Arsenal fans got the title race that they wished for at Christmas. With Chelsea’s draw at Birmingham yesterday, Arsenal fans knew that a win over Villa would allow the Gunners to really close the gap with Chelsea.
And the Gunners took care of business, taking apart Aston Villa 3-0 at the Emirates and moved to within four points of Chelsea with a game in hand.
“We are in a strong position,” Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger said. “We can have belief, but it is a long way to go and we have to keep our feet on the ground and continue to improve together.”
Before the game there was a welcome sight for Arsenal fan when captain Cesc Fabregas was named as one of the substitutes.
Fabregas played less than 30 minutes in the second half and had a major impact on the game. He came on in the 57 minute with the game scoreless and immediately announced his return within 8 minutes with a brilliant free kick past Brad Frieldel.
Fifteen minutes later, Fabregas ended any hope that Villa had of getting back in the game when had a huge in
Wenger, though, could be without his captain for the next three weeks. Fabregas came on as a substitute but lasted just 27 minutes on his return following two weeks out with a hamstring problem.
He entered the game in the 57th minute and opened the scoring in the 65th by curling a free kick from about 23 yards beyond American goalkeeper Brad Friedel. It was a free kick of pure class.
Fabregas then scored his second goal in the 81st minute when he finished off a great Arsenal move. Traore hit a long diagonal pass out to Theo Walcott on the right. The substitute dashed forward before touching the ball into the path of the onrushing Fabregas, who swept home a 12th goal of the season.
But Fabregas hurt himself stretching for Walcott’s cross and was quickly taken off holding his left hamstring. He will have a scan Monday to determine if he has pulled his hamstring again.
“If it’s scar tissue, he will be out for just a few days. But if it’s a pulled hamstring, it’s three weeks,” Wenger said.
Diaby added in a third for Arsenal in stoppage-time, but it was the performance of Fabregas that everyone was talking about after the game.
Fabregas obviously was not fully fit, so should Arsenal had risked reinjuring him by playing him today? Arsene Wenger says yes:
“I feel that I did the right thing, and would do it again. I put him on the bench and I knew before the game that if it was really needed, I would put him on. Had we been 1-0 up I would not have done it, but at the end of the day you do what you think will win the game.”
Do you agree with the decision to play Fabregas today and what did you think of the Gunners big victory?
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all day long. even when he is wrong he`s right. IWWT
A terrific display of persistent, attacking football by the Arsenal. That said, no one is focusing on our strong defensive performances lately – with even more improvement (sans injuries) yet to come. Not a single goal conceded in the run of play in the premiership for all of December – Kuyt putting in Almunia’s free kick fumble and a spot kick at Turf Moor.
What about the 2 centre halfs? Are Gallas and Vermaelen becoming one of the best pairings in England, if not Europe? The Sky Sports announcer seemed surprised that Vermie could match Gabby stride for stride over 40 yards – a task which he stuck with persistently over the 90. The announcer should have known that – while ‘Arsene the one’ may under weight size and strength, pace is never a quality that a Wenger team will be caught in deficit with.
Now with Sagna and Traore playing comfortably and the very under-rated Song playing in front of the back line I can honestly say that this group – as a block of 5 – is about as good as that part of a team gets.
I have had enormous admiration for the play of Song since the second week of the season. He is the real deal and may only pale next to Essien – if anyone in the EPL. Sagna has been a rock and gets forward sufficiently for our needs while the centre halves have come together beyond what anyone could have possibly hoped for. Now with some settled experience on the left, we look absolutely stone wall tight at the back and – did we all see the ball from Traore to Walcott to set up the 2nd goal?
Finally, if Almunia uses his penalty save against Hull as a launching pad for his season, we may be looking at a firming of the defense just at a time when we need it most.
We need to get past Pompey and Bolton with a short team roster and maybe see Cesc and a new signing in the line-up for Everton to put our title hopes into full flight. This could get very interesting indeed!
Great point about not conceding a goal in December. The strengthening of the defence has been a big reason for the teams rebound since the Chelsea defeat
I wish he’d take this gambling mentality into the january transfer window and gamble on someone who he thinks will help us win the title and the CL.
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