Champions League: Arsenal 2 - 1 Barcelona: OOOOH TO BE A GOONER!

We've got Cesc Fabregas.

And Jack Wilshere. And Robin van Persie. And Andrei Arshavin...

Pic via Guardian.

Arsenal 2: van Persie 78, Arshavin 83

Barcelona 1: Villa 26

It's a pivotal month for Arsenal (but you know that already,) with a chance for silverware at the end, plus three other competitions of arguably more importance to worry about. Domestically, Manchester United looks catchable at the top of the Premier League, the Carling Cup final is the 26th, and a win on Sunday at Orient brings Arsenal to the quarterfinals of the FA Cup.

Ah, but in Europe, it's a whole different monster, and thanks to losses in Donetsk and Braga in November, Arsenal started the knockout phase of the Champions League behind the eight ball, having not won their group. Their reward was Barcelona, the team that just can't stop fucking talking about Cesc Fabregas, the team that forced Arsenal out of this competition last year with a bit of a thrashing at Camp Nou, the team that plays the same style of football so well, you almost can't be blamed for developing some sort of inferiority complex.

But, with that draw comes an opportunity to taste revenge. A win at the Emirates on Wednesday night wouldn't put Arsenal through, of course, but they'd have the upper hand going away, and have given Barcelona something to think about. And oh boy, what a win it turned out to be.

Arsene Wenger made two changes to the side that beat Wolves at the weekend. Bacary Sagna was suspended, after picking up a red card in the final match of the group stage in December, so Emmanuel Eboue deputized at right back. In the slightly more surprising change, Samir Nasri was not just fit to join the squad, but he was also fit to start the match on the left wing, dropping Andrei Arshavin to the bench.

From the start, Barcelona started tippy-tappying it around for a minute or two, but unlike last year's encounter at the Emirates, Arsenal actually showed up at the start, and had the better of the chances through ten minutes. From a free kick, Samir Nasri dinked a ball on goal which Alex Song could not quite reach to redirect, and Victor Valdes in goal handled easily. Valdes later made a brilliant save on a tight angled shot from Robin van Persie. A few other Arsenal chances went begging as the final passes were too strong or the final touches were too heavy.

The bad news in the first ten minutes was the early booking of Alex Song, who clipped Lionel Messi before he could do anything too Messi-like about 35-40 yards out in the seventh minute. Throughout the first half, Song walked a fine line of picking up a second yellow card, which would have completely changed the complexion of this match.

Barcelona started to click after the ten minute mark, as the tippy-tappying resumed, and in the 15th minute, Messi should have put the Catalans up 1-0. David Villa sent him a through ball which saw Messi clear in on Wojciech Szczesny. The Pole stayed up as long as he could, but was eventually drawn to make a move, and Messi maneuvered brilliantly to flip a shot past him, which twisted just wide of the far post.

Despite all of Barcelona's building pressure, Arsenal nearly struck first on a brilliant counter-attack of their own. The pace of Theo Walcott started a chance as he picked out Cesc Fabregas on the break. Fabregas lined up a cross for van Persie, but Eric Abidal got a head in the way just in time. Then, Barca streamed forward and as Lionel Messi sent a through ball for Villa in the midst of Arsenal's offside trap, Gael Clichy backpedaled for no reason and played Villa on. From there, the finish was academic.

Much of the second half proceeded with Barcelona controlling the possession and tippy-tappy-tippy-tappying (I'm trying to include that phrase in as many paragraphs as possible.) Arsenal defended tenaciously, as you must against a team like this, to keep the match 1-0. A second goal was ruled out for Messi being offside and Szczesny made a huge save on Pedro as well. Yet, the feel at halftime was more optimistic than it was in either match with Barcelona last year. Sure, Arsenal was trailing, but they had created some chances this time. It felt like an equalizer could happen, as long as Arsenal could keep Barcelona from scoring again.

What the hell is that logo? I think it says, "Fuck Adebayor."
Pic via Daily Mail.

