The Beautiful Groan

Chelsea 2 (73, 82) Arsenal 1 (Sagna 59)

A day that started badly for both Chelsea and Arsenal, with United recording an overly comfortably win against a poor Liverpool, became the worst possible one for Arsenal as Chelsea came from behind to steal a victory thanks for a typically powerful performance. The frustrating thing is that it could and should have been so much different.

After largely controlling a first half devoid of many chances, and in fact short of the bite you would have expected of the fixture, the second half began with Arsenal on top. Throughout, Chelsea were creating half chances with one long ball, contrasting wildly with Arsenal doing the same after twenty passes. It was neat, but generally fell down at the last minute. You felt a goal could come at either end.

And then it happened. Chelsea had looked surprisingly vulnerable from set pieces, and their setup for a corner on the hour was nothing short of appalling - no-one on the near post and Cudicini way too close to his far post, Sagna was able to steal in and head the ball into the unguarded corner. It was a goal they never would’ve conceded under Mourinho, but what a moment for the man who must surely be the right back of the season in his debut year.

There were only two worries. One was Eboue, who had been booked after four minutes for charging a free kick down way too early, and spent the rest of the match seemingly unaware of the tightrope he was walking, and the second was Didier Drogba, who always give our defence nightmares, with or without Senderos.

The former calmed his act in the last half an hour, but the latter turned destroyer. A(nother) long ball over the top caused confusion, and the eventual ricochet fell kindly to Drogba, who smashed home from the edge of the area. Yes, players were offside from the original hoof, but you’ll never hear me complain about that - in the time it would’ve taken the linesman to turn his head from the passer (if you can call it that) to Anelka and co was probably enough for them to get back in line, and caused enough doubt in his mind to keep his flag down. The rule is that if he is in doubt, he must not flag for offside, and while that’s frustrating at a time when we are getting goals wrongly ruled out, it happens and cannot be used as an excuse.

Fractionally offside should almost always be called onside because of the doubt, and the minute Sky get out their lines and slow motion replays, you know there will have been doubt.

The reality is that after the long ball, as with after the long ball for the Boro goal last week, the defending wasn’t good enough, although Clichy was unlucky to slip when he was in a position to block the shot.

Back on level terms, Chelsea sparked into life, and you had that horrible feeling they would pinch it. That fear came to fruition when Anelka flicked a free kick on to Drogba, who finished past the despairing Almunia. The keeper has taken some criticism early in the analysis, but he had no time to react, and it was one of those moments where you sometimes pull off a fantastic save, and on other occasions don’t quite get your hand in the right position. Unfortunately, the ball spun off the top of his hands and into the corner. He shouldn’t be blamed when it would’ve been a excellent save. He isn’t suddenly a liability, as some would have you believe.

After that, there was no coming back, despite best intentions. To be honest, a draw would’ve been the fair result, but that would still have only suited United. As it stands, Chelsea move into second, five points off the lead, while we sit a further point back.

To win the league now, we have to win at Old Trafford, and hope Chelsea and someone else stop their progress. But United are picking up steam at the right time in the season, and I’d be surprised to see them drop seven more points now. I think the title is theirs, it is certainly theirs to lose.

But that doesn’t end our season, it doesn’t even end our league season. We have two targets - first to overhaul Chelsea and get second place back to avoid a qualification round for the Champions League next season, and second to pick up the maximum points just in case United get the wobbles. What would be a disaster is for that to happen and us not take advantage.

And of course, there’s the Champions League, and with Liverpool so woeful today (even before the sending off), we have to fancy our chances. The bonus would be a chance to avenge today against Chelsea in the semis, who would have to play us either side of their crucial match against United. Can they challenge on both fronts?

Today was as bad as it could’ve been. Is it distressing to see us now six points off the pace when we were five points up only a month ago? Of course. Does this mean the season has been a failure, and indeed, the players are failures? Absolutely not.

There is always tomorrow.

Arsenal 1 (Toure 86) Middlesbrough 1 (Aliadiere 25)

Ouch. For the fourth successive game, two points have been dropped in the sort of match that championship winners gobble up towards the end of the season. Birmingham, Wigan, Villa and now this.

Playing at home to a side who played three days earlier, and have not a lot to play for, when you’ve had a week to recharge, is exactly the sort of fixture you want before a run of quickfire top games. As it was, it proved to be a case of deja vu. Again.

