Arsenal 2 - 0 Wolves: The Bounce Back

Hugs! Pic via Sky Sports.

Arsenal 2: van Persie 16, 56

Wolves 0

I'm firmly of the belief that last Saturday's trip to Newcastle is going to be a season defining moment, but that's not necessarily a negative; it could shape the season in any number of ways. Which way would it go? Would Arsenal crumble in the aftermath or would they rebound and use the draw as a learning experience? With Barcelona on the horizon, the league to contend with, and a Wembley Cup final in two weeks, February is a crucial month for the Gunners that did not start very well on Tyneside. Yesterday, Arsenal righted the ship, dominating 90 minutes and completing the double over Wolves.

Coming into the match, team selection was a bit of a question. With Barcelona coming to the Emirates on Wednesday, would Arsene Wenger prioritize the league or Europe? Would he start his strongest side or rest some of his talent? The answer was the former. Arsenal made one change to the side that started last week: Abou Diaby missed out through suspension, but Alex Song returned to his normal starting position in Diaby's place, after missing the trip to Newcastle with a thigh injury. Johan Djourou was fit to start after a fear that his knee injury could have been season-endingly serious.

There's no doubt about it, Arsenal played exceedingly well yesterday, and it was the response that they needed following last week's collapse. It took a little while for Arsenal to get in gear, but they nearly went ahead 1-0 with a Robin van Persie goal that was called back for a foul on Jack Wilshere, instead of playing advantage. RVP shot the ensuing free kick over the bar. The Dutchman would get the opener in the 16th minute, one-timing a Cesc Fabregas cross home with his right foot.

Arsenal had a number of chances to extend that lead over the next forty minutes, but had a tough time sneaking another shot past Wayne Hennessey. A leading pass to Andrei Arshavin was a bit too far ahead for the Russian to take a shot, but he did cut back and feed a pass to the center for Theo Walcott. Walcott's shot was saved by the legs of Hennessey, then Fabregas's rebound was blocked off the line. Van Persie nearly picked up the brace just before the stroke of halftime, but Hennessey saved again. Just after the restart, following a brilliant run from Jack Wilshere, Walcott fired wide on a fairly wide open opportunity.

But the second goal would eventually come, and it would be classic Arsenal. The goal came from a series of lightning-quick one-touch passes. Bacary Sagna won the ball back initially and found Djourou in his own penalty area. Then, Arsenal launched the fast break. Djourou hit Wilshere, Wilshere found Song, Song found Fabregas, and the captain launched the ball forward for a breaking Theo Walcott. In the ensuing rush, Walcott centered for van Persie, who took one touch and fired past a diving Hennessey.

There was, of course, always a little fear that one Wolves goal could send Arsenal spiraling downward again. This week, however, Wolves never really had those opportunities. There was almost no pressure at all from the relegation candidates. In BBC's Match of the Day highlights, there was only one Wolves chance even shown, it came in the final minute of play with the match out of reach, and the shot was well over the bar. Arsenal did exactly what they had to do: bounce back from last week by sticking to their style. Perhaps the most encouraging part was that there was no nervousness in the defending, which would have been almost understandable after last week.

So, three more points, and Arsenal keeps their pace with United, as the Gunners still sit four points out of first place with just 12 games to play. After the first eight of those, they will meet each other at the Emirates. This is still a season defining month for Arsenal in all four competitions and each of Arsenal's next four matches are in different competitions. There could be new silverware for the trophy case by month's end. And by that point, one hopes last week is long in the rear view mirror. Yesterday was a good start.

Hipster Gooner Man of the Matcb: Jack Wilshere

Newcastle United 4 - 4 Arsenal: Absurdity

This is the moment my soul died. Pic via Guardian.

Newcastle United 4: Barton 68 (pen), 83 (pen), Best 75, Tiote 87
Arsenal 4: Walcott 1, Djourou 3, van Persie 10, 26

I'm not going to lie, I have no idea how to write this recap, because I still haven't really been able to completely wrap my head around what happened Saturday. I'll start by revisiting some things I said in the Everton recap from this midweek: "Do you know what worries me the most about the aftermath of this match? ... Arsenal have a knack of disappointing once the talk around them gets too hyped. ... We all know Arsenal isn't the most consistent side in the world. I guess that question will be answered Saturday on Tyneside."

Yes, yes it was. And I have the feeling that the ramifications of this match will be felt for a long time, in any number of possible directions.

Arsenal made two changes to the side that beat Everton on Tuesday (and my predicted XI was, again, correct) as Abou Diaby replaced the injured Alex Song in midfield and Andrei Arshavin, fresh off a goal and assist performance started as Tomas Rosicky dropped to the bench.

What a start it was, right? Andrei Arshavin put Theo Walcott through in the first minute and it was 1-0 Arsenal. Johan Djourou won a header in the box in the third minute and it was 2-0 Arsenal. A Walcott square ball found Robin van Persie in the tenth minute and it was 3-0 Arsenal. Then a Bacary Sagna cross found van Persie again, and it was 4-0 Arsenal. It was brilliant. Newcastle started mounting a threat after about half an hour, but on many plays in the box, Laurent Koscielny was there to clear. He was truly having a great match from the start, and everything was lovely at halftime.

It's quite astonishing how quickly a game can turn, however, and the big blow came immediately. Within five minutes, Johan Djourou was limping, having injured his knee; he could not continue and was replaced by Sebastien Squillaci, making for a much more unstable central back partnership. Then, Joey Barton's aggressive challenge on Abou Diaby made the Frenchman livid. He grabbed Barton by the back of the neck and threw him to the ground. Straight red card, all the way. Now, nobody is going to argue that what Diaby did deserved the red card. What is confusing is that Newcastle got away with a number of bookable offenses during the course of this match and Kevin Nolan once got away with doing exactly what Diaby did.

Those were two big reasons why Arsenal began to unravel. Now, I refuse to watch the highlights of this match, so my memory of the specifics in Newcastle's comeback are a bit hazy. The Magpies were given a penalty after the hour mark that was fairly soft, but was the type that you see given. Barton converted, then Wojciech Szczesny attempted to stall by picking the ball up first. This is when Nolan through him to the ground (and did not get sent off like Diaby) and somehow Szczesny was booked first. 4-1, and the tide was turning.

Newcastle certainly deserved their second goal as Best converted a cross, but the third was the most absurd. I'm not positive which player got the call, but it looked like either Laurent Koscielny or Tomas Rosicky were called for attempting to win a header. Barton converted again, as Szczesny this time got a piece of it, and things were getting painful. Then, a soft foul call on Rosicky, Arsenal clears the danger out to Tiote, who fires a wonder goal from 30 yards. Crushing. All the more crushing: Robin van Persie's injury time winner called offside (which I could not really tell from the camera angle but have heard it was a bad call.)

I don't really want to talk about this anymore. By now, you know what happened and you've made up your mind about Phil Dowd (who, FYI, has been dropped from this week's schedule.) It's time to move on.

Hipster Gooner Man of the Match: A convicted criminal, with some help from the officials

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

Carling Cup: Arsenal 3 - 0 Ipswich Town, 3-1 aggregate: She Wore a Yellow Ribbon

We're going to Wemberley. Que sera sera. Pic via Daily Mail.

