Arsenal (1) – (1) Tottenham Hotspur
Walcott (78′)
The Emirates Stadium, London

Last night was not a good performance, and Tottenham still couldn’t beat us!

After a bright opening 15 minutes, Spurs pretty much controlled the game and we stuggled to create any real chances in the entire 90 minutes.

If Spurs can’t beat us when we play like that, then they never will.

They even dropped Paul Robinson and had Ledley King back, but still they couldn’t hold on for the win.

With Senderos and Djourou starting together for the first time you could see the defence struggling throughout the first half, as Berbatov single-handedly ripped our backline time after time. We were fortunate when Spurs kept wasting their opportunities but on 36 minutes our luck ran out as Jenas was left with a simple tap in to score from close range.

Replays showed that Arsenal had held a perfect line – except for Senderos that is who was 4 yards behind the other players and kept Robbie Keane onside. I would rather have Djourou alongside Gallas for the next month, and the wrong player was taken off at half-time.

So Djourou was replaced with Sagna at the break and Hoyte was pushed into the middle. And Eduardo came on for the rusty Van Persie.

And Bacary Sagna made a huge different.

After a disjointed first half, Sagna added some stability and fight to the team. He was Arsenal’s Man of the Match and he only played 45 minutes.

The midfield was suffering, and it’s so sad to say it but Gilberto looked completely lost. Denilson was trying to run the midfield by himself and was crowded out, and Diaby and Theo just couldn’t get into the game. You saw it before the match even started – not being a first team regular really has effected Gilberto and most of the time he looks depressed, and it’s effecting him on the pitch. He’s never been the best passer of the ball, but he lost the ball on far too many occassions last night.

Am I right in thinking that we have yet to win a game this season when Gilberto starts? There was last night, the Champions League game against Sevilla and then the matches in the North East against Newcastle and Middlesbrough.

Diaby and Traore seemed to have a personal competition going with each other to see who can beat the most players without actually passing the ball. It got pretty boring after the first 10 minutes but they kept trying it throughout the match.

I can’t remember when an Arsenal side lost the ball so cheaply and so often than they did last night.

With the midfield struggling, Arsenal’s forwards rarely got the ball and Bendtner and Eduardo couldn’t impose themselves in the game – and the same was for Van Persie in the first half. Things opened up in the last 10 minutes when Theo ‘scored’ the equaliser and it was a really fantastic throughball from Eduardo to put him through.

It was a strange game yesterday. The kids are usually fearless and have brilliant movement and a high passing tempo but it seemed to stall last night. I suppose we have to give credit to Spurs (unfortunately) who did have their strongest possible team out. And after being beaten by Arsene twice this season already Juande Ramos was always going to make sure his side didn’t lose again.

1-1 is a decent result, because Arsenal WILL score at White Hart Lane and if Arsenal score twice in the second leg it’s pretty much game over.

Arsenal (2) – (0) West Ham United
Eduardo (2′), Adebayor (19′)
The Emirates Stadium, London

I only caught the highlights on MOTD last night so can only comment on certain aspects of last nights game, but one thing is clear – Eduardo’s form is going to be vital in the next few months.

After only two minutes, smart play from Cesc Fabregas on the right resulted in a cross into the area for Eduardo, who coolly chested the ball down and slashed in a killer volley to open the scoring after only 2 minutes.

Eduardo scores the first chance of the game!

I know my last match report of the Everton game kept harping on about this guy but he really is such a amazing finisher.

This kid doesn’t need second chances.

To score in such a ruthless manner and so early really is a huge advantage. Yesterday’s game was pretty comfortable but if Arsenal don’t get that first goal early then almost anything could happen (remember this fixture last season?) but with someone with such a killer instinct helps tenfold.

I know many people (including Arsene) have compared him to Robbie Fowler, but for me Eduardo is more like Ruud Van Nistelrooy. In the box, he’s devastating and always finds the net and if you create chances for him he will take them. And like the Dutchman, he probably won’t score too many outside the box but who cares when he scores so many inside it?

What I love about Eduardo is he just gets the ball into the net. He isn’t going to take on 4 players or make defence-splitting passes – he is just a predator, plain and simple. We’ve been accused of profligacy too many times in the past and now that has changed. Although to be fair, the more ruthless streak could be said about the team as a whole and not just Eduardo.