The Gunners had a strong start to the second half, and controlled a lot of the play throughout, but as in the first half, many of the chances went begging. It looked like, as Messi was, Robin van Persie was just not quite on form on this night. I guess he just wanted to fool us for 78 minutes.

Alex Song was removed for The Diminutive Russian, Andrei Arshavin, in the 68th minute, as Arsenal looked for more offense. Arsene Wenger spoke post-match about how the move could have backfired, and Arsenal could have found themselves two or three down. Alternatively, Song could have found himself with a second yellow, so not making the substitution could have backfired as well. So, who knows. Nicklas Bendtner came on for Theo Walcott in the 77th minute for a change of pace and style, i.e. the only really good way to use Bendtner, in my opinion.

Jack Wilshere's maneuvering won a corner kick as the clock reached 78 minutes. Arshavin took it, but Valdes caught safely. Then, Arsene Wenger angrily unzipped his coat. As Barcelona moved forward, Arsenal won a free kick at the halfway line and eventually Clichy found van Persie at a tight angle. From the byline, van Persie fired on goal, from an impossible spot, and managed to beat Valdes near post to make it 1-1. A brilliant, goal scorer's strike. And RVP's 12th goal in 12 games.

And so, the tide had turned. Barcelona tried to muster a challenge, but Laurent Koscielny (who was excellent) intercepted from Messi in the box. Wilshere hit Fabregas with a pass, and he played a powerful through ball for a breaking Samir Nasri, onside. Nasri ran out of space as he was closed down by the defense, however, so he cut back and sent a pass back toward the center. The pass found Arshavin, who thundered in a winner from 15 yards. And every Arsenal supporting place in the world went nuts.

Arsenal probed a bit for a third, but would not come up with it, then Szczesny made a tremendous stop in the dying moments before a Messi shot was blocked by two Gunners. At the final whistle, Arsenal sealed a 2-1 lead they will take with them to Camp Nou in three weeks. And, as tough as that match will be, not only was Arsenal able to fire a warning to Barcelona that this is not the same team that rolled over for them last year, but they were also able to build up a huge confidence boost moving forward into the four crucial domestic fixtures that come before the return leg. Arsenal have, in addition to two cup ties, Stoke and Sunderland at home in the league while United have road trips to Wigan, Chelsea, and Liverpool.

By the time Arsenal plays at Camp Nou on March 8, the landscape of this season could be quite different on all fronts, and with the way things are shaping up for the Gunners, it looks quite positive. Nobody knew how this team would react to blowing a four-goal lead at Newcastle. Well, their two performances since have been nothing short of spectacular. And it's a damn good time to be a Gooner these days.

Hipster Gooner Man of the Match: Jack Wilshere

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

West Ham United 0 - 3 Arsenal: They're No Ipswich

Robin van Persie and Theo Walcott help get the Gunners back on track.

Pic via Daily Telegraph.

West Ham United 0
Arsenal 3: van Persie 13, 77 (pen), Walcott 41

Arsenal's month of cup ties seemed to have come at just the right time, at least, that's what I thought when the month started. The first team regulars were starting to play brilliant football as a unit, so it couldn't hurt to have the opportunity to rest those players a few times, and keep the bench match fit simultaneously, right?

But then things went south; the "B Team" wasn't winning those cup ties as the regulars rested. And suddenly, there could have been something off about the psyche of this team heading back into league play. And so, on Saturday, Arsenal found the right tonic, a league match against West Ham United, a team currently in such disarray that they could not even come close to the same fight Ipswich Town put up on Wednesday.

The starting XI was not particular surprising, and once again for a league match, was exactly as I predicted. Basically, if it ain't broke, don't fix it. The only changes from the side that started each of the last three league fixtures were required due to injury and suspension, with Wojciech Szczesny deputizing for the injured Lukasz Fabianski and Emmanuel Eboue starting again at right back, as Bacary Sagna served the end of his three match ban. In total, there were four changes from the side that lost at Ipswich midweek, with the returns of Gael Clichy, Alex Song, Samir Nasri, and Robin van Persie.

