Mathieu Flamini proved to be the unlikely hero as Arsenal bounced back to winning ways and dumped bitter rivals Tottenham out of the Capital One Cup with a 2-1 win at White Hart Lane.
The midfielder, who was making his first appearance of the season, netted either side of a Calum Chambers own goal and his magnificent volley was worthy of winning any game. It was the first time the Frenchman had scored two goals in a game for Arsenal and what a game to pick to do it in. Whether or not this can push Flamini on to bigger and better performances this season remains to be seen but his derby goals will certainly never be forgotten.
It was a vital victory for the Gunners, following the recent back-to-back defeats to Dinamo Zagreb and Chelsea, and it should provide them with a big confidence boost ahead of the upcoming trip to Leicester. It wasn't simply about cup progression, we badly needed a victory to stop the bad run of results and we got it.
Although the League Cup doesn't carry as big an importance as the Premier League, Champions League and FA Cup it is still a competition that should be taken seriously. Arsene Wenger made 10 changes to the side that travelled to Chelsea and, although it was still a decent line-up, it left some Gunners' fans concerned.
But Wenger's men came good to set up a fourth round clash at Sheffield Wednesday, who they beat in the 1993 final. It won't be easy and the Owls should not be underestimated but, providing we don't do anything daft, we should be able to avoid any potential banana skins.
Beating Spurs was massively important for Arsenal but the match was tainted slightly by the behaviour of a section of fans after the match. Some of our own fans damaged hoardings in the upper tiers and arrests were made for a range of offences. No matter what club you support this kind of behaviour is inexcusable and it spoils the game. Fans should be there to enjoy the football and, regardless of the result, should not be causing havoc as not only does it embarrass their club but surely also embarrasses the individuals in question.
Back to the action and there were very few shots on goal in the opening 15 minutes, with an off target header from Arsenal's Joel Campbell the closest either side got to causing any real problems.
The deadlock was finally broken after 26 minutes when Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain's fierce drive was parried by Michel Vorm and Flamini was on hand to fire home the rebound.
Provider should have turned scorer later in the first half as Oxlade-Chamberlain intercepted the ball on halfway and raced clear. But the England international sent his curling effort wide.
At the other end, Harry Kane, who remains without a goal so far this season, dragged an effort off target to keep Arsenal in front going in at the break.
Tottenham came out for the second half with renewed belief and thought they had grabbed an equaliser within minutes of the restart. David Ospina touched Christian Eriksen's shot onto a post before Kane scored from the rebound, but the striker's effort was ruled out for offside.
Spurs thought they had grabbed an equaliser in the early stages of the second half. Ospina touched Christian Eriksen's effort onto a post before Kane scored from the rebound, but the striker's effort was ruled out for offside.
The hosts didn't let that setback deter them and they levelled matters within 11 minutes of the restart as Nacer Chadli's cross was deflected in by Chambers.
The goal clearly energised the hosts and they began to really take the game to Arsenal, with only defensive heroics stopping Spurs from taking the lead. Kane's acrobatic scissor kick looked goal-bound before Kieran Gibbs reacted quickly to head the ball off the line.
Spurs were in the driving seat at this point and continued to pressure their opponents before the Gunners took the lead out of nowhere with a stunning strike 12 minutes from time. Substitute Alexis Sanchez released Oxlade-Chamberlain, but Federico Fazio did well to get back and clear. However, the defender's attempted clearance went into the air and, with Flamini waiting, not many would've expected the outcome. When the ball came back down Flamini met it with the sweetest of volleys into the bottom corner. To be honest when I saw Flamini under the ball I thought it was such a shame that we didn't have someone else ready to hit it. But to his credit Flamini hit it sublimely and deserves all the plaudits that come his way for what was a great goal.
The game wasn't over yet and Spurs tried to find a way back into the game, in the hope of forcing extra time. Clinton Njie headed Eriksen's cross just wide soon after coming on before fellow substitute Dele Alli saw his effort comfortably saved by Ospina.
Arsenal nearly added further gloss to the scoreline in injury time but substitute Theo Walcott dragged his shot wide. It didn't matter though as the Gunners held on for a much-needed and morale boosting derby win.
OPPOSITION'S VIEW
Errors and Arsenal's experience were among the decisive factors in the defeat according to Spurs' supporters Adrian Drakes and Anthony Rayment.
"It was a very even game with many good chances missed by both sides," said Drakes. "The game was ultimately decided by two big errors (one from Vorm and the second an own goal), plus a big slice of luck. It was a huge deflection to take it across to Flamini free on the edge of the box. The goalie was stranded on the other side of the goal and Flamini hit the target. It was a good finish."
Rayment added: "It was a tight game that Tottenham may have won in a years time, but it's a young team and it seems that the extra experience of Flamini told in the end.
"Tottenham generally need to find that creative spark as at the moment we are not able to impose ourselves on a game past having good possession. Arsenal needed the result and their experience in some limited positions paid off. I think they too will exit the competition sooner rather than later."
MY FINAL THOUGHTS
Going into any derby match only one thing truly matters - the result! It was a decent performance in parts from the Gunners but in the grand scheme of things it doesn't matter that it wasn't perfect as we won the game. I'm sure most fans would admit that they would take an ordinary display with a win over an amazing performance with an unlucky defeat any day. Flamini being the match hero was somewhat surprising but this was a game we couldn't afford to lose and I am obviously delighted that we have progressed through to the next round.
Spurs are our biggest rivals but I feel our next league game at Leicester could in fact be a much tougher game. The Foxes are undefeated in their opening six league games, with three wins and three draws, and currently lie in the top four. It is unlikely that they will keep this up for the whole campaign but they are certainly a team we need to be wary of.
We should win the game but there is definitely no room for complacency and we will have to be at the top of our game. I am really hoping that this can be the game that Sanchez rediscovers his form and properly kick-starts his season. We need a big team performance without any silly errors so let's make sure we produce just that.
COME ON YOU GUNNERS
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