Toffees unstuck by Rosicky

A second trip to the Emirates in two months and another 2-0 victory.

When my friend Scott and I last visited the Emirates Arsenal beat Hull 2-0 in the FA Cup third round with goals from Per Mertesacker and Alexis Sanchez.

There was a sense of deja vu in the build up to the game as again we had tickets for the upper tier, as they were the only ones available when tickets went on sale to red members, and again my dislike of heights was evident.

Yet again the Arsenal stewards came up trumps as they agreed to help me switch seats. I can't thank them enough for their understanding. Not only did I get lower tier seats but I ended up three rows from the goal.

It wasn't the prettiest of games but we got the all-important three points and moved back above Manchester United into third and that mattered most.

Again Arsene Wenger's delay in making substitutions left me feeling frustrated and there were one or two occasions where Mesut Ozil's casual approach on the ball irritated me beyond belief. But, for all the criticism Ozil received from the fans, he came up with two assists to help us to victory so I guess we shouldn't be too hard on him.

As for substitutions, one of the player's that excited me the most during the 90 minutes was match-winner Tomas Rosicky and he was only one the field for a total of 15 minutes, which included seven minutes of injury time.

Rosicky only needed seven minutes to leave his mark on the game, adding to Olivier Giroud's earlier strike, as Arsenal moved back up to third with a 2-0 win over Everton.

Manchester City lost 2-1 at Liverpool earlier in the day, meaning the Gunners have cut the gap on Manuel Pellegrini's men to four points.

After such a disappointing first leg defeat by Monaco, Wenger's men knew vast improvement was needed if they were to continue their pursuit of a Champions League place.

But the improvement did not come quickly as the hosts made a slow start against Roberto Martinez's men. In a first half of few chances Gabriel Paulista, who was making his first Premier League start for Arsenal, almost gifted the opponents a goal after 17 minutes.

The defender let a long ball bounce and Romelu Lukaku nipped in for what appeared to be a great chance, only for Arsenal goalkeeper David Ospina to stick out a hand to prevent a clear shot before then producing a perfectly-timed slide tackle to deny the Belgian.

It was a shaky start for Paulista and many fans were undoubtedly wondering whether or not he can really solve our defensive problems. Paulista redeemed himself with a superb last-ditch challenge to deny Lukaku a clear strike at a goal to leave the home faithful applauding his vital contribution.

Everton were having the better of the play but could not turn it into enough clear-cut chances and the visitors were made to pay the price when Arsenal took the lead five minutes before the break.

Giroud, who came in for big criticism after missing several chances in the midweek defeat by Monaco, latched onto Ozil's corner with a well-struck low volley to give the Gunners the lead.

The goal sparked Arsenal into life with Santi Cazorla attempting to add a second before the break, but the Spaniard's effort was well tipped over by Tim Howard in the Everton goal.

Neither side produced too many clear-cut chances in the second half but Ospina was certainly the busier of the two goalkeepers. The Colombian shot-stopper tipped Lukaku's effort over the bar before saving substitute Aaaron Lennon's low strike.

Ospina's impact was crucial and he is certainly cementing his place as Arsenal's number one goalkeeper ahead of Polish international Wojciech Szczesny. The defenders seem calmer with Ospina between the sticks, as do many of the fans, and hopefully this will help to improve Szczesny's approach to the game. The Pole will know he cannot simply walk back into the side and when he is given a chance he will have to perform far better to have a chance of keeping his place.

Ospina's opposite number in the Everton goal, Howard, was thankful to defender Phil Jagielka for getting a touch to Ozil's effort to send it over for a corner, but the American could do nothing about Rosicky's late deflected strike.

Fans had been chanting for Rosicky to be introduced sooner and had to wait until eight minutes from time for the Czech's introduction. Rosicky took just seven minutes to leave his mark on the game as his shot from the edge of the area went in via a touch from Jagielka to complete the victory for the hosts.

It may not have been the best of performances but it was a huge result for Arsenal. With a trip to QPR looming, along with the crucial FA Cup quarter final at Manchester United and the second leg against Monaco, it is crucial for Arsenal to build some momentum so getting this big three points could go a long way.

The upcoming cup tie at Manchester United could go some way to defining our season as staying in the competition will boost confidence and hopefully help us to continue our domestic progress. However, should we lose at Old Trafford, the season could fizzle out.

But whatever happens in the FA Cup we must keep our focus firmly on the Premier League, with a trip to Loftus Road to face QPR awaiting us in our next match.

COME ON YOU GUNNERS