Birmingham City (2) – (2) Arsenal
Walcott (49′, 52′)
St Andrews, Birmingham

Obviously the main talking point about this afternoons game was the horrific injury suffered by Eduardo Da Silva only 2 minutes into the game. The injury was so bad that the expressions on the Arsenal players faces told its own story, and the 9 minute delay meant that the severity of the damage done by Martin Taylor was sinking in on the pitch. The only thing we know at this stage that Eduardo’s season is over, and our thoughts go out to a player who has made a fantastic impact in his short time with the club.

Expectedly, the following 20 minutes after the game restarted was one and two touch football from both sides – with the players hardly making a challenge or tackle worthy of note.

With Birmingham down to 10 men and the Arsenal players visibly shaken it was vital that team focused on the task at hand an won the 3 points for the fans and the stricken Eduardo. Unfortunately, with the exception of Flamini and the back four, Arsenal looked jaded and taken aback with the events of the early part of the match and just couldn’t get their game going at all. Adebayor, Hleb and Fabregas looked the most shocked, which you can’t blame them for – when looking at Eduardo slumped on the ground with a broken leg you don’t just see your teammate – you see what could happen to you.

The first half performance was not like Arsenal at all, and Birmingham took advantage on 26 minutes when James McFadden scored a freekick from just outside the penalty area.

Arsenal looked sluggish and you had the feeling with the this could be Arsene’s most important half-time team talk of the season so far, because on the first half showing we looked like the injury to Eduardo would hugely effect the outcome of this game.

Credit to the team, as soon as the second half started Arsenal looked sharp and really up for the fight. Whatever Wenger said to the boys had made a difference as Arsenal stepped up their tempo and really took the game to Birmingham, who quite honestly had it easy in the first period.

And after only 5 minutes of the Arsenal’s pressure paid off.

Fabregas had a fantastic shot well saved by Maik Taylor which was pushed out for a corner and the little Spaniard took the kick which was won in the air by Adebayor and Walcott coolly tapped in from close range.

The pressure kept growing and growing and with the Birmingham keeper made some good saves from Adebayor, Fabregas and Hleb from long range efforts, and on 55 minutes Theo Walcott lashed a stunning left-foot shot into the bottom corner. Theo hadn’t scored in the Premier League before today’s game – and I’m sure you know the cliche about London Buses.

It was a truly fantastic response from the boys to comeback with only 10 minutes of the second half played, and at the risk of being over-emotional I felt so proud of the players. I was as shocked with the injury as the players and fans watching the game, and to fight back like that was really something. It might be only against Birmingham City, but the release I felt when Walcott lashed in his second goal was massive. Joy, anger and redemption all rolled into one.

After that Arsenal were in control, with Birmingham sitting back and waiting for the last 10 minutes to get their equaliser. They held out, despite Arsenal having the ball mostly in the final third and wasting a couple of openings. The opportunity on 77 minutes was probably the best chance to get the third goal and kill off the game but Adebayor failed to slot the ball into the net after another good save from Taylor. Bendtner was available square but the Togan didn’t look up and pick him out.

Birmingham came out in the last 10 minutes, and in all honesty Almunia had nothing to do. Arsenal defended well and even the most nervous Arsenal fan couldn’t see the home side getting back into the game. Unforuntately, with literally seconds of injury time remaining an uncharacteristic lapse in concentration from Gael Clichy gave Birmingham a life-line. Flamini played the ball into the path of the left-back but Clichy just waited far too long and tripped Parnaby to concede a penalty.

William Gallas was in sheer disgust and in some kind of protest walked off towards the tunnel before McFadden stepped up for the decisive kick.

Despite Almunia’s best efforts, McFadden smashed the penalty into the net and rescued a point in a game Arsenal should have easily seen off. You can’t really legislate for a mistake like that and the high range of emotions this afternoon got the better of the captain and while his frustration can be understood it was well over the top.

A positive we can take from this game was the response in the second half, but talk about things going against you. The injury to Eduardo clearly rocked Arsenal and you could almost write off the performance first half. And after fighting back to get the lead to throw away the game so late in the match is so devastating, especially against 10 men – it’s just unexpected.

Talk about an emotional rollercoaster.

It might be hard to remember after all that but Arsenal are still in the driving seat and the destination of the Premier League Title is still in our hands.

Manchester United (4) – (0) Arsenal
Eboue Sent Off (49′)
Old Trafford, Manchester

Well Arsenal just didn’t turn up.