Arsenal 3: Bendtner 61, Koscielny 64, Fabregas 77
Ipswich Town 0
Arsenal wins 3-1 on aggregate

This time yesterday, Arsenal was 90 (or 120) minutes away from either their first trip to a cup final since 2007 or a more heart-wrenching result. A poor first leg trip to Ipswich meant the Tractor Boys had nicked the lead in the tie, with every intention of "parking the bus" and stifling the Arsenal attack. For 150 minutes in this two-legged tie, Ipswich kept the door shut on Arsenal's potent office. Then, finally, the door broke down, Ipswich crumbled, and we're going to Wembley.

The good news (yes, I consider it good news) was that there was not very much rotation in the squad. Robin van Persie started. Cesc Fabregas started. Jack Wilshere started. The normal back four started. There were, in fact, only three changes to the side that beat Wigan at the weekend. Alex Song dropped to the bench for Denilson, while Samir Nasri and Theo Walcott dropped from the wings for Nicklas Bendtner and Andrei Arshavin.

Arsenal had a number of chances in the first half to bring the tie back to level terms by picking up the first goal, but could not sneak anything past Marton Fulop. Robin van Persie volleyed a deflected Bacary Sagna cross wide of the mark. Cesc Fabregas fired a shot straight at Fulop's chest. RVP, setting up for a header similar to the goal he scored last midweek at Leeds, nodded off the crossbar. A Fabregas shot later in the half rolled harmlessly across the goalmouth and wide on the other side. The goal just wasn't coming. Fabregas tried to draw a penalty in the 10th minute as well, but nothing was doing as it was a pretty clear dive.

Some bad news in the 13th minute, even if you're not triskaidekaphobic, as on a set piece Wojciech Szczesny and Bacary Sagna had a clash of heads, leaving both down for the count on the pitch. While the goalkeeper stayed on, Sagna could not continue and was replaced by Emmanuel Eboue. It's a concussion for the right back, who had to be taken to the hospital. He was not going to play on Sunday against Huddersfield Town anyway, but here's to hoping for a quick recovery.

Through fifteen minutes after the restart, it still looked like Arsenal's goal just wasn't coming and all of those thoughts about having not won a trophy in almost six years started to come back. Then, just at the hour mark, Jack Wilshere, who was solid all day, played a lovely diagonal ball to Nicklas Bendtner who raced forward, then cut back around the defender, and fired a perfectly placed shot to the far corner. Arsenal were on the board, the tie was level, and Bendtner has the habit of really shutting me up about him (but only occasionally, so he should try to do that more.)

So, the momentum had swung back in Arsenal's direction, and three minutes later, they pulled ahead in the tie. Andrei Arshavin's corner floated into the box, and instead of Arsenal losing out on the ball in the air as they tend to sometimes, Laurent Koscielny launched forward and beat Fulop to the ball, thundering a header to the back of the net. It was Koscielny's first goal in forever (I want to say Bolton in September but could be wrong,) but more importantly, it meant Arsenal had one foot in Wembley, up 2-1 on aggregate on 64 minutes. On 77 minutes, Arsenal sealed the deal. Denilson won the ball in midfield (that's not a typo) and Fabregas played a great one-two with Arshavin to the sneak the ball through Fulop's legs, giving Arsenal a 3-1 lead on aggregate. Andrei Arshavin may be out of form and may still make a number of errors we're not used to him making, but he can still be clinical at times, and certainly was here.

This is actually going to be Arsenal's first trip to the new Wembley Stadium. Their last cup final, in 2007, and their last cup win, in 2005, came at Millennium Stadium in Cardiff. Arsene Wenger said last year that the Carling Cup was a trophy not worthy of a parade (after Manchester City's regular starting line-up beat half of Arsenal's reserves) but the trophy drought needs to end. And, I'm sure you can't hear this enough, winning this cup in 1987 was considered the springboard to winning the league in 1989. Knock the tournament all you like, Arsenal has beaten some talented sides to get this far, and need to prove to themselves that they can win something. They're 90 minutes away.

Arsenal 3 - 0 Wigan Athletic: He Comes from Rotterdam

I wish they threw hats on the field, like in hockey. Pic via Daily Mail.

Arsenal 3: van Persie 21, 58, 85

Wigan Athletic 0

Due to some of the performances we've seen from this team this season, it always feels like it's a question of "which Arsenal team is going to show up this time?" Then again, this is probably the first time all season that the Gunners have a starting XI that are clicking as a unit and are playing a fantastic run of football. It's a run of form that you hope lasts forever, like something you're really careful around so as to not ruin it. On Saturday, Arsenal continued their dominant run of form with a one-sided thrashing of Wigan Athletic that could not have been more satisfying. And thanks to City's loss at Villa, Arsenal slip back up into second place, though they remain still two points back and a game behind.

It was Arsenal's A Team outfield ten that were at it again in this match. Wojciech Szczeny continued his run in goal over the injured Lukasz Fabianski. The outfield ten were the same as they have been for five of the last six Premier League matches, with Sagna and Clichy at full back, Koscielny and Djourou at center back, Song and Wilshere in the middle, Fabregas as the playmaker, Nasri on the left wing, Walcott on the right, and van Persie up top.

For the record, I'd like this side to start Tuesday too, in the League Cup semi-final second leg, because it's a must win. If Arsene Wenger wants to rotate, do it Sunday against Huddersfield Town. That's wishful thinking though, I'm sure there'll be some changes on Tuesday. I just hope it's no more than three or four.

Arsenal were flying from the start and Wigan had no answer for Arsenal's control of the ball in midfield. They did, however, have an answer in goal for all of Arsenal's early pressure in Ali Al-Habsi. The Omani goalkeeper, on loan from Bolton, was brilliant in keeping Arsenal off the board in the early going, making a few world class saves to keep a clean sheet going through twenty minutes. Al-Habsi made save after save against the likes of Fabregas, van Persie, Walcott, and Nasri that it started to feel like the draw with City did earlier this month. Waste too many chances and you could find yourself playing out a frustrating 0-0.

But, in the 21st minute, Arsenal got on the board after the Dutchman broke Wigan's offside trap and proceeded forward one-on-one with Al-Habsi, then pounded a left footed shot through the goalkeeper's legs. Arsenal deserved the goal and it had been coming. They just could not get a second before halftime. The most frustrating moment came with Walcott clear through on goal before he elected to pass it off to Fabregas instead of shooting, giving Wigan's defense just enough time to track back and tackle the Spaniard to win the ball back.

We at the pub talked at halftime about the obviousness of needing that second goal, pretty much deciding that if it didn't come by the 50th or 55th minute, the match would stay a little too nerve wracking. We've seen Wigan pull back goals against us before quite late in matches, and recently to boot. And when Wigan came out for the second half, making two substitutions, it looked like they might have had an equalizer in them. Maybe for about ten minutes... In the 58th, Arsenal scored that second goal, and boy, was it a brilliant one. Cesc Fabregas floated an over the top ball into the box which was met clinically by the left boot of van Persie, who thundered a volley into the roof of the net. Absolute top class goal and Arsenal had their second just before the hour mark.

