Jens: Very little to do. Did it all right. 7

Lauren: Occasionally seemed to imagine he had more pace than he does, which was quite amusing as he tried to take people on. Solid as usual. 7

Cole: As someone who gave him a good bashing over the summer it would suit by agenda to say he is playing poorly. But that would be a lie. Whatever the reasons for it, he has started the season well and in attack in particular is offering a lot. 7.5

Toure: Nothing to do at the back and seemed to enjoy getting in on this whole new set-piece malarkey. 7

Campbell: Two excellent headers, especially the second one which was a real hammer. Not at full speed yet but looked good, organised the defence well, shouted at people and seemed to realise he was our most senior player on the pitch. 8

Pires: Hadn’t done all that much in the brief period he was on the pitch before Gary Neville’s shit younger brother’s tackle forced him off. 6.5

Cesc: One friend said to me he is looking lightweight and giving the ball away too much. Maybe. But I think he does a lot of good stuff and his presence in the opponent’s penalty box is valuable. 7

Gilberto: Solid game, got through a fair amount and gave us a couple of those rare Gilberto moments where for a few seconds he stops looking like he is suspended in perpetual slow motion and instead provides us with raw Brazilian skill. 7

Ljungberg: Started slowly but furrowed hard as ever. Seemed to make a real determination to either stick wide out on the wing or else very deliberately come inside as opposed to just being narrow. I think it worked. Unlucky to hit bar in second half. 7

Van Persie: Hit the post with a nice effort (right footed!) and had some decent moments but was otherwise a bit subdued. Has been a fairly rough few weeks and is probably still feeling his way back in to things. 6.5

Reyes: Loses the ball now and then but that is only because he constantly seems to have it. Boundless energy at the moment, great creativity and fantastic balls into the box. Really was amazing how much of the ball he had tonight. 8

Subs:

Hleb (for Pires first half some time): Played pretty well, looked pretty creative and linked up well with Cole. Playing better than Pires. 7

Dennis (for Van Persie 80ish): Did alright. Created a bit of stuff. Didn’t do anything of note. 6.5

Alex Song (for Reyes 87ish): Made a couple of sloppy passes but it was harsh and exaggerated for Alan Smith to say he hadn’t found a man. 6

Almunia: Probably not to blame on the goal and handling was ok even though he still catches very strangely.6

Lauren: Did the usual Lauren stuff. Fairly well. 6.5

Cole: Thought he was good today. Clean at the back and contributed well going forward. Perhaps he enjoyed having Pires back in front of him. 7

Toure: Seemed ok. Can’t remember too much else.6.5

Sol: Looking a little chunky but it must be good to have him back.6.5

Cesc: Not his most spectacular game but made a couple of decent runs forward and made one particularly delicious pass in the second half.6.5

Gilberto: Very well taken goal and was more involved tonight than normally. An experienced head 7.5

Pires: By no means at his best but infinitely better than the past few games. Got in an early curler that almost flew in and was generally far more involved. Even tried to tackle twice. Neither attempt worked.. 7

Ljungberg. Svavanged without achieving much.6.5

RVP: Had been easing himself back into first team action when the dick head referee struck. 6.5

Reyes: Excellent, his boundless enthusiasm drove the team on and he looked really dangerous at times and caused Thun more problems than anyone else. 8

Subs:

Dennis (for Cesc 70 odd): Is that his first goal as a sub? Took it well. 7

Hleb (for Reyes 80 odd): Didn’t really find his touch in the ten minutes he had.6

Quincy (for Ljungberg 80 odd): Offered a new threat.6.5

Lehman: Looking very solid at the moment. You can tell it by the fact he is not making kicking mistakes at the moment. At tricky moments, his handling from corners was excellent.7

Lauren: Missed a penalty, but that was bound to happen one day and at least it didn’t matter. Otherwise, he played well and looked particularly committed (mostly in the right sense) in the tackle. 7

Cole: His best attacking display for a while and linked up promisingly with Reyes. 7.5

Cygan: I’ve made no secret of the fact that his presence in the team pleases me not. Defending was ok tonight, though a couple of times Fulham forwards worryingly escaped him when crosses were slung in. Took his goals very well. Could it be that unlike the rest of the side Cygan does not feel obligated to score the perfect goal and concentrates on just sticking it in the net?7.5

Kolo: Poor clearance for the Fulham goal but on the whole had a decent game. The defensive issues we have at the moment seem more a collective than individual problem. 7

Cesc: Gets a wee bit overrun occasionally but on the whole is playing really well and in particular offers a genuine attacking threat in the way that perhaps Vieira sometime failed to. 7

