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

FA Cup: Arsenal 2 - 1 Huddersfield Town: Way Too Close

Samir Nasri got hurt. EVERYONE PANIC! Pic via Guardian.

Arsenal 2: P. Clarke 21 (og), Fabregas 86 (pen)

Huddersfield Town 1: Lee 66

So, there we were. Ridiculously early on a Sunday morning. It was the 85th minute, it wasn't even 9:00 a.m. in New York, and Arsenal were five minutes plus added time away from needing a replay against League One Huddersfield Town. The Gunners' B team, on ten men, not only could not put the Terriers away, but at times looked dangerously close to crashing out. And yet again, in the FA Cup at home against lower level competition, Arsenal managed to find a get out of jail free card. And..... exhale.

Ch-ch-ch-ch-changes were obviously necessary again because of Arsenal's jam packed fixtures list. The Gunners will host Everton at the Emirates tomorrow, making this FA Cup tie the first match of two in about 60 hours. Manuel Almunia returned, thanks to rest for Szczesny and Fabianski's shoulder injury. Sebastien Squillaci returned to center back, playing along with Laurent Koscielny and giving Djourou a rest. Sagna and Clichy dropped to the bench for Emmanuel Eboue and Kieran Gibbs, as expected. Abou Diaby returned from injury to start in a holding role with Denilson. Samir Nasri started in the middle with the captain's armband, joined by Andrei Arshavin, Nicklas Bendtner, and Marouane Chamakh. So, in total, two members of the normal starting XI got the start.

Arsenal had a few chances early to take the lead, but with them being taken by Arshavin and Bendtner, they did not come to anything. Bendtner, in fact, had one absolutely terrible miss when he attempted to one-time a volley shot, but missed the ball completely, much to the delight of the traveling Huddersfield support. He did, however, shut them up a few moments later. He struck a low drive to the corner of the net that would have gone wide, but a favorable deflection and a Huddersfield own goal later, it was 1-0 to the Arsenal.

The problem is, Arsenal got a little too comfortable with that lead immediately afterward. This problem became even worse when Samir Nasri picked up a hamstring injury and had to be replaced by Tomas Rosicky. Nasri will be out for at least two weeks, so everyone hold your breath for the next three league matches. Just before halftime, Arsenal found themselves in even more trouble when Sebastien Squillaci was caught keeping too high of a line and obstructed the path of Huddersfield's Jack Hunt, who was through on goal. Straight red card all the way.

Squillaci's red card meant Alex Song had to come off the bench to play at center half and Arsene Wenger went defensive, pulling off Chamakh. Through the second half, you could tell Huddersfield's equalizer was coming. It arrived in the 66th minute, shortly after a brilliant diving save from Almunia had kept the lead intact. The Terriers won a corner and it was 6'3" Alan Lee who won the header in the box. So, it was time to bring on the big guns, and Cesc Fabregas came off the bench for Diaby.

The tie was in the balance, Arsenal settled a little, but play still went back and forth. Did Arsenal have a winner in them? Turns out, yes they did, thanks to more help from the penalty spot. Nicklas Bendtner was hauled down in the box by Jamie McCombe (who should have been sent off) and Mark Clattenburg pointed to the spot. Cesc Fabregas stepped up, stutter-stepped twice, and sent Ian Bennett the wrong way. Arsenal were back on top with four minutes of regular time to play, then held on for the win.

All in all, another unnecessarily stressful match caused by the apparent lack of cohesion in the back-up squad. They are an individually talented squad that just doesn't get the chance to find form due to a lack of playing time. Their reward for sneaking by Huddersfield is a London derby with Leyton Orient. Let's pray Nasri gets well soon and that Arsenal can back to doing their thing in the league.

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

Carling Cup: Ipswich Town 1 - 0 Arsenal: How Many Wake Up Calls?

Arsene Wenger is very disappointed in all of you. Pic via Daily Mail.

Ipswich Town 1: Priskin 78
Arsenal 0

Arsenal entered yesterday's Carling Cup Semi-Final at Ipswich Town likely thinking it would be a walk in the park. Their effort, in the end, was a mix of some complacency and a lack of sharpness. And as a result, Ipswich Town will go to the Emirates in two weeks with a deserved 1-0 lead in the tie. This is not acceptable, Gunners. To be fair, the majority of the credit in this result has to go to Ipswich Town for playing well and not to how poor Arsenal's performance seemed.

