Arsenal Finish in 3rd Place: A Look Back at the Wild Day at the Hawthorns

Up was down, down seemed up.

After being on the wrong end of goalkeeping blunders for so long, Arsenal finally saw their fortunes reversed.

A thoroughly shocking performance from West Bromwich Albion keeper Martin Fulop—he got the nod after first-choice shot-stopper Ben Foster was ruled out due to injury—ended up helping Arsenal on the way to a vital 3-2 victory at the Hawthorns.

This may not earn Arsenal a trophy, but it could be the most important result in recent memory.

The win meant that Arsenal finish the 2011-12 season in third place, with automatic qualification to next season's Champions League sealed, signed and delivered.

While a slip down to fourth place would have still deemed them eligible for the UCL playoffs, should Chelsea—who currently sit sixth in the standings, and thus out of contention for a spot in the competition by way of the normal avenues—defeat Bayern Munich at the Allianz next Saturday, the Blues would be automatically eligible for the 2012-13 UCL campaign.

That means they would take the place of the fourth-place finishers—UEFA only allows four teams from the league to compete—and right now, the team in fourth is Tottenham, Arsenal's arch nemesis.

Sunday's match was an event in and of itself. Four goals were scored within 30 minutes of play (Arsenal grabbed their third in the 55th minute), and a rare group of goalscorers came through for Wenger.

Yossi Benayoun, Andre Santos and Laurent Koscielny netted for Arsenal in that order, and gave manager Arsene Wenger a huge bargaining chip (Champions League football) to help entice talismanic captain Robin van Persie to stay on.

While van Persie, who entered Sunday's match just one goal shy of Alan Shearer and Cristiano Ronaldo's record for most goals in a Premier League season (31), did not reach that particular summit, he may have saved the Gunners' season.

And wasn't it fitting that his bit of magic came on the end of the pitch opposite from where we've grown accustomed to him working his magic?

Van Persie joined Kieran Gibbs in nudging away balls off the goal line in the final minutes, saving Arsenal's slim advantage in the match and sweeping away any hopes Albion might have harbored of ruining Arsenal's day and sending newly appointed England manager Roy Hodgson off with a win.

It was a win as pleasing as any this season. Maybe more so, given what was at stake.

It's difficult to find the words to sum up this season for the Gunners. It's been one wild ride—the early omens that reeked of foreboding, the scintillating runs at mid-season that reinvigorated fans and players alike—and at times you felt Arsenal were holding on for dear life.

In the end, they did what needed to be done, showing a reserve of fortitude that had seemed nonexistent in recent seasons.

Once official Mark Jones' whistle had gone for full time, it was a celebration—in honor of both assistant manager Pat Rice's final game with the club and a season that has ended in a very respectable manner.

Those beach balls and balloons that littered the pitch during the opening minutes at the Hawthorns seemed perfectly tailored for the occasion.

With the sun-stroked weather hinting at summer, Arsenal were able to enjoy a bit of a party. Once they were in the lead, of course.

You'd have to think these players will only come out stronger for having lived through these past nine months. Next season is already looking like a fun one to watch.