Arsenal 2 - 1 Everton: Gut Check

CONTROVERSY!!!!! Pic via Guardian.

Arsenal 2: Arshavin 70, Koscielny 75

Everton 1: Saha 24

Do you know what worries me the most about the aftermath of this match, despite its status as a crucial win? The fact that I've already seen the media talking about how this is the kind of match that the title contenders win. While that's true, this is becoming a superstition for me. Arsenal have a knack of disappointing once the talk around them gets too hyped. That being said, without the injured Samir Nasri for another three weeks, this team is going to have to start winning ugly, and they did just that yesterday.

Nasri's injury meant Arsenal could not start their usual "A Team" XI and the change was the return of Tomas Rosicky to the starting line-up. Arsenal had, in fact, made ten changes from the side that started the FA Cup tie with Huddersfield Town. Only Laurent Koscielny started both matches. His involvement in this match would turn out to be huge in many, many ways.

The first 10 to 15 minutes or so were all Everton as Arsenal failed to get out of second gear from the opening whistle. Jack Wilshere picked up an early booking within five minutes, as the match showed from the start that it would get a little feisty. Arsenal finally got a few quality chances going after a quarter of an hour. Robin van Persie had a free kick blocked. RVP's beautiful back heel pass to Cesc Fabregas was fired wide by the captain. Tim Howard made a big save on Theo Walcott. The chances were coming for Arsenal.

But, you can't say Everton didn't deserve a 1-0 lead based upon their dominating more than half of the match's first half hour. They got that lead on 24 minutes, but did so exceedingly controversially. Seamus Coleman tried playing a through ball to Louis Saha, who was at the time of the pass standing in an offside position. During the ball's flight, Laurent Koscielny attempted to block and clear the pass, but only got a touch on it, and knocked the ball into Saha's path. The linesman's flag never went up, Saha finished clinically, and Everton led 1-0.

To tell you the truth, there is way too much of a gray area in the wording of the offside law, to the point where I'm almost 100% positive that the wording for this situation says something along the lines of it being totally "up to the referee's discretion" instead of actually having a firm black-and-white answer for it. Saha was offside when the ball was played, so that should have made him offside. Both managers agreed. So, after all of the sexism controversy last week when Andy Gray said women don't understand the offside rule, I'm pretty sure this proves that nobody understands the offside rule.

Arsenal needed to shake things up at halftime; a loss would have put Manchester United eight points clear in first place. Alex Song had to be removed with injury after taking an accidental kick from Koscielny; he was replaced by Abou Diaby, who was solid. Everyone at the Emirates not wearing blue felt cheated by the officials. It was gut check time.

Tomas Rosicky was pulled in the 63rd minute for Andrei Arshavin, and the move worked within seven minutes. Cesc Fabregas's chipped through ball found the head of Everton defender Jack Rodwell, who could only nod a deflected header behind him, into the path of the Russian, who fired it in to equalize. It was Arshavin's first goal since December 29, a huge spark for the out-of-form Russian, and a huge lift for the team.

Arsenal celebrates Koscielny's winner. Pic via Daily Mail.

From there, Everton capitulated. Five minutes later, a Robin van Persie free kick was saved excellently by Howard, tipping it over the bar for a corner. On the set piece, several Toffee defenders covered Nicklas Bendtner, who had just come on for Jack Wilshere, leaving Koscielny wide open to knock a powerful header into the net. 2-1 to the Arsenal. And all that controversy from earlier became moot.

This match was quite a nasty affair, seeing eight yellow cards (five to Everton) and most recaps you read on this one should probably mention the fact that it was stunning nobody was sent off. Which brings me to Everton manager David Moyes's comments after the game, claiming that Cesc Fabregas said something so vile to referee Lee Mason while walking through the tunnel at halftime that he should have been shown a straight red card. Arsene Wenger has categorically denied that this happened. Quite honestly, Lee Mason did have a terrible game with the whistle, but Moyes's anger should be directed to him and not Fabregas.