A few days ago when I wrote the match preview I was questioning the importance of the game, and whether a defeat would actually be a bad thing. Winning would mean more fixtures at a time when Arsenal would hopefully be fighting for the Premier League and Champions League titles.

So it came to fruition with Arsene’s team selection, which included Justin Hoyte, Armand Traore, Nicklas Bendtner, Gilberto Silva and the recently returning Kolo and Eboue from the African Cup of Nations. A seemingly strongish side, although in reality Wenger started with only 4 players who would be considered in this seasons first eleven*

In comparison, United had around 7 or 8 players who would be considered to be first team players.

And ironically Jens Lehmann might not be the first choice goalkeeper this season but he was the only one who didn’t have a shocking performance and kept the score from being 7 or 8.

The performance I saw yesterday was possibly the worst I have seen in 20 years of watching Arsenal, and that would not be exaggerating. The performance was devoid of any motivation, passion, fight or even basic execution of our usual passing game.

Arsenal were there for the taking and Manchester United didn’t need any second invitations.

Clearly up for the fight after their surprise defeat in the Manchester Derby only 7 days earlier, United were quick from the off while Arsenal were sluggish, making basic errors and failing to string more than 5 passes together. Although the team wasn’t the strongest I was shocked at the lack of drive from the players – it really was appalling. It was as if the FA Cup didn’t matter at all. Arsene has stated that Arsenal’s priorities are elsewhere this season but unfortunately that attitude had obviously been transmitted to the players on the pitch. It was like the Carling Cup game against Spurs all over again.

It’s a strange feeling though, because even though Arsenal have played so called less important games in the past, I don’t think I’ve ever seen performances like against Spurs or United in the cups like I have witnessed this season. It doesn’t matter who has been selected to play and if the team has included reserves, the guys on the pitch have gone into the game with the right mind-set and played to a decent standard.

Arsene would have been better off playing the kids because at least they would given United a game and given 110%.

Despite all that though, I suppose the real concern is what that game will have on the rest of the season.

Has the win given United a boost after poor results against Spurs and Manchester City in the league? It would have been interesting to see what United would have done if they actually lost yesterday. It would be stupid to suggest that they would have collapsed but you can’t help thinking it would have put more pressure on them in the Premier League if they were dumped out of the cup.

The slightly positive thing is that after the battering in the Carling Cup against Spurs our response has been spot on, winning 4 games out of 4. Hopefully Arsenal can quickly forget the result and get their form back.

I guess we’ll see what the reaction is from the boys on Wednesday night.

* Based on a starting eleven of Almunia, Sagna, Toure, Gallas, Clichy, Hleb, Flamini, Fabregas, Rosicky, Van Persie & Adebayor. You could also argue Eduardo is now a first team player, but at the same time you could say Senderos’ run in the team puts him in the current first eleven because Toure has been out with the Ivory Coast.

Arsenal (2) – (0) Blackburn Rovers
Senderos (3′), Adebayor (90’+1)
The Emirates Stadium, London

What a weekend!

Well I say weekend, it only really started on Sunday when Manchester United hosted neighbours City in the early kick off. City put in an impressive performance and did us a huge favour by winning at Old Trafford, meaning that we were still top with a game in hand.

And now Arsenal have extended that lead to 5 points, with 12 games remaining.

People will say that the season is far from over – and rightly so, especially still having to visit Old Trafford and Stamford Bridge – but the fact of the matter is Arsenal travel to those places not having to win. We can draw these games, and the great thing is that United and Chelsea will have to play to win and that is when Arsenal are at their most dangerous, when sides attack us.

But the same couldn’t be said about Blackburn.

Arsenal started excellently, with Senderos scoring from a cool Eduardo corner after only 3 minutes – and for the next 20 Arsenal moved the ball around well and caused the visitors all kinds of problems. Unfortunately though, we couldn’t grab that vital second and Blackburn eventually started to come out just before the half time interval.

The second half was hit and miss, with Arsenal creating a few half chances but with Blackburn content with having 10 men behind the ball and seemingly trying to keep the score down we found it tough to increase the lead. Most of the game was frustrating to watch, partly because of Blackburns hugely negative tactics, and partly because at only 1-0 a single set-piece or mistake could cost Arsenal vital points in the Championship race.

But with seconds of the game remaining, a great run from Alexander Hleb was finished off with style from the in-form Adebayor who smashed his shot into the net.

And that was pretty much the story of the game – an early goal, and a late goal sealed all the points and put Arsenal firmly in the drivers seat.

