Gunners boss Arsene Wenger hailed his side’s performance in the north London derby on Sunday, claiming that Arsenal dominated the game after Tottenham’s bright five-minute start at the Emirates.
Somehow, Arsenal found themselves 2-0 down, courtesy of goals from Louis Saha (4′) and Emmanuel Adebayor (pen 34′).
The Gunners comeback was fueled by Bacary Sagna, who scored in the 40th minute to get Arsenal back in contention.
Three minutes later, talisman Robin van Persie got the Gunners level on terms heading into the half-time interval.
An unlikely hero – Tomas Rosicky – put Arsenal ahead in the 51st minute, sending the Emirates Stadium into sheer jubilation.
Theo Walcott put the icing on the cake for Wenger’s side with a quickfire brace in the span of three minutes (65′, 68′).
After the game, Wenger said: “Today shows that Arsenal is alive more than anybody thought before the game.”
“We had a performance today where the technical side and drive of the team was perfect.
“Everything was perfect despite a very bad start. I think Tottenham started well for the first five minutes, after it was all us for 85 minutes.
“We dominated the game. We were 2-0 down and refused to lose the game. We were determined to win. We had a great spirit.”
I must admit that I did not fancy the Gunners to beat Spurs at the Emirates on Sunday. In fact, I predicted Spurs would win 3-2.
However, I had not written off the Gunners like most people prior to this huge north London derby comeback victory.
That being said, I felt, and still feel, that Arsenal will finish the season in fourth place, with Chelsea, Newcastle United and Liverpool missing out on UEFA Champions League football in 2012-13.
“It is still possible to finish above Tottenham if we keep our run going,” Wenger continued.
“It is possible but it will be down to consistency. Everybody in the Premier League now can lose points.
“We both have difficult schedules but if we continue to play like that, why not?”
Now then, I simply can not get on board with Wenger’s claim that Arsenal can finish above Spurs if they continue their form simply because one good performance does not mean that the club are on top form. At least not yet.
That being said, if the Gunners can score five goals in every match, I fancy their chances. If not, not so much.
The gap between the two sides is seven points at the moment, with Spurs having the edge in goal difference (first tiebreaker), while Arsenal have scored more goals (second tiebreaker) than their bitter north London rivals.
Can Wenger pull off a miracle and secure a third place finish for the Gunners in the English Premier League in 2011-12? We shall see, but I would not bet on it.
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