Can you remember the last time Arsenal conceded the first goal in a league match and went on to win? It's only happened one other time this year, and it was October 16 against Birmingham. Arsenal passed that halftime gut check. There's no doubt about how much a win like this means for the team. But my fears still stand, as we all know Arsenal isn't the most consistent side in the world. I guess that question will be answered Saturday on Tyneside.

Hipster Gooner Man of the Match: Andrei Arshavin

Preview: Arsenal v. Everton

Tomas Rosicky equalized late for Arsenal last year to deny Everton three points. Pic via Daily Mail.


Emirates Stadium, London

Tuesday, February 1

7:45 p.m. GMT, 2:45 p.m. EST

• Referee: Lee Mason
• This Match, Last Year: Arsenal 2 - 2 Everton
• Reverse Fixture: Everton 1 - 2 Arsenal
• All-Time in All Competitions: 95 Arsenal wins, 58 Everton wins, 41 draws
• Arsenal's Recent Form: W-D-W-D-W-W
• Everton's Recent Form: W-D-L-W-D-D

Predicted Line-Up

guesses in red

Szczesny

Sagna - Koscielny - Djourou - Clichy

Song - Wilshere

Walcott - Fabregas - Arshavin

van Persie

Subs from: Almunia, Eboue, Gibbs, Denilson, Diaby, Bendtner, Chamakh
Suspended: Squillaci (one match, professional foul)

Out: Nasri (hamstring), Fabianski (shoulder), Vermaelen (Achilles)

Arsenal News and Notes

• Samir Nasri is out for two or three weeks with a hamstring injury. Ouch. He'll probably miss the first leg against Barcelona on the 16th.
• Lukasz Fabianski may need surgery on his injured shoulder and his season might be done. Welcome back to the conversation, Almunia.
• Denilson picked up a knock to his hamstring on Sunday as well, but played through the injury with Arsenal on ten men and out of substitutions. He's technically a doubt for this match, but do you think he would start anyway?
• Sebastien Squillaci will serve a one match ban, but he wasn't going to start this one either.
• Bacary Sagna returns from a concussion suffered last midweek.
• Arsenal did not concede a goal in league play in the month of January (four matches.)
• Arsenal have won five straight across all competitions for the second time this season and are currently unbeaten in nine at home.

Everton News and Notes

• Tim Cahill has been out on international duty, as Australia lost the Asian Cup Final to Japan 1-0 in extra time this weekend. He returned to England yesterday and will be rested today.
• Victor Achebe is a doubt with a groin strain. Tony Hibbert may miss through illness. Both face late fitness tests. Ross Barkley has a broken leg.
• Everton are in the bottom half of the table but have only lost once since November, a stretch of eight league matches.
• The Toffees have 12 draws this year, more than any other side in the league.

Match Facts

• Arsenal needed a late deflected equalizer from Tomas Rosicky to pick up a point in this fixture last year. The match ended 2-2.
• Earlier this season, Arsenal built up a 2-0 lead at Goodison Park, then turned off the accelerator and hung on through a close finish for a 2-1 win in November.
• Everton's last win at Arsenal was in 1996 and the Gunners are currently unbeaten in their last seven matches against the Toffees.

The Referee

• The referee is Lancashire-based Lee Mason.
• This is Lee Mason's first Arsenal match of the season. He would have taken charge of Arsenal's home fixture with Stoke City that was called off due to snow.
• For Everton, he has taken charge of two matches this year, both at Goodison Park: a 1-1 draw with Wolves and a 4-1 loss to West Brom where both sides had a man sent off.
• In 18 matches this season (12 Premier League, 3 Championship, 1 League Two, 1 League Cup, and 1 FA Cup), Mason has shown 73 yellow cards and 5 red cards.

