Arsenal (1) – (0) Chelsea
Gallas (45’+2)
The Emirates Stadium, London

Well Grand Slam Sunday ended with Manchester United and Arsenal taking all 3 points, both winning by one goal to nil, both with goals coming just before half-time and both from corners.

The similarities are uncanny.

Arsene Wenger kept everyone guessing about his team selection for the weekends game and the starting lineup saw Flamini, Fabregas and Hleb all return which was a massive boost. Arsenal are a completely different side with these 3 in the team and their return couldn’t have been timed better.

Van Persie started on the bench, but as the Dutchman showed midweek in the Champions League Arsene has the amazing ability to nurse players back from injury with the same match sharpness they had before being sidelined.

With United winning the earlier kick off, Arsenal were under pressure to get 3 points and reclaim their place at the top of the table. At Anfield, Manchester United won yet again, at a place they always seem to win. It was a real smash and grab job from the Mancs, who looked to get Liverpool on the break with the pace of Ronaldo, Tevez, Anderson, Giggs and Rooney. In all honesty, apart from a couple of poor decisions from Van Der Sar in the first half, Liverpool didn’t threaten at all. United always looked like they would win the game after going ahead, which shows how different the game could have been if we scored first when Arsenal visited Anfield in October.

But that was then and this is now.

And Arsenal overcame a very physical Chelsea side who looked to unsettle the young guns but only succeeded in causing their own problems.

Tackles were flying in from Ashley Cole and John Terry, who always have a go at the referee for every little incident. What resulted was a wound up John Terry who tried to kick through Eboue but only managed to injure himself and an Ashley Cole who kept recklessly diving in only for Eboue to use his trickery and pace to beat him and make Cole look like a player who can’t actually defend.

People will talk about the tackle from Eboue, but they seem to forget the shocking two-footed lunge from Terry on Cesc Fabregas. So in that sense Terry got what he deserved. And then there was the punch to the face on Cesc by Asshole although Fabregas was play acting a bit. The initial challenge from Cesc on Cole was pretty rough but I can forgive him for that because he hates Chelsea and Cashley as much as I do.

So there were quite a few moments in the game which boiled over but was something which I enjoyed about the game.

It shows the desire to win and also shows how much both of these teams really hate each other. And I completely despise Chelsea for so many reasons. The way Arsenal/Chelsea games are these days you could say they have almost replaced the Arsenal/United battles of old in the Vieira/Keane era, where both sides would fight to win. They are tight, physical and bitter affairs but that makes for really intriguing viewing.

And that makes it so much more satisfying when you do win.

In a way, Chelsea may have done Arsenal a huge favour. We all know Chelsea are abusive, dirty and will do anything to win – and the young players came through that tough test with all three points.

Arsenal only know one way to play, and that’s with silky, slick passing and Chelsea tried to nullify it with the physical approach. The great thing to see was that when Chelsea started to make a real scrap of the game, Arsenal replied and got the better of them. I think the way Arsenal responded surprised Chelsea. Too many times in the past Arsenal would almost cower in a game like yesterdays but the players stood up and battled when needed.

The Chelsea fans will point to missing players, such as Drogba, Carvalho and Ballack missing but the fact is football is all about injuries so there’s no point crying about them. Over the last few games Arsenal have missed Hleb, Flamini, Diaby, Fabregas and Van Persie with injuries and over that time I have only commented on the players who are actually playing. Granted, I may have not been complimentary about players like Gilberto but one thing I haven’t done is moan about the injuries. And if Chelsea fans want to be pedantic – Arsenal would probably be 6 points clear if Cesc, Flamini and Hleb were playing in the Newcastle and Boro games anyway!

Arsenal didn’t play at their peak yesterday, although that was partly down to Chelsea. Chelsea only really threatened in the last 15 minutes, when they brought on an extra forward and played with two strikers. Ironically though, that was our most dangerous period, when Robin came on and there was extra space in midfield for Arsenal to play.

It was end to end stuff, with both teams unfortunate not to score. Petr Cech made ammends for his first half mistake by keeping Chelsea in the game saving shots from Robin Van Persie and Cesc Fabregas.

There’s no doubt the result was vital for Arsenal and a fantastic response to losing at Middlesbrough. It showed the character of the side and Chelsea provided a tough test. It was the perfect result going into a tough fixture calender in December and January.

