Winning Ugly

A huge weekend for the Gunners, who pulled off a rather stunning 2-1 victory after being outplayed most of the game. The two heroes were RVP and Szczezny, the first for scoring on the only two chances he had all day and our young Polish goalkeeper for stopping everything Liverpool offered up including a majestic double-save on a ghost penalty (though I don't blame the ref for calling it, as it must have looked like there was contact with the biggest diver in the EPL - Suarez); the only goal came on Koscielny's second own goal in two days. The win essentially ended Liverpool's chances of Champions League football and together with the AVB killing 1-0 Chelsea defeat at West Brom and the Newcastle-Sunderland 1-1 draw, saw us further solidify our place in the top four -- a mere four points against a Tottenham team that was trounced 3-1 by Man U. 

The game once again showed our mettle as we were outplayed but somehow picked up all three points at the Kop. But it also showed that the inconsistency of this squad requires some luck to finish in the top four. If the rumors are to be believed, finishing in Champions League position could see the addition of several top players this summer and the exit of much of the dead weight currently eating away wages (and points when they do come on the pitch) -- including Chamakh, Squillaci, Bendtner and the rest of the gang of outcasts. Good news also lingers as Diaby looked good in his return, though he did limp off the field and another injury should convince us that he just can't make it back, and the relatively imminent returns of Wilshire and Santos. Looking at the remaining schedule, Chelsea certainly has a tougher road, and if we can just win the games we should -- fourth (or even third if Totti continues their almost annual late season collapse) is certainly a strong possibility. In any case, a great though ugly win and now on to the almost impossible task of trying to make up the four goal deficit against the resurgent AC Milan before our return fixture against Newcastle. Go Gunners!