When Arsenal went into the dressing room at Anfield at half time earlier this season, having played atrociously and conceded a sloppy goal, Arsene Wenger's rallying cry was "You're not fit to wear the shirt". A shirt that has been worn by the likes of Bastin, Brady, Adams, Smith, Bergkamp and Henry. Some of the greatest names in footballing history. Wenger would be forgiven for repeating himself before and after he shows his team a tape of their performance as they lost 3-1 to Manchester United this Sunday afternoon.

It would be nice if one could finish the sentence: 'I haven't seen Arsenal play that badly since...' and have to think back a little further than only November of last year when Chelsea gave the Gunners a similar pasting in front of the Emirates crowd. Whilst the other members of the 'top four' (perhaps minus Chelsea) have been on the end of drubbings this season (Utd lost 3-0 at Fulham and Liverpool lost 3-1 at home to Villa), Arsenal have been beaten by at least a two goal margin three times this season. The Gunners are still, technically, in contention for the top spot; however, today will probably be remembered as the point where, in terms of the title race, the three became two.

Man United's success this season is almost entirely down to two men: Ferguson and Rooney. Sir Alex has managed to negate the effects of losing one of the world's best players and kept his team competitive throughout a prolonged defensive injury crisis. In turn, one of the biggest reasons that Feguson has been able to do this is the outstanding form of Wayne Rooney who took his premier league goal tally for the season to 20 today. A bit of perspective will reveal however, that this short-term success is really only papering over the cracks.

To the casual observer, second place in the premiership, last 16 of the Champion's league and a trip to Wembley in the Carling Cup would suggest that all's well in the red half of Essex, er, Manchester, but it's the mid to long term future that the fans must really worry about. The Glazers are at that club to stay, and money that only a few seasons ago would have been spent on expensive British talent will instead service the debt. If United's top talent decides that their inevitably less lucrative contracts are an insult, then top European teams are waiting in the wings.

I only mention this because it's one of the few things which makes me feel better about today. Man U were there for the taking, and Arsenal had seemingly bottled it before the game even began. Ferdinand, clearly inspired by my Rocky II reference, took a swing at a Hull player in midweek, and Vidic was sidelined too with some kind of injury that I didn't care enough to research. The back four was therefore as follows: Evra, Brown, Evans, Rafael. That's a defence waiting to be tested, to be forced into making mistakes, to be put under real pressure. Did Arsenal capitalise on this makeshift backline? Did they hell. Arshavin jumped on a couple of early mistakes: he put a couple of chances wide when he should have at least hit the target, but his team mates did not share his enthusiasm and until the dying stages, the United defence looked far too comfortable.

The visitors used this defensive confidence to build from the back, and Nani and Park were both allowed to push on behind the Arsenal defence and play dangerous balls across the box. Ferguson clearly took careful notice when Ashley Young gave Clichy a torrid time in Birmingham midweek, and Nani seemingly had free reign to attack the leftback and try to get in behind him. It was with embarrassing ease that he skipped past Clichy, Nasri and then Fabregas before trying to clip a cross into the far post that a back peddling Almunia could only palm into the net. It was only four minutes later when, as an Arsenal attack broke down, Rooney received the ball in his own half before releasing Nani who was charging down the right wing. The centre forward was on hand to receive the Portuguese winger's return pass on the edge of the area and drill his shot into the bottom corner of the net.

Things got even when worse when, shortly after the restart, Park was allowed an extraordinary amount of space, managing to run from the half way line to almost the penalty spot before finishing past Almunia. Clichy will no doubt wonder why he afforded the Korean as much room as he did, not that it matters now.

A late rally saw a deflected Vermaelen effort find the net at the other end of the pitch, and Gallas should have scored with a header that might have made the scoreline more respectable, but in the end the visitors ran out deserved winners.

