Arsenal 2 Fulham 1

Man of the moment....Samir Nasri after doing the double

We went top of the log for the first time this season after a nervy but eventually, accomplished win over fellow Londoners, Fulham. It was also our first home win in the league in almost five weeks! Quite incredible ay?

The man who stole the show was very clearly, Samir Nasri, who not only score both goals for us but as well diplayed such high level of skill and awareness as to indicate that he has arrived as a mainstay. Some commentators during the game kept repeating that his emergence had now filled the gap left by Cesc Fabregas. Flattering it may sound, but it is a measure of how far he has developed within the team and how highly he is held now.

His goals were of the highest quality. Vintage collector's items.

We went ahead after the rejuvenated Andrei Arshavin intercepted a loose Fulham pass, and threaded it into Nasri's path. The light-footed Frenchman dummied past Brade Haageland first and then another defender, before blasting it from eight yards past Mark Schwarzer. Almost everyone in the Emirates rose to acknowledge such goal of exquisite quality.

Fulham pegged us back rather too easily after we failed to deal with a harmless-looking ball out of

their defence. Squillaci clashed heads with Koscielny, thus allowing an unmarked Diomansy Kamara to angle a fine shot past the stranded Fabianski.

Our tempo dipped as expected. Heads seemed to drop and tension spread through the crowd. Fulham threatened especially at setpieces and though Johann Djourou made his huge presence felt at the back, we were still sitting on tenterhooks.

The introduction of Van Persie and Theo Walcott signified our intention but it was Nasri again that seized the initiative. He latched onto a Van Persie pass and waltzed past three defenders including Schwarzer before he slotted the ball in a sweet, jaw-dropping move.

His goals marked the tenth and eleventh strikes this season and with almost two-thirds of the season yet to go, there are already great expectations that he is on the verge of greatness in his personal and Gunners career.

Below are the ratings

• Fabianski (6/10) – He was not to blame for the goal we conceeded, especially as he was left exposed by the collision between Koscielny and Squillaci. Did extremely well to save a certain goal from Kamara again before the end of the first half. Was a bit swamped by the Fulham forwards as they attempted to bombard our area with aerial balls from corner kicks and setpieces. In the continued absence of Almunia, he still remains our best bet between the sticks.
• Squillaci (5/10) – Was shaky on the night. Was troubled by the pace of Kamara and Zoltan Gera, the two Fulham forwards. Stumbled into Koscielny and clashed heads with him unfortunately. The injury forced Koscielny off the field and ended his night. Squillaci looked vulnerable inexplicably and was targetted by the Fulham frontmen.
  
• Koscielny (5/10) – Was his usual quick-footed self and was standing up to the feeble Fulham attempts at launching attacks, until the 36^th minute when a clash of heads ended his night. He came off worse in the unfortunate incident with Squillaci and after initial fears that he may have suffered a broken nose, he was eventually stretchered off to wide applause from all corners of the stadium.
  
• Clichy (6/10) – Did his usual best on the left flank. Due to Fulham's two-pronged attack, he had the latitude and freedom to roam forward. He bombed forward at will and the few times when Fulham attacked down his flank, he stood up well to their efforts.
  
• Sagna (6/10) – Also found lots of room on the right. Initially, when Fulham's Gera and Kamara took turns to launch sporadic attacks, he was up to the task. Did well on several occasions as he supported Nasri and got up the field several occasions to send in inviting crosses. He remains a very useful outlet on the right hand flank for crosses.
  
• Song (6/10) – Did a yeoman's job in the middle and was full of running and hard graft. Did well to snuff our the veteran Fulham midfielder, Danny Murphy and even found time and energy to take on the opponents' defence. A particular move in the 60^th minute saw him outwit John Paintsil on the edge of the box but suddenly when left with the goalie one-on-one, he skied the ball aimlessly into the crowd.
  
• Wilshire (7/10) – Was his usual industrious and busy self. Worked well with Song in the middle and was always finding space and the men ahead of him. His presence has gone a long way to nullify the absence of Fabregas as the young Englishman has grown both in stature and ability. His eye for the pass and positional play, despite his lack of inches, has all the hallmark of an accomplished veteran.
  
• Nasri (9/10) – Clearly, the man of the match. Full of trickery, running and guile. His two goals were masterpieces and his confidence levels are surely now sky high. He has definitely stepped up to the plate and has now emerged as one of the starts of not just this team, but also the league. He looks a man transformed after two years of unfulfilled expectations with the Gunners. Despite being a midfielder, he has now emerged our leading goalscorer and from what we've seen so far, there is much more to come from the former Marseille man.
  
• Arshavin (8/10) – Another player who looks transformed. Whatever might be the reason
  behind his renewed form, it may or not have anything to do with Russia's successful bid to host the World Cup 2018. He was involved in all the good stuff that we put on Saturday and provided the assist that led to Nasri's first goal. Was also a handful for the Fulham defence as he never gave them breathing space. He seems to have rediscovered his knack for goals after netting against Aston Villa last week and heading into a crucial time of the season, it is a welcome development.
  
• Chamakh (6/10) – Didn't play up to his usual deadly standards. Was too lackadaisical and guilty of over elaboration. A particular through ball over the top from Arshavin in the first half found him face to face with Schwarzer and instead of shooting, he passed the ball back to Wilshire.
  
• Rosicky (7/10) – Did very well. He wore the armband and was up for the game as against his hitherto displays. Linked very well with the frontmen of Chamakh and Nasri. Ran out of gas eventually in the second half and was unsurprisingly substituted.
  

Substitutes

• Djourou (6/10) – Did well in the circumstances after coming on for the injured Koscielny. Was inspirational at the back after he came on and did quite well.
  