Around the League

• These are the reverse fixtures of those played November 13-14.
• Tuesday: Sunderland v. Chelsea; Stadium of Light, Sunderland
• Tuesday: Manchester United v. Aston Villa; Old Trafford, Manchester
• Tuesday: West Bromwich Albion v. Wigan Athletic; The Hawthorns, West Bromwich
• Wednesday: Birmingham City v. Manchester City; St. Andrew's, Birmingham
• Wednesday: Blackburn Rovers v. Tottenham Hotspur; Ewood Park, Blackburn
• Wednesday: Blackpool v. West Ham United; Bloomfield Road, Blackpool
• Wednesday: Bolton Wanderers v. Wolverhampton Wanderers; Reebok Stadium, Bolton
• Wednesday: Fulham v. Newcastle United; Craven Cottage, London
• Wednesday: Liverpool v. Stoke City; Anfield, Liverpool

Everton 1 - 2 Arsenal: A Perfect Weekend

Seriously, why couldn't Arsenal wear red? Was it the poppies? Pic via Daily Mail.

Everton 1: Cahill 89

Arsenal 2: Sagna 36, Fabregas 48

We saw both Arsenal teams at Goodison Park yesterday: the team that can control play for long stretches and the team that gets a little complacent, takes its foot off the accelerator, and struggles. Thankfully, that first team built up a large enough lead so that the second team managed to hold on. An unnecessarily nervy finish aside, Arsenal still should be applauded for picking up six less-than-easy road points in the last five days and closing the gap on Chelsea at the top of the table to two points. Remember, Arsenal was seven points out after losing at Stamford Bridge last month. It's an interesting season, indeed.

Arsenal made only one change to the side that beat Wolves on Wednesday, replacing Tomas Rosicky on the right wing with Samir Nasri, the more usual starter. Laurent Koscielny served the second and final match of his ban for his professional foul plus red card accumulation. He still stands to face another one match accumulation ban for his next yellow card, for your information.

Everton dominated the possession for much of the first ten minutes, though had little to show for the control. Arsenal finally managed a threat in the 10th minute when a Samir Nasri shot was blocked by Sylvain Distan. Tim Cahill had a golden opportunity to put the home side up just a minute later, but nodded a brilliant cross from Seamus Coleman wide of the mark. Andrei Arshavin followed with two long range shots that were just off as well.

Despite the Toffees' early pressure, Arsenal settled into the match well and dominated the rest of the first half, finally taking the lead in the final ten minutes of the half. Tim Howard made a brilliant save on a Nasri shot, but the ball never went out of play and Arshavin retained possession, slotting a pass into the box for Bacary Sagna, who thundered a shot past Howard to score his second career goal. They say a goalkeeper should never be beaten on his near post, but this shot was an absolute screamer. I had originally thought it hit the crossbar and bounced in and chalked it up to being a lucky goal, but on replay, saw how perfect the shot really was.

Puzzlingly at the time, Jack Wilshere was replaced at halftime by Denilson, leading everyone to believe that he must have picked up a knock during a first half where Everton played him quite physically. However, the substitution was explained to have been more tactical in purpose and Wilshere needed the rest, too.

The tactic didn't sit well with me at the start, as it felt like a negative substitution in what was only a 1-0 match. However, Denilson was fantastic in the holding role, and Arsenal extended their lead in the early going of the second half. Denilson found Cesc Fabregas with a pass, who then proceeded to play a 1-2 with Marouane Chamakh, as the captain one-timed a volley past Howard to double the lead.

From this point, controversy settled in. First, Everton attempted to ping a goal back immediately and Tim Cahill found Louis Saha with a flick-on and Saha was just about to be through on goal when Sebastien Squillaci tripped him and the foul was called. If he was clear and Squillaci was the last defender, then the center back should have been sent off. I thought at the time that he was level with Gael Clichy, however, and was not truly the last man back. Howard Webb showed only a yellow card, and the eventual free kick was straight at Lukasz Fabianski.

Then Fabregas, for the second time this week, escaped a straight red card with just a yellow on a similar challenge, arriving late to block a clearance. Let's be honest here, his tackle on Wednesday was not a red card and his tackle yesterday was even less severe. The media has been blowing these Fabregas challenges way out of proportion lately; both clearly did not have intent and this challenge was not even close to violent.