I don't think you can blame this loss on just complacency, though the mere fact that you ever can needs to be unacceptable as well. There are certainly players on this team who are giving 100% without getting results because of those who are not. And it doesn't help when the players who are giving it their all have a bad night simultaneously, as Cesc Fabregas did last night. And, Ipswich, on their night, took advantage.

Arsene Wenger made four changes to the side that needed a late lifeline to force a replay with Leeds United on Saturday, and somehow, I had nine of the starting XI right in my match preview (I think that's one of the only positives I had yesterday...) Laurent Koscielny returned for the injured Sebastien Squillaci in central defense. Jack Wilshere got the start over Alex Song in the midfield. And, Wenger recalled two big names in the attack as Cesc Fabregas and Theo Walcott started while Tomas Rosicky and Marouane Chamakh dropped to the bench. That move pushed Nicklas Bendtner to the central forward role (where he is slightly less useless but still fairly useless.)

Arsenal had a fantastic first... three minutes or so, and looked like they had about three chances to take a 1-0 lead in the first 90 seconds, but could not capitalize. Then, as the match settled down, Arsenal fell out of any rhythm it looked like the were building at the start. The first half progressed much as the first half went on Saturday. At halftime, I tweeted, "This is just like Saturday, except Arsenal is wearing yellow, have a stronger squad starting, and are playing worse."

The difference between Saturday and yesterday was that the chances were going the other way. There was a point in the first half when a statistic flashed on the screen that both sides had one attempt on target. But, it was Ipswich that had seven chances, compared to Arsenal's three. Even with Fabregas in the line-up, the offensive force just was not there. And, it was worse for most of the second half.

Some players looked like they were just having off nights: Fabregas, Walcott, Wilshere, Johan Djourou, and Kieran Gibbs spring to mind. Laurent Koscielny continues to play himself out of position challenging in one-on-one situations, which also continues to make things harder on his central partner. Emmanuel Eboue has a penchant for being burned at right back. Denilson and Andrei Arshavin just look like they can't be bothered at times; Arshavin is running out of passes on this if he hasn't run out with you already, Denilson surely needs to go. And, Bendtner just continues to be what we all know he is: an impact substitute at best, as long as he can play central forward and the opposition can't win headers.

Tamas Priskin put Ipswich up 1-0 in the 78th.
Pic via Guardian.

In the 76th, Arsenal should have taken the lead. Kieran Gibbs swung a cross from the left flank that just missed the head of Chamakh, the substitute, and caught an unsuspecting Fabregas on the right knee or thigh, on the six yard line, with a wide open net. And over the bar it went. Ipswich got out of jail there and took advantage, almost instantly. Tamas Priskin broke through the defense as Arsenal played a high line, fired low past a diving Szczesny, and put the Tractor Boys up 1-0. Yes, Priskin was offside, and yes, it should not have counted. But you can't say they didn't deserve it.

This match felt a lot like the loss at Braga did in November. Poor performance that looks like it's going to stay 0-0, then the opponent pings a goal, and Arsenal's desperate search for an equalizer goes wanting. Theo Walcott had two chances that were saved excellently by Marton Fulop, the goalkeeper who went to Manchester City on emergency loan last spring and allowed the goal that sent Spurs into the Champions League.

The moral of the story is that, while Ipswich deserved this win, you have to ask questions of Arsenal as to why they showed up with this performance. As my title asks, how many wake up calls does this team need before they stop getting complacent? Arsene Wenger blamed fatigue for the second half performance. That doesn't make any sense, since the players on the pitch largely haven't played much this year. And the players you could argue were fatigued weren't the ones who played lazy.

The tie hangs in the balance going back to the Emirates a week from Tuesday. I believe the lack of an away goal only comes into play after extra time (a 2-1 Arsenal win in 90 minutes would force extra time, not give the tie to Ipswich on away goals just yet.) In any case, let's move forward, bring back the A Team on Saturday, and take three points from Upton Park. Please?

Hipster Gooner Man of the Match: Tamas Priskin

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.