The media might suggest that the difference today was in the quality of the two teams, but that's nonsense. Arsenal's starting line-up matched that United's in terms of ability; the difference today was desire and commitment, of which Arsenal seemingly had none. They were second to every ball, slow to close down in midfield, and unwilling to run at the opposition with the ball, or run beyond them without it. The amount of time Carrick and Scholes had in the middle of the park to pick their pass was embarrassing. How does a team fighting to win their first major honour in five years show so little desire in one of the biggest games of the season, only a week after fighting back to beat Bolton after going two goals down?

Couldn't tell you. Almost inexplicable. The closest I can come to any kind of explanation is that a combination of memories of last season's Champion's League semifinal and the pressure of being considered for the first time in a long time as title contenders was simply too much to bear, and the side just folded under the weight of expectation. There's no excuse though. The Arsenal shirt is a privilege, not a right, and some of the current crop of players would do well to remember that.

Special mention must go to Denilson, who was completely anonymous in midfield, and Clichy, who made Nani look good (which is no easy task). In fact few players came out with any credibility. Fàbregas's struggles in midfield were more a reflection of the ineptitude with which he was surrounded; he, Rosicky and Nasri had a few bright moments, but hardly covered themselves in glory. Arshavin made a promising start, but his unwillingness to harass the United defence was irritating in the extreme.

If I may quote myself: '...if the players keep showing as much determination and spirit as they did on Wednesday night then there's no reason they can't sustain this title challenge'. Well if they show as little spirit and determination as they did on Sunday, there's no reason to think that Arsenal won't be overhauled by Villa, Spurs and the Pool and finish outside of the Europe spots all together. Chelsea are the opponents next weekend at the Bridge, and if that game ends in defeat then that really is the title challenge over for another year. There may be knock on effects from that, eg players looking elsewhere to satisfy their lust for silverware, but above all, I just don't want our shot at the premiership to end like this: not with a bang but a whimper.

It was a tale of two matches this week; the best of times on Wednesday, coming from 2-0 down to trounce Bolton Wanderers 4-2, followed by the worst on Sunday, being dumped out of the FA cup by Stoke.

All things considered, if Arsenal were set to lose one of those games and win the other, they probably got things the right way round, at least as far as Wenger is concerned. His team selection on the weekend suggested that he's more concerned with winning his first league title since 2004, and with another three points last Wednesday, people are again talking about a three horse race for the Premiership crown.

Just like Rocky II, Arsenal v Bolton II starts out with the protagonist (Arsenal, in case you're wondering), up against it. Rocky loses the big fight, Arsenal go two goals down. Uncanny. Unfortunately, the similarities pretty much end there. Instead of going out and buying a 1979 Pontiac Trans Am like Rocky, Arsenal set about digging themselves out of the hole they were in.

The two Bolton goals were immensely avoidable. Clichy looked a bit rusty (unsurprisingly really after a few months out) and his sliced clearance dropped to Kevin Davies, whose header fell to Gary Cahill to prod home. Fàbregas missed a good chance to level before Denilson felled a Bolton player in the box, allowing Matty Taylor to smash home the resulting penalty.

Perhaps worried about the possibility of another half time shouting fest, a la Anfield, the home side started showing a lot more desire, and their efforts were rewarded when Rosicky beat Jääskeläinen at his near post with a thunderous drive. There were chances to equalise, but at the break, the teams went in still at 2-1. Just a few minutes into the second half, Arsenal were level, but with no small amount of controversy. Gallas went into a challenge late and caught Mark Davies, the Bolton midfielder, on the ankle with his studs. With the referee waving play on, and after some comical defending, Fàbregas broke clear and with supreme impudence he rolled the ball through the keeper's legs from the narrowest of angles.

After 65 minutes Vermaelen was on hand to volley in a loose ball from 8 yards out, and after 85 Arshavin made the points safe following an interchange of passes with Eduardo which allowed him enough room to get his shot away from close range. A fortuitous three points, perhaps, considering the circumstances surrounding the second goal, but an Arsenal comeback always looked extremely likely, and the gulf in quality was always going to tell. One alarming aspect of the matches was the three clear penalties that should have been awarded to Arsenal which were ignored by the two referees. With the Gunners having received just one penalty all season, one possible explanation is that they might still be feeling the backlash from the Eduardo incident against Celtic right back at the start of the season. Still, no penalties were needed to take maximum points against Bolton, but an alarming trend all the same.