Arsenal had a few chances to put this match to bed but could not extend the lead to three, then for the final half hour, relaxed a little bit too much, content to sit on the lead. Manchester United learned back in September that sitting on a lead is not safe at Goodison Park, as they were burned twice in injury time to turn a 3-1 win into a 3-3 draw. Fabianski, as he did on Wednesday at Molineux, saved Arsenal's ass through the final ten minutes of the match, but this time, conceded in the 89th. Arsenal chose not to defend too much on a corner and Saha nodded a cross down to an open Cahill, who fired a shot past a helpless Fabianski. And suddenly, it was 2-1, and worry seeped in.

Immediately, a defensive change as Chamakh was pulled for Emmanuel Eboue. Everton had about two more chances, but Fabianski shut the door and Arsenal held on to take all three points. Given the other results this weekend (United draw, City draw, and *gasp* a Chelsea loss at home), Arsenal are deep in the thick of the title race in the early stages. They've shown they can fight for wins like a champion. If only they'd just stop showing signs of complacency when they think the match is comfortable, then this team can do some great things.

Hipster Gooner Man of the Match: Cesc Fabregas

Preview: Everton v. Arsenal

Fabregas picks up Arsenal's fourth of six goals at Goodison Park last year. Pic via Daily Mail.

Goodison Park, Liverpool

Sunday, November 14

14:00 GMT, 9:00 a.m. EDT

• Referee: Howard Webb
• This Match, Last Year: Everton 1 - 6 Arsenal
• All-Time in All Competitions: 94 Arsenal wins, 58 Everton wins, 41 draws
• Arsenal's Recent Form: L-W-W-W-L-W
• Everton's Recent Form: W-W-D-W-D-D

Predicted Line-Up

guesses in red

Fabianski

Sagna - Djourou - Squillaci - Clichy

Song - Wilshere

Nasri - Fabregas - Arshavin

Chamakh

Subs from: Szczesny, Eboue, Denilson, Rosicky, Bendtner, Walcott, Van Persie

Suspended: Koscielny (second of two, professional foul + second red card of season)

Out: Gibbs (knee), Diaby (ankle), Almunia (elbow), Vermaelen (Achilles), Ramsey (broken leg)

Arsenal News and Notes

• Kieran Gibbs faces a fitness test, but could be available to make the trip to Liverpool.
• Still no word on how serious the set back is for Thomas Vermaelen's Achilles. There is a chance he's done for the year.
• Abou Diaby is undergoing a gradual fitness test and yesterday's start was positive.
• You know, ever since Lukasz Fabianski asserted himself, we've stopped hearing about Manuel Almunia's elbow altogether.
• Aaron Ramsey is about ready to spend a month or so getting back up to speed with the Reserves.
• Nicklas Bendtner and Robin van Persie will still be on the bench, but are not 100% fit.
• Arsenal have now twice this season failed to extend a three match winning streak in league play. Before losing against Newcastle, Arsenal previously drew at Sunderland after winning three in a row.
• Last year, Arsenal took all six points from matches played in Liverpool for the first time since 2001/02. This is a feat they already cannot duplicate this season, after drawing 1-1 at Anfield.

Everton News and Notes

• After being sent off against Bolton on Wednesday, Marouane Fellaini begins serving a three match ban. Good news for Arsenal in that it takes some punch away from the Toffees' midfield. Also, it would've been really weird to have two people named Marouane starting this match. His hair might be worse than Chamakh's!
• Victor Anichebe is close to a return from a knee injury, but Leon Osman (ankle) and Ross Barkley (leg) are long term absentees.
• After losing three of their first five matches, Everton are now unbeaten in seven league games.
• They are technically unbeaten in eight overall across all competitions, having drawn in the Carling Cup, though they lost to Brentford on penalties, so that's really only a draw for bookkeeping purposes.
• Since the start of last year, only Arsenal, Liverpool, and Newcastle have won at Goodison Park in league play.