It could have been so different, Adebayor scoring a perfectly legal goal after only a few minutes, when played through by Boateng. It is easy to slam a referee when you’ve played poorly, but this sort of thing isn’t helping at the moment, especially when United went top earlier in the day with a late and offside goal of their own.

And it got worse, Aliadiere gaining the dubious benefit of the doubt this time to put Boro ahead against the run of play. But the static nature of the defending deserves more of the ire than the officials, with the old adage of playing to the whistle being criminally ignored. And how ironic that Aliadiere, having not scored a Premiership goal for us in five years, should get it now.

And although we had most of the play, we didn’t create a lot, Eboue of all people looking the most dangerous, while still managing to infuriate by flopping in the box. Really, Wenger has to sort this troublesome idiot out - he must know that Eboue dives, and he must also know that his reputation has got to the level where he just isn’t going to get penalties. Cut it out.

Up front, we were struggling, Adebayor having understandably lost some form with the burden he has been shouldering for much of the season, while Van Persie was equally understandably rusty. As a result, it was one of those games we just wanted to nick, there are too many players off the pace to blow teams away.

It took until Toure scored, slightly fortunately from a header, with only minutes to go to even salvage a point, and it’s hard to say that we deserved all three. The result means United go top with a game in hand, which they’ll play on Wednesday night against Bolton, who are unlikely to repeat their favour from earlier in the season. And then it’s the start of the big run on Sunday.

There is no doubt that the momentum is slipping away, but it is equally frustrating to see the reactions of some fans aiming anger at Wenger for not strengthening in January, probably the same fans who predicted doom in the summer and then went quiet for the first few months of the season, only to resurface after defeats.

This league is far from over. Liverpool are firing at the moment and who would bet against Torres making an impact against United next weekend? We’d then have to chance to go top, and if there’s one thing the last two seasons have taught us, it is against the top teams we play to our best.

So perhaps it’s a good thing that we’ve got so many difficult fixtures coming up. My only real concern is that every single match will be incredibly intense, and I’m not sure our squad can cope with playing that sort of game every three days. Hleb and Adebayor seem tired, Flamini must be, while Rosicky’s knack of taking three or four games to get back to form may mean he’s peripheral for the rest of the season.

It is a concern. But we’re still in the two competitions we want to be in, which is a massive improvement on last season. Now we just need to end this blip.

Hello from sunny California.

It’s pretty difficult to get much in the way of football news over here. Baseball, ice hockey and poker seem to filling every channel, and the hotel internet is painfully slow. But there we go.

Having been in the dark about the Wigan game until about 24 hours after it happened, I spent most of Monday wishing that it had stayed that way. Eminently missable was the verdict I’ve heard most often.

So the question is - does this hand the initiative to United? Possibly, given that a win in their game in hand will see them go top now, and in fact after Chelsea’s predictable demolition of Derby, they can pull back to within two points with a win in theirs. All three clubs now have destiny in their own hands, thanks to the fact that all will play each other.

But there are plenty of twists ahead. Sometimes you get to this stage of the season and wonder where the top clubs are going to drop points. But here’s a neat fact for you - the only fixture the top five don’t have to play against each other in Everton-United. All nine other combinations are left. And United still have to play Villa and Blackburn.

Any of those matches are dangerous. Dropped points are inevitable given that everyone has so much to fight for - and that’s before you take into account the fact that relegation threatened sides tend to pull out the odd incredible performance at this stage of the season.

It is mid table sides you want to be playing, and that’s where we’ll start, trying to avenge our only Premiership defeat of the season when Boro come to town on Saturday. The good news is that we have no fresh injuries, and the return of van Persie means some of the weight is off Adebayor’s exhausted shoulders. And speaking of freshness, Boro may be short of it having had to play Villa tonight in a tough game.

We haven’t won in England since February 11, and a victory on Saturday is crucial given that four games that follow it - Chelsea, Liverpool and United wrapped around our usual joyous trip to Bolton.

Buckle up, this is what championship chasing is all about. It isn’t supposed to be easy.

Milan 0 Arsenal 2 (Fabregas 84, Adebayor 90)

Gone are the days when English sides run around like headless chickens in Europe, scaring their opponents for half an hour with the blistering ferocity and pace of the play, only to tire and get picked off by their more technically adept adversaries. Welcome instead to the days when controlled pace and skill wear down experienced campaigners until they buckle under the unrelenting pressure.