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

Aston Villa 2 - 4 Arsenal: It's Never Easy, Is It?

Yay! Pic via Facebook.

Aston Villa 2: Clark 52, 70

Arsenal 4: Arshavin 39, Nasri 45, Chamakh 56, Wilshere 90+3

Despite dominating large stretches of the match, including pretty much the entire first half, Arsenal still managed to make things difficult for themselves by conceding twice in the second half. After a difficult week on the pitch, a 2-0 lead at halftime just never feels safe anymore. In the end, the Gunners had answers for Villa's comebacks, and Arsenal once again pulled out a win in a tricky road fixture. Now, if they could only work on their home form...

Arsene Wenger made seven changes to the rotated side that looked disastrous at Braga. Three changes were made on the backline as Bacary Sagna, Laurent Koscielny, and Gael Clichy returned. Tomas Rosicky slipped in for the injured Fabregas. Alex Song, Andrei Arshavin, and Marouane Chamakh all returned to the side as well.

For all of Arsenal's pressure, there was nothing to show for it until the very end of the first half, when the Gunners struck twice. Andrei Arshavin took advantage of a number of defense miscues and finished his 30-yard dash by slotting the ball passed Brad Friedel and into the net for his first goal in the league since his winner at Blackburn in August. Arsenal should have had a second moments later, but Chamakh's shot hit the side netting. That second did come just before the half, as Samir Nasri thundered home a shot coming from a corner.

Arsenal were bright on the attack in the first half, but then again, they were the same last week at the Emirates and we all know how that turned out. And the script looked the same at the start of the second half this week. Arsenal were on the back foot after the restart, and Villa struck in the 52nd as Ciaran Clark fired home a poor clearance from Sebastian Squillaci. The goal probably should not have stood; even though he never touched the ball, John Carew was standing in an offside position and screened Lukasz Fabianski, which, by the letter of the law, is still interfering with the play. The rule here is so open to interpretation, though, that it's hard to fault the call not being made.

Unlike last week, when Arsenal fell further on the back foot after conceding, the Gunners answered Villa's strike immediately. Rosicky slotted a through ball to Chamakh, who found the net passed the outrushing Friedel. But, this match was far from over, and Clark made things difficult in the 70th, pounding a corner kick off the crossbar and straight down over the line. Twenty minutes to play and it was close again.

Arsenal waited until the 85th minute to finally make defensive substitutions, bringing on Kieran Gibbs and Denilson while removing Nasri and Arshavin. Gibbs took a ball to the corner to kill time and ended up winning a corner kick, after which Arsenal sent almost nobody forward for the set piece (which seemed odd; why not just take the corner short?) At least the Gunners took the pressure off the final minute as they regained their two goal lead in the 93rd. Jack Wilshere had the goal, his first in the Premier League for Arsenal, heading home a cross from Chamakh from close range. And, for at least two hours, Arsenal were top of the league for the first time since March.

Hipster Gooner Man of the Match: Andrei Arshavin

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

Sunderland 1 - 1 Arsenal: Chant Protocol

Too much time on my hands. Pic via Dailiy Mail.

Sunderland 1: Bent 90+5

Arsenal 1: Fabregas 13

We here at Hipster Gooner enjoy nothing more than celebratory singing and chanting at the bar during the course of an Arsenal win. But, we also understand that there are right times to celebrate and there are wrong times to celebrate. The dying minutes of a nervy match with a 1-0 lead is a wrong time.

I love the back-and-forth chanting of "Arsene Wenger's red and white army" at the end of a win; it's always an incredible experience to hear so many Gooners singing, in full voice, for a victory. However, if you chant it at the wrong time, it can be a bit of a jinx. It should only be sung while winning comfortably (by at least two goals) and only during second half injury time; never before the 90:00 mark and never while up by one. The regulars couldn't reel in those who sang the chant yesterday and the jinx, of course, came into play. We're sorry. We tried.

There were no injuries and no returns from injury between Wednesday's Champions League match with Braga and Saturday's match, so Arsenal's starting XI remained unchanged. It was obvious, however, that Arsenal appeared more lethargic at the start, playing a road fixture after a midweek match while Sunderland were the more well-rested side.

