As the story goes, Jozef Szabo took a fateful trip to Highbury in 1920, and thereafter Braga have adopted the colors of Arsenal. They say immitation is the sincerest form flattery… in this situation I totally agree. The Braga vs Sevilla playoff matches were entertaining to watch, and The Quarry is a very unique stadium to play in. Looking forward to the return fixture.

On to last night’s Champions League group stage match. The first ten minutes were a spectacular display of dominance by the Gunners. When Cesc was brought down just inside the box, it absolutely should have been a penalty. I think at any time further into the game it would have been. Can’t complain too much about that missed penalty, because minutes later Fabregas blasted another penalty into the back of the net.

Once the scoring started the flood gates really opened. Arshavin netted nicely into the near post, great to see the “magician” back in scoring form. Chamakh’s well worked goal was picture perfect. I for one was hoping to see him kick one into the net, but I’ll certainly take headers. What a game from Jack Wilshere, I thought he was sure to score at some point based on the amount of hustle he showed on the field. Cesc had a great header for the fourth goal of the night. Number five and six coming from sub Carlos Vela, were a super capper for a great match.

There has been a lot of discussion, speculation, and outright misinformation regarding Fabregas and his dedication to Arsenal. For me last night proved he is still 100% committed and a true professional. This may not always be the case, but after last nights performance hopefully some of the nay sayers will be at least a little quieter.

Uppers:

Wilshere seemed to have his best game yet, awesome work rate for the youngster. Chamakh displayed his skill with linkup play. The back four are really solid with the addition of Squillaci, another great signing by the Boss. Fabregas continues to shine in the midfield. Arshavin is back in scoring form, and looks ready to lead from the front.

Downers:

Seem to be an awful lot of missed passes in the midfield. The one who stands out in my mind is Song. I love Song and feel he adds a lot of security to the team. Just seemed like too frequently last night his passes missed the mark. Certainly he wasn’t the only one with some miss placed passes, but even the announcer commented on his breakup play being far better then his linkup play. Totally doesn’t seem like an issue that can’t be correct on the training ground .

Very positive win for the Gunners, and I hope the Arsenalistas progress in the Champions League. If for nothing else then to see more matches in the Quarry.

Thanks for reading and,

Party On!