This was European football at its best, its classiest, and that is an accolade normally reserved for the now vanquished AC Milan. They are the experts, or at least they were until last night.

Attacking Milan in the San Siro whilst knowing that one slip, one mistake, and you could be facing the exit door against perhaps the best defence is Europe is an enormous ask. But Wenger talked about bravery and spirit, and it was there in abundance last night.

Once the first fifteen minutes had been negotiated, in which Cesc cleared a header away from the line and Milan looked threatening from set pieces, the Arsenal midfield took control. Flamini, Cesc, and more surprisingly Hleb were biting into tackles and fighting for every ball, and when Adebayor was needed as an outlet, he was able to outfox his markers for long enough to receive support, no moment more noticeable than when he somehow wriggled around Nesta before feeding Diaby, who shot wide.

As the half progressed, the home fans grew frustrated with the lack of possession their team was enjoying, while Fabregas began to spray the passes around with great effect. All too often though, Milan were getting the last ditch tackle or block in, so Kalac had little to do until Cesc cracked the bar with a superb swerving shot. Shortly after, Adebayor tested the big keeper with another rising drive.

While Arsenal were in total control of possession, Milan still had the players to threaten on the counter, and once Kaka had fed Pato, hearts went into mouths, but the young Brazilian chose not to smash home, instead trying to lift the ball over Almunia and making a mess of the execution. It was to be the best chance they got all night.

Arsenal didn’t want half time, but if anything, the second half display was even more dominating. Senderos connected well with a half volley from a corner but struck it straight at Kalac, before Eboue fired wastefully wide when he was, for once, afforded the space by the otherwise excellent Maldini. As the match entered the last quarter, it was effectively a next goal wins scenario, and having missed so many chances, you wondered whether Milan were going to sneak it in true Italian style.

They wouldn’t. After good work from Hleb, Cesc got the ball just past halfway, ran with it, and without much of a backlift fired from distance. Kalac hadn’t set himself, was slow in getting down, and by the time he flung out a desperate hand the ball had skidded off the greasy surface and into the corner. A great strike, but the keeper will be disappointed with himself.

Nonetheless, it was the very least Arsenal deserved, and Milan were instantaneously killed off. The second and icing on the cake goal was almost inevitable, and it was suitable that it was Walcott setting it up, storming past Kalahdze despite giving the Milan man a huge headstart, and Adebayor finishing it off after Theo calmly slid it across goal. 2-0 was a fairer reflection on a masterclass performance.

The match, and the tie, was won in midfield. Every time Milan won the ball after an Arsenal attack, the advanced trio of Flamini, Cesc and Hleb were seen chasing back and beyond the counter attack, before winning the ball and charging forward again. Their energy was boundless, and it was no wonder Hleb looked exhausted when eventually substituted in the dying seconds. He’d given his all.

Eboue was better defensively, but offered little going forward and his shot was woeful, and while Diaby did his best on the left, you can’t help but feel the returning Rosicky will be better suited there in future rounds.

The defence were magnificent. Senderos and Gallas stood tall and withstood everything thrown at them, while Clichy and Sagna gave classic wing back performances. Superb stuff, and that back four are looking extremely solid at the moment.

The referee was abysmal, and as I realised I would be writing that I hoped even more that an Arsenal win would prevent the predictable ’sour grapes’ response. He really was dreadful - on so many occasions he refused to play a clear advantage, blew up for nothing, booked Hleb for diving when he was clearly fouled, booked Inzaghi and Clichy for nothing, got throw ins and corners wrong, and generally loved the sound of his own whistle. That such an open game was possible despite his frequent interruptions is a credit to both times. He could easily have ruined it.

But today is a day for positives. Those same pundits who were writing the team off days ago are now predicting league and European doubles. Their fickleness is transparent and while the talk of implosion was premature, so must the feet stay on the ground today. It was a wonderful night, but let’s make it a wonderful week and go four points clear at the weekend.

And a final mention for Milan too, who lost with class. Their fans stayed behind to applaud the Arsenal players, and since then both Ancelotti and Kaka have admitted they were simply beaten by a better team. There is much respect there, gained through the course of two matches, and flowing both ways. I hope they qualify for next season’s competition.

Enjoy your day after the night that was.

Arsenal 1 (Bendtner 90) Aston Villa 1 (Senderos og 28)

So much for a backlash. Arsenal’s performance yesterday was extremely poor, while Villa looked strong, quick and clever, and to their credit attacked with numbers whenever possible. Credit to their team, that is, rather than credit to their fans, who let themselves down with some appalling Eduardo chants, vile and unnecessary given how most clubs have wished the Croatian a speedy recovery.

