I am not even going to try to claim that the two late goals which won the Champions League game against Anderlecht in Brussels last night were just rewards for the team’s efforts. For most of the match, the Gunners just could not make things happen, even though we did control the ball for large periods.
But as Arsene Wenger alluded to after the game, Arsenal have been dominant in most of our games this season and been creating a lot more than we did last night, while not getting the results. And the Frenchman suggested that this was getting to the players and causing them to try and force the issue, leading to less creativity in our performance, not more.
Arsenal needed a spark, a bit of luck, something to drag us out of the rut we were getting into and I think that the strike by Kieran Gibbs in the last minute of normal time could turn out to be just that. Not only did it get us back on terms, it gave the rest of the team the impetus to push on for Podolski’s winner. It also reminded the players that our luck is not always bad and that never giving up does get rewards.
And it was not just the timing of the strike either, because the quality of both the cross from Chambers and the clinical and cool finish from the left back should give Arsenal some of our swagger back and remind the team that we are one of the biggest clubs in the world and there are top quality players throughout the squad.
Only time will tell, of course, but I think we could be able to look back on that goal from Gibbs and see it as a pivotal point in our season. What do you think Gooners?