Now, it was time to start thinking about getting RVP his first hat trick in England. He had scored twice in matches nine times, but the hat trick had always eluded hime. It finally looked like it was coming when Gary Caldwell conceded a penalty by taking down Fabregas in the box in the 69th, being sent off for a professional foul in the process. Wigan claimed the call was harsh and that Fabregas dived; I thought there was contact, but it wasn't a clear cut call. van Persie stepped up for the spot kick, with the perfect chance to pick up the hat trick, then fired it high over the bar and into Row Z.

We then joked, "he just wants to score a fancier goal for the hat trick later." Then, he pretty much did. The hat trick finally came for van Persie in the 85th. Fabregas's through ball found Theo Walcott, who possessed around the goalkeeper for just long enough to allow van Persie the chance to fire it home with his right foot. Hat trick complete. Three-nil to the Arsenal.

Since their loss at Ipswich, Arsenal have scored three goals in each of their last three matches, and Robin van Persie has scored six of those nine goals. Arsenal have kept four straight clean sheets in league play. An in-form van Persie playing in front of an in-form Cesc Fabregas is a dream situation for Arsenal to be in, the type that is starting to look like it can bring glory back to the good, red parts of North London very soon.

On that note, this team is a goal down, but 90 minutes away from a Wembley final. Ipswich may want to park the bus in front of the goal and sit on that lead, but there's a difference between Ipswich parking the bus and a side like Manchester City parking the bus. With the right, in-form line-up on the pitch Tuesday, Arsenal should have the creativity, quality, and skill to force that bus into a number of defensive errors. This team is so close to getting somewhere, they just can't start to falter again. I can't wait until the day I'm finally capable of setting those doubts aside in my mind.

Hipster Gooner Man of the Match: Robin van Persie

FA Cup: Leeds 1 - 3 Arsenal: Leeds Will March on Together, Just Not in the Cup

So... is Arsenal just not wearing red anymore? Pic via Guardian.

Leeds United 1: Johnson 37

Arsenal 3: Nasri 5, Sagna 35, van Persie 76

Arsenal needed to use a get out of jail free card at the Emirates just to force this replay, but at Elland Road yesterday, they'll be satisfied that they never trailed against a Leeds side that is building momentum for a promotion push back to the top flight. After a difficult 1-1 draw against Leeds was followed by an abysmal performance in Ipswich, there were questions starting to surround some of the side. Arsenal seems to always find answers to those questions; it's just that they always reappear once people have stopped asking them. It's crucial, therefore, for the Gunners to continue their form from the last two matches going forward.

There were not many surprises in the starting XI, though the forward corps was a bit weaker than I would have liked (a moot point now, really.) Wojciech Szczesny continued deputizing for the injured Lukasz Fabianski in goal. Bacary Sagna returned from suspension to start at right back. Laurent Koscielny and Johan Djourou started at center half, despite articles on Tuesday night that Djourou might be rested. Kieran Gibbs got the start at left back. Alex Song and Denilson started in the holding roles as Jack Wilshere dropped to the bench. Samir Nasri started his first cup tie for a while and wore the captain's armband. He started in the forward four with Andrei Arshavin, Nicklas Bendtner, and Marouane Chamakh. The bench was strong, including the likes of Cesc Fabregas, Theo Walcott, and Robin van Persie.

Arsenal needed a strong start to cast away any doubts that could spring into their heads. A strong start on Saturday, with van Persie scoring in the 13th minute at West Ham meant Arsenal controlled the play from there, and this time around, the goal came even earlier. In the 5th minute, Arshavin's pass to the center caught a little flick from Chamakh into the path of Nasri, who was through on goal and coolly finished past Kasper Schmeichel to put Arsene Wenger's gold and redcurrant army ahead 1-0. The Gunners almost grabbed a second around five minutes later, as a free kick from Nasri found Chamakh's head in the box, but Schmeichel made a fantastic save. Ten minutes later, Arshavin had a total miss from in close after a set-up from the Moroccan.

Na-na Na-na Na-na Na-na Na Na-na! Pic via Daily Mail.

But, Arsenal would find their second goal in the 35th. Bendtner, in the box, opted to pass back into open space to find Sagna. Sagna dribbled the ball in closer, then pounded a shot off Schmeichel's hands and in for his second goal of the year. Seriously, Sagna has two goals this year, three if you count a similar goal he scored in a friendly (you shouldn't.) Also, I love how Sagna celebrates his goals, as they're such a rare occasion. He tends to just sprint away, just running and yelling. It's awesome.

If you thought Sagna's goal was a laser beam of a shot, then Leeds's Bradley Johnson won the game of one-upmanship two minutes later. Johnson fired an absolutely unstoppable rocket shot into the roof of the net from 25 yards out. Szczesny had no chance, Leeds had pulled one back, and the tie was in the balance again. It was a truly beautiful goal, which I can say now, since Arsenal won.

So, Arsenal needed another to feel a little more comfortable. A handful of seconds after the restart, Alex Song had a chance for Arsenal's third, but his shot was a bit off the mark and Schmeichel saved. Ten minutes later, Robert Snodgrass, Leeds's goal scorer at the Emirates, had a goal saving tackle on an Arshavin chance. With twenty minutes to play, Arsenal upped the ante, bringing on Fabregas and van Persie.

14 minutes from time, Arsenal finally had their third, and it was the Dutchman off the bench who provided it. Bendtner found van Persie with a cross from the right wing at the back post and, with the Leeds defense slightly asleep, RVP headed the ball in comfortably to make it 3-1 to the good. From this point on, it was a coasting effort from Arsenal. Gael Clichy relieved Nasri about six minutes from time, pushing Gibbs up the pitch a bit. Leeds had a chance for a second from a corner just around the start of injury time and could not convert, even with all eleven men in the box. In the end, a thoroughly satisfying win for the side that continues to baffle me by wearing yellow against non-red opponents.

The Gunners escaped from jail at the Emirates a week and a half ago, then deserved to win this one at Elland Road, and their reward is a fourth round tie at home with League One Huddersfield Town, another side that currently has an Arsenal player there on loan; this time, Benik Afobe (I think his loan has been extended for the season, otherwise it would have ended January 8.) Arsenal remains the only English team still alive in all four of their competitions. But, with that in mind, another league fixture is coming up just around the bend, with Wigan coming to the Emirates on Saturday. This has seemed to be a team all year that crumbles when the title challenge talk returns. So, do me a favor and shut up about it, okay media?

Hipster Gooner Man of the Match: Samir Nasri

Arsenal 0 - 0 Manchester City: Boring, Boring City

"I am going to hit you in the head with my own head!" Pic via Guardian.

Arsenal 0

Manchester City 0 

In yesterday's big title implication showdown at the Emirates, we learned a few things. Mainly, that Arsenal are still a little rusty in the finishing department, to a frustrating level, and that Manchester City has no intention of trying to win big matches. Their strategy to win the league seems to be "steal a point against your title rivals and hope you do better against the rest of the pack than they do." Never before has a team in second place tried to win so little.

As expected, Arsenal started with the same XI that played against Chelsea last week and against Birmingham at the weekend, with Fabianski in goal, Sagna, Koscielny, Djourou, and Clichy on the back line, Father Christmas Song and Wilshere in the holding roles, Fabregas in the middle, van Persie up front, and Nasri and Walcott on the wings. Manchester City started with a goalkeeper, Carlos Tevez, and apparently nine defenders.

