Arsenal had Gilberto sent of with just under a quarter of an hour gone, yet they still comfortably dominated the possession and beat Blackburn 2-0 away from home. Both goals were excellent, with Kolo Toure showing fantastic hunger and determination to plant an unstoppable header past Friedel from a Thierry Henry freekick just before half time. Arsenal then relieved the pressure with an excellent counter-attacking goal late(ish) in the second half, with Henry sprinting down the left flank, exchanging passes with Cesc, and then curling a terrific shot into the far top corner that Friedel could only get a touch on.

The sending off of Gilberto had been very harsh. He retaliatedly stupidly with a little kick-out at Robbie Savage (the 'Peroxide Mongrel' - Good work Myles), after the Welsh c*nt had taken two horrible hacks at the back of his legs without even trying to win the ball. Savage really is a hideous little fucker, and he proved this by rolling around like a "foreigner" after Gilberto had flicked his leg at him. The referee showed Gilberto a red for his (stupid) retaliation, but Savage got only a yellow even though both his "attempts to win the ball" were much worse than what poor Gilberto had done. It's tough on the Brazilian because he is probably one of the nicest and most-mild mannered players in the Premiership (once went almost one year without a booking, and he's a defensive mid!), and now he's suspended for 3 games, including next weekend's fixture against Manchester United, against whom he has been oustanding in recent games. Something really needs to be done about the refereeing because although you can understand punishing someone for reacting, how can you not sufficiently punish the provocation in the first place? Rob Styles could (and should) have shown common sense and just booked both players, but a red card was very harsh. Later in the match, Tugay quite purposefully stamped on Cesc's right foot, a challenge that could easily have been a leg-breaker, but by the laws of the game it was a a yellow, even thought it was 10 times as severe as Gilberto's tackle. Still, the FA are a bunch of idiots, and so blah blah blah. Here are the ratings:

Arsenal (4-4-2)

Jens Lehmann (7.5/10) - Did all that was expected of him, including a great save from a Morten Gamst Pederson left-footer. Showed good judgement in coming out for long balls, crosses and set pieces, but didn't really have too much to do.

Hoyte (7/10) - Showing signs of improvement, but also the same old glaring mistakes. Is positionally still a bit naive, but defended well, and is learning how to get forward much better. It helps to be playing behind an intelligent guy like Hleb, and they combined very well.

Toure (8.5/10) - Great, solid performance at centreback, and took his goal fantastically. Was the only Arsenal player in the box for that free-kick, but he was hungry enough to score the header even with 5 Blackburn players around him.

Senderos (8/10) - Top stuff from Big Phil. Good man to have around when the long balls are being pumped in, and even though he wasn't 100% comfortable, this was still his best showing of the season, and a great way to build on his good performance at Anfield in the FA Cup. Solid.

Clichy (8/10) - Gael was terrific today. OK, he gets a bit out of position at times, but his energy, dribbling and tenacity are fantastic. Dealt well with the on-form Emerton, overlapped as well as he could, and was unlucky with his execution of a few long passes. Still rediscovering his game after over a year out of football, and doing so well. Needs work on his passing, but he was terrific today. Exactly the kind of performance needed when you're down to ten men.

Hleb (8/10) - Great stuff from Alex. Unmatchable close control, great movement, and great understanding with his fellow players. His passing involved the occassional stray/hospital ball, but he links up brilliantly with Cesc and Rosicky, and makes his fullback 40% better. Tracked back and defended very well, and his composure on the ball, especially under Blackburn pressure was superb.

Cesc (8.5/10) - Super stuff from the little man again. Really, really stepped up and dominated the game. When Gilberto was sent off it was clear that a lot of pressure would be on Cesc, but he handled it with no problems. Sprayed the ball around with ease as always, and provided a cute pass for Thierry's goal. You have to love his appetite for the game - for a little technical guy like him, he is never phased, never brushed off the ball, and always up for a challenge. Even when Tugay stamped on his ankle, he was back on the field and getting into Lucas Neill's face. Just the kind of play and performance you need against a bunch of thugs (although Blackburn were not really violent at all today). Now leads the league with 10 assists.

Gilberto (3/10) - Harsh red card, but he reacted stupidly. Only 14 minutes into the game, so didn't really do too much. Will be missed against United.

Rosicky (7.5/10) - Terrific energy and link-up play. No really end product, and he lost the ball a few times, but together with Cesc and Hleb, he forms a majestic midfield trio. Was sharp and dangerous, but never really produced anything.

Van Persie (6/10) - Very subdued performance from him. He hasn't looked terrific since Henry came back, and you have to say there is something conflicting in their playing styles. He was fouled for the free-kick that Kolo scored from. Didn't have too much luck, but his touch let him down on occassion.

Henry (7.5/10) - Was not really that good, maybe not back to his best yet, but he comes out of the game with an assist and a very nice goal. He was kind of dawdling at times today, inefficient with the ball, but he came up with the goods when we needed it. He was very lively after that, but was tired and got subbed off for Adebayor.

Subs:

Flamini (5.5/10) - Came on for Robin to shore things up. Worked had but didn't really do anything.

Adebayor (5/10) - On for Henry, didn't do much. Things he attempted didn't come off, and he crossed too high with Flamini in a good position. Just a cameo though.

Djourou - Came on for Cesc very late on to prevent the Spaniard from getting more injured/involved.