The Black Cats dominated the first half of play, but it was through a strange series of events that Arsenal held a 1-0 halftime lead. In the 13th minute, Sunderland defender Anton Ferdinand held onto possession for a little too long without clearing, allowing Cesc Fabregas to close him down. When Ferdinand finally attempted to clear, it hit the charging Fabregas in the ankle and flew back toward the goal. Sunderland's goalkeeper Simon Mignolet was too far forward off his line, the ball was well over his head, and then it was in the net. As stunning of a fluke goal as any you'll ever see. The major downer of the first half was that Cesc Fabregas mysteriously left with an injuy; it's a hamstring and he will have a scan on Monday. There are rumors that he might miss a month. He was replaced by Tomas Rosicky, who also took over the captain's armband. That's relevant later.

The wisdom of halftime was that Sunderland could not keep up the pace and the pressure for another 45 minutes and that seemed about correct from the restart. Arsenal looked refreshed after the break and pressured for a second goal. Then, the turning point: Alex Song was sent off for a second yellow card (his first was a harsh call for dissent after a foul was called, the second was for obstruction.) Suddenly, the thought that Arsenal would coast past a tiring Sunderland squad in the second half held no water; the Gunners would be on ten men for the last half hour.

To compensate, Arsenal substituted Denilson into the midfield to replace the ineffective Andrei Arshavin. Arsenal managed to control possession better, even on ten men, with the Brazilian in the midfield, but the team would miss countless opportunities to score a security goal.

There was no better chance than a penalty kick in the 75th when Samir Nasri was hacked down in the box. Arsenal was without their usual penalty takers (Van Persie, Fabregas, Arshavin, Bendtner) for various reasons on the pitch so Rosicky, wearing the captain's armband in the place of the injured Fabregas, chose that he would take the kick himself. Rosicky did not look comfortable taking the kick and I wondered why someone like Marouane Chamakh or Nasri didn't take it. Rosicky made Mignolet guess wrong on the kick but fired high and over the bar. Opportunity wasted.

Even with the miss, it looked like Arsenal was going to steal three points from this fixture, right until the death. A match filled with questionable officiating from Phil Dowd was to end with four minutes of added time. Arsenal had cleared out from a corner kick at about 94:10. Sunderland was given one last chance. Gael Clichy had a poor clearance that deflected off Laurent Koscielny, into the path of Darren Bent, who fired home an equalizer past Manuel Almunia at 94:16.

Let's be honest, "four minutes of added time" does mean four minutes as a minimum, but you don't usually see four minutes of added time turn into four minutes and thirty seconds unless there's an injury. In this case, there was not. Arsene Wenger was livid about the extra amount of added time and there are claims that he "shoved" fourth official Martin Atkinson (I haven't seen a video, I assume he touched his shoulder, at worst, to get his attention.) In any case, Arsenal was about negative 15 seconds away from stealing three points when Sunderland was given one last chance to draw level. That's why this draw felt so much like a loss.

But let's be honest some more, Arsenal had no business winning this match. It would have been nice to take all three points from this fixture, but one point is more than the Gunners earned at the Stadium of Light last year, and that was after a two week break. There are, of course, still so many major concerns. The play of Gael Clichy this season has worried me, he seems to be the weak link on the back line. Cesc Fabregas's injury has come at a bad time; it would be nice to have him in top form at Stamford Bridge on October 3, so let's all pray his scan goes over well tomorrow. Andrei Arshavin is as mercurial as anyone on the team; there are matches like yesterday where he just doesn't seem to be bothered. Though I have to say in closing, that this was another solid and comforting performance from Manuel Almunia, who has not made a major blunder yet this season.

Reserves: Arsenal 4 - 3 Blackburn Rovers

Sebastian Squillaci makes his debut in red and white at Underhill Stadium. Pic via Arsenal.com.

Arsenal 4: Aneke 45, Afobe 59, 84, Emmanuel-Thomas 87

Blackburn Rovers 3: Benjani 26, Dunn 42, 72 (pen)

The international break has afforded teams the opportunity to test their recovering players in the waters that is the reserves league. As such, four normally first team Gunners started for the reserves squad in their second fixture of the season, as they hosted Blackburn Rovers reserves at Barnet's Underhill Stadium in North London. Arsenal entered the match 1-0 on the season, having beaten Bolton's reserves 5-0 in late August.