Arsenal started on the front foot and won a corner and a free kick during the first five minutes of play, but nothing came of it. West Ham had an opportunity to strike first within the first ten minutes as well, but a Zavon Hines square ball was cleared by Clichy for a subsequent corner that missed the mark.

Then, the miserable first match in a West Ham shirt for Wayne Bridge truly began. Bridge, who had fallen out of favor as left back at Manchester City, was signed by West Ham on a sixth month loan deal. I think this was only his second, at most, league start of the season. If you're not up to match fitness due to a lack of games, then having to control Theo Walcott's pace sounds like a nightmare, and for Bridge, it truly was. Bridge gave Walcott acres of space and time as he came down the right flank in the 13th minute, backing off and allowing Theo to send an uncontested cross into the box. Samir Nasri let the ball slip past him and it landed comfortably on the right boot of Robin van Persie, who fired it into the corner. Shambolic defending from West Ham and Arsenal had the quick lead they deserved.

Arsenal was frustrated for much of the first half in their attempt to pick up a second. Theo Walcott was through in the 18th but couldn't muster power behind his shot and Robert Green saved easily. West Ham's midfield got weaker in the 20th when Mark Noble went off injured. West Ham's best chance to pull level came in the 21st, as Johan Djourou scuffed a back pass to Szczesny. Carlton Cole pounced on the poor pass, but Szczesny saved, then Hines's rebound shot was fired high. Nasri had a shot saved in the 25th, Song had a shot blocked in the 27th, and van Persie hit the post in the 30th.

But, before halftime, Arsenal's second goal finally arrived. Wayne Bridge, covering Walcott, allowed van Persie to receive a chipped ball onside, then Bridge closed down on the Dutchman, leaving Walcott room to receive a cross in the six yard box. Bridge was goal side, but had no chance to block the pass, and Walcott tapped the ball into the roof of the goal.

One might think, game over at this point, but it was very fresh in my mind that Arsenal blew a 2-0 lead at Upton Park with only 16 minutes to play last season, so no 2-0 lead at West Ham will ever feel safe to me. Then again, West Ham came out lifeless in the second half this time, and much of the second period seemed to consist of everybody just going through the motions. In the 73rd minute, the camera panned to a number of Hammers fans fast asleep in their seats.

Then, Arsenal truly put the game away. Wayne Bridge's disastrous West Ham debut continued as he clipped Walcott in the box. Easy penalty call for Andre Marriner and Robin van Persie pounded the spot kick into the low corner, easily beating Robert Green who had guessed right. Arsenal then made their substitutions to rest some legs: Denilson on for Fabregas, Kieran Gibbs and Andrei Arshavin on for Walcott and Nasri. The trio did not make much of an impact.

All in all, a much needed win to correct Arsenal's mindset going into their FA Cup replay at Elland Road this week. The ship, once again, appears to have been righted, but I still fear a set back once the "B Team" gets a run out again.

Hipster Gooner Man of the Match: Robin van Persie

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

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

Manchester United 1 - 0 Arsenal: Uncreative Title to Match Uncreative Midfield

Wayne Rooney's miss was by far Arsenal's only highlight. Pic via Guardian.

Manchester United 1: Park 41

Arsenal 0

For all of the complaining about Howard Webb that we may do, especially in the heat of the match when I'm a good three pints in, the fact of the matter is, even if there were a number of dubious decisions at Old Trafford yesterday, Arsenal certainly deserved their zero points. I'm going to do my best not to go into the officiating decisions, but how United were not booked once in this match is a crime. I'm always much the optimistic one, but still, there's been a lot to be concerned about in Arsenal's play this season, so let's dive right into this.

