It's Up For Grabs Now

West Brom 1-2 Arsenal

Tottenham 2-2 Everton

At this moment, it's Tottenham who feel as if they're living Groundhog Day.

Their form is threatening to collapse again, and again it coincides with an Arsenal revival.

Again, Tomas Rosicky is proving something of a catalyst. His brace at the Hawthorns put Arsenal in control against West Brom.

After twenty minutes, Arteta pinged a pass over the home side's rearguard for Gervinho to chase. The Ivorian twisted and turned before curling the ball rather tentatively in the direction of the far post; if it was probably a poor shot Rosicky made it into a great cross by bursting into the goalmouth and stooping to nod emphatically past Foster.

Early in the second half, a quick break saw Ramsey make inroads down the right before passing infield to the Czech, who took a touch into the air and smashed a volley straight at Foster. There was too much power on it for the keeper to handle, the ball dropped, and Rosicky was first to react to blast a second effort into the corner from close range.

At that point the Gunners looked in complete control but the match almost turned on a moment of rashness from Mertesacker. A ball over the top found Long, whose chested control tempted the German into a slide for the ball, but he missed it, felled the Irishman, gave away a penalty and was sent off.

Morrison's penalty was poorly directed but well struck and squirmed under Fabianski to set up a nervy finale.

Arsenal's nerve failed somewhat, but their luck did not. They couldn't string any kind of move together, couldn't relieve the pressure in any way, and Wenger's changes invited pressure rather than trying to regain some kind of foothold.

Three times West Brom should have equalised, but McCauley fluffed a close-range header, Lukaku blasted just wide from eight yards, and Long shot high when through on goal in stoppage time.

Spurs missed Bale on Sunday against Everton- and with Lennon and Defoe also out, they were less penetrative than usual. After an Adebayor opener inside a minute, Everton turned it around either side of half time with a Jagielka header and a brilliant solo effort by Miralas. With time ticking away, Kyle Walker stormed forward brilliantly, cut back, and when Adebayor placed his shot against the inside of the post, the rebound fell kindly for Sigurdson to net the equaliser.

Arsenal trail their neighbours by a couple of points but with a game in hand.

They are now in control of their own destiny.

The Collapse Continues: West Brom 2-2 Arsenal

Man United, as has been said umpteen times, are lacking in flair this season.

Arsenal, although their style of play is overrated, have a bit more of it.

But as far as trophies go, it does not matter one iota.

The reasons for that were neatly summed up today.

The Premiership is populated mostly by mediocre sides.

West Brom are mediocre. Bolton are decent, but far from great.

To win titles, you have to beat those teams regularly. You have to do it when not at your best.

Neither Arsenal or Man United were at their best today. But if your defence functions properly, limited sides will still struggle to score against you. They are less adept at making clear chances. United's defence generally ensures that they only need one goal. So it was today.

Arsenal's defence, in the absence of Djourou, is appalling. That is no exaggeration. They are an absolute disgrace. They don't make mediocre teams work for their chances. And so they drop the kind of points you can't afford to. So it was today.

West Brom are not very good but if you give away free headers from six yards and open goals from hopeful punts, even a mediocre team will punish you.

Arsenal were left needing three goals in half an hour and against a team organised by Roy Hodgson, that was always unlikely. Well done on salvaging a point from a very grim situation. But the team needs to work harder on avoiding these grim situations.

Arsenal seem to only show urgency in situations of absolute desperation.

Apparently, a must-win game does not become important enough until they are trailing 2-0.

There is NO CHANCE, I repeat, NO CHANCE, that Arsenal will win the title. They will be two points behind United if they win their game in hand, but as far as I'm concerned, it may as well be twenty.

You have to be good enough to win the title. People can keep banging on about how United are below par, but United being below par will not win Arsenal the title. At some point they have to claim ownership of these matches, impose themselves, get the necessary results. They are incapable of it.

With a clean bill of health, there would be hope. With Almunia (or, indeed, a long past-it Lehmann) in goals and Squillaci and Koscielny in tandem? Not a hope!

My remaining wish for the season is that United do not wrap up the title at the Emirates. Arsenal may well stay in touch, which is the most frustrating thing, in a way. They are, in mathematical terms, a cunthair away from winning the title, but at the same time, I cannot imagine this team doing it.

