Arsenal: The 5 Most Important Games of the 2011-12 Season

Saturday's 0-0 draw at home to Chelsea had none of the fireworks we've come to associate with this particular London derby—especially in regards to the eight goals that were scored back in October at Stamford Bridge.

There were no goals, but that may have been just as well for Arsenal, who were largely outplayed by a compact, resolute Chelsea side during the first half of the proceedings.

With 65 points now through 35 games, Arsenal still find themselves in third place and able to control their fate.

Despite the ominous figures of Newcastle (fourth) and Tottenham (fifth) coming ever closer in the rear view mirror, should Arsenal win their last three matches they will be assured of direct passage into the group stages of next season's Champions League. (Spurs' 1-0 defeat to QPR on Saturday will certainly have boosted the Gunners' hopes in that department.)

Who would have expected this from Arsenal back in late September, when the Gunners were mired in the dregs of the Premier League standings and looked as if they might miss out on European football altogether?

The headlines have shifted from the vitriolic peals of (Fire Wenger! Arsenal are a one-man circus!) to more celebratory notes hailing the side's ability to cope with their early season struggles and forge what must be considered a very successful campaign—all things considered.

This is a team that looked for all the world ready to miss out on Champions League football next season after losing four league matches before October even had a chance to get going. They now appear nearly assured of that prospect. Impressionant, Monsieur Wenger.

The future is certainly looking bright ahead of next season, with Arsenal having taken 28 of a possible 36 points through their past 12 league matches.

Here are five matches that helped define this season and get the Gunners to where they are at the moment.

Udinese vs. Arsenal, Aug. 24, 2011

Arsene Wenger was back on the touchline after serving his one-match European ban, levied by UEFA, for his comments following Arsenal's Champions League Round of 16 match against Barcelona back in March.

It was Theo Walcott who would swing the spotlight from his manager and prove the star over the two-leg playoff, however.

The English winger's two goals—one in each match—played an instrumental role in helping the Gunners seal passage to the group stages of Europe's premier club competition for the 15th consecutive season. (Arsenal defeated Udinese 3-1 on aggregate, with Robin van Persie also adding a goal.)

The timing of this particular match couldn't have been more deceiving.

Arsenal had just bid adieu to Frenchman Samir Nasri, who had packed his fur-lined suitcases for the promises of Manchester City riches after training with Arsenal ahead of the match in Udine. He did not end up traveling with the side to Italy.

Arsenal's league campaign was already on the rocks following a draw away to Newcastle United on the opening day of the season (Gervinho was sent off and Alex Song was given a one-match ban, both for incidents involving Joey Barton) and a loss at home to Liverpool, which had proven to be (the former) Super Sam's last time wearing an Arsenal shirt during a match.

Therefore, the win in Udine provided a massive boost for Arsenal's already dwindling confidence reserves.

While a trip to Old Trafford just four days later would undo all those tenuous positive vibes, the import that Champions League football played this season cannot be denied.

It helped lure deadline-day transfer Mikel Arteta to the Emirates from Everton.

The Spanish midfielder was one of Arsenal's top performers this season before suffering an ankle injury against Wigan Athletic that will rule him out until summer. And all that came because of one very important match on a hazy, humid night in Italy.

Chelsea vs. Arsenal, Oct. 29, 2011

The season had been on the rocks in September, when Arsenal had dipped as low as 17th in the league standings following a harrowing 4-3 defeat to Blackburn Rovers at Ewood Park.

Things had gotten somewhat better heading into the tail end of the 10th month of the year.

Successive wins over Sunderland and Stoke City in the league and Bolton in the FA Cup had instilled confidence in a side that was in dreadful need of the stuff.

Tepid optimism reigned as Arsenal headed to Stamford Bridge for a massive showdown against Chelsea, which were ahead of them in the league standings at the time.

The game turned out to be an instant classic.

This was the roller coaster, don't-turn-your-head-away-from-the-game-for-a-minute type variety. It ended 5-3 in the Gunners' favor, but that didn't come anywhere near to telling the whole story.

There was Robin van Persie's hat trick, Theo Walcott's incredible solo effort and Andre Santos's very own firecracker of a left-footed drive. There was newfound Arsenal resolve; there was joy to be found on a sun-stroked afternoon in West London.

