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.

That was a fantastic football match – tension, excellent passing and passion all over the pitch. Unfortunately the so called ‘home side’ contributed nothing to the game.

Liverpool at Anfield were so negative I’m still shocked and p*ssed off. Arsenal dominated the game from the first minute and a set-piece from Steven Gerrard gave Liverpool something to hold on to for the rest of the game.

That’s right – something to hold on to!

This from a team which apparently is challenging for the title.

I wonder what Alan Hansen and all the other BBC ‘pundits’ make of that display, because quite frankly there was only one team who wanted to win that game.

Liverpool had 10 men behind the ball for the entire 90 minutes, which I find shocking from a home team who is supposedly in the top 4.

Arsenal had the majority of possession, played some stunning football and completely deserved their equaliser when Fabregas slotted in on 80 minutes. Fabregas also had a golden chance to score when he missed an open goal and also hit the post with only 5 minutes to go.

After the game, Fabregas was disappointed with only a point which is fair because Arsenal deserved all 3. They dominated the first half, were more aggressive and wanted to make things happen.

Whereas Liverpool just defended.

Benitez was clever in his selection because by playing Torres, Voronin and Kuyt he hid the fact Liverpool played with 5 in midfield and had 10 men behind the ball for the majority of the match.

And all the so called ‘pundits’ will say Liverpool went for it because they had 3 strikers on the pitch.

Yeah right.

But enough about Liverpool.

Arsenal proved today that they are serious about challenging for the Premier League title. Steven Gerrard scored an early goal in the 8th minute and from then on the ‘home’ side defended and were clearly happy to settle with a 1-0 win. But the players performed like they have all season, passing well but unfortunately lacked the killer final ball.

Too many times Adebayor couldn’t find his touch and being the target man disappointed with a very poor final touch. He really should have played in Toure in the first half when he should have played in a simple square ball and had numerous chances to create clear chances for his teammates, but just didn’t deliver.

If Adebayor was on his game Arsenal would have won by 4 or 5 goals, and that is no exaggeration.

In the first half Hleb, Rosicky, Eboue and Fabregas in particular contributed to some sensational build up play, but with the final ball lacking Arsenal couldn’t really force Reina into any real saves.

Liverpool were content in catching Arsenal on the break, and Almunia was called to make a few excellent saves which would have cemented his place as Arsenal’s number one.

All of Liverpool’s dangerous moments were coming from Steven Gerrard. Are Liverpool a one-man team? Let’s just say if Gerrard gets injured Liverpool will struggle.

Hleb was outstanding, and as I’ve always said his ball retention is one of the best I have ever seen. His ability to hold onto the ball for that second longer and wait for the space to open up is excellent and he more often than not will find that final pass to make a chance.

And it was no different for Fab’s goal.

He is so comfortable on the ball and defenders just do not know which direction he will turn. His poked through for the goal was simply sublime and Fabregas yet again kept a cool head and slid the ball passed Reina at his near post.

Arsene must be proud of his team because playing at Anfield is always difficult, and for such a young team to face a team which was so defensive and come back was amazing. There was hardly any space or time on the ball in the Liverpool half but Arsenal still managed to play some breathtaking football.

If we’re talking about breaking teams down and playing against a team that can really defend then Arsenal will not face a tougher test this season. Arsenal will not play another game this season which is anywhere near as tough as Liverpool to get through. Their gameplan was to defend in numbers and they did that well.

The fact that Arsenal dominated Liverpool at Anfield and are disappointed about not winning shows the attitude and character of this current group of special players.

And the bottom line was that Arsenal are still top of the league, still unbeaten and can be proud of their performance.

Seriously, what can you say about that?

Slavia Prague had beat Steaua Bucharest 2-1 on Matchday One, and althought they lost in their next game they still managed to score twice away at Sevilla which is no mean feat.

But none of that helped them yesterday.

Arsenal had a changed side from the weekend, the most notable being Theo Walcott being named in the starting eleven. When the line-ups were being announced, you assumed Hleb would play behind Adebayor and that Theo would play on the left.