Arsenal made only one change to the side that beat Fulham in the league last weekend, necessitated by an injury picked up by Lukasz Fabianski. This meant Wojciech Szczesny would make his first start in the Premier League. Despite declaring himself fit again, Manuel Almunia was nowhere to be found, further indicating that he has likely played his final match in an Arsenal shirt. The outfield players were as they were in the last league match, including Tomas Rosicky in the middle of midfield, with Andrei Arshavin to the left and Samir Nasri to the right. Cesc Fabregas, still nursing his hamstring, started on the bench.

Arsenal put themselves behind the eight ball a bit at the start; it seemed like the back four wanted to pass back to Szczesny to get him an early touch on the ball, but with United's pressuring, the home side had a few solid opportunities created by Arsenal's own backward motion, but nothing exceedingly dangerous. The Gunners settled in after about ten minutes.

But, when I say settled in, I mean they worked themselves into a groove through which they were never going to score for one simple reason: there was no creative spark. Again. Without a fit Cesc Fabregas, the central role has fallen to Tomas Rosicky, who has had a few strong performances in the past and a few clunkers, and yesterday was the latter. Without Fabregas, the formation seems to, at times, be all over the place and when coupled with Arsene Wenger's high risk-high reward scheme of having Alex Song push forward, it creates a dangerous situation of counterattack vulnerability when ultimately, there's no one in an Arsenal shirt on the other end of a poorly placed cross.

United scored the match's only goal shortly before halftime. Nani sent a deflected ball into the box (the deflection courtesy Gael Clichy) that found the head of Ji-Sung Park, who twisted an unstoppable header into the corner of the net. Szczesny had no chance. Sebastian Squillaci tried to close down on Park, but he was too late in getting this. This was because Park was not Squillaci's man to cover in the first place; Alex Song is the one that should have been on the Korean.

Arsenal had all of one solid chance to score a goal in the second half (and, all game, really.) Samir Nasri took a left footed shot that Edwin van der Sar could only parry to his left, into the path of Marouane Chamakh. But, the Moroccan found himself wrong footed and caught off guard, and by the time Chamakh got a foot on the ball to take a shot, central defender Nemanja Vidic had already closed him down to block it.

United could have taken a 2-0 lead when they were given a preposterously dubious penalty as Clichy was whistled for handball in the area. To make this call, it has to be an intentional handball (Webb waived off a more legitimate shout for a penalty when Chamakh accidentally handled in the first half.) Nani kicked the ball at Clichy's arm, which was at his side and on the ground supporting his body. How that could be viewed as intentional is beyond me. It was the linesman who waved for the call, but it's still up to Webb to whistle for it. What followed was Wayne Rooney missing the net ridiculously, in what was probably the best moment of the match for an Arsenal supporter.

Arsenal brought in some heavy artillery off the bench, in the form of Cesc Fabregas, Robin van Persie, and Theo Walcott, but the three of them did nothing to change the flow of the match. The creativity and spark still wasn't there. In the end, it's another negative result in Manchester. A bit of a coincidental statistic to pass along, that I don't really think means that much in the grand scheme of things, is that Arsenal have never won the Premier League in a season where they have lost at Old Trafford. Again, small sample size (the Premier League only dates back to 1992) and bit coincidental, as Arsenal have won there and then not won the league as well (in 2006/07.)

Hipster Gooner Man of the Match: Nemanja Vidic

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

Arsenal 2 - 1 Fulham: Samir Nas-a-ri! Nas-a-ri! Samir Nas-a-ri!

SNOOOOOOOOD! Pic via Guardian.

Arsenal 2: Nasri 14, 75

Fulham 1: Kamara 30

If you listen to the British media (and in so many cases, you really shouldn't), you'd be led to believe that it's absolutely appalling that Arsenal are top of the league at this moment, in spite of all their deficiencies. How could a team that concedes so many goals be in first? Well, FYI, only four teams have conceded fewer than Arsenal's 18. Chelsea has been a little more consistent (in that they were consistently great and are now consistently wobbling) and Manchester United can't seem to win in the league away from Old Trafford. The real story is just how strange this title race is going to be this year.

