Wilshere shines as Arsenal beat Villa

Arsenal managed to atone for their opening day defeat against Aston Villa by beating them 2-1 on Monday night. Jack Wilshere and Olivier Giroud scored goals a minute apart from each other before Benteke scored late on to set up a nervy finish. However, the Gunners were resilient and despite a flurry from the hosts in the last ten minutes, we managed to come away with all three points. It was a vital three points as well with every club in the top seven winning over the weekend. In terms of the line-up Arsenal put it out, there were a few changes from the win over Spurs. Giroud and Ozil returned after injury whilst Szczesny regained his place after being rested. Meanwhile Serge Gnabry retained his place after impressing in the Cup.

Jack Wilshere starred as Arsenal maintained the pace at the top of the League

It had been nine days since our last game against Spurs, meaning that the players had a very good opportunity to recharge their batteries after a hectic Christmas and New Year period. It had meant that the likes of Ozil and Giroud had a chance to come back fully fit along with Gibbs and Oxlade-Chamberlain who were also returning from injuries. Having lost to Villa earlier in the season it was a brilliant chance to put things right and we did in fairly comfortable fashion up until Benteke's goal. Once again though, as against Newcastle and other sides this season we've managed to see a game out when leading by only one goal. Something that may not have happened last season.

The goals we scored though were of great quality and it was nice to see us not trying to walk the ball into the net for once. We'd built up a lot of early pressure but Villa had effectively parked the bus and it was proving very difficult to break them down. Mesut Ozil played a brilliant ball in behind to Monreal who pulled the ball back to Wilshere who found the net with a precise finish. Villa Park brings back happy memories for Wilshere who scored his first ever Arsenal goal there back in 2010. For the next goal Wilshere turned provider, clipping in a lovely ball to Giroud who then buried his chance beyond Guzan for 2-0. Jack Wilshere was a revelation in this game and completely deserved the man of the match award. After a slow start to the season, he's beginning to pick up some real form when playing in his preferred deep lying role. The talented midfielder now has five goals this season, the most he's scored in a single campaign so far.

The goal we conceded though was not like us at all. Santi Cazorla had been giving the ball away cheaply quite a lot but it hadn't cost us up until the goal. Instead of clearing the ball down field he passed it straight to Lowton who found Benteke with a brilliant cross. Although on a long run of games without scoring Benteke couldn't miss. Cue angry hand gestures from Mertesacker in the direction of Cazorla. That's twice this season that we've seen Per get extremely angry at something which shows the dominant leader that he has become. The Villa game was the German's 100th appearance for the club. In that time he's only lost 19 games, drawing 18 and winning a massive 62 times. When Mertesacker and Koscielny have completed 90 minutes together, we have not lost since January 2012, a quite incredible record.

Apart from conceding, the only bad points from the game where the injuries to Monreal and Rosicky. Yes, more injuries, as if we didn't have enough already? Monreal hobbled off after the hour mark after clashing with a Villa player whilst Rosicky got an elbow in the face. The consequence? A broken nose for the Czech international. On in place of Rosicky was Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain who has missed the last six months having been injured in the corresponding fixture in August. It's a relief to have him back, especially with the news of Walcott. The Ox made an encouraging come back and made a few good driving runs late on. There's definite potential there for the rest of the season that's for sure.

Next up is a game against a struggling Fulham side at the Emirates. Should be easy enough shouldn't it? We've conceded just one in our last few games at home and we seem to be in pretty good form. Every thing's looking pretty nice as we play a relegation threatened side who haven't been good at all this season.

The teams line-ups:

Aston Villa: Guzan, Lowton, Vlaar, Clark, Baker(21), Luna, El Ahmadi(73), Westwood, Delph, Agbonlahor, Benteke. 
Subs: Steer, Sylla, Tonev, Bacuna(21), Albrighton, Weimann(73), Helenius. 

Arsenal: Szczesny, Sagna, Mertesacker, Koscielny, Monreal(66), Wilshere, Flamini, Gnabry(69), Ozil, Cazorla, Giroud.
Subs: Fabianski, Jenkinson, Gibbs(66), Rosicky(69)((86), Oxlade-Chamberlain(86), Podolski, Park.