Center back Sebastien Squillaci made his debut for the squad and played all 90 minutes alongside a back four that included Johan Djourou, perpetually recovering from his own injury problems. In addition, Denilson, who has not played a match since last season, started in the midfield as he's recovering from an abdominal problem, and Lukasz Fabianski started in goal, as he is trying to recover from being Fabianski. Maybe it's not surprising that the reserves conceded three.

To be fair, Blackburn Rovers also started four players from their first team who are trying to return to the line-up, and took a 3-2 lead on a penalty (which had been conceded by Djourou) before Benik Afobe equalized for Arsenal, then Jay Emmanuel-Thomas won the game three minutes from time.

Injury Roundup!

Strike a pose, Nick! Pic via Arsenal.com.

This feature seems like it'll run all too often during the season, doesn't it? Isn't that terrifying?

• Johan Djourou left yesterday's pre-season friendly at Neusiedl 1919 with a hamstring injury after playing only 29 minutes, but Arsene Wenger says he should be fit for the weekend. With Sol Campbell gone to Newcastle, Djourou's injury leaves Arsenal with exactly one season of total Premier League experience at center back (Vermaelen.)
• Tomas Rosicky was pulled from the line-up with a groin injury as a precaution, but should be fine.
• Nicklas Bendtner will not be healthy for the start of the season and Wenger mentioned being unsure how bad his groin injury is.
• Denilson and Abou Diaby will probably miss the weekend's Emirates Cup, but should be back for Legia Warsaw on August 7.
• Cesc Fabregas and Robin van Persie return to training on August 5, but before then, it's impossible to tell how soon they'll be back to 100% since they're not even with the club at the moment. Wenger mentioned they "might be short for the first game" but this all depends "on the fitness work they have done during the holiday."

News Roundup 5/25/10 - The Nigerian Bank Scam Edition

• Nigerian billionaire Aliko Dangote has denied the rumors that he was in line to purchase Lady Bracewell-Smith's 15.9% stake in the club. After we gave him our bank account numbers and secret PIN codes and everything! [Times, Daily Telegraph, Sky Sports]
• Eduardo's goal at Portsmouth in December and Denilson's goal against Everton in January have both now been reclassified as own goals by the opposition, making both Gunners now appear even more statistically useless on the score sheet. [Arsenal.com]
• Werder Bremen center back Per Mertesacker (whose name I first heard as "Murder Soccer" eight years ago) would be willing to move to North London, though absolutely nothing in these articles implies that this deal is even more than speculative. His quote doesn't even mention Arsenal. Bit of a stretch here? [Daily Mirror, Daily Mail]
• You know what Barca: If you think the asking price for Fabregas is a little too high, you don't even want to know what we'll charge you for Eboue. I'll give you a hint: the deed to the Camp Nou stadium would only be a small percentage of it. [Guardian, Daily Mail]
• An Arsenal midfielder that first trained in Barcelona's youth system has officially transferred back to a Spanish team. Oh, it's Merida. [Daily Mail]
• News from the Cesc Fabregas saga and World Cup news in "International Gunner Watch" are both posts on the docket for later today. Stay tuned.

Champions League: Arsenal 2 - 2 Barcelona: Total Football, Total Ridiculousness

Cesc Fabregas will be out for the remainder of the domestic season. Sigh. Pic via Guardian.

Arsenal 2: Walcott 69, Fabregas 85 (pen)

Barcelona 2: Ibrahimovic 46, 59

It was a bizarre night in North London for the Gunners, who were thoroughly outplayed by their Catalan opponents for significant stretches, suffered three major injuries, and still escaped, somehow, with a 2-2 draw.

For the first twenty or so minutes, Arsenal appeared to fail to realize that there was a match being played. Barcelona seemed to be playing a large scale game of keep-away and the Gunners were quite content to sit back and watch for very long periods of time. Also, hey, who was that new goalkeeper we had for the first half? Because there's no logical reason why the sentence "Manuel Almunia is the only reason Arsenal was still in this game" should ever be written, especially after his display in stoppage time. Arsenal had all of two chances in the first half (compared to Barca's six hundred and forty seven). Nasri whipped a shot just wide of the far post from the left side and Bendtner shot once right at the keeper but pounded the rebound off the woodwork, then ended up offside.