Once again, Arsenal have come away from an uncomfortable match with three points. A month ago, after beating West Ham 1-0, the pundits said "this is the kind of win that a champion grinds out." Now, after four losses in the month of November, the Guardian says the league is "succumbing to a form of 'leadership by the worst'."

Arsenal made nine changes to the side that beat Wigan in the Carling Cup on Tuesday, however, the side was unchanged from the XI that started at Aston Villa a week ago. Tomas Rosicky again filled the box-to-box Fabregas role, Andrei Arshavin and Samir Nasri started on the wings, and Marouane Chamakh started up top.

Andrei Arshavin nearly put the Gunners up in the early going. From a free kick taken by Jack Wilshere, Sebastien Squillaci's header down came to the feet of the diminutive Russian, whose shot was stopped point blank by former Arsenal transfer target Mark Schwarzer. Nasri came close as well, with a shot just wide following a through ball from Arshavin.

But Nasri would not miss in the 14th. Aaron Hughes failed to control a back pass and Arshavin pounced. Arshavin waited to send the ball through to Nasri, who made two defenders look foolish with his footwork (much as that child did to me on numerous occasions during the kick around on 14th Street during the Gooner Holiday Party) and thundered home Arsenal's opener. A Nasri cross nearly added another, but it hit Dickson Etuhu on defense instead of Arshavin and Schwarzer made the save. Alex Song missed wide on another chance after a cross from Rosicky.

After being ripped to shreds by the Arsenal attack for almost half an hour, Matthew Briggs was pulled from the game and replaced by Chris Baird. Though it was unrelated, Fulham's offense started to get in gear at this point. The Cottagers continually attempted to get Diomansy Kamara through on goal, but twice he was flagged offside. In the 30th, miscommunication between Squillaci and Laurent Koscielny led to a disastrous clash of heads, the latter taking it the worst. As Koscielny was dazed, Fulham took advantage. Clint Dempsey dribbled around a poor challenge from Song and found Kamara, slipping through the defense in the spot where Koscielny would have been covering if he wasn't concussed. An easy equalizer.

Johan Djourou came on for the injured Koscielny, and while the Swiss center back impressed during this match on the whole, his first moments in the match were rusty. Kamara was through one more time on goal after beating an offside trap, but Lukasz Fabianski made an excellent block. The Arsenal back four are clearly the Achilles heel of this team (no pun intended on Vermaelen's injury) as are those moments where Arsenal seem to flick the switch off. Kamara's goal stunned Arsenal to the point where Fulham absolutely dominated the final 15 minutes of the first half. If the half were about five minutes longer, the Cottagers could have had a crucial second or even third goal.

Arsenal had a number of chances early in the second half, including wide shots from Rosicky and Song, the rogue striker, plus an Arshavin shot that was saved by Schwarzer. Rosicky was pulled off for Robin van Persie in the 63rd, but soon, the chances began to go Fulham's way. Van Persie's first real involvement in the match was to block a Fulham shot off the line after Fabianski failed to punch a cross clear following a corner. Nervy moments indeed. For about twenty minutes, it looked like if a winner was coming, it'd be the boys in white scoring it.

But the brilliance would once again come from Samir Nasri and the boys in red had their winner in the 75th minute. Andrei Arshavin passed forward to van Persie, who looked like he was teeing up a shot on his left foot. Instead, he slipped a pass to Nasri, who deked around John Pantsil and Schwarzer, then turned his body around to fire the ball into the net from the tightest of angles. Nasri looked like he might have slightly aggravated the knee injury he picked up on Tuesday, but Arsenal had already used all three of their substitutes.

Fulham kept knocking on the door and the ending was by no means comfortable for a Gooner, but when the dust had settled and when Everton had equalized at Stamford Bridge, Arsenal had three points and were sitting on top of the league table. This team has so much to still work on, but first place is first place. I still have three wishes for this team as we enter the holiday season: a little more strength in the back line, a killer instinct to put teams away when they have the chance, and for Alex Song to remember what position he plays.