As for the overall prospect of another trophyless season? It's frustrating. United and Chelsea and City and Liverpool are all in relatively poor health. There was a moment to be seized; that moment has passed. In defence of Wenger, one can point to financial constraints, and look to a brighter future. I can't see, however, that bringing in a better goalkeeper than Manuel Almunia, and a better defender than Sebastien Squillaci, would have broken the bank. The two of them are, quite frankly, cack. Every time they take to the pitch it makes a mockery of Arsenal's lofty pretensions.

It is hard to remember a time when the Arsenal squad was so littered with maligned players. Those two, Fabianski, Denilson, Eboue, Bentner, Diaby, Arshavin. All have been the victims of some pretty heavy criticism.

With the injury list as it is, some of those players would have to completely transform themselves to make it a glorious end to the season.

Big Test Passed, Bigger One Coming

Birmingham 0-3 Arsenal

Birmingham always look to rough Arsenal up. In 2008 Martin Taylor overstepped the mark and broke Eduardo's leg. This time there was an early, reckless lunge by Roger Johnson that could have done Fabregas damage. Arsenal responded well, kept playing their football and won comfortably.

Birmingham might lack flair but it is not just their physicality that makes them a tough proposition. They defend deep, almost never letting a team get behind them, and their home record shows that they usually succeed in keeping games tight even against far superior opposition.

Van Persie's opener was a vital moment because it meant Arsenal could play the rest of the game on their own terms. He dived when running onto Fabregas's sideways pass. The referee bought it, and the Dutchman's free kick hit Lee Bowyer and bounced past Ben Foster.

The game should have been over by half time, but it could have been level if the ref had spotted Van Persie's clumsy handball in the Arsenal penalty area. The same man was wasteful when he twice spurned point blank opportunities at the other end.

In the second half Birmingham offered no threat, but Arsenal continued to waste chances, until Nasri and Fabregas exchanged pinball passes and the Frenchman buried the ball inside Foster's near post from the edge of the area. The third, an own goal, was the result of more bewildering interplay between Arsenal's two best players, whose understanding seems to be growing.

Their creative capacities will be tested again on Wednesday. The match between Arsenal and City looks at the moment like a 2nd place playoff but either team would gain a lot of belief from a positive result.

They will both be disappointed that Manchester United were let off the hook by a wasteful West Brom during Saturday's lunchtime game. United benefitted from chickenshit refereeing from Chris Foy, when Gary Neville took out Graham Dorrans and appeals were waved away- no penalty, no red card. Then they benefitted from the hosts' profligacy when Foy did blow up for Rio Ferdinand's ill-timed swipe on Jerome Thomas. Peter Odemwingie sent a pathetic penalty yards wide.

That made United's winner seem inevitable, despite the poverty of their performance, and it arrived through Javier Hernandez, who continues to show the ability to turn tight games in United's favour.

Failings so Familiar: Arsenal 2-3 West Brom

It's the worst-kept secret in football: Arsenal operate without a competent goalkeeper. Almunia is very, very poor. His understudy is laughable- he makes a mistake in every game he plays.

Arsene Wenger deserves flak now. He deserved it when the transfer window shut with Arsenal still essentially keeperless (and there was SOME uproar) but many stored up their sense of rage, maybe in the blind hope that Almunia would somehow transform himself into Lev Yashin, or even just Mark Fucking Schwarzer.

At the same time, the problems run much, much deeper than the mere lack of a decent keeper. All of Arsenal's great flaws were simultaneously on show against West Brom. Some act as if signing a goalkeeper would solve it all- bullshit. Arsene Wenger, as Myles Palmer is fond of stating, does jot coach defence. If we were talking Brazil 1970, that may not be such a problem, but as I've been saying for a few long and often painfulk years now, this Arsenal team is not half as good as it thinks it is. They are an arrogant bunch despite having collectively achieved nothing, and their attitude often stinks, especially in home games against teams like West Brom, where they assume they just have to turn up.

Here was a performance that had all the negatives. Lethargic, lazy start. Lack of tempo. Shambolic ball-watching at the back, making Brom look like Barca. Ridiculous mistake from goalkeeper.

Injuries have also left the team looking toothless up top. Fabregas is vital now in terms of his goal tally as well as his penchant for running midfield- and with he and RVP absent, goals could become a problem. Chamakh has been impressive but does not look confident in front of goal. Arshavin remains an erratic enigma. Judging from his goals and the minute-by-minute report I read, Nasri was carrying the fight alone at times and deserves some credit.

What has become most irritating to me about this team's character deficit is the players' insistence on offering quotes every Groundhog Season testifying to how they've changed and matured. It's on the pitch they need to prove that- enough of the fucking soundbytes.

How must Cesc Fabregas feel? Another year of this?