Arsenal Player Ratings

Manual Almunia: 9/10
Made an excellent save from a deflected SWP shot and made some vital saves from Shevchenko. Also was quick off his line to put off SWP in the second half to force his effort wide. Solid throughout the match and fully deserved his clean sheet against Chelsea – and how many Premiership goalkeepers can say that?

Bacary Sagna: 8/10
Very solid, linked up well with Eboue and kept Joe Cole quiet. Joe Cole only really did anything when he played further infield which is testament to Sagna’s performance.

Kolo Toure: 8/10
Defended excellently alongside Gallas, and reduced Shevchenko to shots from distance.

William Gallas: 8/10
A tale of two captains, and Gallas was ice cool whereas Terry was waiting to fly off the handle. Really does add steel to Arsenal and fully deserved his goal. Did brilliantly to keep his eye on the ball and score from the corner as most people would expect Cech to at least get a touch on it.

Gael Clichy: 7/10
Up and down the left flank yet again and kept SWP at bay for most of the match. Got sucked infield for that second half SWP chance which luckily didn’t cost Arsenal the points.

Emmanuel Eboue: 7/10
Full of running but couldn’t really make an impact, but an improvement on poor performances against Newcastle and Middlesbrough. Did manage to fool Ashley Cole on several occasions with his skill and pace which was fantastic to see.

Mathieu Flamini: 8/10
Maybe just short of match sharpness but not short of match fitness as his high-powered running set the tempo for wave after wave of Arsenal attacks. Impressive energy levels, even deep into the second half. Really got in the face of Chelsea’s attacking players, giving them hardly any time on the ball.

Cesc Fabregas: 9/10
Involved in every Arsenal attack and took up some excellent attacking positions. Arsenal certainly miss his presence and unlucky not to score a couple of goals in the second half. Also delivered a beautiful cross for the Gallas goal. Fantastic tackle on Cashley on the full time whistle as well. Had the opportunity to scythe down Cuntface and took it with aplomb. That tackle was what Arsenal fans have waited for over the past few years.

Tomas Rosicky: 9/10
Excellent performance. Fantastic running on the break and linked up well with the midfield and attack. Showed brilliant energy levels and kept everything flowing with his accurate passing.

Alexander Hleb: 8/10
Did well in the middle alongside Adebayor and gave Van Persie the chance to score the killer second goal. Excellent ball retention yet again and great to see him back to fitness.

Emmanuel Adebayor: 9/10
Sensational. Popped up on the left wing, the right wing and ran all over the pitch for the cause. He plays much better when Hleb and Fabregas are in the team and deserved his goal which the referee unfairly ruled out for a so-called foul on Ben Haim. Best performance for a few games which is encouraging.

Robin Van Persie: 8/10 (Replaced Emmanuel Eboue on 69′)
Gave Arsenal an extra dimension when he came on and looked really lively. Only played 20 minutes but managed to forced Cech into making decent saves and was unlucky not to have scored. For only a 20 minute cameo, he couldn’t have been more influential.

Gilberto Silva: 7/10 (Replaced Alexander Hleb on 78′)
Brought on to close the game down and did well in the closing stages alongside Flamini to see out the win. Did produce a clumsy foul just outside the area though which Shevchenko almost scored from.

Nicklas Bendtner: 6/10 (Replaced Emmanuel Adebayor on 90′)
Not on long enough to make a difference, although showed some great touches and setup Fabregas for that final chance before the final whistle.

Middlesbrough (2) – (1) Arsenal
Rosicky (90’+4)
The Riverside Stadium, Middlesbrough

Arsenal lost 2-1 this afternoon at Middlesbrough, and on the performance Arsenal deserved nothing.

With injuries to key midfielders Cesc, Flamini and Hleb we couldn’t get our passing game going at all. The story was the same at St James’ Park, where Newcastle dominated for the majority of that match.

The key to Arsenal’s success on the pitch this season is the quick, one-touch passing in midfield which no-one in the league has been able to defend against this season. Another reason Arsenal have been so successful this campaign is that they push high up the pitch, and put the opposition under constant pressure.

Without Hleb, Cesc or Flamini, Arsenal can’t play their normal game. This was shown in the second half at Villa Park, and for most of the game against Newcastle and then Middlesbrough.

But the ironic thing was that despite these injuries, Arsene had enough options to compensate for their absence.

