Ranking Arsenal's 10 Best Performances at the Emirates

It has become one of the most recognizable stadiums in football, despite only being in operation since 2006.

It has yet to see an Arsenal trophy (the Gunners last tasted silverware in 2005).

But perhaps it is more fitting to think along the lines of what has been accomplished at the Emirates rather than get stuck in the mire of what the club has yet to accomplish there.

With this gleaming, 60,000-capacity jewel of a stadium that houses a billiard-green playing surface, Arsenal have a home that can match up favorably against any in the world.

There are few experiences like it, and it's difficult to go an entire match without a TV commentator alluding to its grandeur as a football arena.

Its cost ushered in a new era at Arsenal—Arsene Wenger was forced to construct a side predicated upon youth while the club paid off its debt—but it has still seen some absolutely vintage Arsenal performances that were only heightened by the aura pervaded by the stadium.

Here are 10 of the best.

1. Feb. 15, 2011: Arsenal 2, FC Barcelona 1

My first inclination upon watching that wonderful Andrei Arshavin winner in a United States bar wasn't toward victory.

Rather, I wanted most to be at the Emirates to join in the post-goal furor, which I could tell even through a television screen was nothing short of unabridged pandemonium.

This was the brand of comeback that makes you love Arsenal, and at the same time grow infuriated with them.

If they could beat Barcelona...

Many deride Arsenal fans for not providing the adequate blend of uproarious support for their club.

While Highbury was often jokingly referred to as the "Library," the Emirates would have rankled quite a number of librarians with the decibel levels seen that evening.

2. Dec. 10, 2011: Arsenal 1, Everton 0

The precision of Robin van Persie's volleys is so surgical that even the least cynical among us might assume there has to be a heavy helping of luck involved.

But that would be nothing short of unfair to the Dutchman's absolutely transcendental technical prowess.

The genius of his left-footed strikes has become nearly unparalleled.

Tim Howard could do absolutely nothing to deny a volley of this quality, just as Liverpool keeper Pepe Reina had no chance in stopping Van Persie's game-winning volley at Anfield two weeks ago that managed to just sneak in past the near post.

This match against Everton celebrated Arsenal's 125th year in existence. Legends from the past were in attendance, from George Graham to Thierry Henry.

And what better way to celebrate the rich pageantry of this illustrious club than with a winner of this inordinate quality?

It was Henry who leapt to his feet to lead the applause, and the ensuing roar of the stadium—palpable even when diffused by way of a television screen—was testament enough to how much the fans in attendance appreciated their captain's deliverance.

3. Nov. 8, 2008: Arsenal 2, Manchester United 1

If you're going to beat Manchester United, you might as well do it in style (and have a little bit of luck along the way).

Samir Nasri's first goal was of the fortunate sort, but his second was absolutely magnificent to behold.

The rip-roaring finish aside, what this video fails to portray was the nearly 30-pass movement that preceded Cesc Fabregas's excellent 180-degree turn and subsequent assist to the former Marseille playmaker, who made no mistake with his finish.

There is no greater feeling than beating the league title holders at home, which is exactly what the Gunners managed.

4. Dec. 27, 2009: Arsenal 3, Aston Villa 0

Watching Cesc Fabregas' turn as a substitute against Aston Villa during a bitter midwinter match was nothing short of sublime.

The Catalan captain was only on the pitch for a little over 25 minutes—Arsene Wenger had wanted to rest him due to worries over a niggling hamstring injury—but in that time he took a hammer and embedded himself ever further than before into the bedrock of Arsenal lore.

Fabregas' first goal—that perfectly paced and placed free kick—was a fitting summary of his technical talent, but it was his second goal that sealed his status as a legend.

While that first goal showed off some of his chops as a footballer, the second was pure desire.

His lung-bursting run-plus-finish ended in him re-aggravating that hamstring injury, but as you saw him limping off in half-celebration after the finish, you had all the proof you'd ever need for his worth as a player.

Like the final words in Shakespeare's play, Hamlet—the seemingly banal "He dies,"—Fabregas didn't need a celebratory flourish to signify the magnitude of his performance on the day.

As Dustin Hoffman explained to Natalie Portman in Mr. Magorium's Wonder Emporium, Hamlet's masterpiece of a life provided all the eloquence and excellence he needed.

We should remember our heroes because of their lives, not how they left us.

Fabregas is gone now, likely never again to don the famed red-and-white kit he knew for some eight years.

But it's in the furious dedication of the performances like against Aston Villa that we remember just how much he gave to the club.

Remember the goals rather than the fact that we won't see him do it anymore at the Emirates.