Match Facts

• Arsenal thrashed Everton 6-1 at Goodison Park in last season's opening day fixture, with Cesc Fabregas picking up a brace. Arsenal also picked up goals from Denilson, Thomas Vermaelen, William Gallas, and Eduardo. Louis Saha pinged one back in the 90th.
• Arsenal trailed Everton twice at the Emirates in January, but battled back twice, and got an injury time equalizer from Tomas Rosicky to draw 2-2.
• The Toffees have not won in six tries against Arsenal (with two draws.) Their last win was by a 1-0 scoreline, at Goodison Park, on March 18, 2007. Andrew Johnson scored an injury time winner.

The Referee

• The referee is Howard Webb, who took charge of the World Cup Final, during which I think even I received a yellow card.
• He has not yet worked an Arsenal match this year. The last time Arsenal saw Webb was a 1-1 draw at Birmingham, which essentially ended Arsenal's legitimate title chase. He also worked both Arsenal wins over Liverpool.
• This is his third Everton match of the season. He previously took charge of their 0-0 draw at Fulham and their 2-0 derby win over Liverpool.

Around the League

• Saturday: Aston Villa v. Manchester United; Villa Park, Birmingham
• Saturday: Manchester City v. Birmingham City; City of Manchester Stadium, Manchester
• Saturday: Newcastle United v. Fulham; St. James' Park, Newcastle upon Tyne
• Saturday: Tottenham Hotspur v. Blackburn Rovers; White Hart Lane, London
• Saturday: West Ham United v. Blackpool; Boleyn Ground, London
• Saturday: Wigan Athletic v. West Bromwich Albion; DW Stadium, Wigan
• Saturday: Wolverhampton Wanderers v. Bolton Wanderers; Molineux, Wolverhampton
• Saturday: Stoke City v. Liverpool; Britannia Stadium, Stoke-on-Trent
• Sunday: Chelsea v. Sunderland; Stamford Bridge, London

News Roundup 3/25/10 - The Arsene Wenger Is Very Disappointed in the Media Edition

Sol Campbell is a fan of Hipster Gooner, says the Hipster Gooner staff interpretation of this photo. Pic via Arsenal.com.

• First of all, that thing about Andrei Arshavin yesterday, where he said Arsenal did not have enough players to win the title, was apparently from an interview in November, shortly after van Persie's injury. Good job, media for screwing with us. [Arsenal.com]
• Yesterday, The Mirror said Arsenal was making progress on William Gallas's contract situation. Arsene Wenger says the contract talks are actually on hold. Wow. Not even close, Mirror. [Arsenal.com]
• Arsene Wenger answers that question that has been bothering me all week about the center back position on Satuday. It will be Sol Campbell, because why prepare for the Barcelona on Wednesday when we play Birmingham on Saturday? Arsene Wenger is very disappointed in me. At least the site calls the suggestion of holding Campbell "a valid proposal," now I feel a little better. [Arsenal.com]
• Speaking of Sol Campbell, he's doing exactly what a veteran leader should do, rallying around the younger players on the squad to make sure they deliver silverware and not just pretty football. And if they don't, he will kick their asses. [Guardian]
• Meanwhile, Arsene Wenger is preparing to be cautious over the returns from injury of Robin van Persie and William Gallas. Seriously, just having them on the pitch again would be wonderful. [ESPN Soccernet]
• The Daily Mirror says that Nicklas Bendtner is highly doubtful for Saturday's trip to Birmingham with a twisted ankle... [Daily Mirror]
• ...but Arsene Wenger says no, he "should be OK." Once again media, stop jerking us around here. [Arsenal.com]
• If you haven't heard yet, Manchester City manager Roberto Mancini shoved Everton manager David Moyes during second half stoppage time of the Toffees 2-0 win at Eastlands yesterday. Arsene Wenger believed the incident proves that managers are "human – and that we care." This disproves my "Arsene Wenger is a kick-ass robot from the future" theory... or does it? [Guardian]

My Lucky Hat, Or, An Existential Crisis.

Jay-Z, the ultimate Yankee Gooner.

Before I started following the Arsenal, I’d always read articles about obsessive fans touting lucky talismans (talismen?) as the reason for their team’s victory. I found them a bit ridiculous, of course -- how could the fact that you wore the same pair of underpants for every game be anything besides rather unhygienic? That was, of course, in the era of B. A.