I have to admit though that almost had a heart attack when Eduardo missed a header at the far post later in the second half but replays showed his shirt was being tugged by Lucas Neill I think it was.

The second goal was from Adebayor, who’s pace took him away from the defence and he somehow managed to scored from a seemingly impossible angle.

With Adebayor and Eduardo playing together to such devastating effect, we’re lucky that Ade isn’t off to the ACN with Kolo and Eboue. The arrival of Eduardo (in a metaphorical sense obviously) also eases the pressure off Adebayor to keep performing and also comes at the perfect time as it looks like Robin will be about for a few weeks yet.

But of course, as much as things are going well for Arsenal there is some bad news, which is Kolo is now away with the Ivory Coast for the ACN. Depending how far they get Kolo might not be back until mid-February, and it’s hard to say how he will be mentally and physically after an intense tournament like the African Cup of Nations. We know Eboue is going too, but with Sagna making the right-back slot his own Arsenal will just miss out on a midfield player which is an area we seem to have well-covered.

So Gallas will be partnered with either Djourou or Senderos during this time, and even Gilberto possibly depending on what the boss thinks is best. I know a few people aren’t sure about Big Phil despite his experience but between the two Swiss Internationals I think we’re well covered.

Well Arsenal are two points clear after Kolo’s last game, so I guess we’ll see where we are when the rock returns next month.

Everton (1) – (4) Arsenal
Eduardo (47′, 59′), Adebayor (78′), Rosicky (90’+4)
Goodison Park, Liverpool

Absolutely stunning.

Stunning in terms of the character, stunning in terms of the comeback and stunning in terms of Eduardo’s sublime finishing.

Seriously, you won’t see better taken goals than those two this season.

And under pressure, this fella is simply ice cool.

What you saw tonight was a Champions performance.

Everton to their credit, took the game to Arsenal and for the first 40 minutes deserved their lead. They didn’t give us any time or space on the ball and the main creative players Fabregas & Hleb couldn’t get themselves into the game. Bendtner and Eduardo looked isolated, and Diaby couldn’t insert his influence either.

But whatever Arsene Wenger said at half-time certainly worked!

Before the game, all the hype was about Nicklas Bendtner – especially after his match-winning goal against Spurs last week – but the man who made the difference (and a VITAL difference) was that man Eduardo Da Silva.

A long ball from Clichy early in the second half was met by Eduardo in the area, where time seemed to stand still. Eduardo has that amazing and unique ability to be so, so clinical whatever the situation. The coolly clipped the ball over Tim Howard to score the equaliser.

What a massive goal.

With Everton dangerous from set-pieces and crosses the game was still there for the taking for either side, but it was Arsenal who got the next goal. Another ball from Clichy from the left was flicked on by Bendtner to Eduardo, who smoothly knocked the ball passed Phil Jagielka and slotted the ball into the corner.

A goal that had class written all over it.

I am still stunned. This guy had two half chances and took them both with ease. Arsene Wenger has said Eduardo will be Arsenal’s secret weapon in the second half of the season and who can argue with that?

Two chances, two goals.

When games get tighter nearing the end of the season Eduardo could just be the man who could make all the difference.

Everton still piled on the pressure but Arsenal stayed strong, with the back four performing excellently. And Fabregas and Flamini in particular were outstanding in protecting the lead against the 5 man Everton midfield.

As Eduardo was having a huge impact on the game, his strike partner Bendtner was having problems. He unwittingly knocked the ball to Tim Cahill in the first half to concede the first goal and then on 74 minutes when he was about to be replaced by Adebayor the young Dane scraped his studs down Andy Johnson’s leg for a second yellow card and was sent off.

No arguments about the sending off, it was a nasty challenge.

And unfortunately Eduardo had to be replaced instead, which was a shame after he literally saved Arsenal from the abyss.

We know Arsene seems to have a knack with his substitutions of late, and only 5 minutes later Adebayor took advantage of an Everton mistake. A goal kick from Almunia was punted upfield, only to be missed by everyone. The ball bounced in between Yobo and Howard, and Adebayor simply nicked in and converted a simple third for Arsenal.

After that the game was over, and with tempers flaring Mikel Arteta compounded Everton’s misery by elbowing Cesc in the face and getting a straight red card. Things had threatened to boil over throughout the second half and Fabregas was wisely replaced by Rosicky with only a couple of minutes remaining. It signalled another inspired substitution by the boss, as the Czech smashed in a fourth deep into stoppage time.