My man of the match: Jack Wilshere.

Referee: Neil Swarbrick.
Attendance: 36,097.  

Cazorla and Rosicky goals seal win in derby

Arsenal probably had one of the most trickiest ties in the third round of the FA Cup. However they didn't make it look like that as they brushed aside their North London rivals with relative ease, beating Tottenham 2-0 at the Emirates. Considering our recent struggles to create chances in our two previous League games we created a lot against Spurs as Cazorla rifled home in the first half before Rosicky dinked the ball over Lloris in the second. It was a comfortable performance from the Gunners who had not picked their strongest line-up. Serge Gnabry lined-up on the right and due to injuries to our strikers Theo Walcott played upfront. Ozil, who was injured for the Cardiff game, was back on the bench whilst Fabianski started in goal with Vermaelen stepping in for Mertesacker at centre half.

Tomas Rosicky scored Arsenal's second and his first of the season

This was a hugely anticipated derby and was the second time the two sides had met this season. We played them near the beginning of the season in which a single goal from Giroud was enough in a much tighter affair than last night's one. That was under AVB though and last night's fixture was against an Arsenal fan in Tim Sherwood. He supported Arsenal as a boy and his team selection of 4-4-2 made us able to dominate the game in the middle of the park and was the reason we probably won the game. It was Arsene Wenger's 47th North London derby and it continued our run of not being knocked out in the third round of the FA Cup since a 1-0 defeat in 1996 to Sheffield United.

Theo Walcott was a handful for the majority of the evening and made some clever runs which almost got himself two goals and then led to the first goal. All of that was to happen before Walcott was stretchered off late on in the game. Surely not another lengthy injury for one of our players? Serge Gnabry was able to exploit the space in order to set up our first goal. He cut inside and then slid in Santi Cazorla who rifled the ball home on his left foot. Both players involved in that goal had fine games. Gnabry could've had one himself whilst Cazorla drifted inside often and hit one or two efforts wide. The other goal came as a result of poor Tottenham play. Tomas Rosicky robbed Danny Rose of the ball and then raced in on goal. Walker managed to track back but the Czech very cleverly ran into his path meaning either a foul or a goal was the only option from then on in. Rosicky then waited for Lloris to go down before dinking the ball into the back of the net for his first of the season.

Our attacking play was far more encouraging compared to recent games and that was all down to a very different style of play we adopted to. We're usually used to seeing either Giroud or Bendtner up top who hold the ball up. However with Walcott upfront the defenders kept dropping off due to his pace, allowing other members of the side to find space. Particularly Gnabry and Cazorla as mentioned earlier. Dembele and Bentaleb found it hard to deal with the trio of Rosicky, Arteta and Wilshere which made it easy for us to pass the ball around into space.

Our defence kept another clean-sheet and that was with there being rotations. It showed that despite not being heavy in numbers in terms of that phase of the pitch, the back line can still put in a shift regardless of who plays there. Vermaelen had to be replaced at half time but up to then he had made a few crucial tackles. Mertesacker came on and slotted straight in and he hardly needed any time to adapt to the game. Koscielny's composure was evident again as Adebayor and Soldado hardly caused us any problems going forward. Fabianski was also good when called upon, making an especially good save when one-on-one with Eriksen with the score still at 0-0.

I was nervous going into the game but only on one occasion was I worried that Tottenham would in fact score. I had confidence in the side and it was the most comfortable derby victories I've witnessed in a while. Theo Walcott being stretchered off but then doing a "2-0" sign with his hands just topped the night off, it was a brilliant piece of banter towards the Spurs fans. The FA better not fine him or ban him, if anyone should be banned it's the Spurs fans for throwing money in Theo's direction.

The draw for the next round was made this Sunday afternoon and we'll be facing Coventry City at home. Last time out, we beat them 6-1 in the League Cup. A repeat would be nice but considering last season's cup performances I'm not ruling anything out. It was nice to rest a few and see a few players that haven't been on top of their game as much as they'd like to be this season have good games. Our next fixture isn't now for 8 games when we take on Aston Villa away from home. Hopefully a repeat of our first game of the season won't occur!