The first ten minutes of this match were, quite honestly, ridiculous. Jack Wilshere sent a brilliant cross through the face of the goal that Robin van Persie could not quite reach to tap into the gaping net in the second minute. City went the other way and James Milner had a shot twist just wide in the sixth minute (City's best chance of the game, FYI.) Then van Persie hit the post in the eighth minute and Wilshere had a shot saved by Joe Hart in the ninth.

The, things started settling into nothingness for a while. In the 27th, Arsenal hit the post again about ten million times. Actually, it was three, as they hit both posts and the crossbar. Cesc Fabregas pounded a shot that careened off the same post van Persie had hit twenty minutes earlier and the rebound bounced to Theo Walcott, whose shot ricocheted off the other post and then off the crossbar. You should get a point for hitting all three in quick succession like that! Then again, Walcott was ruled offside. Arsenal then became Arsenal again, in that they began passing the ball too many times in the final third while always neglecting to take shots. The match was still, shockingly, scoreless at halftime.

Arsenal continued in the same pattern of missed opportunities in the second half, and by the hour mark, you could tell it was just one of those nights. Arsenal took almost every corner short, as they had no chance of winning a ball in the air in the box. Generally, that led to more Arsenaling before a misplaced pass and loss of possession.

Walcott was removed in the 67th for Andrei Arshavin and the young Englishman was none too pleased about the move. Tactically, this pushed Samir Nasri to the right wing. Then, the puzzling change. In the 81st, Nicklas Bendtner came on, surprisingly instead of Marouane Chamakh. But, that's not the most puzzling part. Bendtner came on for Jack Wilshere, which also isn't surprising, as Arsene Wenger was bringing on a striker for a midfielder as the team was in need for a goal. And then, inexplicably, Bendtner played on the left wing, which meant Arsenal's formation had changed to a 4-1-Nonsense. Arsenal's best chance in the closing minutes came from a Robin van Persie free kick which he fired over the bar.

Both sides ended on ten men.

Things got nasty in the 88th, as Bacary Sagna and Pablo Zabaleta got into an argument on the touchline, both head-butted each other, and both were sent off. Sagna was clearly the aggressor (as such, Zabaleta has appealed the red card and Sagna will not; I hope the appeal is deemed frivolous.) Sagna now faces a three match ban, against the likes of Leeds, Ipswich, and West Ham, three Championship sides (zing!) After this, City made a substitution to take their only offensive player off in exchange for a defensive midfielder. As such, City were booed off the pitch after the match.

In the end, a dreadful match that only serves to please Manchester United, who are suddenly starting to coast ahead in the title race. Someone needs to beat them, and soon. I think their next league game is at Spurs. Ahh, don't make me root for Spurs... Oh God, I'm getting sick just thinking about that match a week from Saturday. Anyway, Arsenal are now four points out of top spot and United has a game in hand, so you should probably think of it as seven. Now it's time to start thinking about the domestic cups for a little bit, and try to forget about what happened yesterday as quickly as you can.

Hipster Gooner Man of the Match: The woodwork behind Joe Hart

Wigan Athletic 2 - 2 Arsenal: House of Horrors

Wrong net, Sebastien. Pic via Daily Mail.

Wigan Athletic 2: Watson 18 (pen), Squillaci 81 (og)

Arsenal 2: Arshavin 39, Bendtner 44

Monday's psychologically crucial win over Chelsea would mean nothing if Arsenal could not keep the winning ways going; dropping points on Wednesday at Wigan Athletic would likely undo many of the positive strides this team made at the Emirates this week. The 2-2 draw didn't undo everything Arsenal accomplished on Monday, but it certainly has taken the luster off. Perhaps more importantly, it raises, again, many of the same questions about this team.

First and foremost, Arsenal made a stunning eight changes to the side that started on Monday, which isn't entirely surprising given this match took place only 48 hours later. I was expecting maybe five changes at most and I think eight was a bit much. However, unlike what I may have drunkenly thought at the pub yesterday, rotation is not the reason Arsenal dropped points in this match (FYI, I just typed "lost this match" before correcting myself, because that's how it feels.) Of the eight players who entered the squad that did not start on Monday, seven are internationals. Even if it wasn't our top choice side, these are players who still should get the job done at Wigan.

So, in terms of what those changes were, Emmanuel Eboue started out of position at left back for Gael Clichy and Sebastien Squillaci returned in place of Johan Djourou. Abou Diaby and Denilson started in the holding roles for Alex Song and Jack Wilshere (Denilson is the one change that's not an international.) The front four changed entirely as well, with Marouane Chamakh starting up front, Tomas Rosicky starting for the suspended Cesc Fabregas, and Andrei Arshavin playing left wing with Nicklas Bendtner on the right.

Wigan started the match strong and really took it to Arsenal right off the bat. The Latics, in fact, should have gone ahead 1-0 as early as the third minute when Hugo Rodallega dispossesed Laurent Koscielny, found Tom Cleverley, whose cross back for Rodallega just missed the Colombian's head. Poor piece of defending from Koscielny to let Rodallega get in that position.

Wigan would, however, go up 1-0 in the 18th minute from the penalty spot. Just centimeters inside the area, Koscielny was caught with his leg out and Charles N'Zogbia took the opportunity to go down to draw the call. From the live action, I thought it was the correct call, but on replays saw that there was almost no contact and N'Zogbia went down easily. Ben Watson took the spot kick and scored, despite Lukasz Fabianski guessing right.

From there, every Gooner in the world was wondering which Arsenal team would respond. Would they capitulate or respond? By the half hour mark, Arsenal started to respond, thanks to the play of Arshavin and Bendtner, and after a six minute span near the end of the half, Arsenal turned their deficit into a 2-1 lead. The turning point started with a calf injury suffered by Abou Diaby. Reports are that he'll be out for a few weeks ago. This meant the introduction of Jack Wilshere, and therefore, a bit more creative spark in the midfield.

Bendtner puts Arsenal up 2-1 at halftime.

Arsenal drew level in the 39th minute. A Bendtner shot was only parried away by Wigan goalkeeper Ali Al-Habsi and the rebound bounced to Arshavin, who thundered in an acrobatic volley shot. Five minutes later, Arsenal had the lead. Arshavin's through ball was not the best and there was an element of luck in Bendtner getting through two Wigan defenders but his finish was superb. Suddenly, things were looking up.

The second half brought some problems; Arsenal seemed content to coast with their lead. They nearly had a third in the 59th off a corner, but Chamakh's header whistled just wide of an unattended post. They didn't completely take their foot off the accelerator, as they did at Wigan in April, but they still did not do enough to put this match to bed.

It looked like they wouldn't need to for a while, especially when Wigan was reduced to 10 men in the 79th minute, when N'Zogbia foolishly headbutted Wilshere. Yet, three minutes later, Wigan were level, and it came from a common Arsenal problem, that is, poor defending on set pieces. Gary Caldwell positioned himself goal-side of defender Sebastien Squillaci, which meant then when the ball was delivered, there was absolutely nothing Squillaci could do to save the situation, taking an own goal in the process.

