Portsmouth (1) – (4) Arsenal
Eduardo (27′), Nasri (41′), Ramsey (68′), Song (81′)
Fratton Park, Portsmouth

This was potentially a tough game for Arsenal as it was one of those cold and wet away days which could have proved to be a banana skin but in the end it was a four one conclusion.

It was a comfortable game and without Van Persie or Cesc Fabregas the team made it look quite easy, which is a credit to the starting eleven.

You can’t afford to lose points in these kind of games and while Pompy are rooted to the bottom of the Premier League they play decent football. In recent weeks they have managed to scare Chelsea and beat Liverpool, but today Arsenal put in a professional shift.

The back five were the usual suspects, and our captain’s absence meant a midfield of Diaby, Song and Ramsey.

Abou Diaby (who I’ve been critical of in the past) looked good again today (long may it continue) and Song was yet again solid and the defensive rock. I do worry how we’ll replace him now he’s at the ACN. This was his last game for Arsenal before he left and he gave is a nice parting gift with a great performance and a nice headed goal.

Aaron Ramsey was starting his first game in a while and I have to say he was simply excellent. I’m not sure if he models his game on Cesc Fabregas but his movement, passing and eye for goal are all top quality. I know the quality of opposition in the end wasn’t the best but tonight Ramsey was fantastic. He oozes intelligence every time he plays, and against Portsmouth he didn’t disappoint. He took his goal superbly and his all round performance was impressive, mature and composed.

Diaby again performed with purpose and was excellent going forward as well as tracking back. He is a player that we really need to step up with injuries to Denilson and Fabregas, and the absence of Song, but he looks to be finally reaching that level. Let’s pray that his good performances continue and he remains injury-free.

Up front, it was Eduardo, Arshavin and Nasri.

After the Villa game I said that Eduardo needs games under his belt and hopefully his lucky goal will spur him on to better things. His play isn’t quite there yet, and whether that’s down to confidence he needs to find his form. He has a real chance for a long run in the side with the injuries to Van Persie and Bendtner so we need him to keep going.

Arshavin was hit and miss today, and on Sunday I feel that I was a bit harsh on awarding him a 6 for his performance. While today he was a little better, the fact is that he is sacrificing his natural game for the best of the team. His natural position isn’t a central target man but credit to him you can tell he’s giving 110%. The results since he’s been playing in the centre (Liverpool, Villa and Pompy) have been very positive so you can’t complain.

Nasri looks to be improving week by week, and his performance was capped off with a well taken goal and assist for Song’s header.

And there’s nothing else to add really. Arsenal were for the most part cruising, but encouragingly they had the desire to win the game. One of our major problems in recent times is ‘cruising’ performances which lead to draws or defeats.

So going into the new year we are in decent shape – just 4 points behind leaders Chelsea with a game in hand against Bolton at home, which is on Wednesday 6th January. A tough fixture by all accounts with the sacking of Gary Megson – we know how football teams usually react when they play their first game under new management – so we need to be mentally (and physically) prepared.
Hopefully our form will continue into the new decade as when we left it.

And finally, I’d just like to thank you the visitor for reading my weblog and wish you all the best for the new year. Whether you agree, disagree or leave a completely irrelevant comment it’s all truly appreciated. Whatever you think about my opinions on Arsenal and football we are all united in wanting success and hopefully we can achieve that next year.

See you in 2010!

Arsenal (3) – (0) Aston Villa
Fabregas (65′, 81′), Diaby (92′)
The Emirates Stadium, London

Cesc Fabregas is fucking genius.

In a game Arsenal needed to win, he played a 21 minute cameo and what happened?

He completely changed the game, scoring two goals. The first was an exquisite freekick, and the second was a fantastic finish after busting a gut over a good 60 yards before latching onto a nice Theo Walcott pass.

This boy is special, and on a completely different level to anyone else at Arsenal. You just can’t describe how good he was today, and the difference he made.

With the results Chelsea and Manchester United have been having recently, it was vital that Arsenal took all 3 points today to send out a message and keep in the Premier League title race. Chelsea and United are having a slight wobble at the moment, so you need to take advantage of these situations when they happen.

