Vito’s contribution has been so lauded because he was left exposed by the defence. In an ideal world our backline wouldn’t allow the opposition the same number of chances that Fulham had

Fulham 0 Arsenal 1 – Premier League

Is there a fixture that tends to typify Arsenal’s seasons more than Fulham away? If there is, I can’t think of one.

In 2005/06, we hammered them by four goals in March as we propelled ourselves towards our maiden Champions League Final.

A year later was a rather more chastening experience as we lost 2-1 in November as Song got mercilessly booed by his own fans; a fitting symbol for a drab season where we finished fourth without ever threatening for first place.

In 2007/08, a three-goal victory in January stretched our lead at the top of the table. We were seemingly marching relentless to the title until it all unravelled after that fateful day at Birmingham. We might have ended up potless but we did ourselves proud in the league that campaign, finishing a mere four points behind the champions.

And then that horror show in the second game of last season. The sheer dearth of creativity and lack of spirit that day continued to hang over us like a cloud for the rest of the year as it became obvious we would not be challenging for the championship.

So what can we take from this scrappy one-nil victory? In my opinion, quite a lot. The old gripe I’ve heard this season is that when the Mancs, Chavs and Scousers play well they will always win; whereas Arsenal can play well – like in both recent trips to Manchester – and still contrive to lose. So it was nice to record an ugly win. In fact, sometimes a grimey, barely-deserved one-nil feels more rewarding than a free-flowing football feast.

In the build up to the game, many a blogger had selected ‘their’ lineup and more often than not it included Rosicky in midfield and Eduardo up-front. However, deep down we all knew that Le Boss would plump for Diaby and Bendtner in a game like this. Make no mistake, Fulham are no longer mugs and the selection was a hint that they warranted a certain amount of respect, especially from set-pieces.

Despite the best efforts of Transport for London, the journey was relatively painless – although I’m not sure those poor souls who crashed and burned whilst jumping that wall in Bishop’s Park will agree with me! Craven Cottage was bathed in yellow sunshine and red/white noise, with barely a peep coming out of the home fans. We certainly let them know about it, rather revelling in our role as antagonists compared to the usual abuse we suffer from visiting fans at the Emirates.

The team’s first-half showing could not however match that of the fans. After a decent enough start, to say were sluggish would be an understatement and the performance bore more than a passing resemblance to last season’s nightmare. Our passes were off-target and when that happens it undermines our entire game.

On the contrary, Fulham showed plenty of endeavour. Theoretically, this is the greatest Fulham side of all time and I can’t have been the only relieved Gooner when Damien Duff departed early due to injury.

Andy Johnson in particular Bobby Zamora have plenty of pace in their tank and they weren’t afraid to use it, with the likes of Danny Murphy and Clint Dempsey in midfield threading balls down the sides of our centre-halves. By and large we stood firm, and when Fulham did breach our backline they were met with the Man Mountain Mannone. The Italian keeper has been much-maligned this week following the outstanding performance of his younger counterpart Wally Chesney, but more than proved his mettle here – especially with a stunning double save from Johnson and then Dempsey. The first was a reflex save to his right, the second a rather more fortunate block that struck him in the face from point-blank range. But I guess fortune favours the brave and all that…

As Fulham continued to probe, another man stood out in my eyes. William Gallas was fcuking immense throughout the game and had crucial moments in both halves to save our bacon. In the first period, he executed a perfect slide-tackle as Johnson was poised to pull the trigger. What a player, what a man.

It would be amiss of me to mention that our two accepted world-class talents were two of the most anonymous: Arshavin and Cesc. The former was of course returning from injury and did not look fully-fit, whereas the latter was sloppy in possession and added fuel to the terrace rumours that his head is in Barcelona. I’m more inclined to say that the presence of Diaby instead of Denilson slightly curbed his attacking instincts, but I may simply be deluding myself.

However, such is their quality that they combined to forage our best chance as the skipper slipped a beautiful first-time ball to the Russian but a horrible bobble saw the shot end up closer to the River Thames than the goal. Cesc too had earlier fired a more difficult chance narrowly over the bar but looked subdued overall.

At half-time, my pal DJ offered me a Polo mint. As I took it from him, it split into two. I looked at him and remarked “Game of two halves, eh?” His wry smile was more hopeful than reassuring, rather summing up the sentiment across the away end. We knew we had it in us to win, but we also knew it was well within the realms of possibility that we could implode.

Whilst the old ‘two halves’ cliché did not strictly ring true, we certainly started the second period sharper. Day had turned into night on the banks of the Thames, but the Gunners burned brighter. Cesc had begun to find space in between Fulham’s midfield and defence and did exactly that on 52 minutes. Off colour in the first-half? No problem, for form is temporary and class is permanent. He clipped the most exquisite of balls over the Fulham defence and into the path of RvP, who controlled brilliantly and shot early past Schwarzer and into the bottom corner. Yet another goal with his chocolate leg, and credit to him for obviously working hard in training to improve it. Song and Bendtner played key roles in the build-up as Song intercepted and played it to the Big Dane, who in turn found Fabregas with a neat lay-off.