The result briefly put Arsenal at the top of the league, and if the players keep showing as much determination and spirit as they did on Wednesday night then there's no reason they can't sustain this title challenge. That said, they face a tough trip to Villa this Wednesday evening, followed by Manchester United at home, Chelsea away, Liverpool at home and then Porto in the Champions League. Should be a doddle. Song is coming back from Africa and Bendtner, Walcott, Nasri, Ramsey and Diaby are all back or due back soon, so we can go into each one of those games knowing we can win it.

With Fàbregas in the best form of his life, it's time our own Arsenal's own 'Spanish Inquisition' started asking questions of our rivals.

Bolton Wanderers v Arsenal seems almost like a playground fight; the muscular, lumbering, brutish bully picking on his small, intelligent but wiry classmate. You can sit them down and make them talk out their problems, but they just won't get on; despite being in the same class, they're from different worlds.

For a number of years matches against Bolton did not guarantee three points, home or away; Sam Allardyce employed his 4-3-3 with great effect, and the two Kevins, Nolan and Davies, took it in turns to torment Arsenal with their direct style of play. When Gary Megson took the helm the side lost its way somewhat, and their 7th place finish in the 2006-7 season seemed a distant memory. Recent seasons have seen Arsenal dominate the fixture, and would no doubt have found things just as easy if Megson were still in control on Sunday. Instead they came up against a Bolton team reinvigorated by the appointment of Owen Coyle, previously of Burnley, and with a point to prove to their new manager.

The home team started much more brightly: Kevin Davies was played into a promising position but was let down by his touch, and Ivan Klasnic had a goal correctly ruled out for offside after only two minutes. Chung-Yong Lee was causing plenty of problems for Armand Traoré down the left (this would go on all afternoon) and his crossing was a constant danger.

With Fabregas back though, Arsenal were always going to threaten a goal, and his pin-point pass almost played in Eduardo, Jaaskelainen only just reaching the ball ahead of the striker. A few minutes later the Spaniard should have won a penalty; Eduardo whipped a ball in to the Arsenal captain who was in turn tripped by the Bolton keeper. The referee Phil Dowd waved away the appeals, but there was no controversy about Fabregas' finish soon after.

With the ball loose in the Bolton box, the midfielder exchanged passes with Eduardo before rolling a shot into the far corner of the goal beyond Jaaskelainen's despairing dive. He has promised twenty goals this season, and you'd be a fool to bet against it happening. He might have taken another step towards that tally when Arshavin turned the ball back across the area, and had Eduardo not darted across his field of vision he would almost certainly have buried the chance.

To Bolton's credit they created a number of opportunites; Matthew Taylor was twice played in behind Arsenal's back four, first blazing over from close range before shooting wide from distance when he might have had a run at goal. Klasnic came close several times but Gallas and Vermaelen were able to cover for another disappointing performance from Traoré at left back. Clichy came on late in the game so Armand looks set for a spell on the bench where we hope he can recover his composure.

On another day Matty Taylor might have had a hattrick, but Owen Coyle's men squandered their chances and Arsenal were able to close the gap at the top to three points. They will go top if they beat Bolton in the rescheduled return fixture this Wednesday, which is more than likely, but a rejuvinated Bolton will have a real go at upsetting the form book, and if they continue to play like they did on Sunday, Coyle should have no problem keeping them up this season.

With Torres injured and Gerrard looking piss-poor, Fabregas and Drogba have been the two most dynamic players in the premiership this season. However, one is 31, the other 23. This season looks increasingly likely to be remembered as the one where Fabregas staked his claim for 'best player in the premiership'. And who's going to argue with him?

