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.

If you're an Arsenal fan, then for the last few seasons, every winter has been one of discontent. A promising start gives way with crushing inevitability to a mid-season dip; with Spring might come a resurgence of form, but generally the only prize at stake is a place in the coveted top four with the promise of Champions League riches and fame. Not so this season. Arsenal have taken 13 points from a possible 15 this month in one of the busiest periods in domestic football. With such extraordinary cause for celebration one might therefore forgive a small modification of the original quotation:

'Now is the winter of our discontent
Made glorious summer by this son of Cataluña'

It was the most memorable cameo since Boy George appeared on the A team (honestly: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=47puweMw9Wk&feature=player_embedded). Fabregas came on after a dreary 57 minutes, scored two goals and came off again, spending just 27 minutes on the pitch. The second goal came at a price however, as the Spaniard aggravated the hamstring injury that had forced him to start the match on the substitutes' bench. Wenger has said that the gamble was worth it, and he may be right, but with Fabregas likely to be out for three weeks and Arsenal to play three fixtures in the next ten days, only time will tell on this one.

The game itself was, if I may resort to clichés, very much a game of two halves. The first 45 was an uninteresting affair. Neither side managed to assert any prolonged period of dominance. Arsenal and Villa both created chances: Eduardo again showed a lack of cutting edge after shooting lamely at Friedel inside the box, and Carlos Cuellar shot well wide from just outside the area when he should have at least hit the target. Things improved after the break; an Eduaro free kick was palmed away by Friedel and Gallas was unlucky to see his shot cleared away from the line. The addition of Fabregas brought the necessary quality to break the deadlock. His mere presence was enough to draw defenders out position, and Arshavin was able to exploit the gaps in front the Villa goal to draw a fine save from Friedel.

For the second week in a row it was a direct free kick that gave Arsenal the lead. In the past the suggestion has been made (at least by me) that as Fabregas can do damn near what he pleases with the football it should follow that he can score from dead ball situations. I'd be lying if I said I watched him bend an unstoppable free kick into the Villa goal with no small amount of satisfaction.

The second goal was just as irrepressible. As another attack broke down for the visitors, Traoré, that is to say our third choice left back, demonstrated the technical ability that runs right the way through the squad as he first had the vision to see Walcott streaking down the pitch and then the skill to pick him out with a cross-field pass. The winger was then able to play in the rampaging Fabregas to score his second.

Gallas and Almunia combined well to stop Agbonlahor late on to give Arsenal their third clean sheet in five matches, before Diaby capped another excellent performance by scoring a superb solo goal, ghosting through the Villa midfield before slotting past Friedel.

An excellent yield of thirteen points from fifteen in December will mean little if an Arsenal side without Fabregas go on to have a woeful January, but it seems to be a good indication of the growing character and ability of this young side. Diaby will need to continue his excellent form is he is to negate the effect of Alex Song's departure to the Africa Cup of Nations, and Aaron Ramsey will need to show incredible maturity if Arsenal are to prolong this run beyond the new year.

How do I love thee Cesc? Let me count the ways. 12 goals and ten assists. Easy. Get well soon.

Arsenal played Hull on Saturday, but the game raised more questions than answers. How did Stephen Hunt stay on the pitch? Is Stephen Hunt the new Robbie Savage? And how long will it be before calling someone a 'Stephen' is an acceptable part of the lexicon of 'Cockney Rhyming Slang'? No question about the result though (3‐0 by the way).

Whilst Hunt is fast becoming the Piers Morgan of the Premiership (you don't love to hate him. You just hate him), Hull City have taken Bolton's mantle as Arsenal's 'bogey team'. Gary Megson's side are rooted in the bottom half of the table; they no longer have the creativity and skill that accompanied the brutish physicality which caused Arsene Wenger so many problems, and Phil 'tango' Brown and his gang from Yorkshire seem intent on replacing the Trotters in the hearts and minds of Gooners everywhere. Despite Arsenal having met Hull just four times in living memory, there exists a level of animosity between the two teams and their managers that will seem familiar for those who observed Wenger's frosty relationship with Sam Allardyce at Bolton and Mark Hughes when he was at Blackburn.

