Vermaelen lifts Emirates roof

There hasn’t been a transformation like this in football since Emmanuel Eboue went from boo-boy to folk hero because when Thomas Vermaelen scored a dramatic last-minute goal against Newcastle it turned the Emirates into a cauldron of passion and Arsenal into serious contenders for third place.

Arsene Wenger’s team, who not so long ago were so down and out that they were booed by their own fans and written off by just about everyone, completed a memorable return to form, standing just a point behind Spurs who had looked certain to make third place their own until just a month ago.

Three defeats in a row for Harry Redknapp’s side and three victories for Wenger’s men (four if you include a 3-0 triumph over Milan in the Champions League) have turned Arsenal’s season around in remarkable fashion.

The noise inside the Emirates when Vermaelen fired home a Theo Walcott cross in injury time to seal a 2-1 victory was thunderous and the sight of 60,000 Arsenal fans holding their red and white scarves aloft at the final was a sight for Wenger to relish after enduring so many lows this season.

Even Robin van Persie being booked for taunting rival goalkeeper Tim Krul — who had systematically wasted time to try and see out a draw for Newcastle — showed the kind of passion, spirit and nasty streak Arsenal have desperately needed for so long.

Right from the start, it was clear that Arsenal is a very different club than it was just weeks ago when doom and gloom shrouded the Emirates and manager Wenger was booed for substituting Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain for Andriy Arshavin against Manchester United before his team stumbled to terrible results in the Champions League against Milan and in the FA Cup at Sunderland.

But since then a 5-2 win against Tottenham, a 2-1 triumph at Anfield and an improbable 3-0 victory over Milan have transformed the atmosphere and renewed enthusiasm in north London to the extent that the Emirates was rocking even before kick-off with supporters anticipating a victory that would turn the screw on Spurs in the race for third place.

Even when Hatem Ben Arfa, against the run of play, raced onto a Demba Ba ball — following a mistake by Vermaelen — to put Newcastle ahead in the 14th minute, the crowd didn’t lose faith. Instead a huge roar greeted the restart of play and within a minute Theo Walcott raced down the right and sent over a low ball that allowed van Persie to expertly turn his man and sweep home an equaliser.

After that, Arsenal dominated against a dogged Newcastle side, gradually building up steam, with Walcott in particular causing problems; twice setting up Tomas Rosicky for chances he should have scored from. And when five minutes of injury time came up on the board there was only one side capable of finding a winner.

It seemed inevitable Arsenal, now on such a roll, would finish on a high; and when Vermaelen blasted into the net with Newcastle’s injured defender Danny Simpson — unable to leave the pitch because his team had used three subs and unable to keep track of Walcott because of his injuries — looking on in despair, the comeback was complete.

“It was a great win,” said Walcott, who like Newcastle manager Alan Pardew dismissed the post-goal arguments as much ado about nothing. “It’s been an up and down season so far but it’s the way you finish that matters. We were aiming for fourth but with the squad we’ve got we believe we can go much further.”

Wenger said: “It was a game of absolute commitment on both sides, you have to credit Newcastle as well.

“It needed something special to beat them tonight. And what beat them tonight was our relentless effort just to win the game.”

That was a sentiment echoed by match winner Vermaelen, who said: “We are on a good run and we’re coming close to Tottenham. We’ll fight for third place now.”

It’s a sentence no Arsenal fan thought they’d hear this season.

ARSENAL: Szczesny 6, Sagna 7, Koscielny 6, Vermaelen 7, Gibbs 6, Song 7, Arteta 7, Rosicky 7 (Ramsey 76; 6), Walcott 8, Oxlade-Chamberlain 6 (68; 6), Van Persie 8. Subs not used: Fabianski, Djourou, Santos, Benayoun, Chamakh.

NEWCASTLE: Krul 8; Simpson 7, Williamson 6, Coloccini 7, Santon 6 (Perch 46; 6); Obertan 6 (Shola Ameobi 62; 6), Cabaye 6, Tiote 7 (Guthrie 81), Gutierrez 6, Ben Arfa 7; Ba 6.

Referee: Howard Webb.