Arsenal's knee jerk reaction was to bring on Samir Nasri and Theo Walcott, giving them all of seven minutes plus injury time to pick up a winner. Walcott was invisible, but Nasri came close and Arsenal should have had a penalty in the 89th, when Nasri's free kick struck a Wigan arm in the box. It's exactly what Fabregas did to get booked and concede a penalty against Spurs in November. Arsenal should have had the chance to win the game from the spot, but Lee Probert did not give them the chance.

That said, you can't blame Probert for the draw based on that decision. You can't entirely blame Arsene Wenger for making so many changes either, this is still a squad of quality substitutes that should still be expected to pick up three points at Wigan. You can blame the lack of vocal leadership on the pitch (which, I guess is a byproduct of so many changes) and you can also blame the continuously poor defending on set pieces (how has this not yet been fixed in training?)

Well, four points from two matches in the festive period so far, which I think we all would have taken at the start (though we would have assumed the draw and win would have been in different fixtures.) Now, a huge road trip to Birmingham on Saturday and another crucial chance to get back on the right track that needs to be taken.

Hipster Gooner Man of the Match: Andrei Arshavin, though really, there were no standouts for this choice.

Arsenal 3 - 1 Chelsea: There's Only One Team in London

Nothing better than Theo Walcott celebrating behind a beaten Petr Cech. Pic via Daily Mail.

Arsenal 3: Song 44, Fabregas 51, Walcott 53

Chelsea 1: Ivanovic 57

You heard about it over and over and over again, that Arsenal could not rise to the occasion and win the big games. They hadn't beaten United or Chelsea in over two years. There was a psychological issue to overcome here, and if they couldn't jump over that hurdle, then this would probably not be Arsenal's year. On Monday, Arsenal finally passed the test.

Arsenal made a surprising and very welcome five changes to the side that lost at Old Trafford a fortnight ago. Lukasz Fabianski passed fit and returned to his place between the sticks as compatriot Wojciech Szczesny dropped back to the bench. Johan Djourou entered the starting line-up (finally!) as out-of-form Sebastien Squillaci dropped. Cesc Fabregas and Robin van Persie were both finally fit to start at the same time as Tomas Rosicky and Marouane Chamakh dropped, the latter needing a little rest. The biggest change was the return of Theo Walcott to the starting XI, as the lately ineffective Andrei Arshavin was banished the substitutes' bench.

In refreshing news, Arsenal had a strong start to the match, showing there were no signs of the nervousness the Gunners showed at Old Trafford. Cesc Fabregas spoke about the team being scared to lose in Manchester two weeks ago; Arsenal showed right off the bat that this was not the case against Chelsea. It was clear that Fabregas was back to full fitness and that the wingers, Samir Nasri on the left and Theo Walcott on the right, would cause Chelsea's back four problems. There were times when Walcott was running circles around Ashley Cole, and there is really nothing better than that for a Gooner.

That being said, Arsenal's attempts to pick the lock were met with some resistance at the start and through the first half hour, there wasn't much to speak of either way in terms of chances. Perhaps the first sign that Arsenal's luck against the Blues had turned was when Didier Drogba fired a shot wide on his first occasion in space. Drogba and Chelsea always seem to take advantage of every chance Arsenal gifts to them and this time, that didn't happen. That was Chelsea's only chance in the first half.

Rogue striker? Pic via Guardian.

Arsenal finally got in the door just before half time. Just after a brilliant chip shot from Samir Nasri was brilliant saved by Petr Cech's fingertips, Alex Song scored the opener. Song and Wilshere played a lovely one-two on the outside of the area to Fabregas, who went down in the box. Mark Clattenburg played advantage (it's hard to say if a penalty would have been given, I actually doubt it) and Alex Song took a left footed shot across the face of the goal and into the low corner.

Now, we've seen Arsenal capitulate from this position before, but their start to the second half was fantastic, in fact, they stole the ball back from Chelsea after just one pass to kick off the half. Arsenal had a second in the 51st, as a Michael Essien back pass succeeded in finding Theo Walcott. Walcott's pass across goal was tipped by a diving Cech, but only as far as Fabregas, who pounded the ball into the gaping net. Then, a third goal, as Walcott dispossessed Flourent Malouda, found Fabrgeas, who slotted a brilliant return for Walcott who found the net himself this time. Arsenal had three goals in ten minutes spanning both halves.

Remember, though, that this is Arsenal, and they never make it easy. Which is why it wasn't exactly shocking to me that Chelsea pinged a goal back four minutes later. Chelsea has a habit of burning Arsenal on set pieces and on this occasion, a perfectly placed free kick from Didier Drogba found the head of Branislav Ivanovic, who headed one home. The blame for this lies largely on Laurent Koscielny, whom Ivanovic leapt over, though Lukasz Fabianski, caught in a moment of indecisiveness, moved himself into a position where he had no chance to make a save.

We've seen Arsenal collapse in positions like this, but that was not the case on this night. Samir Nasri had a chance to add a fourth for Arsenal but his chip could not beat the arm of the out-rushing Cech. Abou Diaby returned for the first time since October and he had a chance to score, but took way too much time, tried switching to a favored foot, and let Frank Lampard get back to block. Chelsea looked threatening at times, but wasted all of their opportunities, and truly are now, a team in shambles.

From a player-by-player perspective, Fabianski had very little to do, Johan Djourou was fantastic at center half, Alex Song did well in both directions, and quite honestly, Arsenal's entire midfield and forwards dominated this match. There is no doubt about it. This was more than just three points for Arsenal. The belief is back. The confidence is back. This was probably their biggest win in at least two years.

Hipster Gooner Man of the Match: Theo Walcott

Champions League: Arsenal 3 - 1 Partizan: You're Killing My Nerves

Who do you think this is? Guardian was told it was Song. That's not right...
Other images via Daily Mail.

Arsenal 3: van Persie 30 (pen), Walcott 73, Nasri 77

Partizan Belgrade 1: Cleo 52

Well, that was close.

There were 21 minutes this afternoon where I was absolutely terrified of seeing Arsenal in the Europa League really soon. I was pretty much a Braga goal away from total heart failure. Then, the Gunners made a substitution I thought was a quarter of an hour late, it paid off, and Arsenal secured qualification... and a date with a German side or a Spanish giant in the Round of 16. But the process in getting there, well, it was unpleasant.

Arsenal made three changes to the side that started against Fulham at the weekend. Laurent Koscielny was able to start despite picking up a concussion, so that was not one of the three changes. Kieran Gibbs started at left back in the place of Gael Clichy, Denilson started in the place of Jack Wilshere in midfield, and Robin van Persie started up front alongside Marouane Chamakh, in place of Tomas Rosicky.

This meant Arsenal would again, not play their standard 4-2-3-1, considering the RvP/Chamakh pairing; this is really more of a 4-2-2-2 with the usual holding midfielders playing back, Nasri and Arshavin playing along the wings, and the strikers up front. Of course, it's probably just easier to call it a 4-4-2. Then again, chatting with fellow Hipster Gooner contributor Jack Palmer during the match, he suggested that the formation is more easily described as "Leaky-Shaky-Melange."