The teams line-ups:

Arsenal: Fabianski, Sagna, Koscielny, Vermaelen(45), Monreal, Arteta(75), Wilshere(71), Gnabry, Rosicky, Cazorla, Walcott.
Subs: Viviano, Mertesacker(45), Jenkinson, Flamini(71), Ozil(75), Podolski, Park.

Tottenham: Lloris, Walker, Dawson, Chiriches, Rose, Lennon, Dembele, Bentaleb, Eriksen, Adebayor, Soldado(63).
Subs: Friedel, Fryers, Fredericks, Capoue, Chadli(63), Obika, Kane.

My man of the match: Tomas Rosicky.

Referee: Mark Clattenburg.
Attendance: 59,476.

Arsenal start new year with late win

Nicklas Bendtner scored a priceless late goal for Arsenal that kept us top of the League when all seemed lost. The Gunners had struggled to break down a resilient Cardiff side but the players never gave up as Bendtner hammered the ball home from point blank range with two minutes remaining. Theo Walcott then scored two minutes later to ensure we got off to a winning start in 2014. The Emirates stadium was absolutely rocking as we stayed top of the table by a point. Before the game Arsenal were plagued with injuries. Ramsey, Ozil, Gibbs and Giroud all missed the game whilst Walcott, Wilshere, Rosicky, Monreal and Vermaelen all had to face late fitness tests but thankfully made it. Due to Giroud not playing Podolski got up a chance upfront with Cazorla out wide and Wilshere behind the striker. Monreal came in for Gibbs whilst Flamini started beside Arteta in midfield.

It was one of those games where I just didn't think it was coming, I was sitting in the ground head in hands at the amount of opportunities that had been and gone. The amount of corners we'd failed to convert was ridiculous and Cardiff had parked the bus and barely tested us all game. It was fizzling out into a frustrating 0-0 draw. Cue the arrival of a Danish striker whose been on the bench for most of the season. With Giroud out injured and Podolski having done next to nothing upfront, Nicklas Bendtner was what the game seemed to be surprisingly crying out for. He came on and crosses were being thrown into the box on a regular basis. Nacho Monreal supplied one of those crosses to the back stick with two minutes left. Our other full back Bacary Sagna threw himself at the ball but it was saved, Nicklas Bendtner followed up to smash the ball home to win us the game, and sprain his ankle in the process. It was one of the Dane's most important goals in the red of Arsenal and it sparked absolute mayhem in the crowd!

The other goal was to come from my man of the match, Theo Walcott. When he actually got at the full back he caused all sorts of problems and there were several moments in the game where he had chances to get in behind and score. He did indeed do that for his goal. Jack Wilshere flicked the ball round the corner and Walcott delicately chipped the ball over Marshall for his 5th goal in as many games. He really has been a revelation since his return from injury. Talking of Jack Wilshere though, he excelled in the central attacking role. With the likes of Ozil and Ramsey out, we needed some penetration through the middle and that's what he gave us. Wenger seems to think that his best role is more deep lying but from what I've seen he looks better as a 'number 10', as his number suggests. He didn't create as many chances as you would've liked him to, but he put in a great shift and spread the ball about well, dictating the game to his liking.

We were extremely limited going forward though and it wasn't surprising to see the goal come so late. Podolski was given his first start since injury and was played as a centre forward. However he didn't have much of an impact. He made hardly any runs which meant the wide-men and midfielders were limited as to where they could put the ball. We weren't necessarily missing Giroud, we were missing a striker, and that's what we of course got in Bendtner. Typical that he got injured. 

Back to the positives and another mention has to go to the defence. Koscielny and Mertesacker looked to have carried their 2013 form into 2014 and this season we simply haven't been conceding silly goals to the smaller sides. A thing that in turn, means we're top of the league. We now have the best defensive record in the league having conceded just 18 goals and now just 1 in our last 7 games at the Emirates. Wojciech Szczesny made a great save late on to maintain the clean-sheet and showed his concentration despite having to do hardly anything throughout most parts of the game.

Yesterday more than anything though, showed the team's character, desire and resilience to not give up. Theo Walcott said in an interview after the game that he always knew the goal was coming with the amount of chances they were having. A sign of belief in a team that over recent seasons hasn't seemed to have it in the final moments of a game.

