The story was basically this.

Arsenal played 4 halves of football against AC Milan, over two legs, over two weeks. They dominated each one of those, and in the 4th half, they scored 2 goals. Think of it as superiority paying off.

"We're on our way, we're on our way,
We're going to Moscow, we're on our way,
How we get there we don't know!
How we get there we don't care!
All we know is that we're on our way!"

It was a cold night at the San Siro, and with near 5,000 of us packed high up into the away end at the San Siro, we needed to be in good voice and good spirits to keep warm. The atmosphere of the San Siro was eventually slightly overrated, the Milan fans made a bit of noise pre-kickoff, unleashed a whole bunch of glitter and cheers as the game started, had a few bouts of whistling, and went absolutely crazy for about 3 or 4 seconds right at the start when Kaka did a trick. Otherwise, they were mostly a passive bunch, and got quieter and quieter as the saw Arsenal take control. The euphoria for us of Cesc's goal was met by a steady flow of Milan fans making way for the exits.

The Arsenal dominated Milan on the pitch, and the Arsenal fans dominated Milan fans in the stands, and you can't say that victory for either was undeserved.

There have been enough details about the game all across newspapers and the web for me to not bother too much with details, but the team was just outstanding. Manu Eboue was the only lacklustre performer, seeming more mentally uninvolved than anything else - wasting the ball, avoiding tackles, and running lazily. He dived, and was fortunate to not be severely punished when badly fouling Paolo Maldini. Even Abou Diaby, he of recently lazy form, stepped up his game to an acceptable level.

Milan were disappointing really - although Flamini had Kaka in his pocket (and Cesc made sure he put him back in there whenever he popped his head out), the Brazilian didn't really know what to do or where to go. As a result he tried to go it alone, and with young Pato confused, and Pippo Inzaghi having one of his more primadonna-esque games, he failed to have an impact.

They missed Seedorf, yes, but I'm not sure that Milan could have put out a better side with this squad that they have. It's far too aged and predictable, and they will really be doing some serious shopping this summer. They lack dynamism, and need a bit of freshness.

Pato will of course be a big plus for them, he was their best attacker on the night, and at 18 he already has the ability to compete, all he lacks is the experience.

For Arsenal, it will be a huge boost after a bad Novemeber. They are only a point clear at the top now, and will need to refocus now; the win in Milan will have given them the belief to do that.

Of course, the big challenge now is to go to Wigan and win on Sunday. On Tuesday, Arsenal outplayed and outfought a Milan side on a great pitch with great players who had to attack to win. On Sunday, Arsenal will have to play a Wigan side on a simply awful pitch, against some dodgy players who will be fighting to not lose. It will involve a fair amount of steel, patience, and tactical flexibility. Nicklas Bendtner might have a role to play, since Arsenal will need to seriously consider the direct route - through balls, and little one-two passes are going to be disrupted by the rough surface and the (possibly) rough tackling.

They can possibly lose just one more game this season, and draw two at the maximum, without losing the title - even those estimates are probably a bit generous.

Sky might have awarded Man of the Match to Emmanuel Adebayor, but Mathieu Flamini was the really outstanding player in this game.

That's not to say that Ade was bad - he gave their defence a torrid time as usual, and of late he always looks like he's going to score. His header, the opening goal, was perfect, and set the wheels in motion.

However it was Flamini who provided the cross for that goal, making a wonderful run from midfield down the right, before taking his time to choose his options, and delivering an arcing, dipping cross that was perfectly weighted for Adebayor to run onto.

Flamini has been in good form for a while now, tackling, passing, and occasionally running with the ball. He's also happy to drop the "Arsenal approach" once in a while and have a shot from distance when he sees the opportunity, and adds an element of directness when the play is too intricate.

It was these qualities that saw him add the coupe de grace with a magnificent long range goal. Cesc passed the ball square to him near the left-centre, and what happened next seemed almost scripted. Mathieu took a single touch to set himself up, and fired a thumping, bending shot with his right foot high into the far, opposite corner. There was absolutely no hesitation on his part, and it was the sign of a player in form.

The crowning goal came from Cesc, and was his first league goal since November. Nicklas Bendtner brought down a high ball and cushioned it perfectly for Cesc to stab home with his left foot. Cue overexuberant celebrations where the rest of the team, especially Adebayor, did their best to congratulate Bendtner in some sort of show of solidarity.

It was a great performance, and Newcastle were helpless. I think they managed just one shot on goal, and Keegan will once again be wondering what he needs to do to make Michael Owen once again look like a top striker again.

As for Flamini, he can't sign a new deal fast enough. It's not just his tackling, intercepting and attacking play that his made him outstanding this season, it's his leadership and enthusiasm. The 4 starting midfielders - Cesc, Flamini, Hleb and Rosicky have a great friendship amongst them, Senderos and Clichy have been there a long time as well, and Flamini has started to boss them all. They're all familiar with each other, and the Flamster keeps them alert - telling them to mark people, making sure they're aware on free-kicks and corners, and keeping a watchful eye on any gaps that open up. He's also got a real fighting spirit, and has gotten involved in all the scraps this season - his feistiness is a tremendous asset! 

This one is more speculation than anything else, but he has already been linked to the Gunners, and would be something of a perfect signing.

He's very pacy, very direct, and can dribble, shoot and pass, and is quite a fiery character. He might not be as creative or classy as Hleb or Van Persie, but his overall game is outstanding for a guy his age, and he has an unbelievable work ethic.

He can play up front, or on the left, or on the right, and can do all three very well, so that would be a huge plus for an Arsenal side that lacks genuine wingers, and doesn't have much striking depth, and where players like Eduardo, Walcott and Rosicky are supposed to be versatile, but had proved to be far from effective.

He will also not take time to adapt to the English game, something which has been a huge problem for Eduardo, and for many previous Wenger signings.

He's also a good kid with strong character, an excellent professional, and isn't into the whole drinking & partying culture that so many of the young British footballers are into, so he's an excellent candidate for Wenger, who is in any case biased towards "winger-strikers".

Let's see how the form book looks after the next few weeks, and if the Arsenal have been a bit goal-shy, this might be a move worth making.