Every year the 3rd round of the FA cup elicits essentially the same reaction from journalists and pundits alike; each game between opposition from different leagues is billed as a potential 'cupset', an extremely irritating and over-used term, and when the majority of premiership teams ease past their lower league opposition, the media spotlight falls on poor attendance at games and people start talking about how the cup has lost its appeal. The only surprising thing is that journalists can still feign surprise, after all these years, at the fact that no one really cares about the 'magic of the cup'.

That said, it's not strictly true that everyone has lost interest. From the championship down, fans are still excited about the prospect of the elusive 'cupset', and the financiers appreciate the extra revenue that an extended run in the competition can bring. The sensible money is still on either Chelsea or Arsenal to keep the cup in London for another season (maybe Liverpool. Probably not) but try telling that to Gianfranco 'Gorgon' Zola after West Ham took the lead against Arsenal last weekend. The little Italian was hopping up and down on the touchline as if he'd won the competition, and it was hard to feel any malice towards him for his over-zealous jubilance (he is only little). If he'd just waited till the end of the match to jig around his technical area, then he would have seen a stellar last half hour from Arsenal and the two winning goals that accompanied it. And maybe he wouldn't have felt like dancing anymore.

Match reports will suggest that the result was harsh on a West Ham team who tried their very hardest to unsettle Arsenal, and most of their players did put in a decent shift. Valon Behrami, their Swiss midfielder was the main reason that the gunners mustered only a couple of efforts on goal in the first 45; his skill in reading the game was surpassed only by his tenacity, and for long periods Arsenal were restricted to shooting from range. However, effort is rarely an adequate substitue for ability in football, and Wenger's sides generally have the legs to outlast most other teams. It was almost inevitable that the gulf in class between the two sides would start to tell, and all it took was the introduction of one of this season's most dynamic young midfielders called...er...Abou Diaby...

The Arsenal team was a mixture of youth and experience. The back four consisted of the regulars feat. Silverstre. In midfield, Song was making his last appearance before heading off to Angola, alongside Ramsey and Merida and up front Eduaro was flanked by Vela and Wilshire. The first half saw the Hammers create the bulk of the chances, although Vermaelen didn't look worried for a second (not that he ever does). It was of course Silvestre at fault for West Ham's goal, scored just before the break, but to his credit he did manage to look quite incredulous when the linesman ignored his suggestion that the striker was offside (he wasn't).

Worryingly, it was Wilshire and Merida, ostensibly two of the brightest young talents on any top flight team's subsitutes bench, who looked completely out of sorts. Both consistenly gave away possesion to the home team and neither looked at all assured on the ball. Just after the hour mark Wenger took them both off, bringing on Nasri and, you guessed it, Diaby.

Suddenly the midfield looked much more in control, and a tiring West Ham side had no answers for their slick passing. Rob Green saved well from Diaby but could not prevent Aaron Ramsey from slamming in an effort from close range. Neither side needed a replay, so it was pretty lucky that Eduardo superbly headed home a Vela cross soon after, outjumping ex-gunner Matthew Upson to loop the ball over Green into the net. Vela had an effort cleared off the line, but West Ham were certain to lay siege to the Arsenal goal in the final stages. Except Arsenal's midfield had other ideas, and the Hammers would have done well to even get the ball back, let alone equalize with it.

Wenger was full of praise for his side's opponents, and diplomatic in his assessment of Merida and Wilshire. The latter would certainly benefit from a loan spell somewhere in the top-flight where he can play more regularly, and this seems likely to take place soon. Merida might just have had an off day, which also seems likely, as he has hiterto impressed. Still, a disappointing afternoon from the two youngsters.

A pleasing afternoon from the rest however, as Diaby continues to impress. Ramsey earned man of the match plaudits for another classy performance deputising for Fabregas in the middle, while Fabianski made a couple of good fingertip saves and Vela was involved in both goals.

The fourth round draw threw up a tricky away trip to Stoke, but Arsenal seem less inclined to be bullied out of games this season, and the Potters's home record appears less formidable this year. A very winnable tie by my reckoning.

The question of course remains: has the FA cup truly lost its magic? Answer: not as long as Arsenal are still in it.