5. March 6, 2012: Arsenal 3, AC Milan 0

The 4-0 thrashing at the San Siro 20 days prior to the return leg would prove to be too tall an order for the Gunners to reverse in the end, but to focus on that unfortunate plot point is a disservice to the level of desire showcased by Arsenal on March 6.

The three goals scored before halftime had fans thinking a comeback of epic proportions was in the offing, but a scoreless second 45 minutes, despite so many Arsenal players running their legs ragged in a mad-dash effort to get the necessary result, came up just short.

Still, it was a performance that got the blood stirring.

Seeing Tomas Rosicky slumped on the pitch after the final whistle had gone, looking as if he'd run just about as far as his body was capable of, said it all.

The Gunners gave it everything they had.

6. Oct. 31, 2009: Arsenal 3, Tottenham Hotspur 0

The bar in which I watched this particular match had changed from when the opponent was Barcelona, but my reaction to the goals was almost as euphoric.

Almost. Barcelona will always take the cake in that category.

If the first goal from Van Persie against Arsenal's hated north London rivals was a fitting repayment for a first half in which Arsenal had dominated, then the Fabregas second was an unexpected (but hefty) bonus.

You might say the "bonus" was more fun to watch.

The Catalan cut through a befuddled Spurs defense like a knife through...you know.

Apparently, Tottenham's back four were recovering from the shell-shock of having conceded that first goal to Van Persie.

Fabregas took full advantage, stealing the ball at midfield and sweeping his shot past a helpless Heurelho Gomes to give Arsenal a 2-0 cushion minutes from halftime.

After Van Persie reached his brace in the second half, the final score read 3-0—fitting for a match Arsenal had thoroughly dominated on one of the final days of fall.

7. Jan. 21, 2007: Arsenal 2, Manchester United 1

It was a match—and to a greater extent, a season—of inexplicable occurrences.

Not only did Thierry Henry nab the winner against Manchester United with a rare headed goal (though you'd never know it from his excellent technique, giving keeper Edwin van der Sar nearly no chance to get a touch), Arsenal completed a rare league double over Manchester United (they'd won the away leg 1-0 on Sept. 17), who would eventually be crowned EPL champions for the 2006-07 season.

There was nothing more sweet than seeing Henry seal the deal in the closing minutes.

His dance with Adebayor was quite good, too, and is well worth a YouTube watch.

8. March 9, 2010: Arsenal 5, FC Porto 0

The scoreline in this one was as one-sided as they get in the Champions League quarterfinal stage, but it was the revenge factor involved that provided the icing on the proverbial cake from an Arsenal perspective.

The Gunners had fallen 2-1 in the first leg at the Estadio de Dragao after a contentious decision from the referee allowed Porto to take a free kick just outside the Arsenal area almost immediately after the foul was committed.

They wasted little time in wrong-footing the Gunners defense and tapping in an easy goal to seal the game.

There was no mistaking who deserved to go through after this match was through, however.

Arsenal waxed Porto in every sense of the word, their superiority perfectly encapsulated in this absolutely world-class Samir Nasri goal.

9. Aug. 21, 2010: Arsenal 6, Blackpool 0

This was more about the feel to the day than the performance itself.

After all, Arsenal would hang six on Braga some two weeks on—a game that was also played at the Emirates.

But the enjoyable late-summer vibe to this end-of-August fixture perfectly accentuated the Gunners' six-star performance, which saw Theo Walcott at his very best in the first half as the team cruised to victory.

The England winger had two goals before the first half was up (12', 39'), but his dominance went even further than that brace (and eventual hat trick) would let on.

Perhaps he wanted to make a statement after being left off the England World Cup 2010 roster. Maybe he simply wanted to embark upon a scintillating start to the season.

Either way, he made his point. His finishing was excellent, his movement top-class.

And were it not for a nasty injury suffered in an early September England Euro 2012 qualifier in Switzerland, who knows what kind of season we'd have seen from Walcott?

Because during that Blackpool match, I certainly thought young Theo was on his way to a breakout 2010-11.

Alas, c'est la vie.

10. Sept. 24, 2011: Arsenal 3, Bolton Wanderers 0

The result was nothing that screams "important."

Rather, it was the significance of the actual goals scored that made all the difference.

Captain Robin van Persie notched the 99th and 100th goals of his Arsenal career in a game that firmly cemented Arsenal's upward trend following a disastrous start to the current season.

(The Gunners would lose to Tottenham in their next league match, but would go on to win their next six in league play.)

It was a fitting tribute to Van Persie's remarkable tenure as an Arsenal player, and it seemed appropriate that he should tally these strikes at, of all places, the Emirates.