know what it is about this young goalkeeper but I feel confident when he’s playing – even more so when Almunia or Fabianski are playing. Is that strange?

Bacary Sagna: 8/10
Full of running yet again and solid at the back. Like Clichy, gives Arsenal that extra outlet when attacking and put in a superb performance in today.

William Gallas: 7/10
Maybe I’m being harsh, but I wasn’t too happy with his handling of Dunn for Blackburn’s second goal. We all know Dunn is right-footed so to not force him wide was a strange decision I thought. Unlucky in the way the ball came off him to finish in the net but maybe it shouldn’t have got that far in the first place.

Thomas Vermaelen: 9/10
Excellent yet again. First to everything and Di Santo didn’t even have a sniff. Was unfortunate for the first goal but after that didn’t put a foot wrong. Great determination and desire to create the opening for his equalising goal and that strike was sumptuous. He really does give Arsenal that extra dimension, with his threat in the air and his long-range shooting ability. Could be one of the highest scoring defenders since Fernando Hierro. Possibly.

Gael Clichy: 7/10
Another solid performance, but still a bit rash when trying to win the ball high up the pitch. Supported Arshavin and Rosicky well on the left hand side.

Alex Song: 8/10
Another good performance from Song. Won the ball convincingly, always covered key areas and his passing was good today too.

Abou Diaby: 5/10
Too wasteful and indecisive. I never see him making a decent effort to help out the defence and when on the ball he insists on taking far too many touches. Missed a sitter when presented with an open goal to shoot at and I can’t count how many times he loses the ball when he’s not even under any pressure. Was lucky that everyone else was playing so well.

Cesc Fabregas (Captain): 10/10
What else can you say about his performance today? Just when you thought that he might be going off the boil he shows us all what he’s all about. 4 cute assists and an emphatic left-footed piled driver on the half volley. Was so good and made such an impact he was taken off with 20 minutes to go.

Tomas Rosicky: 7/10
Got involved in the play well and always wanted the ball. Also put in a solid performance defensively, making some decent tackles and closing down players. Came agonisingly close with a 20 yard effort which could have easily went into the top corner and can be happy with his 29th birthday.

Robin Van Persie: 9/10
I’ve been very impressed with Van Persie’s performances recently. Out of all the players, Robin has had the biggest change thrust upon him playing in the central role of the 3 attackers but he has really adapted well. He’s added new skills to his repertoire, and now holds the ball up well, links the play well and is much more intelligent in his passing. Totally deserved his goal and will be a massive player for Arsenal this season.

Andrei Arshavin: 8/10
Everything this guy does with a football just oozes quality and today was no different. His passing, movement and ability on the ball was decisive and took his goal very well.

Theo Walcott (Replaced Rosicky on 69′): 7/10
An ideal return for Theo, who scored a well taken goal just minutes after coming on. Almost added a second when played in by Ramsey but his scuffed effort was scrambled off the line.

Nicklas Bendtner (Replaced Arshavin on 76′): 8/10
Looked bright when he came on and always wanted to be involved in the play. Took his goal superbly and hopefully that goal will be the start of a few for him this season.

Aaron Ramsey (Replaced Fabregas on 76′): 8/10
It would be no exaggeration to say he did more in 20 minutes than Diaby did in the whole game. Created 4 fantastic opportunities for his team-mates with some great through balls and was composed and confident on the ball. Shows far more intelligence (as well as desire to help defensively) which is why I am stunned Diaby is ahead of Ramsey in pecking order. Ramsey is the far better option on every level.

Standard Liege (2) – (3) Arsenal
Bendtner (45′), Vermaelen (77′), Eduardo (81′)
Maurice Dufrasne Stadium, Belgium

Well how the hell do you analyse that?

Arsenal were simply diabolical in the first 5 minutes.

Vito Mannone was making only his second first team appearance in the Arsenal side tonight and he was literally left exposed as Arsenal decided to neglect all defensive responsibility and self destruct.

He must have been wondering where was the defence?

After only 2 minutes, a Standard Liege corner was headed away for Eduardo to try an audacious backheel into the path of Fabregas. It didn’t come off, and the ball landed at the feet of central defender Mangala to smash the ball into the bottom corner.

Not the best start.

Then only minutes later, Gallas hacked down Jovanovic just inside the area and the referee awarded a penalty. On first glance, I thought it was a blatant dive but replays showed Gallas made clear contact and that the referee had in fact made a good decision. Jovanovic picked himself up and coolly dispatched the spot kick.

So after 5 minutes Arsenal were 2-0 down. You had to watch it to believe what happened, and Arsene Wenger must have been absolutely seething.

Ironically before the game, I was wondering if Arsenal were capable of keeping a clean sheet. I was worried if we’d concede silly goals like we have recently and my fears were realised in dramatic fashion.

