ARSENAL 3 ASTON VILLA 0
FROM GOODPLAYA AT THE EMIRATES

FIRST things first and a happy festive season to all Goodplaya readers. Hull over a week ago – the last time we spoke – feels a very long time ago.

Ever since the Villa fans serenaded Eduardo with references to Heather Mills a week after breaking his leg, I’ve had a special place for them. A special place where I’ve wanted to beat them properly for quite a while.

Yesterday, it happened thanks to an inspired Arsenal performance. Make no mistake, Villa were very, very tough opposition and as a football match this was as good a one as we’ve seen at the Emirates all season.

The easy explanation is that the introduction of captain Cesc Fabregas after 57 minutes changed the game. A huge impact he certainly had, but I think that’s a little disingenuous to the 11 who had started the match.

The first 45 had been very competitive and fairly tight, albeit with Eduardo himself missing a glorious opening very early on after great work from Abou Diaby, who had a second consecutive excellent game.

Whereas Match of the Day chose to focus on Villa frustrating us, I think most Gooners in the ground were delighted that unlike last season’s 2-0 home reverse, we were matching them physically and their openings were few.

Down in front of us Alex Song ran across to slide in and make the kind of challenge that we as football fans (simple creatures that we are) love. His name was sung longer and harder than possibly any other moment all season.

There were other promising signs. Vermaelen looked up for Agbonlahor and alongside Song, Denilson was full of confidence and Abou Diaby was having one of his ‘today, I’m keeping the ball’ games. In attack we weren’t quite clicking, with Eduardo hesitant for that early chance, Nasri OK but no better and Arshavin struggling to put a foot right.

But there was enough to suggest we’d be able to up the tempo after the break, something the statistics show we’ve been very decent at this season.

And so we did. Right from the restart when Diaby turned delightfully. The pressure was building, there was one cleared off the line and then the captain entered, to replace Denilson. It was actually a great moment because for the first time in a very long time it felt as though we had real competition for places in midfield.

None of Song, Diaby or Denilson deserved to be withdrawn, but with a player such as Cesc on the pitch, one had to go. That’s the sweet smell of competition. Shame about his injury and Song heading off, but for one day it was good.

Cesc’s introduction merely upped the anti and within ten minutes we led. My seat right down in the bottom corner doesn’t always afford the clearest of views but yesterday, it could hardly be faulted. I’ve got a brilliant side on freeze frame in my mind of Friedel leaping in mid air but the ball already bulging the net.

And then we got the captain, who looked as if he’d had one of those mornings where he’d shampooed his hair and then realised he was out of conditioner, run right over to us in a state of high excitement. As were we. Great stuff.

Villa then pushed forward a bit more, but created absolutely sod all and before you knew it, it was two. Traore’s very decent sand-wedged through ball after a flagging Milner gave it away, a cool headed Theo and an onrushing captain fantastic. We enjoyed that one too.

Was it worth the ensuing possible injury? Only time will tell. But make no mistake, this was an important win.

There followed a carbon copy of Agbonlahor’s clincher at the Emirates last season, except this time after being initially out-muscled Gallas recovered superbly and Almunia was sharp to turn the loose ball away. Small, but important, differences.

Now, as I mentioned earlier, I’ve little time for the Villa fans and was particularly baffled by their rendition of “We shall not be moved” five minutes into the game. If by that they meant they had no plans to screw up fourth place quite as spectacularly as they did last season, then I suppose fair enough, but I couldn’t help thinking they’d missed the point of it really. Surely it should be sung after 85 minutes of a performance in which you’ve confirmed yourselves as potential champions/cup winners/relegation escapees?

Then on 90 minutes they sang it again. At this point I was most confused because when you’re 2-0 down in injury time, you have quite clearly been moved. While they were still singing it, Diaby waltzed through and guided home number three, as if really to emphasise the point.

While I’m on one, I swear I also heard “2-0 and you still don’t sing” from the other end. It’s a song that I think sometimes has some resonance when you see supporters sat on their hands at the end of a comfortable victory. There are times when it certainly happens at the Emirates.

The only thing is that for the song to work, it requires the home support not to be singing. The clue is in the lyrics. And we were singing. So that was equally odd.

But anyway, great performance and in a sense I think it was our season’s best because while victories at Everton and Liverpool and against Spurs were perhaps more spectacular, I think for a long while Villa were playing a lot better than any of those three did.

Also a nice way to sign off the decade at home. And in a funny sense it felt a little bit like our last game of the last decade – a 2-0 win against high flying Leeds, ten years ago today. Anyone else notice that?

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