Arsenal 1 Stoke 0 Injuries 2

If I had been told before this game that it would be won by a goal from a set piece, I'd have been worried.

As it turns out, I have to apologise for my typically rash assessment of Squillaci, who did not cost Arsenal any goals on this occasion, and scored the winner.

Eight minutes in, a corner reached the back post, where Bendtner chested down and knocked the ball into the goalmouth, and the French defender headed in his first league goal. Big credit goes to Bendtner who showed good composure and actually picked a player out where many would just smash the ball and hope for the best.

Before that, Walcott had threatened on three occasions. Very early on, Fabregas released him on the right of the area with a trademark slide rule pass, and the youngster beat Begovic with his cross shot but saw it rebound off the inside of the post and into the keeper's arms. He then volleyed well wide from Bendtner's knockdown, and then almost went through but snatched at his shot under pressure from both Huth and Pugh.

Arsenal had started very well but were then greeted with the now all-too-familiar sight of Cesc Fabregas trudging off to be substituted. It remains to be seen whether he has a chance of playing in Sunday's Carling Cup final. His removal here saw Arshavin come on to play in his usual position on the left of the front three, and Nasri drop back as chief playmaker. Arsenal lost momentum but Stoke offered little, other than a Carew effort from range which Sczcesny parried well, until the second half.

After the break there was more menace about Stoke. Delap wound up for a long through, instead sent it down the line to Pennant, and his cross found Shawcross, but the header deflected just wide for a corner. What an unpopular goal that would have been. Then another throw, this time from the left. Delap did go long. Sczcesny came out, but he and his defenders were beaten all ends up by Huth. His leap effectively gave him an open goal, but he couldn't direct the header downwards, and Arsenal escaped.

The best bit of play from Arsenal came when Nasri released Arshavin down the left. Shawcross came hurtling across in typically reckless fashion, and was left for dead by the Russian, who dinked it over the challenge, then squared across the area for Walcott, who fluffed his lines.

The Englishman's night got even worse when he twisted his ankle badly under a clumsy but innocent challenge by Whitehead. Walcott will miss the Carling Cup final and, even worse, probably the Barcelona game, where you feel Arsenal would have needed the benefit of his pace and directness.

As I predicted, injuries are biting as the games pile up. But here Arsenal were solid enough to see the game out. Pennant's free kick late on was as close as Stoke came, but the winger could only find the side netting with a shot that Sczcesny looked to have covered.

Overall, Arsenal were relatively poor, but it can only be a good sign that they can win in such circumstances. The early goal was, clearly, vital, more so than it seemed at the time, because after Fabregas's departure, the home side struggled to open Stoke up. Had the game remained 0-0 Stoke would have kept even more bodies back and Arsenal's search for a goal may have grown desperate. Instead, they could keep possession in the late stages, less nervous than they've been in the past with the new assurance Djourou's presence seems to have bred in the back line. One point now the gap to United, who have a game in hand, but now face three away games: Wigan, Chelsea and Liverpool... Maybe this season will see a title race after all.

After Relief, Grief

Man Utd played Sunday afternoon, then Tuesday evening; Alex Ferguson did not make many changes from one starting eleven to another. United visibly tired towards the end of the Birmingham game and shipped an equaliser that might yet end up proving costly in an unpredictable title race.

Arsenal had even less recovery time between the euphoria of Monday night and the mundane trip to Wigan. Wenger decided to use the fullness of his squad. Only Fabianski, Sagna and Koscielny survived from the previous line-up. Wilshere joined them when Diaby all-too-predictably broke down in the first half.

After a high-energy performance on Monday, there was probably little choice; wholesale changes had to be made. Unfortunately, this impacted on the team's fluidity, and Wigan often looked the better side. The absence of Gibbs meant Eboue had to defend on his "wrong side". Arshavin was vintage Arshavin: lethargic and frustrating- he scored one brilliant goal and set up Bendtner's.

That sent Arsenal into half-time with a lead they scarcely deserved. Wigan had started at a high tempo, hastling the Gunners much as the Gunners had hassled the Blues. The dangerous Nzogbia had Arsenal on the ropes early on. Arsenal attacked dangerously but- surprise surprise- were opened up on the counter. The winger advanced to the edge of the area where he jinked by two challenges. The latter came from Koscielny, and N'zogbia fell over it into the box. Penalty. Watson dispatched it with minimum fuss.