But Arsene started with the young gun up top.

And now we know why.

It was only the second game Walcott had actually started up front for Arsenal, the last being the Carling Cup Final last season – in which he scored the opening goal.

But right from the start Arsenal were dominant.

And after only 5 minutes, who else but Cesc Fabregas opened the scoring with a wonderful curling shot after smart work from Hleb in the corner. Fabregas cut inside his man, received the ball and flashed his shot inside the post.

Arsenal were crusing and knocked the ball around well, and while Slavia popped the ball around nicely as well they were restricted to long range efforts from distance and hardly trouble Almunia.

Then on 25 Arsenal’s second goal came. A corner from Fabregas was missed at the near post by Walcott and the ball found its way to Hleb who’s shot deflected in off a Prague defender. You could say that Hleb’s shot was on target when it left his foot although some would say it’s an own goal. But what wasn’t in doubt was that Arsenal were 2-0 up.

Just before half time, Walcott scored his second goal in an Arsenal shirt when the Slavia Prague goalkeeper badly mis-controlled a pass from his left-back. Theo calmly rounded the keeper and steered his shot into the net. Arsenal were 3-0 up at the break.

Arsenal were in cruise control.

If people thought Arsenal would drop down to 1st gear after the interval they were badly mistaken. In the first 15 minutes of the second half Arsenal were ruthless, hungry and seemed to have something to prove. Hleb’s ability to hold onto the ball and make space in tight situations paid off as he managed to smash a shot low into the bottom corner.

Theo Walcott added a 5th goal 3 minutes later when he latched onto Hleb’s incisive through-ball. Theo’s frightening pace and control saw him beyond a couple of defenders and he coolly slot his shot into the bottom corner with the outside of right boot.

And when you thought Arsenal were finished we were on the attack yet again when Theo’s beautifully weighted pass let in Fabregas, who was never going to miss. 6 nil to Arsenal and doubles for Theo, Cesc and Hleb (possibly).

Absolutely stunning football.

At that point, Arsene clearly pleased with an hours work, ushered Gilberto, Bendtner and Rosicky into the action. With the big games coming up against Liverpool and Manchester United I though Cesc would be replaced but in the end Gilberto came on for Mathieu Flamini. Bendtner and Rosicky then replaced Adebayor and Hleb.

As expected, the 3 changes disturbed the flow slighty although Theo had a couple of decent chances to complete his hattrick. Arsenal did manage another goal with 2 minutes remaining when Bendtner used his strength to barge through the Slavia defence.

The BBC called the performance “magical”, UEFA thought it was a “masterful display of slick, passing football” and Sky Sports even compared the current crop of Arsenal youngsters with the 1970 Brazilian luminaries!

See the player ratings below:

Manuel Almunia: 7/10
Only had a couple of saves to make in the entire game and did well to parry them away to safety. Also dealt well with a few crosses that came into the box. Never look troubled.

Bacary Sagna: 7/10
Not as effective going forward as usual but mainly down to the running of Eboue on the right. Defended well and kept a good line with the rest of the defence.

William Gallas: 7/10
Never troubled and defended well alongside Kolo.

Kolo Toure: 7/10
Like the rest of the defence had a pretty routine evening, and always looked comfortable.

Gael Clichy: 8/10
Another solid performance from Clichy. Worked well with Hleb on the left and as ever always making those supporting runs on the outside. Delivered some excellent crosses into the box.

Emmanuel Eboue: 8/10
Full of running and looked comfortable on the right wing. Made some incisive passes in the final third and linked up well with Sagna defensively.

Mathieu Flamini: 7/10
Booked early on for a rash challenge but was yet again solid and let Fabregas do his thing. Replaced by Gilberto Silva on the hour.

Cesc Fabregas: 9/10 (Man of the Match)
Exceptional, yet again. Scored the first, made the second, and scored the sixth. Passing was stunning, movement was excellent and he scored two wonderfully crafted goals.