We desperately need to get all our players back as soon as possible now. We have Spurs in the FA Cup on Saturday and I'm praying that we have Giroud and Ozil back. Giroud because of our lack of options upfront and Ozil because of our lack of creativity and movement going forward against Newcastle and Cardiff.

The teams line-ups:

Arsenal: Szczesny, Sagna, Mertesacker, Koscielny, Monreal, Arteta, Flamini(65), Walcott, Wilshere, Cazorla, Podolski(65). 
Subs: Fabianski, Vermaelen(90), Jenkinson, Rosicky(65), Ryo, Gnabry, Bendtner(65)(90).

Cardiff: Marshall, McNaughton, Caulker, Turner, John, Medel(61), Kim, Whittingham, Noone, Mutch(67), Campbell(79).
Subs: Lewis, Hudson, Gunnarsson(61), Cowie(67), Smith, Maynard(79), Cornelius. 

My man of the match: Theo Walcott.

Referee: Jon Moss.
Attendance: 60,004.  

Giroud ends goal drought to finish year on a high

Olivier Giroud ended his seven game goal drought as Arsenal beat an inform Newcastle side on Sunday afternoon. Giroud's goal was the game's only goal and it was a crucial one as it meant that we were to finish 2013 on top of the Premier League by a single point. It was a far from convincing performance but we had to work extremely hard for it and it showed that the players strong concentration and resilience to hold onto a one goal lead. Arsenal had been weakened severely due to the injuries to both Ozil (shoulder) and Ramsey (thigh) so Rosicky and Wilshere both came back into the side following both missing the West Ham game through injury and suspension respectively. Laurent Koscielny also came back into the starting XI as Vermaelen missed out through illness.

Olivier Giroud ended his tough time in front of goal with a header that won us the game

Newcastle in recent weeks have been very tough opposition and we managed to do what Chelsea, Man United and Liverpool have all failed to do this season in beating the Toon. That indicates once more that after dropping points against City and Chelsea, that it might not necessarily matter what we do against the top sides considering they keep slipping up against the smaller sides in the division. The win though signaled that despite us not being at our best the Gunners are still capable of grinding out results at difficult grounds.

One of the most positive things to come out of the game despite the win, was Olivier Giroud getting on the score-sheet. The French striker has come under heavy criticism lately due to him not scoring as regularly as he did at the beginning of the campaign. He was a bit laboured in this game again and didn't offer a huge amount going forward. His interlinking play wasn't as good as it could be. Despite that he won us the game and rescued us in what was a stalemate up to then. Theo Walcott put in a good free-kick, a rarity for him, and all Giroud had to do was get a touch to it to give us the lead.

With Mesut Ozil and Aaron Ramsey both missing, Tomas Rosicky and Jack Wilshere had to step up and provide us with creativity. Although they weren't as effective as their team-mates they certainly stood out ahead of most players on the pitch. Jack Wilshere was given the chance to play in his preferred deep lying role in midfield and distributed the ball well and was able to dictate the tempo of the game to his liking, which is what he's so good at. Tomas Rosicky was playing his 200th game for the club and his leadership and passion was demonstrated in a man of the match display. The Czech's work rate is second to none and he played a key part in our attacking play.

Through large parts of the game though you could see that we were heavily missing Ozil. I noticed something that goes un-recognised in most games the German plays in. Today we didn't have as much time and space on the ball. That was because Ozil is so good at drifting into space, dragging players towards him in order for his team-mates to be available for a pass. That wasn't able to happen today, and was probably the reason that our best chance and our goal came from a set-piece.

Meanwhile there was another clean-sheet to add to our impressive defensive record this season. Thomas Vermaelen had provided able deputy whilst Koscielny was out injured and despite a few nervy moments from the French centre half he put in a confident display with Mertesacker once again. There's an incredible stat that outline the pairings partnership; when Per and Laurent have completed 90 minutes together we have not lost a game since January 2012. A formidable pairing and shows why we're currently sitting at the top of the League. They've contributed to the side that have won the most points out of any Premier League side in 2013. This calendar year we have amassed 82 points, hopefully we'll see a similar sort of record in 2014.