Since our love for the Red & White began, we’ve all begun accumulating habits, starting with wearing red on match days, followed by NYC Gooner pins, and more recently with shirts and scarves. Jack and I used to go to the Park Slope Dunkin’ Donuts every morning before matches (more a necessity when leaving the house at 8.30am), and there was a run of matches with goals scored while Max was putting money in the parking meter outside, but nothing had taken on any truly obsessive veneer until The Hat.

In the past month, we’ve moved to Brixton (South London for those keeping track), land of hoodies and baseball caps, so I’ve taken to wearing my Yankees cap when the weather permits. This, combined with my fond memories of Yankee-Arsenal fans at Nevada Smith’s, is why I found myself on the afternoon of the first Bolton match in the Arsenal Tavern wearing red, white, and blue.

That match, I had the hat on from the start, and we all know how that turned out (2-0 to the Arsenal.) The following week’s Bolton rematch, we went to the Twelve Pins and I removed my cap for the first half. We went two down. Hat came on, we won 4-2 and went top of the league.

It seemed obvious really, almost too perfect. We couldn’t score goals without the hat; we couldn’t stop scoring goals with it.

Then came the night that tested my faith. Although be-hatted for the whole match, we went down 3-1 to Stoke. Just like all irrational obsessives, I quickly found an excuse: it was a FA Cup match, so clearly the hat only worked for the Premiership.

My hat wasn’t my only totem, though. The two matches where I wore my new Rosicky shirt and he played, he made major contributions: the injury-time equaliser that salvaged a draw from the Everton match in January, and the first goal in that stunning comeback against Bolton.

Then came Aston Villa. The hat and the shirt were both on to provide the maximum amount of luck clothing could provide for the beginning of a wretched stretch of fixtures. The unhappy end is fresh in all of our minds -- not even a flicker of hope illuminated what was just a stunningly unlucky match. To add insult to injury, Rosicky played poorly, with his two chances denied by cruel fate, the bar, and Aaron Ramsey. By the end of the match, I threw the hat to the floor and stomped on it for good measure. The dream was no more. The lucky hat had lost its luck.

And it couldn’t have come at a worse time, with Manchester United less than twenty-four hours away and Liverpool and Chelsea looming on the horizon. A new strategy is needed…but what?

Let us know if you have any surefire lucky rituals (and if you do, please, please do them extra for tomorrow.)

News Roundup 1/25/10 - The Second Guessing Edition

Damn it! Pic via Guardian.

• More on Arsenal's elimination and Arsene Wenger's choices from the FA Cup: Wenger defends his squad selections, given injuries [Daily Mirror], and praised the peformance of Sol Campbell, despite his culpability on both goals of Fuller's brace [Guardian].
• Speaking of the Guardian, they blast Wenger for his selections, saying "It is to English football's credit that he didn't succeed [with an under-strength side]" and that "Arsenal got what they deserved." [Guardian]
• Vito Mannone has signed a new long-term contract. Please put more pressure on Almunia's spot. Thank you. [Arsenal.com]
• Philippe Senderos has completed his loan to Everton for the rest of the season. [Sky Sports]
• Arsenal are apparently favorites to sign teenager striker Victor Moses from Crystal Palace. [Telegraph]
• UPDATE: Cameroon falls to Egypt in extra time of their knockout round match at the Africa Cup of Nations. That means both Eboue and Song are done in the tournament. My hope is that Arsenal had a charter jet to take Song right back to the Emirates immediately after today's loss.
  

Dashing through the Snow: Arsenal v Everton

It is every Hipster Gooner's dream to travel to Emirates and see the Greatest Team of All (TM) ply their tippy-tappy football in living colour, and of course, I count myself lucky to have experienced the wonder that is Emirates on match day. I do, however, wish that this momentous occasion hadn't coincided with the coldest weather in England in thirty years.

The day, January 9, 2010, the matchup, Arsenal v Everton, those Northern punching bags who went down 6-1 in our season opener. The setting, a North London recently battered by freezing weather and snowstorms. In the days leading up to the match lesser teams acquiesced to the weather and postponed their matches--Liverpool v Tottenham, Hull v Chelsea--fourteen teams in total chose to stay in and sip hot chocolate.