Gilberto: Did what Gilberto does. Still sometimes resembles one of those video graphic created dinosaurs in the way he moves. 7

Hleb: Good first half, creating a fair deal and generally looking like a cross between Pires and Ljungberg (in the best sense). 7

Reyes: A very good game in my opinion, full of running, full of trickery and very direct. In particular, he linked up very well with Cole and Henry, which was very pleasing. His ball for Henry’s first goal was majestic and pleasingly the two seemed on the same wavelength tonight. 8

Dennis: Besides his idiotic yellow card he had a great game and was at the heart of Fulham’s dissection. Kept going strong right to the end. 8

Henry: Took his two goals, which both came at crucial times, very well. Just one more to equal Wright’s record. 7.5

Subs:

Flamini (for Reyes 75 odd): Set up Henry for the killer third goal. 7

Clichy (for Hleb 85 odd): Ran around like mad, as Clichy does. 7

Lehman: Two really good saves – the first from Riise and the second from Gerard’s piledriver. Flapped at one cross but all it served to do was to remind us how much he has improved. 7.5

Lauren: Did very well, almost scoring from Pires’ cross in the first half and setting up the third goal with some nice play. Is doing well at the moment, perhaps spurred on by Wenger not mentioning right back when saying which areas he doesn’t need to strengthen over the summer! 7.5

Cole: A mixed game. Good going forward and times and obviously an excellent second half block from Garcia. But also occasionally sloppy, messing up things we know him well capable of doing. 6.5

Senderos: A big presence at the heart of the defence he had one of his sternest tests in an Arsenal shirt when Liverpool got at us in the second half. Did pretty well on the whole though, especially as protection from midfield was not always forthcoming. 7

Kolo: A good solid outing and the same goes for him as for Senderos. 7

Vieira: Did some stuff really well and was very influential in our first half attacking play. But I felt he allowed the midfield to be too easily swamped after the break and was not always applying the pressure to Liverpool that he might have done. 7

Gilberto: It goes without saying that evaluating a Gilberto performance is very, very difficult. That said, I felt that like Vieira he could have offered a bit more bite in midfield to help out the defence in the second half. 6.5

Pires: Really was at the heart of some of our best stuff in the first half. Crossed brilliantly for Lauren to almost score, shot just wide and then scored with a magnificent free-kick. Faded later on. 7.5

Cesc: Absolutely outstanding. He set the move in motion for Reyes’ offside goal, fired just wide from 20 yards, scored his own offside goal and then added a very neat third for us in stoppage time. In between this he ran the game, tackling, running with the ball, passing brilliantly and generally looking the best player on the park. Outstanding. 9

Reyes: Not perfect, but he notched up another well taken goal, scored an offside one and ran his heart out for the cause in the second half. 7.5

Van Persie: Not as involved as he has been but got involved and put over one excellent early cross for Robert Pires. Generally looking a much better player than previously. 7

Subs:

Edu (for Pires 70 odd): Came on and did ok. 6.5

Bergkamp (for Van Persie 70 odd): Set up Fabregas for the third with a fantastic flick but was otherwise pretty poor. When he did try and press Liverpool he gave away a few free-kicks and the rest of the time he just didn’t seem to chase them at a time when we really needed players to get stuck in. I know he is still capable of the odd piece of magic but we probably have enough to our attacking armoury that magic alone should not prompt a new contract. We have shown we are capable of winning without Dennis and should probably now look to the future. 6

Aliadiere (for Reyes 85): As ever he came on and got stuck in, chasing everything and hassling the Liverpool defenders. Has a really good attitude and probably deserves more than five minutes at some point. 6.5

Lehman: The defence clearly trusts him again and he is reciprocating that with improved handling, kicking and decision making. 7

Lauren: Worked reasonably hard and got forward on a few occasions. 7

Cole: Looked a little lethargic at times but kept going and finished the game strongly, setting us on a number of attacks. 6.5

Senderos: A couple of passes went astray but took a no nonsence defence to defending. Far be it for me to argue with his current record of not conceding a goal for absolutely yonks. 7.5

Gilberto: Covered well at set pieces, but with Arsenal in 2nd gear he seemed only to happy to make sure Gilberto was in 2nd gear too. Not much drive. 6.5

Vieira: Committed silly fouls early on and was not finding his passes. Got better as the game went on and provided more drive. Symbolic of our night. 7

Pires: Did ok initially but like the rest of them lacked the necessary drive. Got better with the team. 7

