Arsenal produce seven of the best at the Emirates

Published on February 5, 2012 by Hiten Patel · No Comments

It’s a funny old season, isn’t it? Manchester United thump Arsenal 8-2, Arsenal beat Chelsea 5-3, Manchester City beat their neighbours 6-1 and on 4 February, on the back of four games without a win, the Gunners humiliate Blackburn Rovers 7-1.

Nobody could have possibly predicted this. If you had, with odds at a startling 500-1, you could have pocketed more than you’d ever need. The empty seats were on parade throughout the match, but for once at the Emirates this season, the action on the pitch far surpassed the action off it. A poor recent run saw Arsenal go from fourth to seventh, as they lost three games in a row for only the first time in five years. Next up was Blackburn, a team in relegation trouble having only won four games all season, one being the 4-2 goal-fest against Arsenal at Ewood Park.

A blistering start saw Robin van Persie tap in his 25^th goal of the season after good play from Walcott. A free kick from Morton Gamst Pedersen was expertly finished into the top corner to equalise for Rovers. Yet it was the same scenario as the first goal that resulted in a second as Walcott’s low cross was again finished by Van Persie. A quite brilliant through ball from the Dutchman this time allowed time and space for man of the moment, Alex Chamberlain to take a touch or two and finish coolly into the back of the net. 3-1 Arsenal and they weren’t finished there. Having made a rash two footed challenge, Gael Givet compounded his side to defeat by receiving a red card. An apologetic hand to Arsene Wenger on the way down the tunnel seemed to make little justification but was a nice gesture.

The second half can be summed up in two words. Absolute dominance. Arsenal never let their foot of the gas and in twenty minutes, the Gunners had added three more goals to their collection. First, a corner was half cleared by the Blackburn defence before landing to Mikel Arteta who buried his shot in the bottom corner. What followed was simply majestic, as an improving Theo Walcott dribbled his way from the edge of the box and found an open Chamberlain to slot home his second Premier League goal of the day and his career. Smart work from Francis Coquelin allowed van Persie to emphatically smash his hat-trick goal past a bewildered Paul Robinson, a goalkeeper who could only watch as the goals flew in.

As if this wasn’t enough to excite the Arsenal fans, substitute and life-long legend Thierry Henry found some space after a mistake in the Blackburn half. He fed Van Persie who threatened to shoot but instead chose to square for the Frenchman to fire in his first Premier League goal since his return. It took a wicked deflection to send Robinson the wrong way but nobody minded; the goal was his.

7-1 read the final score and after a season with more ups and downs than ever before, this certainly seemed like the perfect antidote for Arsenal fans. Great displays from non-regulars Tomas Rosicky and Francis Coquelin will give Wenger a great boost and although the club are not back to their fighting best, with this display, more confidence will follow and finally, maybe, the future will look bright.