A key aspect of the first half was the injuries: Arsene Wenger took a gamble on starting William Gallas, who was still not back to full fitness. The gamble failed as Gallas left injured on a stretcher, shortly after Andrei Arshavin limped off. The injuries forced Alex Song from midfield to center back, bringing Denilson and Eboue off the bench (while leaving Sol Campbell sitting.) Final notes on the first half: how in God's name was it still nil-nil and how in God's name was that a yellow card to Fabregas? Mind boggling stuff from the officials at certain points in this game as it seemed like any slight wind would knock Barcelona's players to the ground. That leads me to believe that Barca would struggle in the Premier League against the likes of Bolton and Stoke.

As soon as the second half started, regular Almunia returned and Zlatan Ibrahimovic, played onside by an out-of-position Alex Song, charged up the wing and Almunia, indecisive as ever, came out to challenge, inexplicably stopped, then had the ball lofted easily over his head and into the net. This match was stunningly scoreless at halftime and it was 1-0 22 seconds later.

And then Ibrahimovic scored again thirteen minutes later, again beating an indecisive Almunia after being played onside by Song, and the match and the tie felt like they were slipping away.

Then, Theo Walcott came on the pitch. And just a few minutes after the substitution, it was 2-1. I've noticed that Walcott plays spectacularly whenever the TV cameras show that Fabio Capello is in the crowd watching him. Suddenly, Arsenal was in control. My first instinct at this point was that Arsenal sat back and allowed Barcelona so much time and space with the ball so that they'd have fresher legs for the final twenty minutes or so. It's more likely that Barca got complacent with their lead.

Cesc Fabregas won a penalty in the 84th, having been pulled down by Barca skipper Carles Puyol, who was sent off for a last man foul. In the process, Fabregas cracked his right fibula and will be out for the rest of the domestic season. With a broken leg, he took the spot kick anyway and brought Arsenal level, then played the rest of the match because Arsenal had already used all three of their allowed substituions. How bad ass is that?

So, it's all even going back to Camp Nou, though the Gunners are in trouble if away goals come into play. Arsenal will be without Fabregas, without Gallas, and without Arshavin. But both of Barca's center backs (Puyol and Pique) will be suspended. Tuesday should be as much of a roller coaster as yesterday was for us Gooners, but let's all remember, we still have Wolves first.

News Roundup 3/24/10 - The Doubt Edition

Arsenal needs more clockwork bunnies, says Arshavin. Pic via Guardian.

• Andrei Arshavin is pretty sure Arsenal doesn't have enough players and depth to win the league. His web site, however, quotes him as saying "we should win all remaining games." Make up your mind, Andrei. He then finally offered an exhaustive explanation of ideological anarchism. [Guardian]
• Denilson, however, believes that the team's past experiences have left them in a stronger position than ever before. Yes, this is the kind of thing you expect to hear from your players. None of that Arshavin doubt crap. [Sky Sports]
• The Telegraph has an article about Wenger's selection problem at center back for this Saturday's match at Birmingham, which I talked about a bit yesterday. Somehow, they arrive at the conclusion that it would be Campbell Saturday, then likely Silvestre against Barcelona. No. That is not okay. No. No. No. [Telegraph]
• Manchester United's Paul Scholes keeps saying they're going to win the rest of their games too. Like this is the third time he's said that this month. You know, Paul, too much hubris can result in bad karma, like a loss at Bolton on Saturday, or something. [ESPN Soccernet]
• Stoke manager Tony Pulis said "moaners like Wenger just want to shoot us down." Hmmm, I wonder why a team like Arsenal would think Stoke City is a bunch of bullies... Pulis's comments came after yet another Stoke player was sent off at the weekend. [Daily Mirror]
• Arsenal have made some progress in contract talks with William Gallas. How about some progress on that calf injury, okay? [Daily Mirror]
• Nice striker (the team in France, though I'm sure he's a wonderful guy too) Loic Remy has revealed that he still wants to come to Arsenal, despite a January deal failing due to Nice's high asking price, which wasn't very nice of them. I'm sorry for that. [Daily Mail]
• Internazionale is preparing a £36m offer for Cesc Fabregas, offering U-21 star Mario Balotelli in the exchange. Sky Sport Italia has reported that Inter has even placed Fabregas under their insurance already, suggesting a deal is done. Cesc's representatives have stated that there is no contact with Inter, let alone a deal in place. [Daily Mail]

Arsenal 2 - 0 West Ham United: We've Only Got Ten Men

 Thomas Vermaelen's last man foul resulted in Arsenal's first red card of the season. Pic via BBC.