Cesc: Probably not his best game. Came looking for the ball a lot and should be credited for it but looked a little fatigued when challenged. 6.5

Van Persie: Did ok initially but was not really receiving a lot of support from the midfield. Took his goal magnificently. 7

Reyes: Ran hard but once again looked incredibly left footed. But gave an excellent assist for the opening goal and kept on trying right til the end, providing useful relief for the defence. 7

Subs:

Dennis (for Van Persie 75ish): Did little except provide a measured set-up for Edu's clincher. 6.5

Edu (for Cesc 75ish): Got involved a bit and finished well to clinch it. 7

Lehman: Is playing very well and his handling looks as assured as ever, his throws good and his kicking far better than earlier in the season. I think it no great secret that he needs to control his temper. 7

Lauren: Has looked solid in recent weeks and looked more lively going forward. Alan Curbishley put him in his team of the season on the basis that few wingers get much change out of him. And he is probably right. Really does need to watch stray elbows though, intentional or not. 7

Toure: Was given a little trouble by Defoe but it was less trouble than Adi Akenbai gave him in the FA Cup in January. And Defoe is clearly a far better player than the Stoke man. Will soon score a very, very memorable free-kick I sense. 7

Senderos: It is hard to argue with his defensive record since he came into the side. We have simply stopped conceding goals. That said, what are the odds that back when we were conceding at will, Robbie Keane would have buried that chance. Could have got first goal for club with header. 7

Cole: Linked up well as ever with Pires down our left hand side and seemed really up for the fight. Had the slightly awkward penalty shout against him at the end but otherwise did well. 7

Vieira: With the ball he was excellent on the whole, spreading play at pace and helping support those ahead of him. Looks much more comfortable with Gilberto next to him. Though that said they both looked half a step off the pace at times against a Spurs side full of running. 7

Gilberto: Did what Gilberto does well. Though probably not as much of a shield as against Chelsea. 7

Cesc: Tired a little in the second half but was his usual youthful magnificence until then. Spread the ball with ease, got stuck in, helped out the attack and set up our goal. Nice. 7.5

Pires: Not the force he was against Chelsea but is playing well at the moment, linking up well with Cole down the left and generally providing an experienced head in an otherwise youthful attack. 7

Van Persie: Set Reyes up for the first minute chance, fired a decent effort wide and generally played quite a mature game without hitting great heights. 7

Reyes: Did very well to come back after the first minute miss. Goal was excellent and attitude looked good. Seemed to find an extra gear for second half run that set up Dennis. 7.5

Subs:

Dennis (for Van Persie 70 odd): Curled one wide and generally looked quite good against a tiring Spurs defence. There was the odd occasion when I felt he let the player pass him to quickly but that was probably just my last minute nerves. 7

Edu (for Cesc 70 odd): Hit the post with a curling effort and slotted in very, very neatly on the left. Will be a great shame to lose him if he does eventually go. 7

Aliadiere (for Van Persie 87 odd): Only had a few minutes but looked really keen to impress. Had a couple of good touches, got stuck in and made tired Spurs legs panic, buying us valuable time. 7

Lehman: Has looked much better recently and besides the odd dodgy kick, looked very solid against Chelsea and made one excellent save early on from Drogba. His positioning seemed good on through balls. 7

Lauren: He really didn’t put a foot wrong and kept Damien Duff and probably had his best game for the club against a very, very tricky opponent. Was ferocious and fair in the tackle. 8

Cole: After a slightly tentative start he threw himself at everything Chelsea chucked at us. Whatever people’s feelings about his current situation, there can be no complaints about his performance. 7

Senderos: Excellent as usual. This guy likes clean sheets. 7

Toure: Really did well in what could have been a tricky night. Got weight on his clearances and never panicked. 7

Vieira: It really doesn’t take a genius to figure out how much he seems to be enjoying having Gilberto back in the side. Really led the side again with fine interventions and set us on the path to attack – such as when Pires hit the bar. 7.5

Gilberto: Suffered a couple of inevitable nosebleeds when he got into decent positions going forward but otherwise did a fine job of snaffling out what Chelsea threw at us and generally making the team a slick unit. Showed one or two fine turns as well. 7

Cesc: This kid really does defy logic. At a time when his brittle bones should be feeling the effects of a long, hard season he is looking stronger than ever. Magnificently composed on the ball, he worked furiously in defence, midfield and attack. 8

Pires: His early volley that hit the bar reminded me of when I stood in the Holte End last year for Villa v Arsenal and he hit an even better effort that was turned just over. Even the anti-French bigots around me were shut well and truly up.