Arsene said after the match that despite the lack of usual fluency (not helped with Rosicky injured and Fabregas having to play wide) the team was sharp mentally, and it’s hard to argue with that because Lehmann (in for a poorly Almunia) hardly had anything to do over the 90 minutes. Although he did well when called upon.

It’s worth pointing out that Senderos also put in another excellent performance, and really has struck up a great understanding with William Gallas. Arsene really has a big problem coming into the coming weeks – who should start? Toure or Senderos?

Because after seeing the ACN game between the Ivory Coast and Egypt, it seems like Kolo could do with a rest for a couple of weeks to get his mind together.

Manchester City (1) – (3) Arsenal
Adebayor (8′, 88′), Eduardo (25′)
City of Manchester Stadium, Manchester

Talk about a player on form.

Emmanuel Adebayor scored two goals and made one, but that hardly tells you the level of performance from the Arsenal striker.

He was everywhere.

Out wide, through the middle – he was playing most of the game up top on his own against Micah Richards and Richard Dunne and caused them all kinds of problems.

I’m not sure how close Togo were to actually qualifying for the African Cup of Nations, but count our lucky stars Adebayor is still with us! His form of late has been simply sensational.

And today is yet another game Arsenal have failed to lose in the Premier League when Adebayor has scored.

Amazing.

A brilliant record, and Arsenal managed to do what no other team (including Manchester United) has done this season – which is to beat Manchester City at home.

Arsenal were sublime in the first half an hour, forcing wave after wave of attack and Adebayor opened the scoring after only 8 minutes after some smart play on the right from Hleb and Sagna.

The second goal was stunning. A cross from Clichy found Adebayor at the back post, who layed off a cool header to Eduardo on the edge of the 6 yard area. He chested the ball away from goal and swivelled in one movement to lash the ball into the bottom corner. I’ve said it before but this guy Eduardo is a killer and scores some amazing goals. It was breathtaking.

There was a question of offside when the ball came to Eduardo but he still had to finish it off and he didn’t disappoint.

After that Arsenal were in cruise-control and it was a rare mistake by Gael that gave Manchester City a chance to get back into the game. The ball was running towards goal but instead of passing it or hitting it out Clichy dilly-dallied and Corluka took advantage by gaining possession and playing it sqaure to Fernandes who slotted the ball home.

City finished the first half strongly, obviously galvanised from that goal and realising the game was far from over.

Arsene tightened things in the second half, pushing Diaby inside to stop the runs of Ireland through the centre and letting Eduardo run in from the left side. It seemed to work because in the second period Manchester City didn’t really trouble Lehmann at all. Then again, he was rarely troubled in the first half, albeit the mistake from Clichy.

It was pretty comfortable in the second half for long periods, although I suppose the tension I felt was that one mistake or set-piece could cost Arsenal the 3 points. Most (if not all) of the attacking play was from Arsenal though, and Adebayor got his reward for his display with his second of the match and Arsenal’s third. Hleb knocked the ball to Ade on the halfway line and Elano cynically hacked down the Togan, but Arsenal played on and eventually Adebayor’s desire paid off as he coolly slotted into the corner.

3 points away at a ground the home team haven’t lost at – you couldn’t ask for more really could you?

Player Ratings

Jens Lehmann: 7/10
Didn’t really have anything to do at all apart from the Manchester City goal. Couldn’t have asked for an easier game to return to.

Bacary Sagna: 9/10
Brilliant yet again. Easily won the battle against Martin Petrov and showed awesome running in both halves. At times was taking on both Petrov and Ball single-handedly on the right and caused Manchester City all kinds of problems. His fantastic run and cross made Arsenal’s vital first goal for Adebayor.

William Gallas: 8/10
One of Arsenal’s most consistent performers put in another solid display.

Philippe Senderos: 8/10
Really has stepped up his performances since replacing Kolo Toure, and like in the last few games today we was excellent. I was one of those who thought we would really miss Kolo but the truth is Senderos has been exceptional. After being out of the side to Gallas and Toure to play like he has is a great credit to the young man.

Gael Clichy: 7/10
Overall a good game but really did make a hash of the situation that lead to City’s goal, which on another day could have cost Arsenal points. But to be perfectly frank though that’s the first real mistake I’ve ever seen the guy make in over 100-odd appearances and is one of the most reliable players we’ve ever had.

Alexander Hleb: 5/10
I am a huge fan of Hleb’s but he was not at the races today at all. A big part of his game is excellent ball retention but his passing was off and he did not look 100% fit, because he was letting Sagna do all the running down the right hand side. Usually Hleb is taking on players more regularly but just didn’t look right today.