Hipster Gooner Man of the Match: Samir Nasri

Arsenal 2 - 3 Tottenham Hotspur: Dominant Arsenal v. Complacent Arsenal

What the hell are you doing, Cesc? Pic via Daily Mail.

Arsenal 2: Nasri 9, Chamakh 27

Tottenham 3: Bale 50, van der Vaart 67 (pen), Kaboul 85

Lest I fly into a bitter rage, something for which 6:30 a.m. on a Monday morning is far too early, I'm going to keep this recap short, for obvious reasons. After last week's win at Goodison Park, I said there were two Arsenal teams on display. There was Dominant Arsenal, who controlled the play and scored two beautiful goals. And then there was Complacent Arsenal, who got too lackadaisical at the back, conceded late, and was forced to hang on for dear life. Against Everton, Dominant Arsenal built up a lead for a long enough period of time that Complacent Arsenal wasn't able to blow it. That was not the case on Saturday.

Laurent Koscielny returned from his suspension to slip in for Johan Djourou in central defense (Koscielny then proceeded to pick up his fifth domestic yellow card of the season, which I believe will bring on another one match ban and force this switch again next Saturday) and Denilson got the start over Jack Wilshere in one of the holding roles.

This match was, clearly, a tale of two halves, but what a beauty of a first half that was, wasn't it? For the first 45 minutes, there was only one team on that pitch and they were wearing red. Nasri's goal from the byline took forever to roll across that line and Chamakh's side footed deflection of Arshavin's cross was pretty cheeky, but both were beautiful. Arsenal was unable to go for the jugular, however. Cesc Fabregas missed a brilliant chance to make it three when the Spurs defense parted like the Red Sea for him, then Chamakh was clear through on goal before inexplicably stopping and looking around for help. It should have been at least 3-0 by halftime and the dagger would've been more firmly planted.

Spurs made a tactical switch at halftime by playing more compact in the center of the pitch, knowing how hard it is to beat Arsenal wide. Lucky for them, Complacent Arsenal came out for the second half and put up one of the worst performances in years. What the hell happened at halftime? Did they all get prematurely drunk in celebration? (If every blogger on the Internet is going to come up with an excuse for what happened in the final 45 minutes, I may as well have my reason be utterly preposterous.)

As soon as the comeback began for Spurs, even while still up 2-1, Arsenal looked immediately incapable of handling the pressure. The porousness of the back four, and the ease with which they become lackadaisical at times, led to Gareth Bale's goal just five minutes after the restart. From there, Arsenal looked unable to win this game. Spurs looked deadly on every counterattack. The holding midfielders were no longer winning everything at the halfway line. Dominant Arsenal never left the dressing room after the interval.

And then, the build up to the equalizer. Alex Song whistled for a foul, leads to a free kick in a dangerous area, and Arsenal sets up a pretty good sized wall. Rafael van der Vaart takes the kick and Cesc Fabregas inexplicably, while standing in the box, lifts up his arm to block it. He got away with this at the end of last year's 1-0 win against Liverpool at the Emirates when Howard Webb didn't see it hit his arm. But that time, he at least wasn't standing in the box and it would've just been another free kick. This was just plain stupid. Van der Vaart's penalty was taken perfectly and suddenly it was 2-2.

Arsenal looked like they had a winner a few minutes later, but the assistant was correct, as the play from Robin van Persie's free kick saw at least two players blatantly offside. I don't remember many specifics about Kaboul's winner five minutes from time, as I refuse to watch the replays, and also, we all did shots immediately afterward.

So, where do we go from here? Well, Braga tomorrow, for starters. But on the whole, if Complacent Arsenal still exists and shows up from time to time, then this is not a title-winning side. And that flat out comes down to leadership. Tom Vermaelen, come back soon.