And before the game, all I was hoping for was 3 points. I didn’t care how they came, the fact was a victory would be massive for our season.

In a strange series of events, ever since Chelsea beat Arsenal at The Emirates in November we have beaten Stoke, Liverpool, Hull and Aston Villa, and drawn against Burnley. But Chelsea on the other hand, have lost against Manchester City and drawn against Everton, West Ham and Birmingham. Maybe we just played them at the wrong time.

But back to today and before the game Aston Villa had a formidable record against the Top Four. They had already beaten Manchester United, Liverpool and Chelsea this season so Arsenal would have a real test on their hands.

As it turned out, we started brightly and Eduardo had a guilt-edged chance after only 3 minutes to put Arsenal ahead but rolled his shot straight at Friedel. After that, Arsenal struggled to break down Villa and they looked dangerous in the first 20 minutes and our defending was a bit shaky. Fortunately though, they didn’t really test Almunia and we managed to deny Villa of any real clear chances.

We had a lot of possession on the first half but no real purpose. Too many times moves would break down in the final third, with Arshavin and Eduardo particularly guilty of losing the ball. Arshavin just wasn’t in the game today, and Eduardo was just poor. I don’t know whether it’s confidence or match fitness, but Eduardo just isn’t on top form right now and nothing he tries is coming off. He had a few half chances but never looked like scoring, and 1 goal in 11 suggests he’s just lacking in confidence.

The second half was a little better, but Arsenal still looked lethargic and were missing that leadership to push them on and give them the motivation to go on and win the game.

So on 56 minutes, Arsene Wenger brought on Fabregas.

Almost instantly, the whole complexion of the game changed. Suddenly Arsenal had the impetus to drive forward and make things happen. The effect the introduction of Fabregas had was simply amazing, and excited the crowd and the players. We were making chances and putting Aston Villa under pressure time and time again.

And after 10 minutes of being on, he weaved his way passed a couple of Villa players but was hacked down by Richard Dunne. From the resulting freekick, he stepped up, and coolly curled the freekick into the top corner.

What a little genius!

At this point whatever superlatives you had for our captain were just not good enough, his impact on the game was outstanding. Arsenal looked like a completely different team.

And once Arsenal had that first goal, it was only a matter of time before they got their second and Fabregas bagged another goal after a sweeping Arsenal break. Armand Traore won the ball deep in the Arsenal half, and released Theo Walcott with a diagonal ball. Theo played in Fabregas and the little magician smashed the ball into the back of the net.

Game, set and match.

Unfortunately though, it appeared that Cesc picked up a little niggle in scoring the second goal and he was soon replaced by Aaron Ramsey on 83 minutes.

But the damage had been done, and mercurial Fabregas had stamped his authority on the game, and on the title race.

Arsenal were then in cruise control in the final 10 minutes, and Abou Diaby scored a well-taken third for Arsenal which on his performance was richly deserved.

3 goals, 3 points and 4 points behind the league leaders with a game in hand. And that’s against Bolton on the 6th January.

Player Ratings

Manuel Almunia: 8/10
Pretty solid today, and won most of the corners and crosses with ease. Seemed a lot more confident than in recent weeks, and make a couple of smart saves from the in-from Agbonlahor.

Bacary Sagna: 8/10
Made some excellent tackles and as usual, always right up the pitch supporting the right side. Full of running, and kept Ashley Young very quiet.

William Gallas: 8/10
Did well alongside Vermaelen and minimised the impact of Emile Heskey.

Thomas Vermaelen: 8/10
Like Gallas, defended well and kept the threat of Villa relatively quiet. Almunia didn’t really have a big save to make throughout the entire game, which is credit to the two centre backs.

Armand Traore: 8/10
Excellent today. Coped well with Agbonlahor and also did well to support the attack. Great vision to pick out Walcott to setup the second goal.

Alex Song: 8/10
Impressive today, and will be a big miss once he leaves for the ACN. Really does add some steel to the defence and it will be hard to see how Arsene will replace him on January.

Denilson: 7/10
Kept the game flowing but struggled to make things happen in the final third.

Abou Diaby: 8/10
Always willing to take on players and involved in some good attacking play throughout the match. Much improved recently and deserved his goal in injury time.