• Van Persie (5/10) – Was not at his mercurial self. His abilities on the ball are well-known but due to the long absence on account of injury, he seems to have lost some of his touch. Was sluggish and slow to the ball in most instances but was involved in the build-up that led to Nasri's second goal.
  
• Walcott (5/10) – Came on for Wilshire in the second half and tried his best on the right wings as always. Didn't set the wings on fire and he seems to have lost a lot of spark. Seems to need games to bring back the consistency to his game.
  

Tottenham 1 Arsenal 4(aet)

All in all, this was a consummate performance following quickly on the disappointment of Saturday night at the Stadium of Light.
We breezed into the 4th Round of the Carling Cup after silencing the Tottenham crowd – albeit in extratime. The score of 4-1 very much reflected the pattern of play and in addition to our 54% possession, including our 19 shots at goal as against Spur’s 9 shots, our dominance was crystal clear.
At no time in the game were we under sustained pressure, unlike the constant barrage we unleashed at the other end. That the game dragged onto extra time was largely due to uncoordinated finishing on our part – rather than any stalwart resistance by Spurs.
It turned out to be our biggest win at White Hart Lane since 1980 and credit must go to all the players, who put on a show to compensate for the banishment of Wenger from the bench.

The Three 'Gunner' Musketeers had a fine night

Quickly, below are the ratings.
*Fabianski (5/10) – Easily our worst player on the night. What Wenger sees in him, we all will never know. Was largely responsible for Spur’s equalizer as he failed to hold onto Robbie Keane’s weak shot. Despite his mistake and general lack of confidence, I must say this was the first game I’ve seen us win with him between the sticks. Little wonder fellow-Pole, Wojciech Szczesny is threatening showdown talks if he isn’t given a run.
* Eboue (7/10) – Did very well as deputy to Sagna. Denied Spurs any real in-road from the right and though caught out a couple of times by the sneaky David Bentley, he recovered well to ward of his threat and even marauded regularly into the Spurs’ half. It’s a measure of what a fine time a fullback is having, when he spends so much time in the opponents’ half.
*Koscielny (8/10) – Another five-star performance from the new boy. Dealt very well with all of Spur’s forays and commanded the defence admirably. Pulled off a glorious tackle in the 70th minute as the dangerous Aaron Lennon was poised to shoot at goal. There never seems to be an off day for him. Quality defender indeed.
*Djourou (7/10) – Did quite well for someone who has been out for ages. Slotted smoothly beside Koscielny and helped keep the marauding Pavlyuchenko and Keane at bay. Was clearly rusty due to the length of time he’s been out but did well and ticked all the right boxes. If he stays injury free, we should see more of him.
*Gibbs (7/10) – His stature clearly has improved and it is apparent why Wenger was willing to sell Armand Traore and hang onto to Gibbs. Forced the substitution of the speedy Giovanni and also stood up very well to his replacement, Lennon. Limped off late in the extra period with an injury which was later confirmed to be a mere bruising.
* Denilson (6/10) – Not a very convincing night for the little Brazilian but he was adequate for the occasion. Still cannot fill the boots of Alex Song but on the night, he put in an average shift. I reckon no way is he a defensive midfielder.
* Lansbury (7/10) – Manned the right side of midfield and did his case no harm at all. Got us off to a great start in the 13th minute with a goal at the end of a five-man move. Wenger says he reminds of him of Ray Parlour and from last night’s heroics, he surely has set his eyes on emulating the one-time Gunner great.
*Nasri (7/10) - Took his time to get into the game and it later emerged why. A thigh strain restricted him through the greater part of the match. He was to play a pivotal part as he won the penalty in extratime that restored our lead and scored again to make it 3-1. Took over the captain’s band from Rosicky and it seemed to propel him as the game wore on.
*Rosicky (6/10) – Led the team out and battled bravely until he was withdrawn after picking up a knock in the second half. Was clearly intent on appeasing the fans after Saturday’s penalty miss at Sunderland. Went a long way in achieving that.
* Wilshire (8/10) – Is there a better 18 year-old in the game anywhere in the world at the moment? I doubt it. Lionheart Jack, simply put, ran the show on the night. Full of running, trickery and an eye for a pass, he effortlessly slotted into the Fabregas position and tirelessly ran rings round the Spurs players. Their response was to kick him endlessly but he still found time and space to lay on goals for Lansbury and later for Arshavin late in the game. What a legend he’s growing to be!
* Vela (5/10) – A disappointing night for the smiling Mexican. He seems to prefer coming off the bench and putting on cameos than starting games and taking full responsibility for the attack. Wasn’t given any leeway by the Spurs defence and didn’t do enough to merit one. Withdrawn in the second half for Chamakh.


Subs
• Arshavin (7/10) – The Russian came on for Rosicky and galvanized our attack at a very crucial time. Scored the final goal off a quick freekick from Wilshire.
• Chamakh (6/10) – Didn’t do much except win a penalty for the third goal. Full of running and enterprise as always.
• Clichy (5/10) – Came on in the extra period to replace a limping Gibbs. Helped soak the little Spurs pressure as the game petered out.
This competition now looks very much wide open with big guns like Man City, Liverpool and Chelsea all dumped out. It might turn out to be our year in this much-maligned Cup, often used as breeding ground by Wenger. Fingers crossed on that.


Next up, we welcome a tricky West Brom to the Emirates on Saturday afternoon as attention shifts back to the premiership. After the heroics at Spurs, appetites are now very much whetted in anticipation of more wins. Also welcomed back would be Wenger after serving his one-match ban as well as Song for the two cautions against Sunderland.