The goal came at a time where RvP and Bendtner had switched positions. Many Gooners – myself included – believe that RvP should start wide right with Bendtner through the middle. However, I am happy to acknowledge the value of playing Bendtner wide as he provides a useful aerial outlet against shorter full-backs and may be more willing to track back, whilst the Dutchman could be considered a more deadly finisher. What had disappointed me thus far this season is the lack of spontaneity between the two. When have we ever seen them swap positions of their own accord? Thankfully it happened a few times during this game and certainly occurred prior to the goal. Whilst RvP may have been in the centre-forward position as he latched on to Cesc’s pass, I have no doubt that his brief stint out wide a few moments earlier confused the Fulham defence. More of the same please lads.

Another point: the contorted joy across Cesc’s face as he celebrated the goal can go some way to dispelling the myth that he has lost interest. Whilst some of the joie de vivre seems to be lacking from his game at the moment, he certainly doesn’t lack passion for the cause.

Arshavin on the other hand looked either crocked or genuinely disinterested, especially when it came to the defensive aspect of the game. There was one telling moment which may not have come across on television, but as Fulham broke in search of an equaliser you could see Bendtner harrying back whilst on the opposite flank his Russian team-mate remained static on the halfway line. Once again I’d like to believe that it is a solvable issue such as fitness, but might it be that he doesn’t have the appetite to help out defensively, given the fact that he is regarded as a God for the Russian national team and a legend at his native Zenit? The only way our 4-3-3 can work is if we defend from the front, but how do you fit a classic no.10 like Arshavin into that system?

Following the goal we went through something of a purple patch and could have extended our lead but Bendtner’s low effort was palmed away by Schwarzer. It was telling that throughout the entire game we only played at a level approaching our best for 15 minutes, but during this period we were able to capitalise, something Arsenal sides of the recent past have been accused of not doing.

Fulham kept us under the cosh and threatened on more than one occasion, both aerially and from distance. But they simply could not best Man Mountain Mannone, who was having a blinder. Gallas made his second massive contribution of the game, sliding in to block an almost certain goal from Zamora.

Rosicky came on for the ineffective Arshavin and looked busy whilst the legend that is Emmanuel Eboue replaced goalscorer RvP as Le Boss looked to close the game out. It is no exaggeration on my part when I say that Eboue’s name was the most chanted by the Gooner faithful, a fantastic affirmation of his rehab from boo-boy to cult hero. The man himself could have made life a lot more comfortable for us as he went close on two occasions.

As the clock ticked on, we seemed to give away an insane number of free-kicks. Those of a nervous disposition in the stands simply could not watch as every set-piece was a potential step closer to meltdown. We shouldn’t have worried, for nobody was beating the Man Mountain on this day. Following on in the tradition of great Italian keepers, he manufactured incredible saves from Zamora and Johnson. And even when he was beaten, the Gods smiled on him as Dempsey’s deflected effort struck the outside of the post. Bendtner could have wrapped things up in injury time after cleverly beating his man but blazed his shot over the bar. The Dane put in an excellent shift across the frontline and can be proud of his day’s work. The ego and arrogance of his youth has well and truly gone and what we now have is a solid citizen willing to do the dirty work, not least when defending free-kicks and corners where his height gives us a massive advantage. Hopefully the goals will come soon.

However, a second goal so late on may have detracted from the man of the hour. As the final whistle blew (after an inexplicable FIVE minutes of injury time) and a wave of relief descended on the travelling ranks, we were indebted to Vito Mannone and serenaded him as he exited victorious. Whether or not he can overtake Fabianski as second-choice and compete with Manuel for the no.1 jersey remains to be seen, all the moreso given the potential demonstrated by Chesney in midweek. But nothing could take this day from him. Vito will always have Craven Cottage.

So with Fulham away being such a pointer for the fate of seasons gone by, what can we deduce from this victory? Simply put, we have more backbone than last season. And whilst we have not yet reached the title challenging levels of 2007/08, there is plenty of scope for improvement.

Vito’s contribution has been so lauded because he was left exposed by the defence. In an ideal world our backline wouldn’t allow the opposition the same number of chances that Fulham had. This should come with familiarity as the back four and Song get used to each other. Also, attack may be the best form of defence. When we’re not pulverising teams, any frailties at the back become more evident. Cesc and Arshavin will surely have better days, whilst Rosicky and Nasri provide another dimension creatively. Vela, Eduardo and Walcott can add a definitive cutting edge.

Winning ugly? After the glorious failures at Man Utd and Man City, I’ll bite your hand off because I know there are even better days to come