Hipster Gooner Man of the Match: Rafael van der Vaart

Arsenal 0 - 1 Newcastle United: Srsly?

Well, hey, Chelsea lost! Pic via Guardian.

Arsenal 0

Newcastle United 1: Carroll 45

After Wednesday's loss in the Ukraine, there were many who said they would rather lose that match than lose on Sunday in the league. I think everyone feels rightly distraught now that they've actually lost both. And yet again, Arsenal fails to capitalize on a Chelsea loss (though, it's probably a blessing of some sort that Arsenal does not find themselves waking up this morning eight points off the pace.)

There were two changes made from the side that beat West Ham a week ago (I'm not going to compare the side to the rotated squad that played in Donetsk mid-week.) Jack Wilshere returned to his holding role from suspension, meaning Denilson dropped to the bench. In form Theo Walcott got the start on the right wing, pushing Samir Nasri to the left, and dropping Andrei Arshavin to the bench. Robin van Persie made a surprise return to the bench after only one full training session on Friday.

Arsene Wenger blamed complacency for Arsenal's Champions League defeat this week and said in pre-match interviews that, after already losing at home to West Bromwich Albion, the team would not be caught like that again, that the lessons had been learned.

It didn't look like it. This was, for sure, Arsenal's worst performance of the season, and I'm hard pressed to think of any performances at home that were as poor as this from last season. Now, I'm running too late this morning to wax poetic on this disaster, so here are the dirty details of this one in bullet point fashion:

• It is apparent to me that Cesc Fabregas is still injured, at least enough to make him completely ineffective. The offense cannot run if your playmaking attacking midfielder is struggling to complete passes. An uncharacteristically high 16 of his 60 passes were unsuccessful. It's even more worrying to me that Samir Nasri picked up a knock, too.

• Newcastle's goal came courtesy the Lukasz Fabianski we're more used to. Wenger blamed "over confidence" on his coming out for a ball on which he did not have to, which is kind of a laughable excuse. What really happened was Fabianski hesitated, jumped late, and even more inexplicably, he jumped behind the attacker, Andy Carroll, who had already been lost by Chamakh marking him. 100% on the Pole, probably for the first time in his recent run in the side. So, let's buy in January, okay?

• In two of the last three home league matches, Arsenal have conceded a goal on their opposition's first legitimate chance on goal. Birmingham City and Newcastle United both opened the scoring with their first shots on target.

• Wenger made his substitutions earlier than normal, in desperate times down a goal, with the first two coming before the hour mark. Andrei Arshavin did essentially nothing, while Robin van Persie was clearly not ready to play 35 minutes. So, even though the changes were made early, they didn't work.

• I don't see why Jack Wilshere was removed at 73 minutes for Nicklas Bendtner. Wilshere is a work horse and can always give you 90 solid minutes. Why one of Arsenal's better players on the pitch was removed baffles me, aside for tactical reasons which ended up failing anyway. A holding midfielder was replaced by a goal scorer while down one, I get it, but the result was an increasing inability to win the ball in the midfield to get it to the goal scorer anyway. Of course, tactically speaking, hindsight is 20/20.

• Laurent Koscielny's red card, which he picked up for a professional foul, will likely be appealed. The foul was called by the linesman, in such a position where Mike Dean was forced to show red. The appeal needs to prove that it should not have been a foul in the first place, as I don't think we're going to get around Koscielny being the last defender and the attacker being through on goal. Wenger claims that Squillaci was covering, but I didn't think so at the time. As soon as the whistle blew, I knew it was red.

• Arsenal's league form at home: Two losses, two unconvincing wins, and two convincing wins that were aided by their opposition ending the match with ten men.

Okay, there's no time to dwell and sulk about this one, as Arsenal travels to Wolves on Wednesday for their first midweek league fixture of the season. Let's hope some consistency and focus makes the trip, too.

Hipster Gooner Man of the Match: Cheick Tioté, who outplayed Fabregas in the midfield.