What a fabulous (and Fab-less) cup win.
Arsenal produced when it mattered, scoring three great goals and showing that, with our backs to the wall, we could hold our nerve too.
Henry’s goal has rightly been praised for being a classic Henry goal, but my favourite was Rosicky’s first, a delicious finish preceded by some textbook Arsenal passing. Watch it again here in Dutch, and marvel at how unanimated the commentator is when the ball hits the net. Was he actually watching the game?
There were some fantastic performances all round, with Senderos, Flamini, Rosicky and Hleb all performing with great credit. Rosicky, in particular, has at times this season been all great build-up but little end result (a bit of a pan-Arsenal trait, to be fair), so his two goals will do him the world of good.
I’m with the arseblogger on Eboue though. Quite apart from his sloppy passing in the early stages of the game, his pathetic gamesmanship is plain embarrassing. If it’s true he was subbed not because he was injured but because Wenger had had enough of his antics or feared he might get himself sent off, then that makes him a liability in my book. Justin Hoyte is not as dynamic, probably not even as gifted, but when Eboue does things like that I’d take Hoyte anyday.
So it’s more of the same on Tuesday, when I suspect we will play a weaker team. The bigger of the two prizes has been secured.
In the meantime, superb stuff. I love it when we play like that.