The goal was a little unlucky for Arsenal. The challenge was not inside the box, for a start. Secondly, Koscielny merely wafted a foot in N'zogbia's direction, then pulled out- the contact was no more than a slight brush, if that. It was a dive, albeit the kind of dive that never gets condemned.

Before half time, Arshavin acrobatically gobbled up the rebound after Bendtner's shot had been parried to level matters. The Russian had been abject to that point but the goal provided him with a boost and he glided forward minutes later to flick a pass to Bendtner. The Dane benefited from a lucky ricochet to bear down on the keeper but his finish was assured and Arsenal had turned it around.

Of course a one-goal lead is never safe for Arsenal. Sadly, despite the perceived freshness of the starting line-up, they failed to work as hard without the ball as the team of Monday night did against Chelsea. Wigan threatened at intervals throughout the second period; Arsenal merely sat back and invited it. They surely ought to have better tested the soft centre of their opponents, in trying to put the game to bed.

Wenger's changes came too late- he was reactive rather than proactive. The reaction only came after Wigan equalised. As the final ten minutes loomed, N'zogbia got himself sent off for a headbutt on Wilshere. Instead of closing the game out, however, Arsenal duly conceded. Squillaci underlined his rotten form by finding his own net from a corner. As Wenger said, an extra man doesn't count for much while your team is defending a set play. Especially when the team in question CANNOT defend a set play. I don't think Arsenal could defend effectively with 15 men.

So, belatedly, Nasri and Walcott stepped onto the pitch. The former had a free kick handled in the area in the death throes of the match- no decision. But Arsenal should not have left themselves needing last gasp decisions.

UNITED's draw at Birmingham presented an opportunity for Arsenal to assert their credentials as closest challengers for the title. It was a vital chance to gain ground. Instead, the gap remains at two points, but may as well be viewed as five, with United holding a game in hand. Such a lead would not be insurmountable but the question hangs in the air: can Arsenal put a run together? Are they good enough to stop dropping points to the lower lights of the league?

They have a decent squad in numbers and there is more depth of quality than at some of the other leading clubs, but no depth of character. They seem to lack the necessary confidence when Fabregas is missing. The absence of Vermaelen is cruel but Wenger could surely have scouted for a more able centre back than Squillaci. The team's lack of a winning mentality was perhaps summed up by Koscielny's resigned acceptance of the contentious penalty award. That happens to United or Chelsea, there would be some unseemly hounding of officials.

The story of the week so far: Arsenal can beat Chelsea after all, but look no closer to winning the title.

will the big-game hoodoo continue?

Chelsea have been in rotten form of late but seem to love playing against Arsenal.

Their last two visits to the Emirates have both yielded victories of a three goal margin.

They have Frank Lampard, who has been sorely missed, making his first start since his injury a few months back.

Fabregas returns too, but he's often been bullied out of games against Chelsea. And you could say that that's the problem in microcosm. Chelsea tend to have too much power and pace for Arsenal. It's almost like the ghost of Wenger's successful Arsenal sides is haunting the current bunch, in the form of a Chelsea team that have all of that old power and poise and character, and the trophies to match.

The tables have turned in a big way over the last five years or so. Pre-Abramovich, Chelsea went almost ten years without beating Arsenal in the league. Chelsea were the team who entertained at times, but too often looked a team of style without substance.

Now the upper hand is Chelsea's and Arsenal are the ones who crumble when the big matches roll around.

After meek defeat at Old Trafford a fortnight ago, it is undeniably crucial that Arsenal produce some kind of performance. But it remains difficult to back them because they continue to look naive tactically and lacking in the necessary mental fortitude.

At Old Trafford, there seemed at least a desire to keep things tight. But the toothless result of that shift in emphasis worryingly suggested that when Arsenal play in a more balanced manner, they lose a too much of their attacking threat. Overcommitting seems to be their style, but if they overcommit that will play into Chelsea's hands. And if they sit back a little and play with more caution, it may lead to a closer game, but also take away from Arsenal's ability to create chances.

And perhaps the greatest worry of all is that Drogba has made meat of far better Arsenal centre halves than Koscielny and Squillaci.