By the time the dust had settled, and the fireworks had ceased to, well, fire, Arsenal had three points in the bag and were well on their way into a very successful November.

Arsenal vs. Tottenham, Feb. 26, 2012

Funny how so many of Arsenal's more memorable games this season have involved a heaping amount of goals.

Down 2-0 to Tottenham at home before you had even settled in your seat—OK, by 30 minutes—Arsenal exerted their will on the proceedings from that point onward, butchering Spurs 5-2 by the time the final whistle had gone.

You could tell just how much it meant to the Arsenal players. They were coming off a harrowing week in mid-February where they'd seen their Champions League dream effectively finished after a 4-0 thrashing in Milan and their FA Cup campaign ended with a shock 2-0 defeat away to Sunderland.

Three points against their hated North London rivals—then ahead of them in the standings—erased all that.

This was the game that set Arsenal upon their current run of form, which has seen them win nine of their last 11 league matches.

Liverpool vs. Arsenal, March 3, 2012

It wasn't so much the victory, which was magnificent in and of itself—any victory at the fortress of Anfield is worthy of that distinction—as it was the manner in which Arsenal achieved it.

Down a goal within 23 minutes thanks to Laurent Koscielny bumbling the ball into his own net, Arsenal put that newfound resolve they'd forged against Tottenham to good use and drudged up a shock 2-1 victory thanks in large part to a massive Van Persie brace.

The Dutchman's first goal was a perfect example of his evolution as a striker. Stealing into the Liverpool penalty area, Van Persie got the wrong side of Jamie Carragher and headed home off a perfectly weighted Bacary Sagna cross from the right.

His second goal, a wonderfully taken full volley in the 90th minute, was yet another example of his brilliance as a technician and attacking threat.

He had, once more, led his side to victory.

Arsenal vs. AC Milan, March 6, 2012

One look at Tomas Rosicky after the final whistle said it all.

Battered and broken after running full tilt for 90 minutes, the little Czech maestro slumped to the Emirates turf, utterly spent.

Arsenal had fought valiantly, scoring a 3-0 victory that saw them come up just short of forcing extra time against Milan in the Champions League Round of 16 (AC Milan won the two-leg tie on a 4-3 aggregate).

Just days after thrashing Spurs, this may have been an even more important result in regard to the season, even though it did not result in advancement in Europe's premier competition.

Arsenal had struck the fear of God into Milan, scoring three first-half goals and looking for all the world like the more dominant side in the encounter.

They suffered no letdown after the Spurs victory, and they certainly were not daunted by the task at hand, although it was formidable.

Honorable Mention: Arsenal vs. Everton, Dec. 10, 2011

For awhile there, Robin van Persie was scoring wonder goals every week. It was the sort of run of form that sparks talk of entry into the echelon of legend.

And there was no better time to send in such a perfectly struck volley than on the 125th celebration of Arsenal's creation as a club.

With past legends such as Thierry Henry looking on from the tribunes, the Dutchman made no mistake of adding his name to one more section of Arsenal lore. (At this rate, he'll have his own section.)

He sent Everton home wanting with a 1-0 win—the first of two times he would provide the only goal in an Arsenal victory during December (he also scored against QPR in a 1-0 win on Dec. 31).

It was a crucial win for Arsenal as well.

Arsenal vs. Manchester City, April 8, 2012

It was a solo effort that summed up Mikel Arteta's form for about a month. The Spaniard had been simply sensational during Arsenal's resurgence, which had begun back in February.

This winner against Manchester City, once a major player in the Premier League title race (although they've pulled some points back on leaders Manchester United since) summed up perfectly what Arteta has provided for Arsenal this season.

Sure, he hasn't scored goals by the bunches (although six goals for a holding midfielder is nothing to snuff at—Jack Wilshere had just two while playing at the same position last season), but he has provided an invaluable presence in the middle of the park for a Gunners side that long looked to be in irreversible flux.

A rock amid the storm.

With so much attrition in midfield to start the season (losses of Cesc Fabregas and Samir Nasri), Arteta was a big reason why Arsenal were able to overcome their early-season struggles, which had often seen the Gunners incapable of recreating the smooth passing of recent years.

His goal against City—the interception, the solo effort—was a perfect sending off for the princely Spaniard, who saw his season end against Wigan because of an ankle problem.