Arsenal had barely a striker on the pitch, no Ade, no RvP and no Eduardo, yet it was the Gunners who took the chances.  Some pointed out that Man U, at times, cut Arsenal's defence to shreds, but it was an open game with both sides getting plenty of chances.  In fact it was a re run of Fenerbahce away, but with slightly different personnel.

Once gain Diaby had a roving commission in the midfield, once again Arsenal gave away more chances than they made, and once again they outscored the opposition. Except this time the opposition was far better, and so was Arsenal's defence.

I can't help thinking that the injury to Ade, and the suspension of RvP had a silver lining. Not that Bendtner was better than either of them, but it meant that Wenger could not contemplate 4-4-2.

A friend text me from the opposite end of the stadium, "Is Denilson on spinach?" I replied no it's the formation. This week, for the first time, Wenger hinted that he was missing Flamini. Not that he said that outright; but in his usual circumspect code he noted that he had to make changes. Now anyone but a fool knows that the changes, for the most part didn't work. Against Stoke, Hull, and Fulham what was missing was the engine, now for the first time we have seen a really powerful engine that not only attacks (true it attacked in Turkey), but also defends. This time the changes made up for the missing Flamini. At last Diaby is playing a key role.

This formation based on 4-5-1 allows the team to turn defence into attack at speed. Arsenal looked pacey and played at tempo, when the Gunners play at tempo they are always better. Yesterday this site backed Wenger's call to be judged in May, and yesterday' result proves how over hyped the press reaction to the last few games has been.

We love you Wenger Nasri Celebrates

However as good as yesterday's performance was, and it was very good, it should be kept in mind that Man U played attacking football, and they paid for it. On other days they might have won, but Arsenal's finishing was the most ruthless, as it was at Fenerbahce. Can you imagine Hleb scoring two goals in a key match?

However lesser teams will have watched the game and thought if a team as good as Man U attacked and were beaten what chance have we? It will be 10 men behind the ball business as usual.

Therefore it may be difficult to maintain the power of the new found engine. In which case Arsene will have to find other ways to break down teams. Nonetheless it proves Wenger hasn't lost it, but it doesn't prove we are going to have silverware in May; Arsene is right May will be the best time to judge.

Confidence hard to gain but easy to lose

The dropping of two points at home to Spurs saw Arsenal confidence slump, and more nauseatingly, theirs rise. Once confidence is lost it is hard to regain; hopefully this result will spur on team and spectators alike. The crowd were good they sang the Arsene song after eleven minutes, before we scored, and long before the result was known. No doubt that helped lift confidence, and when the six minutes extra time was announced, the crowd groaned but they also got behind the team for everyone of those six minutes. Those six minutes were some of the longest minutes I have ever lived through, if I ignore the Cuban missile crisis.

When the whistle was finally blown the team dropped to the ground, and the crowd whooped and twirled their scarves in tens of thousands. Now we have to see what happens in the next two or three games as to if this team can remain a contender.

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