Another stirring performance put us back on the top of the table, but it wasn’t without nerves being jangled once again.

Once Cesc dispatched that penalty it was game over but a strange refereeing decision could have cost us the chance to go top of the league – but all said and done, we battled though adversity again to keep the title challenge on track. Arsenal certainly don’t like doing things easily, whilst this is great for entertainment, the health of however million fans around the world is sure suffering and luckily, there’s no end in sight just yet.

Again, work commitments restricted me to just the highlights so apologies for missing out anything but the important chunks of the match.

In the first ten minutes the side in red were much the brighter and we took the lead early on in a game which is something of a rarity around here now, Denilson finished off a lovely one two with a lovely little finish into the bottom corner from outside the box, his sixth of the season in something like twenty starts which is not bad going for a defensive midfielder. He has his critics but from what I have heard, he was superb.

After that the curse of the ref struck again. Vermaelen and Franco were tussling nudging each other when Franco theatrically hit the ground, the ref gave a penalty and sent off Vermaelen. To give a penalty for it is harsh enough, but to send him off? Ridiculous.  Ref’s certainly get some unwarranted stick but this decision was a joke…. Was the punishment in proportion to the foul dive. No. Not by any stretch of the imagination.

Anyway, Diamanti stepped up to try and score his second penalty of the season against us and was denied by a fabulous Almunia save. He has had his critic’s has Manuel, and I have been among them, but he is a good penalty stopper. He has won us a few shoot-outs in the past and also saved Robbie Keane’s penalty at the Grove a season or so back. Hes got form for this stuff and he’s hitting it at just the right time for us.

More worryingly though is the absence of Thomas Vermaelen, the buy of the season by a country mile. He’s going to be banned for next weeks game, leaving him fresh in time for the Barca tie, with the absence of William Gallas and the bones of Sol Campbell creaking somewhat loudly, the only other option is to partner Silvestre and Alex Song in defence. Song was incredible yesterday evening from what I saw, a world class player very much in the making. He has come a long way from his Sideshow Song days, that’s for sure.

Yesterdays win was yet another show of the character of the side, Arsene has been trotting out the ‘character’ line for ages but only now are we really seeing what he meant, and you know what…these players may well have suprised him too. In all senses, this side is over achieving and whilst that sounds harsh, I really do think its true, but its a testament to the skill and determination of this team. If we go on to win the league, it will match the unbeaten season I reckon. Just in terms of what the team has overcome to get to the title. But, there is a hell of a long way to go yet, six wins on the trot is what the form table wins, but we need at least another six to reach the holy grail.

As much as I dislike what Myles Palmer writes, he does have a point when he says the team can exorcise a decade’s worth of demons in one go, you sense it will take one trophy to propel this team into potential greatness, the talent is definitely there.

Another tick in the W column on the dressing room fixture list but the focus now shifts onto the game next weekend away at Birmingham. They have had a wonderful season but have tailed off at just the right time for us, lets hope its seven wins in seven come this time next week. There is understandably a lot of talk about Barcelona at the moment, but that will be addressed when we are about to face them, not before, they are no special case in my book, let the media do that – they’ll love it.

This season has a special feel to it right now, its horrible not being able to watch all the games but for some reason I still feel all the emotions. I try to work my breaks at work around the game so I can find out what the score is at the earliest opportunity but the phone reception is crap in the staff room so it takes about ten minutes for a page to load on the internet on my BlackBerry, annoying or what? Its my own little stoppage time nail biter finding out what the score is before my break finishes. Mental.

I’m rooting for Spurs in the FA Cup quarter finals because of this… if they get to the semi’s the derby will take place on a Wednesday evening…and I won’t be working!

Its a good luck charm at the moment though, so as much as I hate missing the games, if the team are winning, I’ll take it!

Til tomorrow.