It's an oft repeated opinion amongst pundits and fans that Arsenal 'don't like it up 'em' (although this blog would suggest otherwise when Arshavin is concerned), that is to say the Gunners can't cope with the physical side of the game. Hard tackles and sneaky elbows, that's how to deal with those French pansies from the Emirates. Bravo to Hull for paying close attention when Wenger sent Tony Pulis and the brave lads from Stoke packing, as Phil Brown plumped for essentially the same tactics.

Against Stoke it was the ingenuity of Arshavin and the intelligent football around the box that won the day, but this time, with a more robust midfield of Song,Diaby and Denilson, Arsenal were in a better position to combat the opposition's physical approach. The ensuing first half was disjointed, as persistent fouling left little time for either side to carve out decent opportunities, but two events stick in the mind: one was the mass‐brawl started by Nasri, as he stepped on the foot of the Hull player Garcia. Incredibly all 22 players stayed on the pitch, for which one must grudgingly credit the referee for; the other was a sublime moment of skill from Denilson of all people, the diminutive Brazilian scoring Arsenal's first direct free kick since 2007.

As the game became more stretched in the second half, Arsenal's midfield, in particular Diaby who was majestic in his control, composure and distribution, looked likely to exploit Hull's desire for an equaliser. As it happened, the visitors were gifted a potential route back into the match when Silvestre was harshly adjudged to have fouled Craig Fagan in the box. Steve Bennett indicated that the penalty had been awarded for shirt pulling, but replays suggested the striker had just as much if not more of Silvestre's shirt in his hand when he went over. The issue became academic, however, when Geovanni, scorer of that sublime drive in the very same goal last season, allowed Almunia to beat out his spot kick, with Stephen Hunt incredibly heading the rebound wide from only a couple of yards out.

Moments later, Diaby played a one‐two with Song and his cutback found Eduardo who would have had to try very hard to miss. From that point on the result was a foregone conclusion. Diaby's hard work paid off when he received a pass from Arshavin and with an almost apathetic shrug he fooled his marker and blasted the ball beyond Boaz Myhill in the Hull goal. Walcott should have added a fourth but his attempted lob dropped just wide of the post; in the end 3‐0 seemed ample reward for an Arsenal side that combined strength and skill with near ruthless efficiency.

Hull City were applauded off the pitch by fans of both sides at the Emirates last season, but this time they received no such honour. The plucky underdogs have shed the image that so endeared them to football fans around the country, and few tears will be shed outside Hull if they go down this season. Their overly physical approach was made to look pretty foolish by three much‐maligned midfielders who brilliantly exposed the visitors’ entirely one‐dimensional strategy.

Nice try Phil Brown, but you'll need to get out of the sunbed a lot earlier if you're to fool Arsene Wenger again.

It's not often that on one weekend, every result goes in Arsenal's favour: Saturday saw Manchester City draw, Chelsea draw, Tottenham lose and Manchester United lose. Sunday's game at Liverpool would surely end in heartbreak; Arsenal never get everything their way, right?

Well for 45 minutes it certainly looked like that was going to be the case. Liverpool had their best team out, Arsenal had out a side ravaged by injuries. Arshavin was again started in the middle of the front three, and Traoré was still deputising at left-back. Every game is a must win game for Rafa Benitez's side in what has become the race for fourth, and after a frenetic start the home side were the first to settle. Going forward the gunners were unimpressive, allowing too large a gap to exist between midfield and the strikers, and Arshavin looked awfully lonely up front, with only the ineffective Walcott and Nasri to keep him company.

Liverpool on the other hand were extremely lively: Torres was played in behind the defence but shot tamely at Almunia. Gerrard went down shortly after, having been bundled over by Gallas in the box. Tricky one to call, as Gerrard had lost control of the ball, but how far does ahead of the player must the ball go for a foul in the box to not constitute a penalty? Something of a grey area, probably a penalty on balance, and a stroke of bad luck for Liverpool (although cynical viewers might claim that Liverpool have been riding their luck for years and it's about time it ran out, or that if Gerrard stayed on his feet more then referees might feel more inclined to give him the benefit of the doubt when he does go down. Not me though. I'm staying well out).

