Another morning, another disappointing result

I was really hoping that we could get a win over the Spuds yesterday to get back to within 4 points of the title race but as expected we couldn't and now we are down to third place. Although we are still unbeaten in 2011, the many draws that we have suffered( I think it is 5 draws in the last 5 matches), have taken its toll on our premiership challenge.

Again it was not a match where the couldn't win. In fact, we had a two goal cushion at one point, just like the game at the Emirates but we failed to hold on to the lead. At least this time we didn't lose the match. I think the boys gave it their all but the lack of concentration among some of the players is evident. We just don't seem to be able to defend a lead well enough to secure the points. It was not as bad as the Eboue incident on Sunday but Szechny's penalty giveaway was a needless one. Other than that mistake, the young Pole actually did quite well and I think he will be the answer to our goalkeeping woes. 

Generally both teams played well but could not maintain the level of play for the whole 90 minutes. It was not only the Gunners but Harry's men as well. I guess that is why both the teams are struggling at the moment. It was an open and free-flowing game, a testament to all things good about the English game but if you were a fan of both teams, it would't have done your blood pressure any good. I know I went through a big rollercoaster of a time.( Not as bad as the Liverpool match though because at least this one was over 90 minutes rather than only 3)

All in all, the title challenge is still on but games are fast running out.  

What's wrong with this team? Lack of believe is the answer

Seriously, how can anything team score a goal in the 98th minute of a match to lead and end up with a draw. I really do not understand how we can just throw away the points like that. While we used to have a fragile mindset in previous seasons, this year what we have done really takes the cake. We were leading Spurs 2-0 at home yet end up losing 3-2. We lost to WBA and Newcastle at the Emirates. We were leading 4-0 at St James Park only to throw away the points again. Seriously something must be very wrong with the team. This can't be fragile minds anymore. The excuse that this is a bunch of kids also does not hold up anymore because the lads are all grown up now. The Liverpool team had even more kids in the eleven that ended the match.

No doubt it was an unfamiliar Liverpool that was on display last night. I can entertain teams like WBA or Wigan coming to Arsenal and set up to park the bus but not Liverpool. Here is a team with wins over Chelsea and Manchester United but Daglish chose not to come at us. Maybe it was a sign of respect for our attacking prowess but if Liverpool had a more positive mindset, they could have possibly won the match. Nonetheless, they defended well and got the point they wanted. It was our responsibility to break them down and we failed rather badly.

The team didn't play well at all. Arsene said the last 7 games were going to be like Cup Finals to the team. Well the team will certainly not be winning anything if they played like that in Cup Finals. There were no passion in the players at all. Arsene said the players looked jaded but they haven't played a match in a week. How jaded could they be? Plus they are in a position to fight for the title. Surely there must be some impetus in that. It really looked like the players do not have the believe that they can catch Man United for the title. It is this lack of believe that will ultimately see us not winning anything this year.

There is a reason why Almunia went from No 1 to No 3

It is unbelievable how little faith some fans have in the Arsenal team after the match yesterday. Yes we dropped two valuable points and is now 5 points from leaders Man United. This match was always going to be difficult as the Baggies are quite a resilient side at the Hawthorns. Since Roy Hodgson took over, they have tighten up their ship and is on a good run, being unbeaten in their last four matches. So it is quite commendable that we managed to return with a point. The lads did not play their best but the way they fought back shows that we still have what it takes to become league champions.

There are still nine more matches to go and it is this month that the leaders will face their most demanding schedule. If they successful navigate the month without dropping any points, they deserve to win the title. Personally I am sure they will drop some more points before they arrive at the Emirates in the beginning of May. It is the job of Arsene and the Gunners to make sure that we still within touching distance by the end of April.

We have many difficult games as well so it will be interesting to see how we are going to take advantage of the situation. This next international break is welcomed for the club as it gives the injured players a long time to recuperate. Ideally when we play our next match against Blackburn, we will welcome the return of Cesc, Theo and Song to the first team. Without the trio, we have loss a little spark and it is not a coincidence that we have not managed get full points from the last two league matches.

The only thing that worries me is Almunia. He is really a disaster and there is a reason why he went from No 1 choice at the start of the season to No 3 by the turn of the New Year. Our goalkeeping situation was very much in control with Wojciech between the sticks. Now we only hope a 41 year old keeper can take over from this walking time bomb.