Next up is Cardiff on new year's day. Lets hope we can start 2014 in the same way we ended 2013, with a win and sitting pretty at the top of the division. Cardiff are currently in disarray with no manager and a chairman that doesn't seem as though he has a clue what he is doing. I'm expecting changes with Spurs in mind next weekend in the FA Cup. I'm also expecting us to get all three points in a convincing manner.

The teams lineups:

Newcastle: Krul, Debuchy, Williamson, Coloccini, Santon, Anita(74), Tiote, Cabaye, Sissoko(78), Gouffran(62), Remy.
Subs: Elliot, Haidara(78), Yanga-Mbiwa, Sammy Ameobi, Ben Arfa(62), Shola Ameobi(74), Cisse.

Arsenal: Szczesny, Sagna, Mertesacker, Koscielny, Gibbs(70), Flamini, Wilshere, Walcott(80), Rosicky, Cazorla, Giroud(86). 
Subs: Fabianski, Jenkinson(80), Arteta(70), Ryo, Gnabry, Podolski, Bendtner(86). 

My man of the match: Tomas Rosicky.

Referee: Lee Probert.
Attendance: 52,161.  

A chance to finish the year on a high

Our cramped festive schedule continues with a trip to high flying Newcastle tomorrow and it certainly won’t be easy. The Magpies have been doing better than expected this season and are comfortably sitting in the top half of the Premier League table. We regained top spot on Boxing Day with a win against West Ham and we’ll be looking to be build upon that and start another winning run. Manchester City won today meaning they’re top of the league by 2 points so it’s absolutely key that we achieve a win tomorrow.

The game will see the feisty battle of Wenger and Pardew resume. Pardew has previously criticised Wenger of the way his team plays and the way he goes about his business. The comment Alan Pardew made about foreign players in the Arsenal side a few years back now has become rather contradictory considering so many of the Geordie side’s team is filled with Frenchmen. Despite that though, Wenger has had the much stronger hand over Pardew and Newcastle in recent years. We’ve lost just one out of our last twelve encounters against them but they have been strong at home this season so they could be difficult to break down.

The main dangers will come from Loic Remy, a previous Arsenal target, Yoann Gouffran and Yohan Cabaye. All French players and all stand out players recently for the Toon. Remy scored twice in his last match and has been a brilliant loan signing from QPR. Gouffran meanwhile has 5 in his last 5 home games and Cabaye is in a rich vain of form having scored 3 in his last 3 matches. Cabaye of course was an Arsenal target in the summer and we even had a £15m bid rejected. In a way I hope he shows why we did indeed bid for him, but I’d rather he didn’t do it in this match.

Matches down the years between these two sides have often provided thrillers. The 4-4 draw at St James’ a few years back provides memories whilst our last game of 2012 saw us win 7-3. In that game, Theo Walcott scored a hat-trick and he is one of the League’s in form players. He’ll be looking to take advantage of his form and hopefully guide us to a successive league win. The last time we met them was our last game of the 2012/13 season when a win was needed in order to qualify for the Champions League, a game that proved that we can play under pressure and certainly grab a win in their own back yard.

We’ll have to go there and win without Aaron Ramsey though. He is expected to be out until the middle of January now following a thigh problem picked up against West Ham. This is a tough loss but not as tough as it would’ve been without us having a talented array of midfielders. Jack Wilshere is due to return from suspension and should finally get a chance to play in his preferred role as the deep lying play maker. There could be a few rested but Cardiff on New Year’s day, in my opinion, would be the chance to rest players ahead of the FA Cup tie against Spurs. Laurent Koscielny is 50/50 but expect Vermaelen to continue at centre half with Rosicky coming back into the squad after missing the West Ham game completely.

For the second year running a game against Newcastle will be our final game of the calendar year. During 2013 we have amassed the most amount of points out of all the Premier League sides, notching up a 79 point tally before Sunday’s fixture. This is a great chance to finish the year on a high and hopefully sit on top of the Premier League come 2014.