It didn't seem to matter much though when, four minutes before the break, Almunia flapped at a corner, allowing to ball to land at the feet of Dirk Kuyt who prodded home. Playing the way they did in the first half Arsenal seemed set to concede a bunch more in the second, but a strange thing happened during the interval. Wenger got mad. Throwing stuff at the walls, foaming at the mouth, Lou Ferrigno 'you wouldn't like me when I'm mad' mad. When I said last week that I hoped Arsenal would develop a more chelsea-like mentality, it was, at best, wishful thinking, and I didn't think any kind of replication would manifest itself in a Mourinho style half time rant, but that's what we got. 'You're not fit to wear the shirt' said Wenger, and suddenly there was a lot more than just points at stake for the Arsenal players. Wenger's respect is not to be taken for granted, and you could see by the wry smile on his face that his players realised this and moreover, done something about it.

First a slice of luck let Arsenal back into the game, Glen Johnson unable to shift his feet in time, prodding the ball into his own net, before Andrey Arshavin, scourge of Anfield, produced a sublime moment of individual skill, pouncing on a loose ball before hammering the ball beyond Reina off the upright. The question of course remained, could Arsenal close out an unlikely win in front of the Kop, and the answer was an unequivocal yes. Liverpool had no answer for the visitors resolute defending, and barely registerd a shot in the second half. Vermaelen earned his man of the match award as he and Gallas made light work of keeping Torres and co at bay.

So it was that Arsenal managed their first win at Anfield since Robert Pires scored a wonder goal there almost six years ago. The suggestion now is that the Gunners are right back in the title race; winning their game in hand would see them overtake Man Utd on goal difference. Assertions that Arsenal can keep pace with Chelsea and Utd seem knee-jerk at best, the squad is simply too thin to maintain a challenge beyond January, but real pleasure must be taken in knowing that this team at least knows how to see out games, even in the most hostile surroudings. Also Wenger can throw a half time hissy-fit. Who knew?

Arsenal players went on a nightmarish journey this week, to the land of the giants; that must have seemed the case at least, when they lined up alongside Stoke whose average height exceeds 8ft. Arsenal meanwhile looked like half of the cast of 'The Wizard of Oz' who had taken a wrong turn. Things didn't look too rosy when it emerged that Arshavin was to take a central role in the Arsenal's front three, and he can't have been too fresh after his journey back from destroying the one ring in Mordor, but to his credit, his guile and agility proved invaluable in seeing off Stoke, and the Gunners ran out 2-0 winners.

Arsenal had lost the last three games, conceding seven and scoring none going into yesterday's contest. A reaction was necessary, the fans demanded it, but after 25 minutes, the game seemed to bear all the hallmarks of a contest where the home team do everything but score, and inevitable pay the price. Arshavin had missed a one-on-one, Fabregas had missed a penalty and Wenger was waving his arms frantically on the sidelines but to no avail. Cometh the hour, cometh the man: Arshavin needed just a moment to receieve a pass from Fabregas, take it into his stride, hold off a defender twice his size, and poke an inch perfect finish into the far corner. Spectacular.

Stoke's response was to pepper the box with throw-ins from Rory Delap, but an Arsenal defence that has managed about three clean sheets all season looked pretty comfortable throughout. If Stoke stay up this season (and they probably will) it will not be on the merit of their away performances against teams like Arsenal. Tuncay looked pretty lonely up front, his midfielders only pushing up to support him on set pieces, and after just one period of sustained pressure early in the first half, the Arsenal goal was rarely threatened in a meaningful way.

Still, a better team would have punished Arsenal's lack of strength and creativity in the same way that Chelsea did. Arshavin and Fabregas linked up well a couple of times, and they showed flashes of genius, but it was a bit of a Jekyll and Hyde show from the two of them as they both made sloppy mistakes. In the end though Stoke were made to pay for their lack of adventure as little Aaron Ramsey strode through the middle of their defence and curled the ball past Sorensen. Delap was taken off shortly after and Arsenal were home and dry.

Unconvincing, but Arsenal did what they had to do with the players that were available. I suppose that's all you can really ask for. Liverpool away next weekend, and with Rosicky added to an injury list that is reaching biblical proportions I can't see it going too well (unless of course Arshavin has another four goals in him). 'The Lads' have got their backs against the wall now, and Wenger is none too popular either after handshakegate, so maybe we'll develop that siege mentality that has served Liverpool and Chelsea so well down the years. Or maybe we'll fold like a house cards. Difficult one to call, especially if there's a joker in the pack, but erm, I'm all in. Ante up, Mr Wenger...