Arsenal three points behind United with a game in hand

All the gloom from yesterday turned much better as Liverpool beat Manchester United 3-1 today at Anfield. A hattrick by Dirk Kuyt condomned United to their third loss in five Premiership games. Surely this is the chance that we have been waiting for.

As it stands now, the title is still in our hands. We do not need United to lose or draw their matches if we can match their points until the end of the season. It will all boil down to May 1 when the Red Devils visit the Emirates. Win that games and I am sure we will lift the title. However getting all the points from now until then might be a problem if we keep getting players injured. The latest one to take a knock is Jack Wilshere, although he has come out say that he will definitely be ready for the Barcelona match.

We have failed to take our chances when the league leaders falter throughout the season. It was the same when Chelsea was leading and it is now happening again. The road till the end of the season is worst for us then it is for Man United with away games to Stoke and Spurs to come, while we will need to entertain Liverpool as well. It would not criticised the boys for yesterday's performance except for that of Diaby and Denilson. These two player are seriously not good enough and should be discarded next season, for they will impede the progress of the young players coming through like Frimpong, Lansbury and Ramsey.

The next two games will also have a major bearing on our league aspirations this year. Although I would definitely like to be challenging for all honours, I don't think we have the depth to do it and a defeat in the Cup or Champions League may actually be a blessing in disguise

A bittersweet victory at the Emirates

It was a good win yesterday for the Gunners at the Emirates but we could be counting the cost of the victory with both Fabregas and Walcott limping out of the match. Any game with Stoke is going to be a physical one but this is getting out of hand. I think Peter Walton is a decent referee but he certainly did not do justice to the Arsenal lads yesterday. It was not a dirty match but some of the tackles by the Stoke players were more than robust. How can you explain that there were only 4 yellow cards shown throughout the match with 2 of them going to Arsenal players. I counted the number of tackles Dean Whitehead had on the Arsenal players. In any other match or on the continent, he would have long been sent off.

Now that we are only 1 point from the leaders, there is genuine belief that we can challenge Manchester United for the title. I have always been confident of the lads. I feel the key to the success of our final run-in is so dependent on us winning the Carling Cup.

This is our chance of winning something for the first time since the FA Cup in 2005 and we have to take it. We are the overwhelming favorites and if we do not take this opportunity, I fear that the psychological damage will derail our challenge for not only the league but all the other competitions that we are still in.

I think we can manage without Walcott but it is going to be extra difficult to be without RVP, Koscielny and Cesc. We can only wait till tomorrow for the latest updates from the manager. till then, I am just keeping my fingers crossed

So the fat lady did not finish singing yesterday?

After the collapse last nite at St James's Park, all the pundits, from Asia to Europe to America confidently pronounce the end of Arsenal's Premiership title challenge. Everybody was saying how Arsenal would be 7 points of Manchester United by the weekend and have no chance of catching the Red Devils. Well, as they say it ain't over till the fat lady sings, and the lady was missing yesterday.

It was of course very poor to drop two points after leading 4-0 in the first. It was sickening to see how the lads played yesterday. Of course it is difficult to be facing 12 men on the pitch with only 10 (there is no doubt Phil Dowd plays for Newcastle) but our own performance was poor. We didn't string an attack for long periods in the half, choosing to sit back and let the opposition attack. Van Persie was sitting too deep and the withdrawal of Walcott and Arshavin was detrimental to the team formation. The most important loss was that of Djourou, as his replacement was ill-suited for the match. Squillaci has lost his way since the turn of the new year and every time he plays, we look shaky at the back.

Having said all that, we gained one point at the end of Saturday and are now just 4 points of the lead. Just like nobody expected the collapse in the second half, I am sure not even the most positive Wolves fan expected victory yesterday at the Molinouex. Next week we have the Manchester derby and a possible loss of points again for the Red Devils. We need to put the disappointment behind and get maximum points from our meeting with Wolves at the Emirates and add more pressure to the Red Devils. I am tired of hearing that the title is all sewn up by United. Let's give the pundits some else to take about now

A great result, An excellent team performance

At the end of the day, it is all about the three points. As usual we did it the hard way but this time we did not cave it after going behind. Earlier in the season, we lost both matches to WBA and Newcastle at home after going down. Yesterday, we showed true resilience with a superb second half performance.