But in a strange way, the 2 goal deficit actually worked in our favour.

Champions League new boys Liege couldn’t believe their luck, and understandably sat back and were intent on defending their lead. And that helped us.

From then on Arsenal bossed the game.

It was literally attack versus defence and you have to give the Belgians credit they defended well for the most part, and could be considered unlucky on all 3 goals.

The first Arsenal goal came from great work from Diaby, who showed great strength to beat several players before feeding Bendtner with a top quality goal before the Dane finished well. Up to that point, Standard Liege had defended well and I couldn’t remember their goalkeeper Borat Bolat making a notable save.

Talk about getting out of jail.

So that goal set-up the second half perfectly. Arsenal were chasing and Liege were going to be even more content on sitting back and protecting their lead. There was a lot of huffing and puffing but we couldn’t get the final ball right. We had a lot of set-pieces but Fabregas couldn’t find his range and all of his deliveries were over hit. The crosses (as usual) from Clichy, Eboue (and Sagna when he came on) were very poor. I don’t know why they bother crossing it to be honest.

But the pressure paid off and Liege were fouling more and our equalising goal came from a Fabregas freekick which was for once on the money.

The ball was floated in and found Song on the back post who scrambled the ball into the path of Vermaelen who capped off a fine performance with a goal from 2 yards. Replays showed that Song was not offside (as Eduardo made no contact) but he did seem to handball it. Standard Liege were livid with the linesman but I’ll take it!

From then on Arsenal’s tails were up and only 5 minutes later they scored another.

A corner from Fabregas wasn’t dealt with and Eduardo coolly poked the ball into the net inside the 6 yard area with his knee. An unorthodox finish but classy and deliberate all the same.

So a hugely entertaining game where Arsenal left with all 3 points.

I don’t think I can really say more than that…

Player Ratings

Vito Mannone: 7/10
Can’t fault him for any of our goals and therefore can’t fault his overall performance. He was let down and completely exposed by his more experienced team mates but wasn’t really troubled after the quite frankly crazy first five minutes.

Emmanuel Eboue: 7/10
Full of running and always there to support the attack but was shaky when defending.

William Gallas: 6/10
Looked nervous in the first half and the unnecessary hack to concede the penalty was silly at best. Settled as the game went on but still looked shaky at times.

Thomas Vermaelen: 9/10
Man of the Match for me. By far the best defender tonight and a solid performance overall. Saved Arsenal’s bacon a few times from mistakes from Clichy and Gallas and didn’t put a foot wrong. Scored that vital second goal and minutes later almost scored another with a beautifully executed backheel.

Gael Clichy: 7/10
Full of running but was caught out a few times on the break. Guilty of letting a few crosses into the box when he was in control of situations but on the flip side made a couple of vital last minute interceptions in the second half which could have put the game beyond Arsenal.

Alex Song: 7/10
Had a mixed evening tonight. Seemed to suffer from the side’s collective ‘shell shock’ in the first few minutes but still managed to have a relatively solid performance. Was exposed heavily but fellow midfielders such as Diaby which didn’t help.

Abou Diaby: 6/10
Apart from the run and pass for Bendtner’s goal very poor. You know he has the ability but his decision-making at times is woeful. Will hold onto the ball and lose it instead of making a simple pass and never really makes an effort to get back and help out his defence.

Cesc Fabregas (Captain): 7/10
Didn’t really make the impact he usually can and his delivery on set-pieces (apart for the ones for the two goals ironically) were all over hit. Kept the team flowing though which was important and never shirked responsibility.

Tomas Rosicky: 8/10
Very impressive considering it’s his first start this season. Followed on from his influential performance on Saturday and was the one who was making things happen. Played in Bendtner in the second half with a stunning 50-yard ball which really should have been our equaliser. Encouraging signs for Arsenal if he can stay fit.

Nicklas Bendtner: 8/10
Found it tough tonight against a Standard Liege side that defending deep but was enthusiastic and always willing to run for the side. Took his goal superbly and that gave Arsenal a platform to build on in the second half.

Eduardo: 7/10
Things didn’t really come off for him tonight but was there to bury the chance when it came his way. That was the first real opportunity he had throughout the entire game and he finished it like we know he can.

Aaron Ramsey: 8/10 (Replaced Rosicky 70′)
Looked bright and unlike his Arsenal team mates wasn’t afraid to shoot. Disposed a Standard Liege defender to create a shooting opportunity and did the same again later, but his pass to Bendtner in the middle was over hit. Solid shift though.

Bacary Sagna: 7/10 (Replaced Eboue 80′)
Solid enough for a 10 minute stint.

Jack Wilshire: 6/10 (Replaced Eduardo 83′)
Not enough time to make an impression.