Spurs being the best thing since sliced bread, the best Tottenham team since the Premier League began whilst screwing Arsenal up into a ball and throwing us in the bin and labelling us as the worst Arsenal team in history, yet here we are. Both teams having a weeks rest, both teams pretty close to full strength even if arguably our best creative talent is yet to kick a

Match Review – Arsenal 5 Tottenham 2 – Premier League

I couldn’t get a wink of sleep last night and it was nothing to do with feeling over excited over the gourmet treat that was served up at the Emirates yesterday lunchtime. It was the noise of scripts being ripped up, up and down the country, the noise of pundits, journalists and hilariously Tottenham supporters squirming and shuffling in their seats. It would be difficult for them to look at an Arsenal supporter in the eye.

I don’t usually go down this route post victory but this strange hyping of good old cheeky chappy Arry’s Spurs being the best thing since sliced bread, the best Tottenham team since the Premier League began whilst screwing Arsenal up into a ball and throwing us in the bin and labelling us as the worst Arsenal team in history, yet here we are. Both teams having a weeks rest, both teams pretty close to full strength even if arguably our best creative talent is yet to kick a ball in anger this season we ripped our London rivals to shreds.

I have had to run anti virus software on Arsenal Vision as cocky Tottenham supporters swarmed over the site during last weeks match preview, I think yesterday’s result would have automatically installed its own firewall so I imagine they will not be back for a while.

The day didn’t start anything like how it ended, we were all over the place defensively, Saha being afforded criminal amounts of time and space to collect the ball cut inside and deflect his shot over Szczesny.

Pre match, I was talking to a Gooner mate of mine and I said that Mike Dean would give us small decisions in our favour and then give them a huge call. That huge call came in the form of a non penalty after Gareth Bale fell untouched after a wonderfully threaded pass from Luka Modric. To be fair to Mike Dean, in real time I thought Szczesny had caught the serial diving cheat Bale but just like at Anfield, Bale had gone down without contact. Adebayor as often the case from the spot, scored.

That feeling glancing up at the score line was horrendous, after the season we have had, after the pressure that has been on our club and after the awful week we had endured. The team could have gone two ways, feel sorry for ourselves and go through the motions or show real character and drag ourselves back into this game.

What a response.

Before the second Tottenham goal, Arsenal could have scored. Rosicky had a near post header flicked over the bar from the flying American Brad Friedel. Robin van Persie fired wide on his chocolate leg inside the box.

At 2-0 down Robin van Persie hit the post following a Walcott flick, usually once a chance is missed it is rare that the next attack ends up in the back of the net, chances are that it wouldn’t have done if our right back was not in the center forward position. Arteta’s left footed cross was tidy but Sagna’s desire to win the ball was just what the doctor ordered. Perhaps he should be in the area at corner kicks from now on. The roar on his face as he ran back to the half way line was something that I am sure every Gooner appreciated and understood at the time.

You could smell the stench from Tottenham shorts from that point, the Arsenal crowd roared the team on and Tottenham looked rocked. Enter Robin van Persie, twisting and turning around Tottenham feet and then striking a bending shot that took forever to get to its destination. Immediately I couldn’t work out whether it ended up the wrong side of the post or in the net but luckily it ended up the right side of the post, cue ring a ring a roses style roaring celebrations in my living room.

Before kick off I wondered if Arsene had showed Tottenham just a little too much respect by not starting with the direct Gervinho but what do I know. The move proved to be a masterstroke by Arsene. Tweaking his system to add fight, possession and numbers. Redknapp risking a two man central midfield was swamped against our three and often four man midfield thanks to Benayoun’s drifting in field. It allowed Theo Walcott to take up many central striker positions as we had the numbers in midfield to compensate for that.

I was saying earlier in the season that I wanted to see how the team would play with Arteta, Rosicky and Benayoun together. All ball playing attackers who could rotate positions and keep possession more than we have been doing of late. It is no surprise that we kept the ball and created more chances than recent weeks.

Last season I said that Rosicky is still a big player that has needed a run of games and no injuries, this season he has stayed fit, had a pre season and has looked very sharp. He was magnificent from start to finish and in the second half he got the goal that his performance deserved. Driving into the penalty box after exchanging passes with Bacary Sagna and flicking it past Friedel. Our midfielders, Ramsey apart have not been getting into positions where they can score and luckily Rosicky made that gamble.

Theo Walcott had a shocker of a first half, nothing he did came off for the most part. That can happen but what frustrated me about Theo’s first half was the unwillingness to race back and win the ball once he lost it. In the second half that had changed totally. Confidence? instructions? I do not know the answer but in the second half Theo did what Theo does best.

Latching onto van Persie’s poked pass into space just as those two combined at Blackburn last season, Theo recovered from a bad touch to dink a chip over the advancing keeper. Superb finishing from a super finisher that has lost form in front of goal.

His second was typical Theo, collecting a wonderful pass from the weaving, graceful powerhouse Alex Song, this time he took it perfectly in his stride and that low cross shot across the keeper is something he does very well.

That is where you want to see Theo, you want to see Theo making runs off his full back into goal scoring positions. I am sure the return of Bacary Sagna and perhaps the inclusion of Yossi Benayoun has unlocked the handcuffs from the right touchline.

Harry Redknapp had no answer, he tried matching up with Arsenal in midfield in the second half and was still over run. Arsene Wenger has had plenty of stick for his decisions this season but 10 out of 10 for him, he got everything right.

Arsene spoke in the post match press conference about the balance being right so I wonder if the blueprint for the system will be altered once more.

Seven points behind 3rd place Tottenham, five goals against our bitter rivals. Let us go to Anfield and reproduce this performance.

It’s a great day to be a Gooner.