Cesc Fabregas: 7/10
A steady performance but nothing spectacular. Kept the ball moving well but suffered a bit with lack of movement from Hleb and the lack of an out ball without Rosicky making those positive runs that Fabregas usually picks out.

Mathieu Flamini: 8/10
Helped the defence keep Manchester City’s attack quiet as well as midfield runners Ireland and Fernandes. Passed the ball well alongside Fabregas and rallied the troups when Arsenal could have faded in the second half.

Abou Diaby: 7/10
His decision-making has clearly improved of late and today his passing was quicker and he was picking out the more sensible passes. Still prone occassionally to giving the ball away cheaply or trying the difficult pass but much better than in recent games.

Eduardo Da Silva: 8/10
Took his goal fantastically and linked up well with Adebayor and the midfield. Looks settled now and gives Arsene no problems in selecting him in a two-man attack. Slotted to the left side in the second half and did the job well.

Emmanuel Adebayor: 9/10
Pretty much the complete performance. His finishing really has improved over the season and at the moment looks like Arsenal’s most important player. Great energy, great desire and fantastic attitude. He held the ball up well and was everywhere. One of the few players in the Premier League who can play alone upfront and cause teams real damage.

Tottenham Hotspur (5) – (1) Arsenal
(Tottenham win 6-2 on aggregate)
Adebayor (70′)
White Hart Lane, London

Well what can you say about that game?

Spurs were always going to be up for this, especially when you consider they haven’t defeated us in 23,421 games*

They fielded their stongest side, and it was going to be an even bigger ask for the kids with captain Ledley King back as well.

It’s a strange feeling getting battered and conceding five, even more so when it’s usually us handing out the drubbings – but if you look at the goals then you would have to say Arsenal shot themselves in the foot.

The first goal after only 3 minutes was disappointing because Jenas was under no pressure while he ran towards goal and took his shot. Justin Hoyte was a bit slow to react to the situation and let the Tottenham midfielder have a free pop at goal.

Then the second was an own goal by Nicklas Bendtner.

Credit to Jenas it was a decent delivery, but Nic was caught cold and his header could have gone anywhere. Then the third goal we conceded was straight after half time, this time scored by Robbie Keane. Fabianski really should have done better with the shot, which was pretty much straight at him and wasn’t travelling with much pace.

While Arsene said after the match that the third goal pretty much signalled the end of the game as a contest, I personally thought Arsenal could still get back into this with an instant reply.

And only minutes later Walcott crossed for Bendtner whose effort hit the underside of the bar.

This was not Arsenal’s day!

With the 50th minute approaching, I thought to myself Arsenal could still get 3 goals here if they quickly brought on Eduardo and Adebayor for Diaby and Walcott. But unfortunately that change didn’t happen until 15 minutes later.

You might say this is the competition for the kids, but with Gallas, Sagna, Hleb and Fabregas already on the pitch, it might have been worth going for it anyway. And with 40 minutes Eduardo and Adebayor could make a big difference.

Of course, if any of them got injured during that time then I suppose the gamble wouldn’t have been worth it.

But the thing was Hleb was getting the ball in excellent positions and moving the ball around well in the middle with Fabregas, but they had no attacking outlet for their possession. Bringing on Eduardo and Adebayor earlier could have changed the outcome of the game.

And Diaby and Walcott weren’t performing anyway, and always on the periphery of the match. Theo just couldn’t control the ball and wasn’t given much space, and Diaby was losing the ball and often going for the difficult dribble instead of the simple pass. I can’t remember the number of times I saw him take 4 or 5 touches when 2 would have done!

When Adebayor did come on, Arsenal had a bit more cutting edge and it only took him 5 minutes to score. Unfortunately we were 4-0 down at the time, but if he was on 15 minutes earlier could it have been a different story?

C’est la vie…

Arsene said after the game that the Carling Cup wasn’t a priority at all and Arsenal were in the fight for much bigger things. We’ve known that all along and looking at the bigger picture we didn’t lose in a cup which really mattered. Of course, that sounds bitter coming after a 5-1 defeat but it doesn’t make it any less true. Would it have been nice to be in the final? Yes, but it’s hardly vital to the outcome of our season is it?

You would have to say though that winning the Carling Cup would have been a huge ask if we made it to the final anyway. Chelsea will play their strongest team in this competition and our kids would have found it extremely tough to get passed them. So it’s comforting to know that Spurs have no chance of winning the competition anyway.

I would and will be putting a lot of money on that.

* Estimated number only.