We did not play badly in the first half. If it wasn't for the linesman's self-interpretation of the offside rule, I doubt that we would be behind. The Toffees played hard but did not pose much of a threat. The only time they seriously threatened was when Bilyaletinov forced a great save from Scezcny. I am starting to like our young Polish goalkeeper alot. From what I see, he has the air of confidence in his command of the box that both Fabianski and Almunia lack. He is going to be great for Arsenal in the future.

I think we have to thank David Moyes for his cowardice in the second half. It has a big part to play in our comeback. The Everton manager was contended to try and soak up the pressure from the Gunner hoping to hold out for the win. They played passive football and was trying all way out to gain extra minutes with every stoppage. On the other hand, Arsene played his cards courageously by deploying both Arshavin and Bendtner for Rosicky and Wilshere. This was the turning point in the match as Arsenal quickly scored the equalizer and subsequently the winner.

What pleased me most about the match was the team effort by all the players involved. We had a bit to defend after we scored the second goal and you could see that all the players were enthusiastic about helping out in defence. Bendtner, Arshavin and Walcott was all tracking back and added extra manpower to the defence. This type of performances were lacking in the first half of the season which is why I am very optimistic about Arsenal future this season.

Again, at the end of the day, we got the three points we needed to keep pace with United. We need to do the same this weekend as United could potential drop points in the Manchester derby.

Finally a trip to new Wembley

This trip has been a long time come. The Gunners have never been to new Wembley but we changed history yesterday with an emphatic victory over a resilient Ipswich. Although we were odds on to beat the Championship side, credit must be given to Paul Jewell and the Tractor Boys as they gave us a good fright for over an hour.

It is as if Arsene saw the light at the end of the tunnel and answered many a fan's prayer when he decided to start with Fabregas and Van Persie for the match. Both players dictate the play and was in control for much of the first half. Van Persie almost opened the scoring for us but he could only divert a Bendtner cross into the bar. At this time we were in full control of the match, and true to their word, Ipswich literally parked their tractor in front of Martin Fulop. It didn't help that the lads were let down by some poor finishing. Even Fabregas was at fault when he failed to hit the net after being put through by Wilshere.

As the match wore on, you could see that Arsene and the fans were getting a little anxious. However, the brilliance of two young players who made their debuts in this competition put paid to Ipswich's hopes of an upset. A long crossfielf pass from the excellent Wilshere was controlled brilliantly bu the much maligned Bendtner. The Dane who was also impressive in his last start against Leeds, turned two defenders before curling a shot beyond the grasp of Fulop. You could see the relief etched on everyone after the goal has gone in. After that it was less of a resistance as quick goals from Koscielny and Fabregas gave us the chance to end our title drought that everyone seems to harp on.

If we were to win the League Cup, it would really be fitting testament to Arsene's grand youth project. No doubt he fielded a stronger side this year in the competition but yesterday starting eleven consisted of 7 players who came up through the academy and made their first team debuts in this competition:
Scezny, Clichy, Djourou, Denilson, Fabregas, Wilshere, Bendtner.

As we are still in the hunt for all the cup competitions, a win in Wembley could be the catalyst we need to achieve greater success this season including clinching the Premier title again.

This one's for keeps, a Van Persie hattrick!

I am not sure but I believe this is his first hattrick for the Gunners. It should have really been four but for the awful penalty miss. Nonetheless, Van Persie looks to be in hitting form just at the right time for us as we prepare to challenge for The Quad. The hattrick bring his tally to 6 goals in his last three games. Usually he would break by this time of the season but since he has had his injury rest earlier in the season this time round, let's hope he can stay fit to lead the attack.

However, my Man of the Match is not Van Persie but rather our skipper Cesc. He was instrumental today in his vision and pin-point crosses. It may be because the Wigan defense gave him loads of space and time to run the game but he has really come back to form as well. Together with Van Persie, his performances over the last two games give me hope that we can finally win something this year. I don't think you will see many more accurate passes than the one he delivered to set up  Van Persie's first timer to seal the second goal. It was just exquisite. His contribution for the second was not bad either. Just a turn and immediately he could tell that Walcott was off running and promptly delivered a precise pass into the winger's path. Really great vision

It is clear that this year, the outcome of the season will depend of the Fabregas-Nasri-Van Persie. If they stay healthy and in-form, then we will potentially have a great season. Of course the other players need to put in their share but when the three of them play together, we just perform so much better.