There is a wonderful magnificence about watching Robert Pires on song. He caresses the ball delightfully and when it’s time to move it on he does it with the utmost precision. A joy to watch and unlucky not to score twice. 9

Reyes: The story of his last 6 months – no problem with effort but he just lacks the confidence to make things really happen. The annoying thing is that he’s making errors on things that a confident Reyes could do with his eyes shut. Let’s hope his effort is rewarded soon. 6

Bergkamp: Like Reyes he worked hard and did his bit to keep Chelsea at bay. But also like Reyes he found himself struggling up front. The curtain appears to be falling on his magnificent career. Hopefully an announcement will be made soon and both we and Dennis can enjoy his final games. 6

Subs:

Van Persie (for Dennis 80 odd): Struggled to get into the game but had a few decent chances and ran hard for the side.

Aliadiere (for Cesc 85 odd): Did alright but by the time he came on it didn’t look like either side were really going to score.

Lehman: Flapped at one cross in the first half and then came ridiculously far out of his goal before eventually winning the ball. Yes, he’s kept a fair few clean sheets recently and yes, it’s even true we could win the league again with him in goal, but no, we won’t win in Europe with Jens and no, he’s not the answer. 6

Lauren: His early challenge, whilst not worthy of a red card as suggested on Match of the Day, was sheer stupidity. He did alright and he’s plodding along but not really getting any better. 6

Cole: Attacked decently at times but wasn’t helped by a very, very ineffectual Robert Pires. 6.5

Senderos: Now looks like he should be partnering Sol Campbell when the two are fit. Authoritative, big and commanding, his presence has coincided with a string of clean sheets. Still has rough edges, but these are being shaved all the time. 7

Kolo: Did reasonably well and made a couple of important blocks, but I’m not convinced his future lies in the heart of the defence. Together, he and Lauren sometimes seem to bring out the worst in each other and we just don’t look solid, clean sheets or no clean sheets. Would like to see him at right back. 6.5

Gilberto: I looked out especially for incidences of him filling gaps and yes, I can confirm it happens and he does his job well. Still looks very nervous in attacking positions, but his presence is welcome. 6

Vieira: I thought he did reasonably well, though like the rest of the players he seemed to have trouble bringing any great coherency to our play. 6

Cesc: I plumped for Cesc on the right a while ago and I like seeing him there. He got well forward and was always involved. Looks tired, but it’s been a long old season and he’s still, only 17. 6.5

Pires: I thought him absolute rubbish up until he scored really. His inability to tackle has been documented many times before, but on Saturday he seemed to be playing the whole game at walking pace. But then who better is there at converting the one chance he gets to secure a 1-0 lead. 6

Reyes: Things still aren’t all coming off for him but I sense things are getting better and his work rate and willingness to track back really can’t be faulted. We know for a fact that the boy has the talent to succeed, so while he may not be showing what he’s really capable of right now, we should applaud his recent application. Had a couple of really mazy runs and set up Henry excellently for a shot he scuffed. 7

Henry: Had one of those games where he seemed to stand almost still on the edge of the box, conserving his energy and waiting to pounce. It didn’t really work, though he did have a glorious chip fly just wide and certainly scared the Boro fans every time he got the ball. He was also up against an obdurate Boro. 6.5

Subs:

Dennis (Reyes 46): Did alright without really changing the game at all. It seems the curtain may be falling on his illustrious career and reluctantly, I think it right. We know he can still play brilliantly in patches but the truth is that it’s becoming less often and it’s hampering us in European away games. We need someone to step forward and become Henry’s partner. Sometimes the bullet needs to be bitten. And now is that time. 6

Jens: It’s tempting to say that the early back pass cock-up could just as easily have happened to Petr Cech but in truth that would be a lie. He’s simply too cocky and over confident with his kicking – it’s why so many balls get sliced wildly and why we almost conceded a shambolic own goal tonight. Otherwise, he actually did quite well. 6.5

Lauren: Is definitely becoming a better player going forward but was as culpable as anyone for our defensive malaise. 6

Cygan: Didn’t have an awful game but on too many occasions simple long balls forward by Palace became much more serious than they needed to be. 6

Kolo: Got skinned more often than he would have liked and was caught out at times from crosses. But still, we only conceded one. 6.5

Clichy: Did well getting forward, causing a constant menace. Defending was largely competent but seemed to be infected by the general defensive tendency to give the ball away. 6.5

Vieira: Another tricky game to rate from the captain. At times he was sluggish and easily caught in possession. At others, he took a grip on the game and drove the team forward impressively. Got well forward for his goal. 7

