If ever there was a single football critic in the country with questions still unanswered by Arsenal prior to 7:45pm BST on October 23rd 2007, they were soon all to be answered in the next two hours.
7:45 BST, Emirates Stadium, London:
UEFA Champions League Group Stage Matchday 3: Arsenal v Slavia Prague.
The odds on Arsenal losing this match before the game were rising to almost 200-1, Arsenal have not lost a single home Champions League tie since Chelsea beat them to the semi-final in their quarter-final second leg back in 2004, three and a half years ago.
With many supporters still pouring into the stands, and the club level punters still enjoying their free booze, Slavia get the game underway by sportingly hoofing the ball up to the other end of the pitch, for Manual Almunia to collect welcomingly into his arms.
From the outset the game already started to look like a one sided affair with Arsenal pressing within the first few minutes.
Alexander Hleb breaks down the left flank at speed, get into the corner and it appears that the move has come to nothing. Hleb stops checks the defender, stops the ball dead and with a Zianfranco Zola kind of prauress, begins to dance around the ball, with the defenders mesmoriesed he neatly slips the ball into the path of Csec Fabregas.
Fabregas recieves the ball and the crowd immediately (with his long range success in front of goal this season in their minds) leap from their seats and he wastes no time by swiftly curling the ball and nesting it at pace into the far corner of the net. The immense sound of the Emirates explodes as Arsenal take the lead in only the fourth minute of the game.
Nerves from the crowd. What nerves?
For the next twenty minutes Arsenal completely controlled the game, including a solid three minute spell of passing throughout the team from one end of the pith to the other. Fabregas linked well with Adebayor and Walcott, only for the passes to be a tad too heavy for them.
On the 24th minute mark Arsenal double their lead. A corner on the near side is cleared by Slavia, only for Hleb to follow up with a rebound that deflects into the roof of the net off of an opposition defender. This goal was later recorded as an own goal as the replay appeared to show somewhat more than just a deflection.
There was also time for a third before half time. This however is something of a very special goal. Slavia's keeper clears poorly off of a passback, Walcott latches onto it and with composure and competance he sidefoots the keeper and lifts the ball from just inside the box into an empty Slavia net. Walcott's second goal for Arsenal and his first goal at the Emirates Stadium causes the crowd to go absolutely ballistic, the only silent section of the crowd a small envisage to the left of the goal that houses the away supporters, shell-shocked by the first half's action.
Walcott's second goal for Arsenal marks the first goal scored by an English player in the Champions League since Sol Campbell's header in the Final back in 2006. The goal also marks the first time an English Arsenal player has scored at the Emirates Stadium in the Champions League; the last was Ashley Cole's last minute header against Dynamo Kiev, that earned a 1-0 victory and three vital points, which kept Arsenal in the group stage on Guy Fawkes' Night back in 2003.
Half Time.
Arsenal 3, Slavia Prague 0, game over, three points won. However, there was still time for Arsenal to delight the fans, mind-boggle the opposition, and provide the viewing public with the most cintilating second half display in Champions League History.
The second half commences with Arsenal in utter control and almost threatening when Hleb receives a pass from Fabregas and quickly plays in Walcott, who lays it straight back to Hleb who it unlucky when his shot is blocked by an onrushing defender.
What now occurs from the 50th to the 60th minute is the best example of 'Perfect Football' that I have ever seen in my entire life as a player, fan and spectator. I have watched Arsenal rip teams apart in years past with immense pace of Thierry Henry, power and determination of Robert Pires, the unique creative flair of Dennis Bergkamp and the strength of Patrick Vieira. However those days are gone, Thierry Henry has not left a void in Arsenal that many had predicted prior to his imminent move to the Camp Nou. Rather he has opened the door to a new wave of genius led by Mr. Wenger.
as I have said before, once there was Thierry Henry and Arsenal, but now there is The Arsenal.
The 51st minute is graced by the presense of Fabregas and Hleb, as Arsenal break from a Slavia attack, Fabregas picks out Hleb pelting forward on the left flank, without a defender near him he is the perfect target. Hleb picks up the ball and strolls into the 18 yard box, side footing the defender he eyes the keeper and slots it in the near post to make it 4-0. Arsenal are cruising now!
Just four minutes later Hleb and Fabregas combine again in the centre of the pitch, the pass between each other before Fabregas notices out of the corner of his eye Walcott making a darting run on the left, he weight the pass perfectly leaving Walcott to stroll through to the six yard box and slot the ball in off the post to make it 5-0!
Arsenal totally in control of the game and now teasing the opposition with marvelous flowing football, cultivating in a twenty one pass move, Hleb tears down the left side of midfield before laying the ball into the path of Adebayor who wrong foots the defender by dummying himself through his legs, he lays the ball to Fabregas bursting from the centre circle. Frabregas picks out walcott just to the right of him and he carries on his run into the box, Walcott plays a first time ball right into the path of Fabregas who cannot help but slot the ball home in the far corner despite challenges from two defenders. 6-0! Arsenal are in dream land, the perfect win, the perfect move, the perfect goal?
Sometimes when I've watched Arsenal this season on match of the day, the fluidity of the passing, the ruthlessness in scoring and the determination to overturn a losing game; I can't help but think, dream, and hope this is our year!
Arsenal keep on pressing and pressing, Walcott and Fabregas comebine again creating almost another perfect goal, Walcott is inches away from claiming his first Arsenal hat-trick at the age of just 18, but for the hands of Slavia's keeper Vaniak, who pulls off a wonder save to stop the bloodshed even further.
Rosicky, Bentner and Gilberto are subbed on and introduced to the goal frenzy, Rosicky with a massive grin on his face, who as a young boy was always a Sparta Prague fan, I can't help but notice he his enjoying himself a lot. His joy and paitience sitting on the bench all game was almost rewarded when after Walcott is denied again, he strikes a thunderbolt that hits the upright of the woodwork.
Slavia needed more than woodwork to stop Arsenals last romp on the beat, however this last escapade was missed by many Arsenal fans who left early to stop the rush at the end, they sorely missed out as Nicklas Bentner latched onto a delicious back heel from Emmanual Eboue, and forced the ball into the net to make the scoreline 7-0.
The final whistle blows to a erutptious applause from the home supporters and even the scattered clapping from a few Slavia fans who could have been cheering their players for trying their best. However I can't help but think they were applausing the faultness and destructive performance by Arsenal, who equalled the all time highest win in Champions League history when Juventus beat Olympiakos by the same scoreline back in 2003.
I have just witnessed something truly magical, a football masterclass, worldclass, goonerclass!
There is only one thing left to say about this game:
The Future IS The Arsenal!
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