Now that the league match is over, we can focus on the big match next Tuesday against Ipswich. If Arsene can put out the same team again, I am pretty sure that we will have not problem overturning the 1-0 deficit and book a place in the final.

A whole world of difference in just one week!

Has it been just over 10 days that we were struggling to beat Championship sides in the Cup competitions. After watching yesterday's win over Leeds, it is good to say we got our groove back. Goals from Nasri, Sagna and Van Persie guided us safely through to a meeting with another Championship side Huddersfield come January 30th.

As Simon Grayson himself admitted, his side was truly outclassed last night by a energetic Arsenal side. If you have caught last week's match at the Emirates and the one against Ipswich, you would probably wonder if it is the same club that we playing. Yesterday, our lads showed much more passion, drive and above all, hunger to win the match that was so sorely lacking in the past week. True we made it harder for ourselves that we should when we missed chance after chance in the first half but at the end, our class and determination made it comfortable.

Personally, the victory yesterday was very down to the two players, Nasri and Sagna. Without Nasri at the Emirates last week, there was no creativity in the engine room at all and we struggled to create chances. It was only when the Fabregas came on that we got going and eventually found the equalizer. So we must learn our lesson here. Nasri or Fabregas must be present in the team for the lads to gel. If both are available then it is so much better but in any case, we need at least one of them to be on the field.

The other player that caught my eye was Bacary Sagna. He has been our most consistent defender this year and without him, we were sixes and sevens in defense. Although he was caught out of position on a few occasions, his speed and determination was enough for him to be back in his position to prevent the opposition attackers taking advantage. His goal was just the icing on the cake for a superb performance last night.

Another player worth mentioning is Nicklas Bendtner. I know I have been saying he is not good enough for Arsenal (I stand by everything I said) but last night he played reasonably well. At times he look lost on the right and his first touch is still dreadful but he showed determination to run and help out in defense whenever needed.

Now that we are safely passed one Championship opposition, we just need to get through Ipswich in next week's Carling Cup semi-final return leg at the Emirates to complete an excellent start to 2011.

Arsenal loves to see its fans suffer!

How else can you explain last night's performance. Here we are facing a side languishing in the lower regions of the Championship, have just been thrashed at the weekend and not having the new manager with the team, yet we contrive to lose this match and make it harder for ourselves to qualify for our first final in 4 years.

If our continue to give such a performance then I seriously don't think we will end our title drought this year. Our much vaunted attack was nowhere to be seen. It was not as if we were a team of youth talents as the case in previous years. Our attack last night was lead by three full internationals, yet I don't think they managed a shot a goal.

I was very disappointed with the defeat. It would have made the work so much easier if we had beaten Ipswich last night. Now we have to break down a dogged defense at the Emirates and hope we do not fall prey to the counter attack again. It will not be easy at the Emirates as Ipswich proved last night that they can defend very well.

The other problem with the defeat last night was that it adds further pressure to the team in a period where fixture congestion may become an issue. Basically all out matches from now until the middle of February are must win matches. We cannot afford to slip up on anymore League matches while the cup matches are now do or die.The lads will be playing 2 games a week for the near future. I am afraid if the fringe players do not buck up then we will be in a lot of trouble. Twice in a week, players like Bendtner and Arshavin have failed to impress. It's not wonder that these two are linked with moves away from the Emirates.

Although disappointed, I am still optimistic that we will conquer all before us starting with West Ham this Saturday and Leeds the following week. The team always make us suffer but I am hoping for a big surprise to end all suffering come February.

Two points dropped again at the Emirates

It was disheartening to see this match end in a stalemate given the many opportunities that we had especially in the first half. You could say that luck was not on our side today as both Van Persie and Fabregas rocked the frame of the goal in a match where we truly dominated. If we had converted those early chances, I am sure we would have won the game today. At the end of the season, we might have to look at these games: the one last night and the match against Chelsea at the Bridge as the ones when we lost the title.  We dominated and created chances after chances but failed to bring home the points.

