Gunners find their heart to stun sorry Spurs
Shattering defeats to AC Milan and Sunderland were being followed by what appeared the latest and most embarrassing of humiliations; local rivals Tottenham coming to sack the Emirates and stamp their dominance on north London.
Harry Redknapp’s visitors scented blood.
They had already taken the lead through a deflected Louis Saha shot when, at 2.07pm, Emmanuel Adebayor drilled home from the penalty spot after Gareth Bale went down after minimal contact from Arsenal keeper Wojciech Szczesny.
The obituaries were being written, the fans were making their feelings known. Arsene Wenger had to go; he could take Theo Walcott, Tomas Rosicky and Marouane Chamakh with him.
Yet such is the reactionary nature of modern-day football that less than an hour after Tottenham’s second goal, those same supporters were in raptures. Against all the odds, Arsenal had scored five goals in just 28 minutes of football.
It was an astonishing, exhilarating comeback, and one that to Wenger must have felt more than a simple victory or the re-establishment of bragging rights; to him, it was a defiant demonstration of the fact that his philosophy can still work, that these players can justify the faith he has placed in them.
They still have a huge amount of work to do to finish in the top four — they are, after all, only above Chelsea on goals scored. But this was the kind of performance and result that can alter perceptions. Fans resolve to support their team; players begin to believe that hope is not lost.
Nowhere was this more to be seen than in the case of Theo Walcott.
In the first 45 minutes he was atrocious: unable to pass to a team-mate; incapable of controlling the ball. The home support were voluble in their displeasure, and Wenger considered replacing the England international at the break.
He did not and was rewarded with two emphatic finishes that took the game away from the visitors. It symbolised why football is a game occasionally beyond prediction, and relies on the qualities that can rarely be seen or summed up — character, resolve, desire.
Yet for Tottenham it wasn’t meant to be this way. This was supposed to be the day that they confirmed their preeminence in north London, all but confirming they would finish above their hosts for the first time since 1995.
Redknapp could not have wished for a better start, but some of the key areas of this much-vaunted team — the centre of defence and midfield, in particular — malfunctioned, and were bypassed by a marauding army in red.
Bad days happen to any team, but this defeat raises questions. Tottenham must respond against Manchester United next weekend, although they will have to do so without Scott Parker, who was shown a second yellow-card late on for a thoughtless foul on Thomas Vermaelen that encapsulated the visitors’ frustration.
Ultimately, Spurs are the third best team in the league. Yet a win here would have meant an assault on top spot was not inconceivable.
When Saha’s drive deflected off Laurent Koscielny and crept into the back of the net, it seemed to be their day. That impression was reinforced when Adebayor took advantage of referee Mike Dean’s decision to penalise Szczesny for a foul on Bale that appeared marginal at best.
The entire stadium expected Arsenal to crumble, but they did not. The fightback was launched in unlikely fashion when Bacary Sagna powered home a wonderful header for his first goal in over a year, and was followed swiftly by a wonderful turn and shot from Robin van Persie, revelling in his talismanic status.
It was crowned when Rosicky, who was enjoying his best game for months, stabbed home Sagna’s deflected cross.
Tottenham were in disarray, Arsenal rampant. Walcott suddenly came to life in spectacular style, chipping Brad Friedel after racing onto van Persie’s pass and then firing low past the goalkeeper when Alex Song had found him with an ocean of space to run into.
It was almost surreal; the newly-established order being turned on its’ head. Indeed, it went against everything we have seen or heard from these two teams over the past 12 months.
Arsenal and Wenger had made their point in the most astonishing fashion; a heartbeat has been found.