Walcott double helps Arsenal regain top spot

Arsenal gave their fans a late Christmas present by returning to the top of the Premier League. This was thanks to a 3-1 win against West Ham on Boxing Day yesterday. The Gunners showed some signs of rustiness having it been Christmas the day before and it took them a while to get going but in the end they ran out comfortable victors. Theo Walcott scored twice whilst Podolski came off the bench to seal the points. In terms of chances created it was a hugely improved performance after the disappointment of Chelsea on Monday. In terms of the team line-up there was just the one change from our last game. Tomas Rosicky missed out completely so Santi Cazorla regained his place. Apart from that, it was an unchanged side as Vermaelen once again played instead of the injured Koscielny.

Santi Cazorla starred as Arsenal beat West Ham

The Gunners were desperate to get back to winning ways following four games without one in all competitions and that's exactly what they did against West Ham. However, that wasn't without a few nervy moments at the back throughout the game. We performed much better than we had done against Chelsea and created way more chances than previously. Monday was a rarity where we somehow struggled to create any clear cut chances. This time around though chances fell quite regularly and we could've had more than three. The hosts meanwhile, also probably warranted more than what they got in front of goal.

Thomas Vermaelen put in another assured display at centre half, and that was despite the defence coming under heavy pressure at the start of the second half. Wojciech Szczesny who has been reliable in goal this season made a rare error as he spilt a shot straight into the path of Carlton Cole to fire home. Cole should then have had a second but put it wide whilst the same fate fell the way of Joey O'Brien.

The Gunners were to come back fighting though and at the heart of it was Santi Cazorla. His form has been anything but superb this season and has struggled to find the displays he put in regularly last season. However, yesterday he was back in full flow. Everything seemed to come through the Spaniard who was playing in a more central role than we've been used to this campaign. He played some brilliant balls in behind the defence and grabbed an assist for Theo Walcott's first goal. Moving onto Theo Walcott, he was another one of the stars of the show. He has been brilliant since returning from injury and he has showed what a miss he has been. His first was a rather lucky effort on his left foot which somehow crawled under the keeper's legs whilst his second was a fantastic header. It was the wide man's first ever headed goal in all levels of the game. Theo may have had a hat-trick too if he had put away a first half chance rather than putting it wide from a few yards out.

There was a welcome return to the side for Lukas Podolski who played in his first match since August. He was absolutely fantastic when he came on and once again showed that we do indeed have some sort of strength in depth. He showed what we'd been missing out on the left in terms of a proper outlet. He assisted Walcott's second goal and then scored a peach of a strike to mark his return in perfect fashion. The German now has three goals in 108 minutes of Premier League football this season, a prolific record.

To finish off I'd just like to quickly pick up on the form of Olivier Giroud. He certainly isn't firing on all cylinders at the moment which is a real shame after his explosive start to the season. His link-up play and first touch is world class but he seems to be lacking in confidence in front of goal and is snatching at his chances rather than finding the net. Giroud grabbed an assist but perhaps it's time to give him a little rest and play Bendtner once or twice. The big Dane came on for the last five minutes and almost scored whilst he also made some really positive runs into the box.

We're back on top of the League now with a tough game against an inform Newcastle side on Sunday at St James' Park. We'll be looking to build on the West Ham result and find some winning momentum once more. We'll be traveling to Tyneside without Aaron Ramsey though who picked up a thigh problem in the game yesterday. Time for Jack Wilshere to step up into his preferred role.

The teams lineups:

West Ham: Adrian, O'Brien(63), Tomkins, Collins(38), McCartney, Jarvis, Nolan(75), J.Cole, Noble, Diame, C.Cole. 
Subs: Jaaskelainen, Demel(63), Rat(38), Collison, Diarra, Taylor(75), Maiga.

Arsenal: Szczesny, Sagna, Mertesacker, Vermaelen, Gibbs, Arteta, Ramsey(65), Cazorla, Ozil(81), Walcott, Giroud(85).
Subs: Fabianski, Jenkinson, Monreal, Flamini(81), Gnabry, Podolski(65), Bendtner(85).

My man of the match: Santi Cazorla.

Referee: Phil Dowd.
Attendance: 34,977.  

