The Cesc Show - Christmas Special

I said yesterday that it hadn't really felt like boxing day. In all truth, despite getting lots of free stuff, it hadn't really felt like xmas. Perhaps that had more to do with the fact that I've hardly been out of the house for the last two months due to my mad cow disease and had not been able to immerse myself in the xmas spirit. The more likely option is that my years of bah-humbug have paid off and I've learnt how to tune most of the crap out.

So Villa rolled in to town and I don't think there was a gooner in the land who could be said to be totally 100% undeniably confident. Afterall, this was the team with the meanest defence in the league and who had scored in every league game since the second match this season up against a bunch of pymies with no (in-form) striker. Added to that, they had beaten us 2-0 at home last year and grabbed draws the two years previous.

Cesc was on the bench which was a surprise, a pleasant one it has to be said, and with Traore back in at left-back I felt more confident that we could handle Young's pace. Their decision to start Heskey over Carew was also good news as he has a habit of torturing us.

The first half plodded along predictably enough. Arshavin was so far off the pace of the match he probably should have been substituted only for the fact that he usually scores two or more when he's having a shocker. We kept the ball well but lacked the cutting edge in the final third. A familiar tale. At the back, Senor Flapsalot flapped a lot (he did make one good save in the second half which involved getting up quickly and great reactions, but he still needs to go). Eduardo looked, once again, like a man with no faith in his finishing ability. In the fourth minute, after some great work from Diaby (Cesc's cameo aside, man of the match again?) he turned beautifully, on to his left, only to scuff his shot straight at Friedel. The comeback Edurado (pre last op and Eduardo-gate) would have sunk that in his sleep. From then on his head was down a bit. I thought his miss-hit which went in last week might have been enough to get him going again, but it seems not. Sooner rather than later he'll score goal of the season and then there'll be no stopping him.

I hope.

We were brighter in the second half but still didn't really look like getting through. When Cesc stood on the touchline ready to come on after 11 minutes of the second half the Sky commentators said 'For Use in Emergencies Only.' Now, this was with half an hour to go. Against the best defence in the league. And a team equal on points with us who had already beaten Chelsea, Man U and Liverpool. How the hell is that an emergency?

He was quickly followed on by Theo for Eduardo.

Fifth gear anyone?

With Cesc having replaced free-kick supremo Denilson, it was no surprise to see him step up to take the free he himself had earned. 25+ yards out.

Screamer.

Nothing else I can say can do it justice.

We were only one up but you could see the confidence spread throughout the team. Heads were higher, feet quicker, and it was ours for the taking. Sure, Villa put up a bit of a fight, for all of about five minutes, but when Theo found the perfect pass to a Cesc who was bursting past three defenders with nothing but 'score score score' going through his mind, you had no doubts that he would find the net. He placed it, near post, past Friedel. Simply sublime.

Such was his commitment to getting there and pulling this team up to title contenders line (you know, the exact type of performance everybody tells us we have no players capable of producing) he did his hamstring again. He wasn't limping badly when he went off, and didn't look as angry as when he first did it at Burnley so fingers crossed.

It was the most perfect 27 minutes of football you are likely to see this season.

when he celebrated there was no doubt what those goals meant to him. There is nothing else in that boy's blood other than Arsenal. NOTHING.

Diaby's third was another superb goal. Given time as defenders backed off him he was allowed to amble through the Villa half and then used a defender to shield his shot and curl it, from outside the box, past a diving Friedel who could get nowhere near it.

I got a text from my Man U supporting mate saying 'wow, second half Arsenal, best I've seen in a long time' and he was right. Villa weren't poor, we just made them look that way. From a team who have only failed to score once this season to only having one shot the entire match shows how well we played as a unit (which is probably extra important now as we have virtually no goalkeeper). Villa had also not conceded from a set piece. You can put that record away too as we scored what was only our second direct free kick goal in two years (and you know the first was last week).

Wow.

What a game. What a result. What a statement of title intention.

I said after Chelsea we were nowhere near out of the race while many held their heads in despair. We've just hung in there chip-chip-chipping away at their lead while nobody pays us the slightest bit of attention or even gives us credit for where we are given that we have had more injuries at the same time than Man U, Chelsea and Liverpool combined.

In just over a week we will have played three more games, including our game in hand. With those matches being Pompey (a), Bolton (h) (with the FA Cup in between) while Chelsea play Fulham at home and Hull away, you have to fancy us to get more points than them. By the 6th January there is every chance that we could be sitting top. Probably not, but I'll take second swinging on the Chavs coat tails while we wait for their classless stitching to come undone.

With a ton of players to come back and Chelsea not really suffering any injuries of significance yet, the pendulum is swinging our way. Wenger wants this league this year more than anything and he is driving our players onwards. The players are responding and the results are coming even when we aren't performing at our best. O'Neill gave Villa xmas eve and day off, Wenger had Arsenal in training on both. That's what champions do. I said that before and some of you laughed.

Who's fucking laughing now.

We are. That's who.

(and yes I know I've neglected to mention Man U in the title race, you'll see why by Easter)