On the pitch, Walcott started up front, and forced good saves from Scott Carson at the start of both halves, but other than that the opposing keeper had little to do - Hleb forcing a routine save and Cesc missing a chance that Adebayor tried too hard to supply to his right foot were about the sum of things.

And by then, Villa were ahead. The goal was unfortunate on Senderos - Agbonlahor’s cross hit his shins and rebounded in, with Carew lurking behind the Swiss defender to apply the finish if necessary. But Villa were causing havoc on a regular basis, with their pacey forwards counter attacking with real menace whenever they had the ball, and Almunia was making impressive saves to keep the deficit at one.

As the second half wore on, the situation became more and more desperate, and it was a surprise when the equaliser finally came, four minutes into injury time. Clichy’s cross was aimed at Adebayor, and for once the Villa defence slacked, too many men got drawn to the big man, leaving Bendtner free to slot home his knockdown. To say the point was merited would be stretching things - in reality Villa probably deserved all three points.

But having been so cruelly denied in the last minute last week, it is incredible to witness the different scenes when you are the ones who score so late. This point not only keeps us ahead of a resurgent United, but it might just give the players the lift they needed. Getting Van Persie, Toure and Rosicky back is also important, because our squad is not as deep as United’s, and many more injuries, in creative positions especially, and we could be in trouble.

Perversely, it might help our league challenge if we went out on Tuesday night. But on the flip side, the season was reinvigorated with a victory in the Bernabeu two years ago. What price another one, in the San Siro this time, providing the launching pad?

Birmingham 2 (McFadden 28, pen 90) Arsenal 2 (Walcott 50, 55)

There is only one place to start, and that it with Martin Taylor, a man who, according to manager Alex McLeish, ‘doesn’t have it in his make up to produce a malicious tackle‘, and ‘didn’t think he’d made a lot of contact‘ with Eduardo’s leg.

I beg to differ.

(A nod to both Arseblog and Gunnerblog for the image).

Watching it live, I wondered how dirty the challenge really was, as the Arsenal players didn’t seem to get overly angry. But within seconds, the reality was clear - one glance at Eduardo’s leg and there was only one focus of their worry. You only had to see the look on Adebayor or Fabregas’ face to see how shocked they were. By the time they’d stopped frantically beckoning for Gary Lewin, Taylor was down the tunnel.

The above image shows how indefensible the tackle is - over the top with only one possible outcome. If you want to see the end result, and I warn you in the strongest sense that you should only click this link if you have a particularly strong stomach, then look here - again thanks to Gunnerblog for the link.

Those who have seen the full extent of the injury now understand what I mean when I say his career is under threat.

Credit to the Birmingham fans at this point - at some clubs chants would’ve broken out against Arsenal and Eduardo, but they kept a respectful atmosphere, and then warmly applauded as the Croatian was stretchered to hospital.

For the rest of the first half, I found myself not caring about the match itself, a feeling that seemed to be present in the players too. Flamini conceded a soft free kick that McFadden superbly buried. Some say Almunia should’ve saved it, but to be honest he did well to get near it.

Our attacks were aimless, and understandably there was no bite or energy in the display. Half time was desperately needed. Whatever Wenger said during the break (and one suspects that it was along the lines of ‘win the match and then worry about him‘), it worked, with some sustained pressure forcing Taylor (the excellent keeper, rather than the dismissed and disgraced centre back) into good saves from Cesc and Hleb. Finally, Adebayor jumped above him, and Walcott prodded in the loose ball.

Theo is a man who relies entirely on confidence at this early stage of his career. Against Slavia earlier this season, he terrorised them after scoring his first goal, and today was the same, as he gave Murphy a torrid second half, after looking poor in the first. He also scored what should’ve been the winner, picking the ball up midway through the half, skipping past a couple of defenders and ignoring Bendtner’s excellent run to comprehensively bury the ball with his left foot. In the first half, he wouldn’t have taken the chance on.

At this point, a rousing rendition of ‘We’re gonna win for Eduardo’ went up around the stadium - wonderful stuff, but unfortunately, they were wrong.

Chances were made and missed for the rest of the half, with Adebayor particularly culpable. In a way, I’m glad his run of scoring in consecutive matches in now over, as he seemed obsessed with equalling Alan Smith’s record of eight league matches, consistently refusing to pass, most glaringly when Bendtner would’ve had a simple tap in to seal the match.