There was talk in the lead-up to the match about how important it was for Arsenal to start on the front foot. Given how Arsenal can get nervous at home this season, scoring the first goal and moving forward from there was crucial. The boys in red and white were content trying to pick the lock to score their first goal during the first quarter of an hour, but they were met with much resistance; Partizan was completely content with getting as many players as they possibly could behind the ball. Combine this with Jack Wilshere on the bench, Samir Nasri out wide, and Andrei Arshavin having the beginning of an abysmal game, Arsenal was not getting much done creatively. There are times when I love Arsenal's tippy-tappy, pick the lock style, but at the start of a match like today, you've just gotta bang the God damned door down.

Robin van Persie puts Arsenal ahead from the spot.

The match turned slightly for the worse in the 17th minute when continuously unlucky Kieran Gibbs got his boot caught in the ground, causing him to turn on his ankle. He was stretchered off, then popped back up and came back out onto the pitch for about ten minutes and limped about before being taken off for Emmanuel Eboue. It's really a shame that Gibbs can't seem to go more than two or three games without picking up an injury, this time, without any contact whatsoever. This was a freak accident and hopefully it does not mean a long time on the sidelines for the young Englishman, as I much like Gael Clichy being pushed for his playing time.

Of course, with Clichy not on the bench (out with illness), Eboue was forced to play left back, a position he does not normally play. Even when Gibbs went off with injury at Newcastle in the Carling Cup, Eboue came on and played right back while Bacary Sagna slipped over to the left to cover. The injury led to a lull in concentration from the Gunners, their touches were a bit sloppier (not to say they weren't a little poor even before that) and for about ten minutes, partially while Gibbs was still on limping, Partizan looked threatening on the break. With the way Arsenal's back four have fared lately, anything was possible, but the home side came out of that period unscathed. Partizan tried to exploit Gibbs's injury while he was still on, but could not muster a chance on goal.

There has also been a lot of talk lately about Alex Song's positioning and in the post-match interviews over the weekend, Arsene Wenger confirmed that it was his decision to tell Song to push up a little more than in the past. However, it was Song's forward positioning that led to the chance that led to Arsenal's first goal, though in a roundabout way. Song came up with the ball at the right corner of the penalty area, then slipped a pass through to Robin van Persie. As the Dutchman tried to turn back toward goal, he was tripped by Radosav Petrovic, and the Italian referee pointed to the spot. At the first angle, I thought it was a dive, but that's because Petrovic's tripping leg was obscured. Good call and van Persie did not miss, seizing the opportunity to bury his first goal of the season. Arsenal led 1-0 at the half, though it was not convincing, and it was by no means entertaining.

"Here we go again..."

We've seen Arsenal so many times this year take the lead into halftime, then capitulate early in the second half. It happened against Spurs, it happened at Villa, and it happened again today. And oh boy, was it a shambolic goal. Arsenal started the second half looking for their second goal (and the first 45 seconds of the second half were more exciting than any of the 45 minutes of the first), but in the 52nd, Cleo took the ball 25 yards out, with no Arsenal defenders in front of him, save Sebastian Squillaci. Cleo took a shot, it caromed off Squillaci's foot and popped high in the air, leaving Lukasz Fabianski absolutely no chance. Suddenly, it was 1-1. Suddenly, the doubt was creeping in again. And suddenly, a Braga goal could've meant the Europa League in the coming months.

If you were nervous from the start of this match, like I was, then the next 21 minutes must have been absolutely terrifying. Chance after chance after chance went begging. At the hour mark, I questioned where Theo Walcott and Jack Wilshere could have been hiding. The change of pace had to happen and Andrei Arshavin's disastrous game was dragging Arsenal down. There was no creativity; Samir Nasri was playing as hard as ever but could not find a finish. Robin van Persie and Marouane Chamakh looked uncomfortable together combining up front. Something had to change...

Theo Walcott sends Arsenal through.

The change finally came in the 66th minute as Arshavin was removed for Walcott. A nifty little one-two between he and Alex Song drew a foul as Walcott was body checked to the ground just outside of the box. RvP took the kick, it swerved beautifully, but Vladimir Stojkovic made a top class save and tipped it over the bar.

But seven minutes after coming on, Theo Walcott had a winner for Arsenal. A Sagna cross was blocked down, but cleared only as far as Theo, who chested it down and one-timed a shot across the face of the goal and into the net. And the panic was averted.

Then, Arsenal got a third just four minutes later to make the scoreline a little prettier (considering the effort today was, on the whole, abysmal.) Nicklas Bendtner, who had just come on for Chamakh, played another nifty one-two with Song (maybe he's not such a rogue striker after all,) Song found Nasri at the top of the box and he pounded a strike into the net to make things a little more comfortable.

The end of the match would not be without a little more bad news for Arsenal. With a Partizan striker through on goal and the possibility of a very nervy finish, Bacary Sagna, the last defender, tripped him just ahead of the box, and took a red card for the team. The resulting suspension in the Round of 16 is worrysome, but Sagna made a choice to ensure that Arsenal would be through and not make things more difficult in the final five minutes should Partizan have scored. Mind you, he did not know at the time that Shakhtar led by two and qualification was all but guaranteed.

In the end, this was probably not a good build up to a huge tilt with Manchester United at Old Trafford on Monday and I would love it if I could write a recap where I don't feel the urge to use the word "nervy" in every paragraph. Today we learned: 1) Chamakh and van Persie don't work together yet, 2) we need a creative player in the middle at all times (choose between Fabregas, Nasri, Rosicky, or Wilshere), 3) something has got to be done about this home form problem, and 4) we're off to either Germany or Spain in the next round.

Hipster Gooner Man of the Match: Theo Walcott

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

Carling Cup: Newcastle United 0 - 4 Arsenal: Up for the Cup!

Arsenal took the lead into halftime, thanks to absolute preposterousness. Pic via Daily Mail.

Newcastle United 0

Arsenal 4: Krul 45+2 (og), Walcott 53, 88, Bendtner 83

It looks like we're going for this one this year. There's been a different feeling around the League Milk Littlewoods Rumbelows Coca-Cola Worthington Carling Cup this season. It's hard to say why Arsenal appears to be taking this competition more seriously. Obviously, the last round being a derby against Tottenham had a lot to do with the squad's strength that night. I feel like the biggest reason behind the strength of tonight's squad was, quite honestly, the quality of Arsenal's second string of players.

But, if you're still wondering if Arsene Wenger is serious about this cup this year, keep in mind that he sent Cesc Fabregas on with twenty minutes to play in a 2-0 game.

With this being a Carling Cup game, it's not really worth discussing the line-up in terms of changes in the side since the last league match (FYI, there were nine changes.) Arsene Wenger decided to start a number of players returning from injuries: Laurent Koscielny, Nicklas Bendtner, and Theo Walcott. Wojciech Szczesny got the nod in goal (as I said in the preview, if he didn't start now, he wasn't going to this season.) Johan Djourou, Emmanuel Eboue, and Kieran Gibbs joined Koscielny on the back line. Denilson, Craig Eastmond, and Tomas Rosicky joined Theo Walcott in the midfield, with the Czech wearing the captain's armband. Carlos Vela joined Bendtner up front.

To fit the non-standard squad into Arsenal's standard 4-2-3-1 formation, Vela appeared to play the left wing with Walcott on the right and Bendtner up front, Rosicky played the central role, and Denilson and Eastmond played the holding roles.