But not Arsenal. The remnants of the earlier snowstorm were swept away and the weather, though frigid, was stable when we set off from East Finchley towards the stadium. As we arrived, loyal Gooners joined us on the Tube, red and white a secret sign of camaraderie; walking towards the stadium, past food trucks selling tea and bacon rolls and tables filled with Arsenal memorabilia, Gooners flocked together from every angle, young, old, foreign, English. A pre-game pint inside the stadium, costing less than that same pint would at good old Nevada Smith's, had us ready to brave the cold.



First, a few words on the stadium. Emirates is beautiful. All curves and swoopy angles, perhaps a bit more style than substance at times, but so stunning that you can't look away...a bit like Arsenal's own style of football. Unlike a place like Yankee Stadium or CitiField, the building itself is utilitarian. There's no room for those who would prefer a nice meal at the Shake Shack or hours of shopping for oversized foam bats; once inside the stadium, your options are hot dogs and pies, drinks, and programs. The true theatre is on the pitch, observed by some 60,000 fans--a far cry from the small, though passionate, group we're used to from New York.

And now, onto the match itself. Zorro Cat's already provided a thorough recap of the game, so I won't venture to do the same. The first Everton goal was demoralizing (especially as we were sat above the horrible Everton supporters); the Arsenal equaliser courtesy of Denilson was absolutely wonderful. By this point, we were shivering, but goals, as are their wont, did warm us up for a few choruses of "and it's Arsenal, Arsenal FC..."

I should note, at this point, that I was wearing:
--a thermal shirt
--a cable-knit sweater
--Arsenal shirt (obviously)
--a massive indie-granny cardigan
--tights
--socks
--jeans
--winter coat
--boots
--furry hat with ears
--gloves
--mittens

It was cold.

After halftime, which consisted primarily of everyone huddling in the indoors section and shivering more, the real fun began: it started to snow. And not just a few innocent flurries--it was SNOWING. And settling. The ball started to leave tracks through the snow, players were seizing up left and right--everyone, from Gooners to Gunners, looked absolutely miserable. However cold you think it may have been, well, it was colder.



The Everton supporters warmed up with their (incredibly frustrating for us) second goal, some tearing off their shirts and showing off scrawny pale bodies (and others getting thrown out of the stadium.) All hope was nearly lost until Rosicky's late, beautiful equaliser; the Everton fans shut up, the Gooners were on their feet, and finally, mercifully, the match was over, concluding with an announcement that the Everton supporters should leave as soon as possible, owing to the fact that the weather may have caused train cancellations...a final entertaining twist.

Red and white flooded from Emirates, dispersing to Tubes and Arsenal-only pubs already filling with supporters hoping to find something to gloat about in the Man Utd - Birmingham match (which they found in the 1-1 draw.) Next week, it's back to the pub: warm, only a few blocks from Emirates, but just lacking a bit of that magic we experienced last week.

On the Topic of Twists

We've heard both sides of the coin recently regarding where Arsenal's title hopes sit at the moment:

GLASS HALF FULL - Arsenal's ability to earn a point on Saturday in spite of the fact that they were outplayed by Everton proves that they have the resilience to be contenders this season.
GLASS HALF EMPTY - If Arsenal continues to suffer the same defensive lapses that led to Everton's two goals on Saturday, there is no chance they can win the league.

So, how does your glass look right now?

The Optimist Twist

"In ­securing some level of reward in spite of their own deficiencies, Arsenal actually exposed themselves as ­contenders."

Arsenal 2 - 2 Everton: Points Lost or One Stolen?

So, how long is it going to be before the pundits declare Arsenal's title hopes dashed (again)?

No, Arsenal's 2-2 draw at the Emirates to the Blue Scousers does not help the Gunners case for the Premier League title, but by no means is it all over either. Bear in mind these few positives: 1) Everton also drew at Stamford Bridge this season, 2) Manchester United also dropped points yesterday while pretty much nobody else played, 3) Arsenal will still hold that match in hand against Bolton until God knows when they'll reschedule that one, and 4) All this talk of the title being out of reach will end with a win Stamford Bridge on February 7.

