Wenger hails new steel as Young Guns reel in Fulham

SO there is life after Thierry Henry.

Arsenal shrugged off the most turbulent summer in their recent history with a touch of alchemy yesterday, magically transforming disastrous defeat into exhilarating victory in seven breathless minutes. If football without the mercurial Frenchman is always this fun, it is a wonder he was not sold sooner.

Yet the afternoon could not pass off without controversy. Lawrie Sanchez, the Fulham manager, departed muttering darkly about Arsenal’s “blatant simulation” and suggested the referee Phil Dowd’s failure to punish their behaviour had contributed to his decision to award a late penalty — duly converted by Robin van Persie — with just seven minutes remaining.

“I was at the same Premier League meeting with Arsene Wenger last Tuesday, and it was agreed simulation was going to be a big no-no this year,” he said. “Yet here there were three simulations that went unpunished. That gives people the impression they can get away with it and it didn’t surprise me when the penalty was given.”

But Sanchez’s grumbles stemmed from frustration and his team were not the victims of Arsenal’s dark arts. The home side should have had a spot kick when Steven Davis scythed down Alexander Hleb in the 20th minute, while the other supposed “dives” — by Hleb and van Persie — seemed nothing more than genuine tangles.

Besides, this was not a day for such trivialities. Far better to focus on the positives: a stupendous performance from Tony Warner, the reserve keeper elevated into Sanchez’s starting line-up following an injury to Antti Niemi in the warm-up, and some unexpected steel from Wenger’s young side.

This victory does not answer all the questions about Arsenal in the post-Henry era. The profligacy which pock-marked last season’s campaign reared its head once again — although Wenger was denied the services of Emmanuel Adebayor and Eduardo da Silva through injury — and there were times when the Frenchman’s tyros appeared gripped by panic.

They were not helped by falling behind, although the goal was a gift from their most experienced campaigner. Jens Lehmann — “always likely to do something silly”, according to Sanchez — made a hash of dealing with Gael Clichy’s back-pass after 53 seconds.

The German attempted a clever-clogs reverse pass to the full-back instead of hacking downfield, slipped at the crucial moment and scuffed straight to David Healy. The ball bounced in off the forward’s shin for a most unexpected debut goal.

Arsenal have become wearily accustomed to scrambling points after falling behind — nobody collected more points from losing positions last season — but they have rarely encountered goalkeepers so inspired as Warner. The 34-year-old, who spent much of last season languishing on loan at Norwich and Leeds, made a string of inspired saves — most notably in the 40th and 46th minutes, when his outstretched legs blocked shots from Hleb — and exuded an aura of invincibility.

He was aided by Zat Knight, who delivered the type of performance which once had him discussed as an England captain-in-waiting. The strapping centre-half lost his way last season and had been facing an uncertain future, but he rediscovered his poise here, making two decisive blocks on goal-bound shots from Hleb and Tomas Rosicky.

Arsenal appeared to be running out of ideas and their increasing desperation opened gaping holes in their back-line. Fulham could have struck killer blows deep into the second half, but Davis blasted straight at Lehmann from 14 yards and Clint Dempsey rolled a shot agonisingly wide of the right-hand post when well placed.

It proved decisive. With seven minutes remaining, a surging run from Kolo Toure was blocked — clumsily, rather than maliciously — by Carlos Bocanegra just inside the penalty area and not even Warner could stop van Persie’s thunderously-struck penalty.

Arsenal would probably have settled for a point at that stage but, as the clock ticked into stoppage time, they delivered a classic sucker-punch. Fabregas dinked a pass to Hleb and the Belarussian wriggled into space before cracking a low shot past Warner.

Wenger speculated, a touch prematurely, that this was a “season-changing” moment although there was no quibbling with his suggestion Arsenal’s fightback proved their spirit is intact.

“You can get momentum and belief from these games,” he said. “To have lost the game would have been a big blow because everyone would’ve been talking about the fact Thierry Henry has left. But this is a positive start.”

Opta Fact: Arsenal, have now scored five penalties in their opening day Premiership games, more than any other side.

Opta Fact: The Cottagers have won none of their last 18 away Premiership games

ARSENAL: Lehmann; Sagna, Toure, Gallas, Clichy; Eboue (Walcott 63), Flamini, Fabregas, Rosicky (Bendtner 72); v Persie (Song 90), Hleb.

FULHAM: Warner; Baird, Knight, Bocanegra, Konchesky; Davies, Davis, Smertin (Diop 72), Bouazza (Dempsey 45); McBride, Healy (Kamara 63).