Arsenal held in bore draw with Chelsea

Arsenal and Chelsea played out a goalless draw on Monday evening as both sides looked to affirm their positions at the top of the table. It was a game of very few chances and it could have gone either way. Some brilliant chances were missed whilst there were some poor refereeing decisions that went against the Gunners. Not for the first time this season it was a game of ifs and buts. It had been nine days since our last game and there were changes as expected from the defeat to Man City. Kieran Gibbs came back in for Nacho Monreal whilst Arteta regained his place in midfield in place of Flamini. Due to the suspension to Jack Wilshere, Tomas Rosicky started out on the left. It was also refreshing to have Lukas Podolski back and fit as he was on the bench. The other change saw Thomas Vermaelen replace the injured Koscielny.

Giroud had two brilliant chances to win the game for Arsenal

There's a debate over whether this game was a chance to go top of the table missed or whether it was a good point. Personally, I think it was both. This was a completely winnable game, especially the way Chelsea have been playing recently. Mourinho came to the Emirates looking for a draw and in my opinion we gifted it to him. However for a few seasons we've been asking Wenger to play for a draw when we come up against the big teams. Last night he did that and drawing is certainly better than losing.

For the second game running we can question whether Wenger chose the right mentality. The balance of the team was better than against City but it prompted no changes from the manager, who after a few slip ups in the final minutes of some games was probably worried about making changes that may effect the team in a bad way. However the feeling of winning the game would've been amazing. We needed that extra firepower and directness. Podolski would have been a good shout but perhaps he wasn't fit enough to come on and provide the game with a proper impact. The weather conditions were very poor and that led to a few sloppy passes. There were some poor displays in there though, Aaron Ramsey had a poor game by his standards whilst Giroud had two fantastic chances to win us the game. One which was sliced into the side netting from just 8 yards out on his stronger foot. Another indication that we are desperate for some extra firepower in January.

Thomas Vermaelen came back into the side in place of the injured Laurent Koscielny. He was criticised greatly last season for being nowhere near the top of his game. A consequence of that was the partnership of Mertesacker and Koscielny who have been outstanding this season. Vermaelen last night though looked right back at the top of his game. It was brilliant to know that the skipper still has it in his locker to be a top class defender. He had a 98% pass success rate, 100% tackle success whilst also made 4 interceptions. A formidable display as we kept another clean sheet. Kieran Gibbs was also in form and despite him being a defender he looked our biggest threat getting forward from left back. He's certainly putting in a strong claim to go to the World Cup in the summer. He's a very understated player and perhaps doesn't get the credit he deserves. He had a spell a few seasons back where he was quite injury prone but he looks to be over that now *touches wood* and he is one of the teams most consistent players.

As much as we were good defensively it was one of the poorest displays I've seen from us in an attacking sense for a long time. Rosicky looked lively but other than that we struggled to create hardly anything. The only shots on target came late on and the player that came closest was Sagna who had a header cleared off the line in the dying embers. In our last game against City, the officials made three poor decisions and there were three once again in this one. Walcott could easily have had a penalty when he was brought down by Willian in the first half. Meanwhile Mikel should have been sent off for a horrible tackle that broke Arteta's shin-pad, and thankfully not one of his bones. He didn't get a card but Ramires did when he also put in a dirty tackle on Arteta.

We're now joint top of the league, only behind Liverpool on goal difference and we have West Ham coming up on Boxing Day. Liverpool meanwhile have Man City and then Chelsea so we're still in a very strong position to finish 2013 at the top of the League. West Ham away has the potential to be a tough game but they don't score many, and apart from against Manchester City, we haven't conceded many. Onwards and upwards from now on in.

The teams lineups:

Arsenal: Szczesny, Sagna, Mertesacker, Vermaelen, Gibbs, Arteta, Ramsey, Walcott, Ozil, Rosicky, Giroud.
Subs: Fabianski, Jenkinson, Monreal, Flamini, Cazorla, Podolski, Bendtner.

Chelsea: Cech, Ivanovic, Terry, Cahill, Azpiliceuta, Mikel, Ramires, Lampard, Willian(77), Hazard(73), Torres(88).
Subs: Schwarzer, Cole, Luiz(88), Mata, Oscar(77), Schurrle(73), Eto'o. 

My man of the match: Thomas Vermaelen.

Referee: Mike Dean
Attendance: 60,039