Samir Nasri: 7/10
Not his best game and couldn’t really create much.

Andrei Arshavin: 6/10
Probably as poor as I’ve seen the little Russian play in an Arsenal shirt. Maybe we expect too much from him, but his touch today was extremely bad. We’re talking Adebayor bad.

Eduardo: 6/10
Didn’t click with the rest of the team and missed a sitter in the opening minutes. Had a few other half chances but couldn’t get his game going and was replaced on the hour.

Cesc Fabregas: 10/10 (Replaced Denilson 56′)
Despite only playing less than a quarter of the game, he was the Man of the Match for me. Totally changed a lethargic Arsenal side by simply being on the pitch. Scored a wonderful freekick to break the deadlock and showed immense desire and determination to score the second. His influence today on so many levels was absolutely huge.

Theo Walcott: 6/10 (Replaced Eduardo 64′)
Showed a poor touch when he came on but did play in Fabregas for his goal.

Aaron Ramsey: 6/10 (Replaced Cesc Fabregas 84′)
Not enough time to really make an impact.

Arsenal (0) – (3) Chelsea
The Emirates Stadium, London

At the start of the season, people were saying that this is the most open title race in years. Everyone of the Top Four could possibly win it, and teams like Tottenham and Manchester City could also threaten at the top.

But after today, it’s clear it’s a two horse race.

Chelsea had too much power, too much class and more importantly the ruthlessness to win football matches that we don’t have.

Credit to Chelsea, they gave us a footballing master-class and showed us exactly where we need to be if we want to even consider winning the title.

And while I was optimistic what a win would do for our title hopes, the performance from Chelsea clearly showed a gaping chasm in the level both teams are at. Chelsea are on another level, while Arsenal are simply miles behind.

The gap is now 11 points, and while Chelsea and Manchester United are going from strength to strength and their performances are getting better and better, Arsenal have hit a slump at a vital time of the season. That’s two defeats, no goals and some terrible defending.

We’re virtually in Liverpool territory now in regards to our title hopes.

Before the game, the biggest worry was that Chelsea would pick us apart. This game played into their hands – Arsenal will always be open and attacking at home, so all they had to do was sit back and catch us on the break. And their superiority in class showed at the end of the day.

Arsenal, as usual, had a lot of attacking possession but Cech literally had nothing to do. The frustrating thing was that instead of pulling the trigger, Arsenal wanted to play that one extra pass that would inevitably be intercepted by Chelsea or wasted by Arsenal. I can’t believe now many times Arsenal had half a yard of pace and could have taken the shot on, and Eduardo was particularly guilty of wasting the ball in key areas.

I realise that Denilson has been out injured, but he was extremely poor today. He lost the ball so many times, and took too many touches instead of releasing the ball early. I couldn’t believe it when Song was replaced instead of him at half time.

Chelsea’s goals were just typical Chelsea – classy, incisive and yet simple in execution. All the worry was the left side of our defence with our third-choice fullback Armand Traore replacing Clichy and Gibbs but it was from the other side where we were punished. Both of Chelsea’s goals in the first half came from simple crosses from Ashley Cole. The first was turned in expertly by Drogba (which always seems to happen against Arsenal) and the second was inadvertently scored in similar fashion by Vermaelen.

After that the game was pretty much over, barring an early goal from Arsenal. As time ticked away, Arsenal once again looked for that perfect goal instead of just putting their foot through the ball, and with Chelsea’s defensive power it was straight forward for the league leaders.

Arsenal had a couple of half chances but nothing clear cut, and Drogba hit the final nail in the coffin as he smashed a freekick late on.

Cesc Fabregas looked lost in the middle and as the second half went on his body language summed up how Arsenal supporters felt. In one instance, he lost the ball and then just gave up. Can you blame him? Fabregas has been extremely loyal to Arsenal but you wonder how much disappointment he can take. This was a crushing defeat and we never looked like winning this game.

Arsene told us that our young side has matured and were ready to beat Chelsea, but unfortunately I didn’t see a difference between today and last season’s defeat to Chelsea were we lost 4-1.

There was a massive gulf in class and quality then and it was the same today.

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.