Hull 1 Arsenal 3: The Gunners Are Still Alive!

Arsenal defeated Hull today, and in the process took revenge for the home defeat suffered earlier this season. 

This match does not require a review as there will be millions of these on the web, and this has not been the best game of the season by any means. However the game was significant in many ways.

Man United and Chelsea were drawing and losing respectively and they both pulled out results in the last minute. Villa too came back from a goal down to win late. These results would surely have bogged down the Gunners, just before kickoff against Hull.

Anything less than a win would put us five points behind the top four and out of sight of the top spot. In that sense, this could be a season turning result considering some individual performances and spirit. 

Ade put us ahead, through van Persie's cross. Then Hull exposed our defensive frailties like most teams have done this year, and equalised in the second half. They were in the ascendancy when Bendtner came on.

He made a clear difference in the way we play, he made the pass to van Persie, who was dogged by four defenders, yet managed to find a pass to Nasri who put us ahead with a cool finish. Then the game was put to rest with a third for Bendtner.

Robin Van Persie is emerging as a key player in the team. He singlehandedly won us the game today, he got three assists in and hit the post. He will be vital for the development of the team in the seasons to come. He came good in the game against Chelsea, he came good against Liverpool. He turns in a performance when really needed.

Samir Nasri too, has impressed with his composure in critical situations. He got the winner when it really mattered, the finish was precise and cool. He got the goals against United. 

Niklas Bendtner has not had a good season so far, but he is gearing up to being a critical cog in the Arsenal war machine as the season wears on. He was instrumental in getting the winner today. Not to forget the late winner he scored last weekend when he came on as sub.

What is Denilson doing in the team? He is not an out and out holding midfielder. He seems to just chase around the ball and cant tackle. He is not a ball winner. When he does get the ball, he cannot seem to hold it long enough to do anything worthwhile with it. The alternative is Song. Who i'd rather have in that position. He is a liability.

Eboue seems to get closer to the form he showed early season, his possession and mobility was good, but his passing let him down, especially towards the end of the game. 

Despite these and other defensive holes in the team, we managed to pull off a win against a good, strong mid table team. This gives us hope, maybe not to win the league, but to push for the title.

We don't have Fabregas, Walcott, Rosicky, Eduardo, Gallas, and that is half the first team. The ball does not seem to fall for us either. We hit the post more than we score goals. 

Despite these factors we got three late wins in the last three games. 

Results like these gives us a lifeline to continue to dream of the title this season!