Abou Diaby had the ball in the back of the net 15 minutes before the end. Howard Webb blew for a non existent foul before Diaby fired into the bottom corner

Match Review – Birmingham 1 Arsenal 1 – Premier League

I am still shaking with frustration as I write this, the pain of disappointment is always so much worse when you have enjoyed a long winning run.

It was a very cagey first half, clearly Arsenal were focused on keeping the game tight, playing a compact possession game. Alex Song was the preferred option alongside Sol Campbell at the back with Mikel Silvestre nowhere to be seen. He may well have played his last game for the club unless he was nursing an injury that we did not know about.

Tomas Rosicky started on the left of the attack with Theo on the right which could well be an indication of how our attacking line up will look on Wednesday evening. Arshavin and Nasri were seated on the bench ready to make an impact as the game progressed.

We created a very good chance with our first attack, it was almost ignored by the commentary team but Abou Diaby was presented with a golden opportunity after a Rosicky cross, his side footed effort was deflected wide for a corner.

Theo Walcott didn’t have the most influential of games but he looked like one of the only players who could get in behind the Birmingham back four in the first half. He almost forced the opener when he got to the ball first following a long high ball forward, his flick goalwards wasn’t definite enough, a bit of composure and he could have rounded Hart or taken another touch. I suppose it is easy to say that in hindsight.

I thought Alex Song and Sol Campbell handled the Birmingham attack very well. Alex Song brought his midfield calmness to the defence and Sol did well marhsalling his defence.

I was worried when Cesc was caught on his foot by Gardner. It didn’t look good and it would have been typical if he was ruled out for the midweek game but he played on and got through it, at least for now. We will see if there has been any lingering problems when Wenger speaks about the condition of his players.

I thought the team had stepped it up after the break, our passing became a little quicker and purposeful. Abou Diaby was our most productive player. Driving the team on with his runs and kept Arsenal on the front foot.

Birmingham City who hadn’t really fashioned any clear cut chances in the game came the closest when Johnson reached a long punted free kick into the box, his cross come shot looped over Almunia and off the post. Johnson’s defensive partner Dann knocked it over from point blank range. To be fair he didn’t know much about it until it was too late.

I couldn’t believe how much Craig Gardner got away with during the game, It seemed perfectly acceptable for the former Villa player to go around kicking players without a card. Where as somewhat predictably the first two yellow cards went to Arsenal players for nothing challenges.

Wenger’s substitutes changed the game. Andrey Arshavin and Samir Nasri replaced Tomas Rosicky and Theo Walcott. Suddenly we had a cutting edge. We looked much more direct.

Abou Diaby had the ball in the back of the net 15 minutes before the end. Howard Webb blew for a non existent foul before Diaby fired into the bottom corner. Hart would not have reached it had the referee not blown. When you think about how many fouls Gardner got away with it just astounds me how a foul can be given for that.

The game came to life 10 minutes from time. Samir Nasri drove inside from the right and unleashed a wonderful strike into the bottom left corner of the net, across the diving hands of Joe Hart in goal. A strike worthy of winning the game. Well it should have been worthy of winning.

Arsenal could and should have killed off the game.

Fabregas had a free kick saved and our captain spotted Nasri darting into the box, he should have drilled the ball across Hart for his second, instead opting to cut the ball back but there wasn’t an Arsenal player close to his pull back. It was the wrong decision. Arshavin wouldn’t have cut it back, Walcott wouldn’t have done so either. Nasri should have used the confidence of his first to score the second.

Then came the dreaded freak goal in stoppage time. Kevin Phillips had come on as a late substitute to add more to the Brum attack. A clearance was fired into his face and Almunia could only palm the ball high over his head and into his net. It is such a shame for Almunia who has been in good form of late and I am sure plenty of his match winning saves including his penalty save last week will be forgotten about this evening.

There wasn’t enough time for another goal, just enough time to reflect on more missed chances and a crushing late goal conceded. Is that our league season over? No of course not but it makes it very difficult for us. Margin for error was very slim before the game and now it is pretty non existent. We have to hope that the others can slip up just the way we have this afternoon and how Chelsea did at Blackburn.