Arsenal came back from two goals down to hammer North London rivals Tottenham 5-2 at the Emirates Stadium.
The Gunners looked dead and buried in the first 40 minutes after Louis Saha and Emmanuel Adebayor found the net for Spurs.
Comeback
Arsenal struck twice in three minutes just before half-time. The opener came from a superbly taken header from full-back Bacary Sagna. Just three minutes later Arsenal’s talisman Robin Van Persie curled home a sublime equaliser.
The half-time whistle could have came at a bad time for Arsenal but the Gunners came out in the second half and continued from where they left off in the first. Midfielder Tomas Rosicky flicked home his first Premier League goal in over two years, just after the break after a lovely team move.
Recovery
Winger Theo Walcott scored two well-taken goals in the second half to confirm the victory. However in the first half the England international couldn’t do a thing right. His decision making was awful and he looked low on confidence.
In the second half though he looked like a completely different player. He started looking brighter and made the right runs in the second half. Those runs resulted in him finding the net with two superbly executed finishes.
The 22 year-old has hasn’t had the best of times in recent months and has received criticism from certain quarters. I believe he is very much a confidence and hopefully he can now find his best form for both club and country.
Uncharacteristic
The five goals conceded was very uncharacteristic for Tottenham. The Spurs back five is usual so solid and well organised but the Gunners hit them on the counter-attack to devastating effect. Tottenham keeper Brad Friedel isn’t accustomed to picking the ball out the net this season but he had lots of practice at the Emirates.
The second half was a real nightmare for Spurs and their fans. It was definitely a game that Tottenham will want to forget in a hurry. Harry Redknapp and co. will want to move on from this game very quickly.
Talisman
Arsenal striker Robin Van Persie again proved his worth to the Gunners. The Dutch international produced another outstanding display. He scored the equaliser and he also had a hand in Walcott’s goals.
The 28 year-old now has 23 Premier League goals to his name this season. Van Persie’s future is in doubt with his contract expiring next summer. Both parties have agreed to leave contract discussions until the summer.
No doubt Van Persie will evaluate where the club are in the summer before deciding whether to stay or move on. It is vital for Arsenal that they keep hold of their captain. People say Arsenal are not a one man team but without their talisman the Gunners would be in big trouble.
Europe
The victory took Arsenal above Chelsea into the Champions League spots on goal difference. Arsenal’s future hinges on whether they qualify for Europe’s elite competition. It’s the key to the club being able to strengthen their squad in the summer and also keeping hold of the likes of Van Persie.
Drama
Games between the big teams this season have been fantastic, especially for the neutral. The Premier League keeps producing amazing games and drama. It’s hard to take your eyes off the English top flight at the moment and lets just hope that the Premier League continues to produce such entertaining encounters.
Are Tottenham still top dogs in North London?
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