The fact that Arsenal could not score in the first five minutes was a bit surprising, given the number of chances. A Vela shot was stopped by goalkeeper Tim Krul within the first thirty seconds, then Bendtner had about four shots blocked after the ensuing corner. The shots kept coming from Arsenal in the opening minutes, but nothing on target found its way past Krul. After this, the match settled into rusty frustration. Despite the flying start, Arsenal did not continue the match very well, in that touches and passes were off. A ton of first touches were terrible. This was clearly a side that 1) doesn't play together often and 2) doesn't see much playing time anyway and, as such, was rusty. Shaking that rust off was a huge point of this match.

The following ten minutes were all Newcastle. Nile Ranger beat Djourou and Szczesny found himself near the 18-yard-line to challenge and the young keeper missed. He did clip Ranger a bit, but nothing more and Ranger stayed on his feet, clear through with an open goal in front of him. Instead of burying it to give the Magpies a 1-0 lead against the run of play, he checked over to try to shoot from his dominant foot, allowing Laurent Koscielny to get back into position. Then, instead of dribbling around Koscielny, Ranger fired a shot right at him. Crisis averted. Not long after, Alan Smith had a beautiful strike from 25 yards out that clanged off the goalpost for a goal kick, though Szczesny actually got a fingertip to it. Kieran Gibbs left the match in the 18th minute with an injury he picked up earlier after a challenge; when was the last time he played a full match? Bacary Sagna replaced him, with Eboue sliding over from right to left back.

Then, nothing happened for about half an hour, unless you're a fan of crosses to nobody in particular.

Arsenal did manage to take a 1-0 lead into the halftime break thanks to an absolutely ridiculous own goal. Words cannot describe how preposterous this goal was, but I'll give it a shot. Arsenal won a corner in the final minute of the first half's added time. Bendtner flicked the set piece into the six-yard box and all hell broke loose. In the scramble, someone in red got a shot on target that was headed off the line by Ryan Taylor. But, the defender's clearing header landed on the back of the head of the goalkeeper Krul, who was on the ground in the scramble. The ball careened off Krul's head and into the net. No, seriously, that's what happened.

Returning from injury, Bendtner and Walcott have scored four goals combined in two games. Pic via Daily Telegraph. 

Arsenal added a second goal eight minutes after the restart, though this would not come without controversy. From a Newcastle goal kick, Bendtner was slowly jogging back into play, but the Arsenal defense won the ball. The pass sprung Walcott ahead with a brilliant through ball. Walcott was onside, but Bendtner, by miles, was not, so he cannot get involved in the play. Walcott was clear through on goal and chipped a shot over the charging Krul to make it 2-0. The controversy surrounds whether Bendtner impeded a defender, specifically Mike Williamson, from getting involved in the play. Walcott was off the races already and nobody was going to catch him anyway, but Williamson could have made it close. Instead, he was checked out of the play by Bendtner, who was offside.

So, the question is how you interpret the (exceedingly complicated) offside rule. In a split second, the assistant referee would have had to determine both whether Bendtner impeded Williamson and whether Williamson could have become involved in the play in the first place. Since Walcott was onside and running well ahead of everyone anyway, I can see why the goal was given, in spite of the gray area. 

Newcastle started pouring everything forward in a desperate attempt to equalize. They made offensive minded substitutions, bringing on the likes of Andy Carroll, Jonas Gutierrez, and Joey Barton. The Toon threw everything they could at Szczesny, who kept the door shut in magnificent fashion. He's talked the talk before and it's good to see that he can walk the walk as well. As a separate aside, I love that, considering he's got an impossible name for a chant, we at the pub have started chanting his name as "Mr. Smith."

As mentioned in the opening of this post, Arsene Wenger clearly wanted this win, as he brought Cesc Fabregas in off the bench, up 2-0, in the 71st minute. After about ten more minutes of Szczesny slamming the door shut (including a point blank save while on the ground off a corner,) Arsenal nabbed a third, as Fabregas slid a perfect ball for Bendtner, who lashed a shot into the top right corner. Walcott picked up a brace five minutes later, after a similar run straight up the middle of the pitch as his goal earlier in the half.

All in all, a great effort, against a side that certainly came to play, and an enjoyable match on the whole. There's a 6 in 7 chance that Arsenal will play another Premier League side in early December's Carling Cup quarterfinal, and two of those six sides were finalists in this competition last year (that's Manchester United and Aston Villa, by the way.) It's four straight wins across all competitions for the Gunners, a feeling that this team could actually win something this year that is growing with each and every win, and a string of players returning from injuries. Let's just keep this rolling, boys.

Hipster Gooner Man of the Match: Theo Walcott

International Gunner Watch - It's Almost Like Good News

Nice scarf, Tommy. Pic via Big Soccer.

With all of Arsenal's injuries, there will only be eight first team Gunners on international duty during this weekend's unfortunate injury period international break. This conveniently gives the wounded the opportunity to spend two weeks training and rehabilitating in London, or just watching pre-season NBA games, as shown in the picture.

Cesc Fabregas will not be playing for Spain, still out with a hamstring injury, but should be set to return immediately afterward the break. Please note that this is usually the exact opposite of how international breaks usually go for Arsenal players. Manuel Almunia should return to action for Birmingham City at the Emirates on the 16th as well. Theo Walcott may need another week, but may return for Arsenal's trip to Manchester City on the 24th. Robin van Persie is a bit behind schedule but could be back by the start of November. Nicklas Bendtner expects to be back in contention by the end of the month. Kieran Gibbs should be back within the next two Arsenal matches as well.

There's two bits of bad injury news and both are on the back line. Thomas Vermaelen's Achilles injury is slower to heal than expected and there is, as yet, no time table for his return. In addition, Bacary Sagna picked up a left thigh injury while training with France and has been dropped from the national squad for this week and sent back to London.

Also, there's the case of Carlos Vela, who was banned from the Mexican team for six months for organizing a hotel party after a friendly with Colombia last month. I think this is something Arsene Wenger, who is known to detest these breaks, should encourage more!

FRANCE: SAMIR NASRI / ABOU DIABY / GAEL CLICHY
Saturday v. Romania; Stade de France, Saint Denis
Tuesday v. Luxembourg; Stade Saint-Symphorien, Metz

France is currently in third place in Group D, thanks to their loss to Belarus. This time around, Les Bleus get to play the 5th and 6th place teams in the six team group. As mentioned above, France will be without the injured Bacary Sagna.

ENGLAND: JACK WILSHERE
Friday with U-21 v. Romania; Carrow Road, Norwich
Tuesday with senior squad v. Montenegro; Wembley Stadium, London

Despite being named to Fabio Capello's senior squad, Jack Wilshere will also be forced to play with Stuart Pearce's Under-21 squad in their Euro 2011 qualification play-off first leg against Romania in Norwich on Friday night. We're all worried he'll be overplayed by England, leading to an eventual injury plagued career, because as you probably know, it's happened before.

CZECH REPUBLIC: TOMAS ROSICKY
Friday v. Scotland; Synot Tip Arena, Prague
Tuesday at Liechtenstein; Rheinpark Stadion, Vaduz

The Czech Republic have lost their first and only Group I match and sit in 4th place out of five teams. They had a bye round during the last international break.