It's not point dwelling on the match yesterday anymore so let's move on from here. The next two matches are equally important(if not more) in our quest to fill our trophy cabinets. We have always performed well in the FA Cup and there should not be any reason why we cannot win the League Cup this year. In fact, it will be a travesty if we do not end our title drought this time around.

Going by last night's match, I am pretty optimistic with the team. Last night's performance was sharp and lively with the players seeming hungry for the win. The defense held up well to give us a second consecutive clean sheet, somewhat a rarity these days. The loss of Sagna to the red card might be a problem for us, as he is by far the most dependable defender this season.

Last night also showed us that Manchester City will not win the title if Mancini is at the helm. It seems they have not learned their lesson from last year. Last season, I would say they lost the champions league place because they were not ambitious enough. Remember how they came to the Emirates just to play out a draw against a Gunners team missing 8 first team players. This year again, they could have taken the game to us but chose to be happy with a point rather than grab all three. As the saying goes, fortune favours the brave. I am sure the Citizens will not win anything this year or the next.

Positives amid all the doom and gloom

If you were to believe most of the news reports today, you would have thought that following Arsenal’s defeat yesterday, we are now lying bottom of the Premiership table  and likely to be relegated. It does seem funny how with each match the sentiment among pundits can change just at a whim.

No doubt it was a defeat but no unexpected given our recent history. Are we out of the title race...definitely not. Although many pundits would like to brush off our chances, they simply can’t do that. We are still in second place and I won’t be surprise that the conclusion of next weekend’s round of matches, we would be again sitting on top of the league.

I tend to be optimistic and look at the positives from the match yesterday. First, it was a credible performance by the young keeper Szechny. He couldn’t do anything about the goal and made a great save in a one-on-one situation with Anderson. Again I wouldn’t be suprise to see him between the sticks in the next game against Stoke. He has a presence in the box which Fabianski doesn’t and this will continue in handy against the aerial bombardment expected from Pulis’s guys.

Second, I thought the defence held up better than expected. We did concede a goal and a penalty but other than that I don’t think Man United had many chances. I count probably two; Nani’s volley and Anderson’s miss but that’s it. The central partnership of Koscielny and Squillaci kept Rooney pretty quiet for most parts of the game.

Upfront, we couldn’t get going with Arshavin and Rosicky both disappointing but Walcott was not too bad when he came on. He was lively and had a couple of shots. I also see better things once we can get Fabregas, Van Persie and Chamakh to work in tandem. This is probably the first time they played together and I see positive things in the future.

All in all, we shouldn’t be too hard on the boys following the defeat. It’s over and let’s move on.

After all the talk, Gunners don't show any “WALK”

After all the pre-match gung-ho talk from the players, I was really optimistic about our chances this time. It was probably naivety that brought me to believe that the boys were finally out to prove their doubters wrong and end the losing streak against the Red Devils.

Unfortunately, we were treated to the same lackluster performance that we have seen from the team over the past weeks. Whereas, we could just scrapped pass Fulham and Partizan with such performances, it was always going to be hard against Manchester United at their own den. It was not so much that the home team was outstanding, just that our boys did not show up for the match.

United was played pretty much like how they do this season, not really impressing but able to grind out the matches. Earlier in the season, their matches ended in draws but they have since turned the corner and convert such insipid performances to wins. As for the Gunners, we are still stuck during games where the opposition has a strong defensive unit. We hardly had a shout at goal. Throughout the match, I only remembered Chamakh’s header in the first half as forcing Van de Sar to make a save. Other than that, NOTHING. Even the introduction of Cesc and Robin failed to make anything worthwhile offensively.

This was the weekend where we could take a big step in the race for the title. However, yet again we failed to capitalize on this opportunity

A good start to an important week

So we are on top of the Premiership going into the most important week of our season so far. On Wednesday we take on FK Partizan at home in a tie which will determine our further progress in this year’s Champions League campaign, then on Monday night we travel to Old Trafford for a top of the table clash with Manchester United.

Yesterday’s laboured victory over Fulham was anything but convincing, with the strikers showing the usual profligacy in front of goal and the defenders still looking as shaky as ever. However, Djourou seems to be coming into his own as a key member of the central defence with a more solid performance than before. With Koscielny out for three weeks and Vermaelen still nowhere to be seen, the young Swiss with have the chance of his life against the likes of Man United and Chelsea in the coming weeks.