Alexander Hleb: 8/10
Played out of position on the left but again showed brilliant ball retention. Setup Fabregas and Walcott for goals and scored twice himself. Replaced by Tomas after 60 minutes.

Emmanuel Adebayor: 6/10
Never really looked to be in sync with the team. Got frustrated with some close offside calls and missed a decent chance with a header when Walcott sent over a beautiful cross. Replaced by Bendtner on 60.

Theo Walcott: 9/10
Was a big night for the little man and boy did he enjoy it! Was cool in scoring his first and ruthless in scoring his second. Setup up Fab for Arsenal’s 6th and looked dangerous all night. Unlucky not to end the game with his hattrick.

Substitutes (60 minutes)

Gilberto Silva: 8/10
Showed flashes of skill when he came on.

Tomas Rosicky: 7/10
Looked lively.

Nicklas Bendtner: 8/10
Did well and deserved his goal.

A hugely satisfying result and performance at Upton Park from a resilient Arsenal team took all 3 points at the weekend and deservedly so.

Many expected Arsenal to slip up at West Ham and while our previous record there was not great, they showed the Arsenal fans what has served them so well so far this season; fight, determination, the will to compete and sheer fearlessness to play any team that’s in front of them.

Add great team spirit and a ruthless mindset and you have a very dangerous team.

And as ever, West Ham put in a performance against us and it was Robin Van Persie’s 13th minute header that ended up being the difference between the two sides.

The goal itself was brilliantly crafted, with the in-form Adebayor holding the ball up well in the penalty area and coolly laying the ball off to Hleb on the right. His cross was excellent and Van Persie threw himself at it, and was rewarded with a well-taken goal.

Arsenal enjoyed most of the possession and while West Ham had a couple of excellent chances to score in reality we dominated in the final third, forcing 14 corners and having a total of 16 attempts on goal while the Hammers had considerably less.

And if it wasn’t for another inspired Robert Green performance against us we should have notched up a couple of more goals.

I also have to mention the terrible tackle on Alexander Hleb by Mark Noble.

It was ugly, it was horrible and with Hleb’s standing foot firmly in the turf, a two-footed tackle like that was shocking. It could have easily broken his leg and obviously Arsene was less than amused.

Former Gunner Freddie managed to find the net early in the second half after making one of his trademark perfectly-timed runs from midfield but was adjudged to be offside. Replays showed the Swede was just onside and the equaliser was ruled out.

But that’s what I mean about ‘Champions Luck’.

When it goes for you, you get the rub of the green and it could be seen in action for all the top 4 sides this weekend.

Liverpool had an incorrect offside decision given against Wigan’s Marcus Bent whose goal was clearly onside, and scored when the score was 0-0. Liverpool ended up getting all 3 points by winning the match 1-0.

Manchester United also scraped a 1-0 at Birmingham, when the home side had numerous chances to take the lead and even managed to rack up an amazing 18 attempts. How many times this season will teams have that many shots on goal against United?

And although Chelsea are not exactly on top form, they managed to earn a point despite Fulham having a couple of clear opportunities to steal all the points.

But Arsenal keep on winning and when I think I can’t be surprised anymore by the lads the next week they do it again.

It is seriously like a dream.

Who could have predicted 10 wins from 11 games?

I’ve always said the first 10 games of the new season would tell me what Arsenal can do this season and sitting 2 points clear at the top of the league with a game in hand is scary.

I say scary because the potential of this team in fantastic.

And I don’t care what people might say – there are no easy games in this division, with the possible exception of Derby, although they did manage to beat Newcastle the other week.

I can’t find any more superlatives for Arsenal.

They will die for each other on the pitch, are so ruthless and are supremely confident.

They will shoot from anywhere, score from all kinds of positions and score a wider variety of goals that they have in previous seasons. Tap-ins, headers, volleys, set-pieces, 30 yarders – the list goes on.

And of course, they still play some of the most beautiful football this country has ever seen.