Its amazing how much, and how quickly, things can change in football. Last time I went to an Arsenal game (just before the birth of the daughter that has kept my hands rather full ever since), all was doom and gloom. We had injury worries, players who were terribly out of form (especially in front of goal), and a new signing who was yet to do anything concrete to show why we bought him. My last Arsenal game ended with our zillionth 0-0 draw in a row, and the team booed off at the end. Grim stuff.Since then, and since I have been changing nappies, I have missed 4 Arsenal games. In those games we have reached the Champions League last 8 after a long night in Rome. We have scored 7 league goals (after looking like we couldn't buy one for all of February), and beaten Burnley in the cup with some real champagne goals. Players have come back from injury, Bendtner has turned his form around, and players like Song and Eboue have been playing like we all hoped they could. We have got back into the top four of the Premier League. And, Arshavin scored his first goal. 4 games, 2 weeks - its amazing how quickly things can change.
So, it was a very different - and much more positive - stadium that I walked into for this game. The short notice meant that there were empty seats - 5,000 according to Arsenal, but quite a few more in reality by the looks of things. All this also seemed to mean that there were quite a few people that don't get to many games - all of whom sounded like they were in good voice. I don't know what it is about midweek evening games, but the atmosphere is always much better.
All in all, this was a very good game I thought - plenty of chances at both ends, and of course the right result at the end! Hull took the lead early on, with a very lucky, heavily deflected shot - which looped over the keeper and into the net. In truth, they had probably started better, but the goal was still outrageously lucky! They then set about timewasting mode - engaging in frustratingly long waits to take goal kicks and free kicks. This went on until the hour mark, when the referee finally had the sense to book their keeper for such blatant timewasting. Why he felt the need to subject us all to it for 45 minutes before acting, I have no idea.
As we got properly into the second half, the game effectively became a one team match - Arsenal did all the running, had the vast majority of the play, and most of the chances. By the time Nicklas Bendtner had come on, Arsenal were virtually bombarding the Hull goal with chances, many of which looked like they were easier to score than miss. Bendtner himself had a decent game, to add to his very solid performance on Saturday - and he was involved in the equaliser, being one of the players who took turns to tee the ball up, for Van Persie to eventually smash into the net.
The winner came about 10 minutes later, another chance that seemed to involve lots of players in the penalty box, Gallas finishing this one with a strange backward header. The replays showed he was offside, but given the sheer number of bad decisions Mike Riley seemed to make in the game, that wasn't a surprise - and was a refereeing break that Arsenal probably deserved. Hull's timewasting seemed to abate after that, and despite a couple of scares near Fabianski's goal, Arsenal held out for the win.
So, into the FA Cup Semi Finals, for our first visit to Wembley. As well as a Champions League quarter final, and back in the top 4 of the league, this could still be a very good season. We all thought that this time last year, but you never know, one day it might all come true!
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