Arsenal's record in their last seven games makes pretty good reading:

Played 6, won 6.

Simple as that. 3 league games, 2 FA cup games and 1 league cup game. The gunners remain the only team really between Man Utd and an outrageous 19th Premier League title, are through to the fifth round of the FA cup (when they'll meet Leyton Orient who are 54 places below them, all the way down in League 1) and will play Birmingham in the league cup final on the 27th February. Not bad, right? There's also the small matter of a last sixteen tie against Barcelona too.

In those six games, Arsenal have also scored an impressive 16 goals, whilst conceding just 3. Bizarrely, it's still difficult to think of this excellent series of results as putting a run together and buliding momentum because Arsenal have the capacity to implode at absolutely any point - it's this unpredictability and fragility that has really characterised our team in recent seasons. Is there more about us this season though? Well yeah, probably. If the last two games are anything to go by, then this team is pumped and ready to win some silverware. Twice the gunners have been up against it, and twice they've rallied to grab really important wins.

Wenger understandably decided to rest a couple of key players in the home tie against Huddersfield; none of Djourou, Sagna, Clichy, Fabregas, Wilshere, Van Persie or Song started, but it looked as though the gamble would pay off when Bendtner, with the help of a delflection, put Arsenal ahead after twenty two minutes. 1-0 up against lower league opposition at home - how were the gunners going to screw this up? Squillaci had the answer: get too square to a striker running at full pelt, be forced into pulling him over as he skipped past and through on goal and then get sent off. Text book stuff from the Frenchman.

Arsenal held on for twenty minutes after the restart but the pressure began to tell, and eventually someone (I won't pretend to remember who; I can't imagine he'll be seen at the Emirates ever again to be honest) got up well and planted a header past Almunia into the goal.

With the midfield looking sluggish and gifting possesion away it was up to Francesc Fabregas to sort things out, and he entered the fray shortly after the equaliser. The introduction of the Spaniard turned the game on its head once again. With a bit more composure in the middle of the park, Arsenal were able to push for a much needed winner (the possibility of a replay at Huddersfield now looming dangerously on the horizon). Bendtner conspired to squander several great chances, but the Dane made amends by tumbling under a challenge in the box to win a slightly soft penalty. Fabregas stepped up a dispatched it, and Arsenal held on to stay in the cup for another round. Inspiring stuff from the 10 men to retake the lead, and hold it, despite fielding largely a second string team.

Perhaps more important for the season was the performance against Everton at the Emirates earlier this week. A game fraught with controversy saw Arsenal go behind after 24 minutes to a goal from Louis Saha, despite the fact that the striker was comfortably a yard offside. No matter through, said the linesman, I thought he took it well, so the goal stands. Poor officiating all round, and the home side looked suitably shell shocked for the rest of the half.

A lively atmosphere helped the gunners raise their game in the second half however, and after 70 minutes a pass from Fabregas, via the head of an Everton player, found Arshavin, and the resurgent Russian volleyed in the equaliser. Arsenal didn't have long to wait for the 'go-ahead' goal either, Koscielny finding space in the box to head home a Van Persie corner. The Gunners then held on to take all three points and keep the pressure on Utd.

I feel suggesting that the kind of spirit on display is characteristic of title winners would make me sound like a bit of a broken record - comments of that nature in the past have usually been followed by a humilating defeat at the hands of a title rival or relegation candidate. So I won't say that this time - I'll merely remark that Arsenal look strong mentally at the moment. Which is good, obviously.

Two things have struck me this week:

1. A lot's been made of Fabregas' alleged comments to the officials at half time during the Everton match; the midfielder supposedly yelled something along the lines of "How much are you being paid?" in the direction of the referee. Everton manager Dasvid Moyes reckon Fabregas should have been sent off, and articles discussing the incident have also referenced past instances of petualnce on the part of Fabregas. Good I say. People are always saying we're a soft touch - maybe it's about time we had someone who'll manipulate referees and get in the opposition's face. Besides, where are the articles about Sir Wayne of Rooney screaming profanities in the faces of officials week in, week out? What do you mean there aren't any? Are you trying to suggest that the British press is a bit Xenophobic? And that if Fabregas was English, we'd just be hearing about his spirit and determination and Passion with a capital P? Yeah, I think I am.

2. When the press aren't criticising Arsenal for being sneaky foreign swine, they're saying that we're defensively inept. Our centrebacks are rubbish, and we can't deal with set pieces. Well maybe they're right, I mean, we have conceded 22 goals in 24 games. Meanwhile Manchester United have conceded 21. As have City. And Chelsea. Spurs have conceded 26 fer christs's sake. We've been missing our first choice centreback all season and we've still only conceded one more goal than the best defence(s) in the league, so cut us a break, won't you?

Newcastle away on the weekend, and Wenger will have to do without Samir Nasri. The influential Frenchman limped off against Huddersfield after chasing a through ball, and it looks like he's going to miss some key ties. Fingers crossed for a speedy recovery.