And for that, we were made to pay, but also thanks to an appalling refereeing decision. Clichy controlled the ball in the area, didn’t spot Parnaby, and took the time to look around for options. Suddenly aware of the winger’s presence, he made a last ditch tackle, and successfully got the ball, but Mike Dean pointed to the spot, and the points were shared.

But there was still time for one act of stupidity. Furious at the penalty, Gallas watched it from the Birmingham half, seemingly protesting. What if Almunia had saved it? The captain then got himself booked putting his studs through the advertising hoardings, before sullenly sitting on the pitch long after the other players had gone down the tunnel.

To me, he was being utterly stupid, and giving everyone a chance to claim that we’re imploding. There are more positive ways of channelling anger, and with his frustrated kick on Nani last week fresh in the memory, he is certainly not leading by example at the moment. As barely the only player in the squad with the experience of winning the Premiership, he needs to inspire. Sort it out William.

But back to Martin Taylor, who will now serve what is, in the context of things, a laughable three match suspension, while Eduardo suffers on the sidelines. Similar to when Dan Smith destroyed Abou Diaby’s ankle a couple of years ago, Wenger is understandably furious.

Eduardo’s season is over, his Euro 2008 dreams are over, and it seems likely his 2008 football days are over. And that’s being optimistic. His injury is up there with some of the worst we’ve seen, along with David Busst or more recently, Alan Smith. The former never came back, the latter took a year and a half and is not the player he was.

Martin Taylor, meanwhile, will be eligible to play two games in March.

It has irked me for a long time that dangerous tackles and violent conduct all receive the same mandatory three match ban. Pushing someone lightly in the face gets the same punishment as potentially ending another professional’s career. It must be looked at.

Because in cases like this, Taylor should be banned for a lot more than a pathetic three matches. It was a disgraceful challenge, and I only hope that Alex McLeish has more class than to defend his player once he’s seen the replays. It is utterly indefensible.

Eduardo, get well soon. Nothing else matters today.

Man Utd 4 (Rooney 15, Fletcher 19, 74, Nani 38) Arsenal 0

For the second time in a few short weeks, Arsenal have been humiliated and dumped out of a domestic competition. There were many (myself included) who thought that the 5-1 defeat at White Hart Lane would prove to be the low point of the season, but at least that day the team seemed to care. At least that day it was largely fringe players having a shocker. At least that day we didn’t have players only showing passion in petulance.

Yesterday was an absolute disaster, from start to finish. The first ten minutes were dull, as both sides started cautiously, but then United seemed to realise that they were quicker to every ball, and stepped up a gear. Rooney headed in the first when Hoyte should’ve done far better, and then Gallas and Cesc were particularly culpable in Fletcher adding number two. At that point, it was already game over.

With Cesc, Hleb, Gallas, Toure on the field, and finishing in the class of Eduardo available, this team is more than capable of coming back from two down, even at Old Trafford. But I defy you to find a Gooner who thought the match wasn’t over after twenty minutes. The reason was simple - there was a complete lack of fight from front to back. Players were ducking out of challenges, not using their body to turn the onrushing defenders and find themselves in the space behind them, and when they did get an inch, they passed to the opposition, without bothering to chase it down afterwards.

Only one man is exempt from that particular criticism, and that’s Jens Lehmann, who was professional, alert and frankly, kept the score from being doubled. But even his copybook is blotted by his abysmal distribution.

On the other end of the scale is a man who not many of us would miss if Wenger decided to get rid of him right now. With Nani scoring the third before half time, the second half was all about pride and fight, but Eboue took the situation and made it ten times worse, when he approached an aerial battle with Evra by lifting his leg and slamming his studs into Evra’s thigh, who was taken out in mid air. Eboue was rightly sent off.

There were so many things to be angry about in that instant. Only a few minutes had passed in the second half, and we were trying to avoid a pasting and show United they couldn’t roll over us. He ruined that. There was the passing thought that an early second half goal might give them the jitters. He killed the tie stone dead. And worst, he picked a time when we have the longest injury list I can remember in years, a time when Clichy, Sagna, Diaby and Rosicky are all absent from our flanks, and earned himself a pointless three match ban. In truth, the tie was gone, but his irresponsible actions reduces Wenger’s options yet further in a busy and vital period of the season.