With our home form still stuttering, we should not take the mid-week game for granted. FK Partizan is the weakest team in the Group but that what we said of West Brom and Newcastle who ended up leaving the Emirates with maximum points. It still remains to be seen if we can continue our goal-scoring home form for European games by hitting six past Partizan.

The match I am more looking forward to is next Monday’s match at Old Trafford. Last year, we dominated the match only to lose again courtesy of two individual mistakes. This year the mistakes have not abated but we seem to perform better on the road so there is reason to be optimistic. Win that match and we would be four points clear of the Red Devils and possibly more from Chelsea (as the Blues take on Spurs).

All in all the victory yesterday was much needed not least to start the month on a high note but also to show that we are capable to going to the top and staying there until the end of the season.

A sweet victory but let's not get complacent

We are well on track to achieve our much coveted first trophy after five long and barren years. Yesterday’s 2-0 home win over Wigan puts us into a record 14th semi-final appearance in the League Cup. Furthermore, with Manchester United losing to West Ham, we are undoubtedly the favourites to lift the trophy this year.

What’s more heartening to see was despite making 9 changes to the team that perform so well against Aston Villa at the weekend, our team still had enough quality to steamrolled past a resilient Wigan. There was no doubt that the Latics were going all out to win the match as well but there was just too much quality flowing through the team. If our forwards hadn’t been so wasteful in front of goal, the winning margin would have been much more.

Our finishing this year has been poor and it showed again in this match. I have always said that we need to improve on killing of the opponent. Vela’s miss when clean through on goal is almost unforgivable. If you look at his body language when striking the ball, it was as if he was over-confident in putting the ball into the net.

Well that is what we need to guard against: complacency. Arsene has come out to acknowledge our status as favourites in this competition but he warned that favourites don’t mean anything until you win the trophy.

Although none of the team still in the competition poses a challenge to the Gunners on paper, we have to work just as hard because all the other teams will be gunning to bring us down.

That is for January when the semi-finals roll along. As for now, we just savour the victory and move on to concentrate on the task at hand in the title race and Champions League.

Yet again we failed to take advantage of Chelsea's loss

Truly disappointing.

 That’s about sum up the match today. What started as a brilliant afternoon turned sour after 45 minutes of non-performance from the lads. Yes, and yet again we had the chance to take advantage of Chelsea’s slip-ups we failed.

I don’t really know how we could have gifted the Scums their away first victory over us in 33 years after doing so well in the first half. We were cruising with goals from Nasri and Chamakh going into the break and it looked like they were dead and buried at that time.

Yes, wily old Harry made a good substitution in bringing on Defoe but they were hardly menacing all the time. Before they got the first goal, the only time they threatened Fabianski was when Modric had a shot which went over.

Again, defensive lapses caused us dearly for the goals. We had four defenders surrounding Van de Vaart and Bale yet both of them managed to conjure up an opportunity which they converted. I am not sure about rules about handball when you are in the wall but from my perspective, both Chamakh and Fabregas were just protecting their face when they had their hands up. I have seen many cases like that over the years, and this is the first time I have seen it being given.

The true of the matter is we played really badly in the second half and we were punished for it. I have seen this kind of performances from the lads once too often this season, and it is really frustrating. I have to agree with my guest writer two days ago. With such inconsistency running around the team, I really can’t see how we can be taken seriously as title contenders

Arsenal win, Chelsea lose, and we're back on track

This is proving to be a good week for us after the disappointment last Sunday. In midweek, we battled to a victory away to Wolves and today we got our second straight away victory in 4 days with another hard earned victory over Everton at Goodison Park. Furthermore, leaders Chelsea suffered an unexpectedly defeat at the hands of Sunderland at Stamford Bridge, putting us just a mere 2 points away from them.

It was again not a vintage performance from our boys but we managed to get the goals we needed and then defended stoutly in the face of a late Everton barrage. Bacary Sagna gave us the first with his first goal for the goal after almost three years and skipper Cesc Fabregas doubled our lead early in the second half. The Toffees have shown that they can fight their way back from a two goal deficit as they did against Manchester United. When Cahill got one back in the last minute of the match, I was afraid we might crumble but the lads held on well to claim all three points.