On to the recap, and I'll spare you all the story of why I collapsed in exhaustion in my attempt to rally all night to make the game at 10:00 a.m., leading to my being forced to rely on the internets to follow the match at home, all while still fighting sleep.

Everton fully deserved to leave the Emirates with all three points from what I was capable of seeing as they outplayed the Gunners for significant stretches, the team clearly missing the injured Cesc Fabregas and on-international duty Alex Song in the midfield.

Arsenal got the early shock as Everton struck first in the 12th minute, with Leon Osman's header coming off a corner. Thankfully, Abou Diaby (who has really turned things around lately) and Denilson held down the fort in the midfield and the latter thumped in an equalizer on a deflection 16 minutes later.

From there, Arsenal seemed to lack the killer instinct, perhaps marked by their inability to dominate in the middle on offense. Without van Persie in the center, Arshavin and Eduardo tend to swing out too wide on the attack, and we all know that nobody up front from Arsenal is big and physical enough to get in the middle and take on the opposing defenders in the box. It's a gaping hole upon which the best teams can clamp down and exploit.

That said, Arsenal looked like they were about to put in a go-ahead goal late and take the three points until Everton struck on the break. Pienaar broke through on the counterattack (and I couldn't quite tell who it was chasing him for Arsenal... thought it was Nasri but can't be sure and there was pretty much nothing he could do anyway except risk being sent off for challenging if he doesn't get ball first). Almunia cut down the angle perhaps too aggressively, letting the South African calmly chip the ball overhead and trickling across the line to give the Merseysiders a 2-1 lead nine minutes from time.

Then my heart leapt into my throat as Denilson went down hurt without a challenge. Denilson had been taken down in the box a few minutes earlier by (I think it was) Neville in the area without a penalty call despite protests from the Emirates crowd (it wasn't a penalty, he got the ball first). He did seem to get away with one later, tugging Vermaelen down without even attempting to go for the ball.

Back to the injury though, it's always disconcerting to see a player go down, especially when it's not obvious at all the reason why. Everton nearly capitalized on the break instead of kicking the ball into touch, as is the sportsmanlike thing to do (which they eventually did). This has led to some possibly controversial comments from Arsene Wenger, as he has apparently told his players to intentionally handball in those situations to stop play, though, that would normally result in a booking, no? But I digress; the news on Denilson is that he apparently feels fine now and expects to play in the Gunners next match at Bolton next week. Wenger said he was walking fine in the locker room after the game, but that the injury appeared like it could have been a problem with a muscle or the lungs (or a broken rib, as Wenger said, though he wouldn't feel fine now if that were the case). My first thought went to appendicitis as it looked like a randomly acute abdominal injury, while Max's mind went to a kidney stone.

In any case, thank God he's alright, because I'm pretty sure Arsenal is almost out of midfielders.

Then, in stoppage time (of which there were five minutes thanks to Denilson needing to be carried off on a stretcher), Arsenal got the equalizer, again on an unfortunate Everton deflection, from the foot of Tomas Rosicky. Afterwards, as Everton pushed for another go-ahead strike, Almunia took out two players simultaneously in a ridiculously unnecessary collision that left the keeper, Armand Traore, and an Everton player whom I do not recall on the ground for a few moments. Arsenal was pushing for a winner when the full time whistle was blown.

So, where do we go from here? Chelsea's match with Hull City was postponed but will likely turn into three points at a later date. That would put Arsenal six points out of first with that match against Bolton still in hand. This just barely leaves Arsenal capable of controlling their own destiny. If Arsenal wins out (not likely, but bear with me for the sake of argument), they can only be assured of Chelsea dropping three points the rest of the way, so Arsenal could still technically win on the strength of goal differential. It's just a lot easier if Chelsea keeps dropping points.

Hopefully soon, we'll have a report on the match from Casey and Jack, who were at the Emirates for this one.