A massive, massive victory, and it's a damn travesty that there's no Arsenal fan out there who can really go to bed happy tonight. Wenger's already said it, that "I cannot even enjoy the win tonight because it is so sad to see that." It's hard to be an Arsenal fan sometimes, to see not only the injuries that have befallen the likes of Eduardo and now Ramsey, but more than that - the reactions of the other players on the pitch. Vermaelen, Cesc, Bent Nick, just about everybody. The same looks that we had to witness at Birmingham.
As far as the game went then - it was almost surreal when we went behind in less than 10 minutes to yet another Delap throw. Incredible. I suppose in a way, it was a good thing - we got that out of the way as early as possible. With the Delap goal out of the way, we seemed to step up a gear thereafter. The boys all stepped up, and Bent Nick's header from Cesc's cross for the equaliser was a thing of beauty. Apart from Nick, there's absolutely nobody else on the team who can head the ball he way he does, and nobody who gives us that added dimension. The boy's now scored two in two, and you must feel confident that he's coming into form at just the right time.
For the rest of the first half, we take control, as we do for the second half. Stoke up to their usual "physicality" as the commentators so like to describe it, and we increasingly getting out passing together. Things look comfortable, that is, until that tackle. Sure, Shawcross did not go into it with any intent. Sure, he seemed much more remorseful than Martin Taylor ever was. Sure, he cried as he left the pitch, and sure he doesn't have a mean bone in his body. The fact is, however, when you go into a tackle that way, all you need is a spilt-second mis-timing, and you get a badly-broken leg.
Unsurprisingly, the team are shell-shocked. Just how any team can continue after seeing your team-mate's ankle dangling at that sickening angle is beyond me. It all looked like Birmingham all over again, and you had to wonder if we really had it in us. For the next 10 or so minutes, we were indeed at sea. But slowly, you could see that we were making progress, and surely making inroads into Stoke's defence. The penalty we got was perhaps slightly soft, but it was more than deserved. The relief with Cesc's goal, and the celebrations after Vermaelen's third were things of unbridled emotion.
I won't go into the player ratings. It just seems wrong. We had a real team performance today. They all stood up and were counted. This was one time when we could really feel proud to be a fan and supporter.
Elsewhere, the afternoon had started with a marvelous result at the Bridge. Ancelotti v Mancini, and you-know-what got a right spanking. Particularly with the thought that a win would bring us within 3 points, to respond the way we did after going behind was just brilliant.
Things do look good. Chelski and Man U do have a more difficult run-in, and what more, will have to play each other too. You can't but help feel that as much as Manciti are a good bet for 4th, they will quite likely play king-makers as well. They've already blown in wide open with their win. Come April 17th, and they'll first play Man U at home, and then come to the Emirates a week after. Before that, of course - Man U will have to play Pool and Chelski as well. So who knows?
In the meantime, our prayers and thoughts are with Ramsey. We won it for him tonight. Let's just go on and finish the job.
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