Arsenal 2: Denilson 5, Fabregas 83 (pen)
West Ham United 0

I said this post's titular phrase/chant half-sarcastically before stepping outside at halftime, with a twinge of fear in the voice. But throughout the second half, the Gooners were singing it as boisterously as ever, as if it were a good thing. Indeed, we only had ten men on the pitch; West Ham still looked overwhelmed. And it was amazing.

We were all surprised and confused at the start. Why was Denilson starting in midfield over Abou Diaby? Then within the first five minutes, he showed us all why Arsene Wenger is smarter than us. After some nice work down the left flank by Gael Clichy and Andrei Arshavin, a cross was looped in for Nicklas Bendtner. Upson had a chance to clear, but only got the ball as far as Denilson, who proceeded to exchange passes with the tall Dane, then strike a shot past the diving Robert Green, and then he did a hilarious little dance. One nil to the Arsenal.

Arsenal looked poised to start a thrashing of the Hammers early; Denilson had another chance four minutes after his goal but thumped a shot into the ground then Eboue twisted a shot wide in the 21st. Things eventual settled in terms of game pace as the Gunners held their 1-0 lead through the first half. Then the game turned...

In the 44th minute, a through ball was floated ahead for West Ham striker Guillermo Franco. Thomas Vermaelen nudges the striker in the back and Franco goes down. The assistant referee twirls his flag to call a foul, and it's in the box so it's going to be a penalty. Then referee Martin Atkinson comes over to book Vermaelen, but since he was the last defender and Franco was judged to be in alone on goal, the card was red and Arsenal was down to ten men.

Calling it a foul was a tremendous stretch and Arsene Wenger was not happy and immediately ran over to argue with the fourth official. Or, as it appeared at first on the television cameras, it looked like he ran over to argue with Gunnersaurus. The rule here, however, is very black and white. Or at least it's supposed to be, but there's no consistency in officiating these days. Atkinson was right to send off Vermaelen, by rule for last man fouls but the call was a weak one to begin with. I expect Arsenal to appeal and also can't figure out if this is a one match ban or three. Different web sites say different things. I always thought professional foul reds were one and violent conduct reds were three.

On the penalty, Manuel Almunia was up to the task. Alessandro Diamanti fired his kick exactly where he had when he equalized on a penalty for West Ham on Vito Mannone at Upton Park in October. Almunia, who replays showed was off his line (remember what I said about consistency in officiating?) guessed right and kept Arsenal up by a goal at halftime.

With Vermaelen sent off, Arsenal dropped Alex Song back to center back and switched from their 4-3-3 style to a 4-4-1 with Bendtner employed as the lone striker. West Ham enjoyed a little more possession with one extra player, but never truly threatened (and this is why we chanted "we've only got ten men" to mock the Hammers in attendance). Carlton Cole hit the post in the 77th minute. Aside from that, it was a lot like West Ham decided not to show up for the second half.

Matthew Upson, who did not clear the ball well enough in the 5th minute which led to Denilson's goal, put the game away for Arsenal by handballing in the box. Cesc Fabregas pounded the penalty straight ahead as Green jumped to his left, Arsenal led 2-0 and we all went nuts at Nevada Smiths. We were going top of the league for at least a day thanks to the arrangement of fixtures.

The atmosphere at the pub was perhaps the best of the season. The Hammers, notoriously loud and kind of annoying, were practically silent the entire game (thank you, early goal). In a way, it was disappointing. What I love about the New York Gooners (let me clarify, NYC Arsenal Supporters) is that we'll always sing all game long, regardless of the score. Also, I started a "Can you hear the Hammers sing?" chant. I believe this counts as the first time I've started singing something and gotten the rest to follow.

A brilliant start to spring. Let's hope the season contains some silverware.