The team’s performance was way below par in the first half as we were always second best in the 50-50 challenges and the opposition controlled possession. Although we did score but overall we were again poor in our passing and penetration.

We picked up the tempo in the second half and score straight out of the block. From that point onwards, Everton threw more players into attack and had we score the third goal through breakaway opportunities by Nasri and Chamakh, the ending would not have been so suspenseful.

In the late match, Chelsea suffered an embarrassing home defeat to Sunderland, going down 3-0 at Stamford Bridge. Goals by Nedum Onouha, Asamoah Gyan and Danny Welbeck tore a hole in Chelsea perfect home record this season amidst a dire injury crisis that they are facing.

Our victory moves us above Manchester United into second place and we are back on track for the title challenge

A victory nonetheless but a long way from redemption

We got what we wanted, which is to break the two game winning streak and bounce back immediately after the home defeat to Newcastle. Yes, it was important that we got all three points but the victory was anything but convincing. It was like the previous victories over Bolton, Blackburn, Birmingham and West Ham where we created chances but failed to convert them, thus giving the opposition every opportunity to get back into the game. And they nearly did in this bar for the superb last minute save by Fabianski. I am not a big fan of the Polish keeper but he is starting to grow on me. He made several brilliant saves in the game and quite literally saved us from another drawn game.

The malaise upfront continues with the Arsenal strike forward with Andrey Arshavin the main culprit. His finishing doesn’t seem a crisp as when he first arrived. Whereas previously he would put his two opportunities away, this season he lacks the composure in front of goal. Much like Fernando Torres earlier in the season, the Russian can’t seem to buy a goal and even when the shots beat the goalkeeper, the post is in the way. He definitely needs a goal badly.

Elsewhere, Cesc is still a concern for me. Although he played well in patches, his passing game is still way off. His partnership with Wilshere and Song which was so fluent and dominant earlier seem to have deserted them. No doubt, Wolves gave it all and closed down the channels aggressively but the lads were just brushed off and giving away the ball with misplaced passes.

Defence was a usual concern with Djourou failing to win headers on many occasions. I have my doubt with him but he is the only available partner for Squillaci at the moment so we have no choice other than playing him. Luckily we have Sagna who is really the standout defender this campaign. He is able to read the game well and helps out in the when both centrebacks are out of position. His intervention in the second half saved a sure Wolves equalizer.

All in all, we got the three points that is what matters. There are times when we need to be grinding out victories such as this but the frequency of this happening is a concern for me.

We deserved to lose 'cause we have no HEART

When I wrote about the November curse at the beginning of the month, I certainly didn’t think it would hit us this early, and definitely not in this match.

It was a hugely disappointing defeat, going down at home to a newly promoted side. Even though Newcastle has been in great form coming into the match after their victory in the Tyne-Wear derby, we should have won this match comfortably.

Similar to the previous defeat against West Bromwich Albion, the team played badly with misplaced passes and lack of creativity permeating throughout the entire team. More frustrating for me was the absolutely lack of HEART among the players. There was no passion, no drive, no urgency in the each and every one of the players.

Rub your magic 8 gently

Besides a 10 minute period at the start of the second half when we have two opportunities to equalize, we didn’t trouble the opposition’s goalkeeper at all. There was no slick passing, just mindlessly thumping of the ball into the penalty. By this however, we were already devoid of our best header of the ball. Don’t know why we chose to play this way when RVP or Walcott are not the best in the air, leaving on Bendtner to challenge the centrebacks. I don’t think we won any crosses that went into the box today.

Our skipper Cesc Fabregas must have had the worst game ever since breaking into the team. He was absolutely poor in his passing and looked jaded in his running. Whereas his vision of the game is usually spot on, today his creativity and movement was nowhere to be found. I would dare say his performance affected many of the players.

Our home form is becoming a worry. With only 6 matches played at the Emirates, we have already lost twice. I guess tomorrow’s papers would blast the keeper on his blunder that led to the goal. To blame Fabianski for the loss would be the easy way but as I said, the team played really bad.This is not a good sign for the coming weeks in the month. On a day where Chelsea looks like losing to Liverpool, we could have moved to within 2 points but now find ourselves back among the chasing pack for 3rd and 4th placing.