Gilberto is a passenger in this team.

He is too slow, cannot pass the ball and only succeeds in giving the ball away, was fouling everywhere and is just not in tune with the current style of play. He struggled against Newcastle and today he was second rate.

He was completely lost.

It was like Arsenal were playing with 10 men for the entire game.

Arsene should have played Diarra and Denilson who are much quicker on the ball and have much better passing ability.

Arsenal’s passing and ball retention is usually excellent but too many times moves broke down in midfield. This only served to give Middlesbrough more confidence as the game progressed and gave Arsenal an uphill struggle from the start.

Gilberto has played against Sevilla, Newcastle and Middlesbrough in recent games and it’s safe to say those 3 games have been the worst we have played all season.

A midfield of Rosicky, Diarra, Denilson and Eboue (or Walcott) would have given Middlesbrough a totally different game.

And unfortunately, Eduardo is another player who has cost Arsenal dear.

Against Newcastle he was anonymous and at the Riverside he was worse. He hasn’t settled as yet to the Premier League and Arsene really should have started Bendtner who would have caused Newcastle and Middlesbrough problems.

People say you can’t start two big players upfront but Bendtner was the more sensible option. And if Arsene was so opposed to starting the two tall men he could have played with a 5 man midfield – but to do so with both Eduardo and Gilberto was a liability.

Arsene really has to think about his team selection for the next league game against Chelsea.

The Arsenal defence of Sagna, Toure, Gallas and Clichy who have been excellent this season were exposed far too many times. And the players themselves knew our midfield was not strong enough. Clichy didn’t push on down the wing as much as he usually does, and Kolo decided to bypass the midfield area completely with long ball after long ball.

And once again Adebayor was isolated in attack.

Wenger has been ruthless in dropping Jens, and he has to do the same with Gilberto.

Newcastle United (1) – (1) Arsenal
Adebayor 3′
St James’ Park, Newcastle

Last night I was frustrated.

Arsenal took a stunning lead when a perfect cross from Eboue found Adebayor in the centre, who chested the ball and emphatically smashed the ball into the net. It was a beautiful goal and came after only 3 minutes.

But after that Arsenal only threatened to score another, with Shay Given only making one save all night after the opening goal.

Without Hleb, Fabregas, Flamini and Van Persie in particular of the current absentees, Arsenal lack creativity and Rosicky was left to try and make things single-handedly.

So for me anyway, what followed was a frustrating and nervous game which was partly due to Arsenal’s lack of cohesion in the final third and Newcastle’s rough house tactics spearheaded by the direct Joey Barton and Alan Smith, two of England’s finest.

Credit to Newcastle, they took the game to Arsenal after the goal and at times Arsenal held on. Without any sort of imagination or creativity from the Geordies they resorted to the direct approach, something Allardyce is much more comfortable with from his days at Bolton.

I wonder how the home crowd will respond to seeing that game after game.

We had to defend cross after cross, and set-piece after set-piece.

But in the end, Arsenal held on for a point.

So what do I think a day after?

Well the fact was Arsenal had an off day, which is understandable after the amount of injuries we’ve had as well as our fixture schedule. And Arsenal have blessed us with some awesome football this season so they’re allowed to put in a poor performance or two.

Gilberto in particular looked rusty, and Eboue, Adebayor and Rosicky looked out of sorts without the influence of Fabregas’ passing and Hleb’s ball retention.

But the defence was resolute as ever, with Gallas, Toure, Sagna and Clichy digging deep for the cause. Almunia made a good save from a corner in the second half, and was exposed for the equaliser which he couldn’t really do much about.

So in the end, to be 4 points clear of Manchester United in December is an excellent position to be in.

It’s a sign of how far this squad have moved forward, when we’re disappointed with a point which puts us clear of the reigning champions.

If we played Newcastle a few weeks ago, when Liverpool and Portsmouth did last night’s starting eleven would have beaten them – easily. Unfortunately for us, the pressure was on the Geordies and they were always going to be hard to play against. I’ve seen Newcastle a few times this earlier this season and yesterday was one of the most impressive performances they’ve had this campaign. Which obviously doesn’t bode well if THAT was the best they can produce. For them it will be a long, long season with an extremely overrated manager.

I’d be surprised if he’s still there at the end of the season.

For Arsenal, they have a chance to put that performance behind them and kick on in December to fight for the top of the Premier League.