Arsenal-Bolton: Stayin' Alive

Arsenal came back in incredible circumstances to win at the Reebok.

The match began at franetic pace. Bendtner and Van Persie came close but Bolton took the lead with the usual header/set-piece goal that we concede at the Reebok every season.

Then it got worse. Diaby went right into the legs of a Bolton player and rightly got sent off. A stupid and cynical challenge considering the circumstances. 

Murphy's Law was taking control of the game. Another goal went in. Arsenal went 2-0 down with ten men on the field. 

Reality struck. We have thrown the game and the Premier League away in the matter of a month. The team is crumbling. Confidence is at an all-time low. The football is terrible.

Fabregas made about 100 misplaced passes in the first half itself. We just can't seem to get any kind of useful posession. The lack of confidence is shining through. Where do we go from here?

We are staring at defeat against a team that has not scored in the last six games. Its the Reebok - our bogey venue. Losing to Bolton makes this all the more difficult to swallow. 

I was about to jump in and blog here at half time but i waited for the match to end. 

The response of the team under these circumstances would be interesting. We have nothing to lose now. Everyone has written us off. The first half ended all doubts.

So how would the team play out the rest of the game? Will the team find leadership and direction? Will we find the fluent passing game that was seen perhaps a month or two ago?

The second half turned out to be one of the most enjoyable, at least for me, in recent times. The first ten minutes were terrible. Bolton attacked the Gunners through a barrage of corners. 

Then Adebayor and Walcott came on for Bendtner and Senderos. Wenger had nothing to lose. We went to a back three from a back four. The Gunners were now playing 3-4-2.

Then Gallas came in unmarked at the far post off a corner and guided the ball in. 2-1.

It is amazing what a goal can do to a team's confidence. It is beyond science. All of a sudden, Arsenal started passing the ball - and they did not - from here on - look a man light. The control was better, the passing was more composed. It was like watching a different team in a different game. The game was now being played in Bolton's half.

A brilliant passing move shook the Bolton defence, and Hleb won a penalty which Van Persie converted. 2-2 - with about 20 minutes to go. 

The Gunners could smell victory now. Van Persie - who is still coming back to his 100% sharpness - missed two chances.

In the 90th minute, Hleb broke forward from a Clichy long ball, and teed up Fabregas. As luck would have it, the ball went into the net through two deflections. 2-3 to the Arsenal!

This was fantastic. From 2-0 down and a man down, the Gunners roared back and won the game in the last 30 minutes. Amazing.

We showed guts. And guts and bouncebackability is what makes fans happy - if we win the title this season or not. The team played with heart. Heart is what keeps the club alive.

All of a sudden there is new life in our campaign. Amazing what a win can do for a team.

Weather we can win the title from here or not, this result is extremely important for two reasons. Chelsea and United would be watching the first half and be thinking the Gunners are out. But we demonstrated that we will fight on till the last game. We showed guts. And guts and bouncebackability is what makes fans happy - if we win the title this season or not. 

The other reason being we face Liverpool  three games straight. And its the Champions League, where we are still very much alive. 

The right frame of mind, goals and confidence and a dream like and emotional last minute win is just the right prologue for the trilogy with Liverpool. 

Bring on Liverpool, for the Gunners - are never outgunned!