Edu: Didn’t have the sudden impact he enjoyed at Villa last week but did well enough and certainly gave us a fair bit of solidity. Good ball to Reyes for the opener. 7

Pires: Seemed to be rewriting the dictionary definition of anonymous for the first 20 or so minutes. Then got more into the game without coming close to hitting top gear. Was unlucky to hit the post in the 2nd half after good work from Reyes. 7

Reyes: His best game in yonks. He looked fearless again, running constantly at the Palace defence and causing a lot of trouble. Good assist for the first, great finish for the second, an assist for the third and a fantastic pass to Dennis to set up the fifth. Great to see him back again. 8.5

Dennis: As ever, he oiled, moulded and sculpted our performance. He also took his goal very well, like he did against Newcastle and United too. And set up Henry for the fifth. 7.5

Henry: Really played very, very well and channelled any frustration about constant offside decisions in exactly the right way. Had seemingly boundless energy to chase back lost causes and put us back on the attack. 8.5

Subs:

Flamini (for Edu 60odd): Solid and composed as ever. 7

Van Persie (for Dennis 80odd): Linked up reasonably well as the game entered its final stages. 7

Fabregas (for Pires 80odd): Settled in comfortably on the right. 7

Jens: Whilst a clean sheet is a clean sheet, he had very little to do and looked no more reassuring than previously with his kicking. To be fair, he was also played a high number of over hit back passes today and was not at fault for the one from Flamini that took a wicked bobble off the Highbury surface (which appeared unusually cut-up).6.5

Eboue: Got forward well, hit the bar with a deflected shot and could have had a penalty. Nice work. 8

Clichy: Decent game without being exceptional.7

Sol: Not a lot to do. 7

Cygan: Better than usual. 8

Paddy: Mediocre for much of it truth be told. Got better later on and scored the penalty but for too long his mind didn’t seem in the right place. Sure, Wolves made it difficult by crowding midfield but too often he seemed semi asleep at throw ins and the like. Still, he kept going. 6.5

Flamini: Didn’t show the deftness of touch of the Newcastle game but retained all his normal solidity. And great as Ray Parlour was, watching Boro at the moment suggests that we’ve got an as good, if not better, replacement. 7

Reyes: A couple of good runs, some moments of anonymity and denied a stonewall penalty. Still getting back to form but it definitely seems better than a few weeks ago. 6.5

Freddie: Usual energetic performance without any stand out moments, save his well taken goal. That’s ten for the season now and we’re still in January. Good work Sir. 7

Van Persie: Not his most inspiring game and clearly doesn’t yet have the positional ability of Dennis (who does?) but is improving. 6.5

Henry: Gallic. Went into one of his moods after Riley ruled out his cheeky first half effort. Strutted around for a while, went in for a couple of silly tackles and became frankly self indulgently petulant when a foul was given against him. It’s alright for us to loathe Riley endlessly but our top striker shouldn’t let him affect his game. And the fact is he did. But recovered his composure, was unlucky not to score and set up Freddie in superb fashion. 8

Subs:

Cesc (for Van Persie): Settled in comfortably on the right. 7

Pires (for Reyes): Nice work for the clinching goal. 7

Quincy (for Fred): No time to make an impression.

Alumnia: No chance with the goal and didn’t do too much wrong besides one poor fumble from a cross. Still not convinced by his catching techniques. No difficult saves to make6.5

Hoyte: Made the odd error but did well to make sure his old youth team buddy Jerome Thomas had his quietest game in weeks. Managed to get forward a bit more in the second half.7.5

Cole: Still not looking at his best and on a couple of occasions was embarrassed by Rommedahl. But in fairness he wasn’t as sloppy as recently and did get forward well later on. 6.5

Sol: With the exception of one wildly sliced clearance in the first half that Almunia had to save he looked pretty solid and kept Charlton’s clear chances to a minimum. Let’s hope his ankle isn’t too bad. 7

Kolo: Given a bit of grief by Bartlett in the air but stuck to his task well and like Campbell, restricted the number of clear cut chances. 7

Vieira: Watching the game live, I was unconvinced by his first half performance. But having just seen the highlights it seems he got through a lot of work and did what he had to do neatly and efficiently. Set up Fred well for the goal and kept up a good level of performance all the way through.7

Cesc: Lost the odd ball but was generally very sound. Passing was clean and crisp as ever and his touch for the second goal was exquisite by any standards.7.5

Freddie: Took his two goals brilliantly, worked hard and always looked a threat. In good form. 8