But you can’t say we weren’t warned. His histrionics have been infuriating since he arrived on the scene, and while there was no diving yesterday, that was probably because he wasn’t even in the game until he forced himself out of it. At Liverpool last season he was a disgrace, he alternates between putting in dangerous tackles and making out that the innocuous tackles of others are far worse than they are. It is a miracle it has taken him into his fourth season here to get his marching orders.

But let’s assess him overall - he can be skilful and clever, but most of the squad can be described that way, and at the end of the day he is now a midfielder who offers absolutely no goal threat. His best asset is his crossing, but even that has been woeful this season. Add to that less than spectacular CV his disgraceful attitude, and I simply cannot believe that he doesn’t make some of his more professional teammates want to throttle him.

Back to the game, and Fletcher’s second goal in the second half gave the final score a more realistic look. It was every bit the hammering that the scoreline suggests, with us not managing to make van der Sar make a save in the entire match.

It is hard to take positives, even though the FA Cup was clearly down the list of priorities. A defeat was almost expected with the squad so patched together, but no-one expected this. Alan Hansen was, for once, right at half time - it really did look like there was only team who cared about the result.

Injuries or no injuries, low priority or not, that simply isn’t acceptable. Mistakes are forgivable. A lack of effort isn’t.

At Spurs, we were humiliated, but bounced back with a sequence of wins that has seen the team achieve a five point lead at the top of the league. The best, and only answer to this performance is to bounce back again.

Give it your all against Milan, boys. And Wenger, please don’t play that idiot on the right flank.

Arsenal 2 (Senderos 4, Adebayor 90) Blackburn 0

Comfortable, if not entirely convincing. Efficient, if not spectacular. Words that won’t bother any Arsenal fans looking at the Premiership table and a five point lead, after a near perfect weekend.

Blackburn came with a gameplan to shut up shop and force some pressure, but it fell apart after only a few minutes, when Eduardo’s corner found an unmarked Senderos six yards out, the Swiss defender powering home. In all honestly, it was shocking marking, and Mark Hughes was right to look so angry on the touchline.

For much of the next hour, we became more and more thankful for that goal. Freidel was saving the half chances we were getting, and while Blackburn weren’t creating much, there was always a worry that a second would be needed.

After the break, there was a distinct improvement, Hleb smacking the post with a shot that was an unexpected as the first scorer. Finally, Adebayor, who had again shown great workrate up front, continued his goalscoring run, flicking Hleb’s pass past a defender and slamming home. The relief was there was all to see.

So often in matches where a team is looking to capitalise on dropped points elsewhere, it is tough to get the win, but it was a battling performance that bodes well for the rest of the season. I still think it’s a little premature to be talking about winning it, let’s see where we are at the start of March. Inside the last ten games, we can start counting down, until then, they’re just more matches.

But one consistent achievement we’ve managed this season is to lead the league well into enforced breaks. Every time we’ve gone off to an international break, we’ve gone top or extended the lead just beforehand, and now with the cups taking over again, we can sit with a five point lead for two weeks.

Next up, United in the cup. It isn’t the priority of either club, and neither wants a draw, so it could be entertaining. I imagine Wenger will do what he did a few years back and rest a few names. We won that day, partly thanks to a hilarious open goal miss by Giggs. More of the same?

Man City 1 (Fernandes 28) Arsenal 3 (Adebayor 9, 88, Eduardo 26)

Predictions can be right, predictions can be wrong, and predictions can be right for completely the wrong reason.

I said in my preview post that the match could well be decided by the tussle between Sagna and Petrov. I meant that with Petrov on such fine attacking form, the Frenchman would have to be on top of his game to stop him. In reality, the tone of the match was set the other way around. Petrov gave the ball away, showed absolutely no interest in winning it back, or tracking Sagna, who was flying down his wing, and our right back squared the ball for Adebayor to fire home, via the back of Micah Richards. When you’re on a hot scoring run, they all go in, and that was his tenth in eight matches. There was more to come.

The big man turned provider halfway through the half, when he nodded a Clichy cross perfectly into the path of Eduardo, who was a fraction offside. His chest trap turn took Richards out of the game, before an acrobatic overhead into the bottom corner seemed to seal the match before it had even got going.

Moments later though, City were back in it, and it was a rare error from the usually reliable Clichy, who tried to shepherd a ball out of play, only for Corluka to rob him and set up a tap in for Fernandes. Clichy’s reaction showed just how much he cared - he was gutted to make such a basic error, and I’m sure it won’t be repeated.