It was hard to think rationally after the final whistle, and the ruthlessness of Arsenal was amazing. Champions win games they don’t play well in and Arsenal had smashed Everton (who have been excellent this season) 4-1 in their own back yard.

And even more importantly perhaps, Arsenal retained top spot virtually straight after losing it only a few days ago. Talk about bouncebackability!

You have a feeling now that after losing top spot and getting it back, Arsenal won’t be giving anymore second chances and will give absolutely everything to stay in that position.

I hope I’m not tempting fate here by saying this, but tonight’s game was a classic performance of a Championship winning side.

A fantastic way to end to the calender year, a fantastic game and that result really does sum up the season so far.

Arsenal (2) – (1) Tottenham Hotspur
Adebayor (47′), Bendtner (75′)
The Emirates Stadium, London

What a game.

For the first half, the game was sloppy and quite frankly forgettable – and even when Arsenal scored the opener the game started to fade.

After a dull first half, Arsenal started in the perfect manner – cranking up the tempo and flooding the Spurs half with fantastic running and energy as well as incisive passing. But after the first goal went in, Arsenal were guilty of putting their foot off the pedal which gave Tottenham a chance to get themselves back into the match.

Both teams stuggled to make any clear chances, and the ball was being passed around well but without any killer instinct or penetrating final balls.

But then the game sparked into life.

On 64 minutes a dribble from Lennon down the wing resulted in a cross to the back post, for Robbie Keane to smash his effort against the ball unchallenged.

Then less than 30 seconds later Berbatov smashed an effort from a tight angle right into the roof of the net. My initial reaction was that Almunia shouldn’t have been beaten from that position but replays showed that it took a less-than-kind deflection off Kolo Toure and the initial shot was actually off target – similar bad luck to the second goal conceded at Middlesbrough a few weeks ago.

So the game was 1-1 and either team looked like they could win it.

And with Spurs growing in confidence and Arsenal struggling to find their rhythm Kolo conceded a penalty in the 70th minute.

This was one of the worse 5 minute spells in a match you could have ever imagined.

And to compound the misery, replays showed Toure managed to clip the ball just before contact with Berbatov, who I thought fell a bit too easily.

For me it was not a penalty.

Although ironically they probably should of had one on 83 minutes when Sagna tackled Adel Taarabt in the box and failed to connect with the ball. So you could say things even themselves out.

Robbie Keane stepped up for his penalty kick, and Almunia ended up making a fantastic save!

In the context of the league, and the outcome of the result it was a truly vital save. In a tense North London Derby, Almunia kept his nerve and turned the biggest moment of the game in Arsenal’s favour. If he doesn’t save it Arsenal would be losing with 20 minutes remaining and it would take something special to get all 3 points – and keep top spot. Keane is a tricky player who likes to send keepers the wrong way so credit to Almunia for not diving too early and giving him a simple goal.

But with the huge boost of the penalty save, Almunia set things up for anyone to become a hero and that man was Nicklas Bendtner. Just 4 minutes after the penalty incident, Bendtner came on and scored the winner with his first touch! And it was a fantastic header.

What an inspired substitution by the gaffer!

After that Arsenal managed to focus and see out the result.

There’s no denying this was not vintage Arsenal, but the ability to dig deep and keep fighting for each other until the end is simply outstanding.

Things weren’t clicking and we struggled at times to make any openings but the resilience this season has made a huge difference. This was a game we could have easily lost or draw in previous years but not this season. We know Arsenal can (and have for most of this season) played wonderful football but a sign of Champions is the ability to win when you’re just not playing well. It’s great to know if Arsenal for any reason can’t perform to their high standards then the results don’t suffer.

You also need that big of luck throughout the season to win the league.

With Robbie Keane hitting the bar and having a penalty, will they ever have a better chance of beating Arsenal?

Because I can’t see Arsenal having as few chances as they had this weekend ever again, and Spurs having so many clear opportunities.

But the bottom line is Arsenal will be top of the league on Xmas day.

And you couldn’t ask for more really could you?

So I’d like to take this opportunity to wish all Arsenal fans and in particular all the readers of this blog a Merry Xmas and a wonderful New Year!

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.