Clichy: Seemed to lose the ball cheaply a bit too often but worked hard down the left helping Cole out with nullifying the threat of Rohmedahl and getting forward well. Has tremendous energy which comes in handy at the end of games when opposition players tire.6.5

Henry: Not at his best today but more worrying than the actual performance was the fact that his normal fitness wasn’t there. Had a lovely free-kick cleared off the line.6.5

Van Persie: Still has a tendency to twist and turn once too often. But also holds the ball up brilliantly, moves it well and finished superbly for the third. Should probably be given a real run up front next to Henry. Took his goal like a striker, which is disconcerting coming from an Arsenal player.7.5

Subs:

Pires (for Van Persie 72ish): With the game won he wisely didn’t over exert himself ahead of Man City on Tuesday night. 6.5

Senderos (for Campbell 82ish): Slotted in well on his Premiership debut.7

Pennant (for Fred 86): Didn’t have time to get into the game. 7

Almunia: Our star man tonight. A smart early save from Ameobi (even if it was probably going wide) and excellent handling all night gave us one less worry. Four clean sheets in five and he also kicks a fair bit better than Jens.7

Lauren: Though Lauren Robert didn’t reach anything like his best, I’m not sure whether too much credit should go to Lauren. His positioning often seemed weak, his passing and tackling little better and he offered almost nothing in attack. Mr Average was distinctly poor. 5.5

Cole: Whilst there’s no shame in being given a tough time of things by Craig Bellamy, Cole’s performance was noticeably worse than just a torrid time. He made stupid, unnecessary fouls, got caught out when he should normally have had enough pace and looked very, very shaky. He may have been pushed a touch for the penalty incident, but a defender with his mind fully on the job wouldn’t have allowed the ball to hit him as blatantly as it did. In mitigation he did improve and unlike Lauren provided some attacking threat. 5.5

Kolo: Did alright but like the others his decision making didn’t always seem to be the best informed. That said, it’s a little harsh to chastise a central defender who has kept four clean sheets in five. 6.5

Sol: Urgh. After some very sound recent performances he seemed far too troubled by what looked like some relatively simple long balls. One such error allowed Ameobi in for his early chance and his lack of authority always made the long ball route look like a wise one for Newcastle to take. 6

Flamini: Not his best game for Arsenal but he still got through a lot of work, kept things simple and had a hand in setting up Vieira for the goal. 6.5

Vieira: Named man of the match by SKY and praised in a couple of papers, but I’m going to be honest and say that up until he scored I thought he was pretty useless, being caught in possession too often. That said in the second half he got through a fair bit of work as we ground out victory. 6.5

Fred: Beavered away, had some good moments and kept on trying. Was going to commend him for his work on a couple of occasions in particular but can’t now remember what they were. 7

Pires: Even by his standards, his tackling was poor today. Truth be told, I can’t fathom how he’s allowed to defend with his body constantly side on to the play. As a left winger he has defensive responsibilities and simply has to make a better fist of it. On the attacking front he was probably our most creative player, moving the ball smartly and at pace. 6

Van Persie: Still very, very raw. Unlucky not to score in the opening minutes and had a couple more decent efforts but all too frequently ran into trouble and lost the ball on what was admittedly an awful surface completely unsuited to his quick twists and turns. Corners weren’t bad. Needs time. 6.5

Henry: His touch was not quite at its magical best, but again this was probably due to the state of the pitch. Had a couple of good runs that resulted in decent shots on Shay Given’s goal. 6.5

Subs:

Clichy (for Van Persie 80 mins approx): Seemed as happy as anyone in the post match huddle but for the second game in succession he seemed a little out of sorts when called upon. 6

Almunia: Looks better by the game and made a crucial save when he rushed out at speed to palm away a Fulham chance at 1-0. Made no notable mistakes. 7

Clichy: Had a good first half – getting forward well as usual and strong on the defensive stuff. Then in the second half he seemed to lose his confidence went, either as a result of or because of Fulham consistently probing down our left. Like any small full-back, aerial strength is a weakness.6

Lauren: Average as usual. Looked solid against a Fulham attack lacking any real penetration. 6.5

Sol: At times we were troubled in the air – but Sol is leading a defence that is no longer allowing attackers completely free headers at corners. Looks fit and healthy and, along with the rest of the defence, now has three clean sheets in four league games. 7

Freddie: A fine game on his return from migraine troubles. Played in Henry for the first and set-up Pires for the second. 7.5

Cesc: Gets caught on the ball occasionally but is still doing the vast majority of things with real fluency. Gives us real creativity in the middle. 7

Vieira: Showed a few soft shoe shuffles to bam boozle defenders in a way we haven’t really seen this season. Also got stuck into his tackles and generally seemed to be on the ball. 7

Pires: There was this surreal moment in the first half. He got the ball on the left wing and took a heavy touch. As if that wasn’t enough he then went flying into the tackle with the Fulham defender and actually won the ball. And it wasn’t the only time – I saw him snuff out a few Fulham attacks and even win a header.