The second half was quite cagey, but you always felt there was another goal in the contest. With minutes left, it arrived, and it said everything about Adebayor. Hacked down on the halfway line by Elano (whose resultant booking rules him out of the Manchester derby), Andre Marriner played the advantage rule for the first time in the game, and with Hleb and Fabregas steaming forward, Adebayor got up and charged into the box, in time to slot in the third. The guilty Elano wasn’t even in the picture.

It was the sort of individual performance from Adebayor that has the press and fans purring, and scoring in eight consecutive games shows just how far he’s come this season. Wenger attributes much of it to his attitude, suggesting that he has now grown up both as a player and a person. The troublemaking behaviour we heard about when he arrived simply isn’t present.

On the other hand, City’s performance saw even the usually calm Eriksson fuming on the touchline. Two of the goals could’ve been prevented by midfielders tracking their men, and given that those midfielders were the talismen of Petrov and Elano, it doesn’t set the right tone for the rest of their team. Their season is in danger of petering out, but let’s hope Eriksson whips up a storm for their trip to Old Trafford next weekend. Can’t see it somehow.

Elsewhere, United slipped up, playing poorly at Spurs and needing a last minute equaliser to pinch a draw, a Dawson own goal, to match his concession of a penalty and red card against the same opponents in the cup last weekend. Quality.

Chelsea, meanwhile, drew at Portsmouth, putting into perspective the somewhat hysterical reaction of some Arsenal fans when we drew at the same ground over Christmas. None of the top three have won there this season.

The Ivory Coast marched on in the African Nations Cup, hammering Guinea 5-0, and should now reach the final where they are likely to face an Essien-inspired Ghana. The form of the Chelsea man makes me glad he’s away from the Premiership right now - he is single-handedly dragging his country through the tournament.

So once again, we enter an international break looking down on our rivals, though I suspect by the time we face Blackburn next Monday, United will be back on top.

Until then.

Arsenal 3 (Adebayor 51, 83, Butt og 89) Newcastle 0

What were we so worried about? After a first half display that lacked a lot of cohesion, and in which Newcastle admittedly caused a few problems without creating much in the way of clear cut chances, the second half was completely one sided, and Arsenal strolled through to round five.

Early on, Rosicky did what Rosicky always does - got injured just as he was getting into some kind of form, and was replaced by Eduardo. Clichy had to be alert to clear Smith’s shot off the line, while Cesc had the best chance, toe poking Clichy’s excellent long ball straight at Given. Diaby also forced a fine save with a curling effort, but 0-0 was about right for a half in which the sides mainly cancelled each other out, despite attacking intent at either end.

If the first half was disappointing, the second half was anything but. Early on, the crucial breakthough was made when Cesc’s flick round the corner found Eduardo, whose curling shot came back off the post to Adebayor, who beat two defenders before smashing the ball into the corner. An excellent goal, but better was to follow when the same man ran round the entire back four before firing low beyond Given for his second, and eighteenth of a prolific season. When ex-United midfielder Butt headed past his own keeper for number three, the icing was truly on the cake.

It is turning into a remarkable FA Cup - with Man City currently losing the final fourth round match, there are set to be only six Premiership teams in the last sixteen - the traditional big four, plus Boro and Pompey. That’s it. Which, for all the talk of the cup regaining its romance, especially with Havant scoring twice at Anfield yesterday, does almost guarantee that for the 13th season running, one of Arsenal, Chelsea, United or Liverpool will win it.

Also, as a slight sideshow, both the BBC and Sky will be scrabbling around for repeats to show in ten days time, as there are precisely zero replays required. Ha.

Meanwhile, in Ghana, Alex Song played well in Cameroon’s 5-1 drubbing of Benin which revitalises their campaign, while Nigeria drew with Mali, ensuring that they’re struggling to qualify. Ironically, Eboue could do Arsenal a favour by helping the Ivorians beat Mali, thus taking Nigeria through with them and ensuring that the likes of Mikel stay away from the Premiership for a little longer. There’s a sub plot for you.

Not a lot of news elsewhere - the draw for the fifth round is at lunchtime tomorrow, and with so many top flight teams out already, only five of fifteen potential opponents are in the same league as us. Let’s hope for a comfortable draw, especially as the match will come a few days before the first leg against Milan.

Until tomorrow.