RUSSIA: ANDREI ARSHAVIN
Friday at Ireland; Aviva Stadium, Dublin
Tuesday at Macedonia; Philip II Arena, Skopje

Russia is in 3rd place out of six in Group B. They lost to Slovakia and beat Andorra. Both of their matches are away from home in this set of rounds, but their one loss did come in Moscow.

IVORY COAST: EMMANUEL EBOUE
Friday at Burundi; Prince Louis Rwagasore Stadium, Bujumbura

Ivory Coast leads Group I after 3-0 win over Rwanda, during which Eboue scored the third goal.

MOROCCO: MAROUANE CHAMAKH
Friday at Tanzania; Benjamin Mkapa National Stadium, Dar-es-Salaam

All four teams drew in Group D, though Morocco sits in 4th place out of four, since they played a 0-0 draw with a team that comes before them alphabetically (Central African Republic,) while Tanzania and Algeria's draw was 1-1.

ENGLAND U-21: HENRI LANSBURY
Friday v. Romania; Carrow Road, Norwich
Tuesday at Romania; Stadionul Municipal, Botosani

England's Under-21 squad plays a two-legged play-off with Romania to attempt to qualify for the 2011 tournament. The second leg is away from home since England finished second in their group.

POLAND U-20: WOJCIECH SZCZESNY
Sunday v. Germany (friendly)

Arsenal 2 - 3 West Brom: What!?!

Let the questions begin again... Pic via Soccernet.

Arsenal 2: Nasri 75, 90+1
West Bromwich Albion 3: Odemwingie 50, Jara 52, Thomas 73

I'm not going to sugar coat this; Arsenal was flat out awful yesterday and absolutely deserved to lose. This is the kind of match you have to win if you want to claim the league title. That said, remember: there are still 32 games to play in a long season. It's only September. One game doesn't make you a bad team. All hope is not lost. Yet. This weekend, we saw that Chelsea lost their first real test of the season, Manchester United can seemingly only draw away from Old Trafford, and Tottenham Hotspur is probably what we all know they are.

All credit in the world to the Baggies, of course. They came into the Emirates, played good football, didn't resort to ugly tactics to play the game, and thoroughly dominated much of the match. Top class, West Brom.

There were two changes to the side from the line-up that started at Sunderland last week, with Cesc Fabregas injured and Jack Wilshere dropped to the bench for a rest; Emmanuel Eboue got a start in midfield and Abou Diaby returned from the ankle injury he suffered against Bolton.

Arsenal did seem to have the better of play from the start and came close to scoring first when Andrei Arshavin hit the post twice after an Eboue cross. But even at that early stage, it was apparent that this was not going to be Arsenal's day. Their trademarks were not there. The precision passes lacked sharpness and missed the mark time and again, there was almost no creativity for the first 70 minutes of the match, and most players looked like they were just going through the motions. I think that's what was the most unacceptable about this match.

West Brom had the chance to go up 1-0 before the half when given a penalty; Manuel Almunia missed the ball and took out Peter Odemwingie in the box. The Baggies could not take advantage of the opportunity, however, as Chris Brunt took the kick poorly, Almunia guessed right and saved the shot.

But while Arsenal's performance in the first half was poor, it was downright shambolic in the second. Albion struck first five minutes after the restart. Jerome Thomas (formerly at Arsenal) skinned Bacary Sagna on the byline, then fed a cross through four Arsenal players who were caught watching to Odemwingie, who was not being marked as closely as he should have been by Alex Song. Easy goal thanks to poor defending.

Then, it got worse two minutes later. A bit of clever passing beat a hapless Song again. Gonzalo Jara was through and given time to shoot. It wasn't a particularly tricky shot, but it careened off Almunia and into the net. An absolute howler and the worst Almunia has allowed probably since that injury time goal at Birmingham last year or the own goal at home against United last year, just abysmal. In a matter of seconds, the game was spiraling out of control for Arsenal.

Jack Wilshere and Tomas Rosicky came on for Eboue and Diaby, then Carlos Vela was brought on for attacking purposes as Laurent Koscielny was pulled, slotting Song into the back four. Things then managed to get even worse as Thomas made it three to West Brom. Almunia came out to challenge Brunt poorly (think of those goals Ibrahimovic scored for Barcelona in the first leg last year), then Brunt coolly slid a pass back to Thomas, who had another easy goal with Almunia in no man's land.

Arsenal (by which I mean pretty much just Samir Nasri) made an effort to make the scoreline a little less embarrassing on paper. Two minutes after Thomas's goal, Nasri hit the crossbar, then eventually created another opportunity for himself and slotted in a shot from about six yards out despite being covered by about four Albion defenders. Nasri added a second from about fifteen yards out in the 91st, with four minutes left to play. But, Arsenal had dug the hole too deep. A Wilshere cross to Rosicky at the top of the box in the 95th was one-timed over the bar, and that was it.

Nasri was fantastic, as usual. Almunia was horrible. Song was not his usual self and might have had one of his worst games in about two years (it seemed to me that he might have been hesitant to challenge in his usual manner after being sent off last week.) Diaby was unnoticeable. Everyone else was just mediocre.

Now, let's pray to the football gods that Fabregas and Vermaelen are fit for Chelsea next week.

International Gunner Watch - It's Just a Sprain!

Walcott left on a stretcher, but it's not as serious as it looked. Pic via Daily Telegraph.

Here is your international recap for Tuesday:

Turkey 3 - 2 Belgium

Tough loss for Thomas Vermaelen and Belgium, who are now falling farther behind in Group A qualification. Daniel van Buyten had a brace for Belgium, who led 1-0, then equalized 2-2 in the 70th before Arda Turan won the match for Turkey in the 78th. Belgium have not been in the Euro tournament since 2000 (as hosts;) they last qualified under normal circumstances in 1984.

Russia 0 - 1 Slovakia
Andrei Arshavin and Russia dropped points at home to Slovakia after Miroslav Stoch won the match for the away side in the 27th minute.


Bosnia 0 - 2 France
France got a much needed win in Sarajevo today, their first under manager Laurent Blanc. Bacary Sagna, Gael Clichy, and Abou Diaby played all 90 minutes.


Switzerland 1 - 3 England
After setting up Wayne Rooney's opening goal, Theo Walcott was stretchered off the pitch with a nasty looking ankle injury... but thankfully, the Arsenal international curse didn't take full effect. It looked like a break at first, but reports state that it's actually just a sprain. Fabio Capello asked Theo "two weeks?" regarding the length of his injury and Walcott's response was "less." Kieran Gibbs did not feature.


Czech Republic 0 - 1 Lithuania
Milan Baros missed a penalty that would have equalized in the 40th minute, and Tomas Rosicky and the Czech Republic are off to a bad start.


Argentina 4 - 1 Spain
Karma continues to torment Pepe Reina for his little Barcelona shirt stunt. Cesc Fabregas played 56 minutes for Spain in their friendly. It was only Spain's third loss since 2006.

Carlos Vela and Mexico hosts Colombia tonight in another friendly.

U21: England 3 - 0 Lithuania
Jack Wilshere returned to the fold as a substitute after being withheld from Friday's match after his focus had slipped due to his involvement in... some sort of fracas... Wilshere was a catalyst for the Three Lions, ensuring their qualification, which looked to be in danger entering the weekend.


U21: Italy 1 - 0 Wales
Italy finished top of their group, thanks to another clean sheet from Vito Mannone.