Of course, the attacking side of his play was superb as well – he would have scored from a Dennis chest down but for a good save by Van De Saar. He linked up well, particularly with Henry, and inevitably took his goal with typical aplomb. Now has 19 in 2004, which is good. 7.5

Dennis: A fair few poor touches and bad decision making in general play. In mitigation, he dummied the ball well for the second goal and put Pires in with an excellent chest down. 6.5

Henry: Sure, the flicks didn’t always come off but at times he led Fulham a merry dance like he has almost every other defence this season. His goal was a trade mark finish and he was desperately unlucky when his side footer from the edge of the box crashed back off a post. 7

Subs:

Flamini (for Freddie 74ish): Some might say Arsene was making a point by not replacing Freddie with Pennant. Others will call it a sensible way of seeing out the game. 6.5

Van Persie (for Dennis 78ish): Provided his usual array of tricks but didn’t get a real chance to score. 6.5

Almunia: Had a really good game. Caught when he needed to catch, punched when he wasn't sure and kicked immaculately. Also made a couple of really good saves. His run of impressive performances may only stretch to two but for now there seems no reason to bring back Jens. 8

Lauren: Did nothing too wrong but didn't offer as much in attack as he might have and at times appeared troubled by Pomey's pace. I think he's ok, but I'm becoming less and less convinced he should be our right back at all - more on that tomorrow. 6.5

Cole: A tough one to call. For a while looked rattled by Pompey's pace and agression down the left. Misplaced a couple of balls and though his tackles were mostly coming off they had a slightly concerning aggressiveness about them which made me think he was letting his own frustration get the better of him a little. But stuck to the task well and in the end kept a dangerous Pompey out. 7

Kolo: Got sucked in a couple of times, but on the whole he was part of a defence that looked pretty solid and much improved at set pieces. 7

Sol: Looked fitter than recently I thought - turning smoothly on a couple of occasions when faced with danger. He also made countless important headers at corners and won us the game with the kind of head down sheer determinism many fans would like to see a little more often. 8

Flamini: Ran hard, tackled hard and never gave up. Doesn't offer as much going forward as Fabregas, but doesn't claim to either. Unlucky with a header from Henry's free-kick. 7

Vieira: Industrious, but was also sloppy on occasion, getting caught in posession and losing the ball. Still doesn't seem 100% back to his best and didn't make the most of a couple of shooting opportunities. 6.5

Clichy: Fought well and offered Cole valuable protection down the left hand side. Showed initial attacking promise early on but faded as Pompey grew in stature. Nonetheless, was full of running at the end and nearly capitalised on tired Pompey legs. 7

Pires: His every touch was met with a chorus of boos as Bob faced Pompey for the first time since 'that dive' last season. There was even one moment when he slipped and the ball rolled out of play. Which probably made a certain journalist very, very warm inside. Otherwise, was neat enough but pretty ineffectual, seemingly afraid of injury in the rough house atmosphere. Had a couple of lovely runs late on and set Dennis up for a chance he really should have taken. 6.5

Henry: Worked hard and created much of our best work, but often found himself crowded out by the hoardes of Pompey defenders. Nearly scored after a flowing first half move and set up Dennis' other chance late on, which again he really should have taken. 7

Van Persie: Started really well, showing fantastic feet and trickery and generally leading Pompey a merry dance. He swivels at such speed he'll probably need a hip replacement aged 30. Faded somewhat after his impressive start, finding himself crowded out by the packed defence. Could pass a little earlier at times but nonetheless a decent first start in a difficult game and he staked a fair claim for inclusion against Fulham on Boxing Day. 6.5

Subs:

Bergkamp (for Van Persie 68ish): Should have scored late on following good set up play. His performance did little to silence the voices calling for this year to be his last. I'm undecided on that, but what I am sure about is that I won't miss the needless little kicks and elbows aimed at his opponents when frustration sets in. Simply put: the sly digs are ugly and Van Nistelrooy like and do nothing for us. 6

Almunia: Faultless for both their goals, he made good stops from Lampard and Gudjohnsen in the first half. And made a vital save when Robben wriggled his way through after the break. But nobody noticed it. Caught when a catch was a good idea, punched when a punch was wiser and set us on the attack with some good throws. 7.5

