Captain Vantastic's Derby Hattrick Makes It 29 Out Of 28

A high scoring game was not something that I had expected from a Chelsea-Arsenal derby match. Then again I had forgotten that Arsenal does not know how to defend this season nor did I remember that Chelsea has yet to keep a clean sheet this season. And so, we were treated to an eight-goal slugfest in which the Blues and the Gunners went after each other blow-for-blow until that defining John Terry slip. If blame throwing would be allowed, Florent Malouda's right foot must take sole responsibility for this heavy Chelsea defeat.

And so Arsenal's inspirational Captain Vantastic struck a much deserved hat-trick against their London rivals. He also scored his 29th goal in 28 matches, a remarkable record huh? He must surely be the most in-form striker in the Premiership, ahead of even Kun Aguero and Super Mario. The flying Dutchman has had so many injuries in the last two seasons, we had forgotten just how good he really is. This season RVP's goals has lifted Arsenal from the bottom three into seventh place.

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The Talismanic Robin Van Persie

When Robin Van Persie stalled on his Arsenal contract talks earlier in the month, there were tremors felt everywhere. Clubs were perking up their ears, waiting for new development. Arsenal fans were quaking....dismayed that yet another "home-grown" star is on the verge of leaving. Arsenal has not been known to keep their stars with huge wage packages and therefore it will not be hard to imagine the departure of the Dutch star come end of this season. After all, Arsenal in recent times, have turned into a selling club, more intent to balance finances than winning silverware.

It has been frustrating times for RVP. Hardly fit last season, he has been in sterling form in this campaign. The one bright spark for Arsenal all season, Van Persie was Arsenal's talisman again against a stubborn Sunderland at The Emirates. His two goals put the gloss on an indifferent and difficult Arsenal performance as Sunderland worked extremely hard to thwart the famed Gunners' short passing game.

Arsenal still look shaky in defence, even with the addition of Mertesacker and Andre Santos. Sessegnon had an excellent game tormenting the whole of the Arsenal backline but his efforts were let down by a lack of adventure from his Black Cats' team mates.

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Arsenal Defensive Frailties? Unthinkable!

Arsenal has long been associated with impregnable defences. Superb organization and fantastic man marking defenders were the hallmarks of many an Arsenal triumph over the years. To watch Arsene's defenders during the last two seasons have proven to be quite painful. Tony Adams, Martin Keown, Steve Bould and Nigel Winterburn must all be wondering how it has gone so wrong. Two own goals in one game is more dismal than watching a Jamie Carragher own goal!

Since the departures of William Gallas and Kolo Toure, Arsenal have been short of defensive steel and it has showed. Last season, Arsenal were in the leading positions until they famously capitulated defensively at Newcastle (4-4) and Spurs (2-3 and 3-3).

And yet, Arsene Wenger did not sign a top defensive midfielder nor did he splash the cash for Gary Cahill. Thomas Vermaelen threatened briefly to be that defensive stalwart but he is now the new "Sicknote". Per Mertesacker for all his experience, could be found out in the hustle bustle of the Premiership. Furthermore, an English spine is desperately needed if Arsenal plans on winning trophies.

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Gunners Falls Short, Winning Mentality Questioned Again

Arsene Wenger, after the draw against Spurs, vehemently denied that his Arsenal boys do not have a winning mentality. Always fighting, he is developing a siege mentality within Arsenal which may prove detrimental to their already fading season. Remonstrating with referees, ungracious in defeat or draw and a stubbornness to accept that his Gunners team are anything but world beaters has been the theme of this season's title challenge.

In his calmness, Arsene Wenger points to the fact that Arsenal is unbeaten since the turn of the year, and that means they are on a 16-match unbeaten run. If that is the case, then Arsenal should be top of the Premier League by now and not slipped down to third in the standings. In a season without any dominating force, Arsenal have been the team with most consistency. And yet, they look like a team with questions frequently asked about their fragility.

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Rash Eboue Challenge Ends Arsenal Title Charge

Prior to the match against Liverpool, Arsenal had a run up as difficult as is conceivably possible. Liverpool, Spurs, Bolton and Manchester United are a very tough set of fixtures for any aspiring title contenders. For a team as fragile as Arsenal, this looks a very daunting task. And their crucial title run-in crashed against Liverpool. Once more, Arsenal lacked the ability to deliver when needed. This draw, where both goals were scored in injury time, meant that Arsenal is psychologically out of the title race.

In the wake of this disappointing result, Andrew Weber from Arsenalblog started out by talking about how Arsenal seemed to be a master at throwing away leads this season. Emmanuel  Eboue did clatter into Lucas and it was a rightful penalty. In the end, Liverpool got a point from a match that they did not deserve to lose. Their brilliant defensive display alone, even with Krygiakos and Skrtel as the central defensive pairing, deserved a point.

This remarkable match had Liverpool finish the match with four Academy players, following injuries to Carroll, Aurelio and Carrragher. Performances from Jack Robinson, John Flanagan (who started), Jonjo Shelvey and Jay Spearing has Nate from ohyoubeauty gushing positively at the future of Liverpool. He sees great things happening at Liverpool with the youngsters that are being blooded by Dalglish. It's hard to argue with him when these youngsters show that much composure in such a high pressure situation.

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Arsenal-Liverpool Preview: The Forgotten Duo

It was Liverpool's best season since the start of the Premier League. A season which saw Liverpool scored the most goals and lost the least games but yet could not win the Premiership title.

But the Reds under Rafa Benitez gave us some wonderful moments with last minute winners and high scoring games. One of the most memorable game from that season came for the Anfield April 2009 match against Arsenal. The result? Liverpool 4 Arsenal 4.

Two of the players who starred at that match are now looking pale shadows of their old self. Fernando Torres and Andrei Arshavin.

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