Lauren: Didn't see much of him, but when you're up against Duff and Robben, this can only be to a defender's credit. Thought he did really well to keep them in check, and the one time Robben did really threaten in the second half, the danger came down the other side. 7.5

Cole: The one player who I thought struggled today. As has been the case of late, he lacked confidence in his touch and stuggled defensively. Perhaps should have come out to Robben before the winger got into the box for his 2nd half chance, and was easily beaten in the air by Drogba for Cheslea's 2nd equaliser. 6

Kolo: Looked solid overall and helped limit Chelsea to only a few chances asides from set pieces. 7

Sol: A mixed bag. Made some really important defensive headers and looked in command at times at the back. But was a little caught out for their opening goal and sometimes seemed a little gung ho in his marking. Made important late tackle on Drogba.7

Reyes: Was quiet, but this was a tough game. Nodded down to Henry for the opener, worked hard and went on a few mazy runs without much success. Still, I thought he gave them something to worry about.6.5

Fabregas: Another excellent performance. He and Flamini were overwhelmed initially when up against Tiago, Lampard and Makalele but never gave up and fought their way back into the game admirably. Nice goal to set up Henry for the opener, he was instrumental in setting up the Frenchman's near winner and also set up RVP for his chance. Uses the ball so intelligently and showed that despite his size, he's not afraid to get stuck in. Was up against the very best in the business today and succeeded in limiting Lampard to a largely peripheral role.8

Flamini: £1 million? First league start? A snip if you ask me. He run's tirelessly, he harries, he puts his foot in and he uses the ball simply when he wins it. A real water carrier but absolutely essential today and worked tirelessly. Well done Sir. 8

Pires: We wanted a big performance and boy did we get one. Seemed almost impossible to shake off the ball, tackled back, linked up well with Lauren, Flamini, Cesc and Henry and drove the team forward in his own idiosyncratic waddle. When in his pomp, he is still a wonderful, wonderful footballer to watch. Set up Henry for the near winner, realised his responsibility as the senior partner in midfield, and shouldered the responsibility admirably.7.5

Dennis: Didn't get involved in too much of note, but I can't help feeling he just gives us a cetain sophistication and shape when he's in the side. Gordon Strachan pointed out on Match of the Day how hard he'd worked to stop Makalele getting the ball and in hindsight I think it probably a fair call.6.5

Henry: Forget the late miss - it can happen to anyone. Otherwise he was outstanding, scoring a brilliant first (which included winning a high ball!), netting an impudent second and generally running the show. Scared Chelsea shitless every time he picked it up and was responsible for a hell of a lot of good work. Also destroyed the concept he doesn't turn it on in big games. That's 15 in 17 league games now by the way.9

Subs:

Clichy (for Reyes 82): Ran around like mad for 10 minutes and forced mistakes out of tired legs. Really good footballer and good enough to start for probably every Premiership side and perhaps should be more often for us. 7.5

RVP: Is maturing very nicely indeed. Nearly netted a silky winner when he latched onto Cesc's pass and gave the Chelsea players a lot to think about. Would be really interesting to see him start. 7

Almunia: Made a really, really good low save early on and kicked largely well. But looked dodgy more than once on crosses and for the second time in a week cost us a goal, which is a real worry. Eventually realised there's nothing wrong with giving a ball a good double handed punch. 6

Hoyte: Was up against a poor opposition but defended diligently and rarely looked rushed. Used the ball well, linked up well with his team mates and should be well pleased with his first European start. 7

Cole: Looked solid, with a couple of important defensive headers, but still not yet back to his marauding best I sense. Shouldn't have let the ball drop over his head for Harald Brattbakk to fire at Alumnia after 17 minutes. Withdrawn with quarter of an hour left. 6.5

Sol: Ditto for above, though did once later on look somewhat sluggish again on the turn. Perhaps I'm just paranoid about the impending arrival of Duff and Robben at Highbury.6.5

Kolo: A very easy night for the big man and he even found time for a classic Kolo dance into the opposition penalty area towards the end. 7

Flamini: Very, very good full debut. Set up the second goal, ran tirelessly, got tackles in and seemed to work well with Cesc in midfield. Looks comfortable tracking back and going forward and also seems to have a strange affinity for joining in attacks right around the right edge of the penalty area and particularly when we attack the North Bank. A young, thinking man's Gilles Grimandi, he ain't at all bad for a fifth choice midfielder. 7.5

Cesc: Absolute star. Has already played 20 games this season (twice as many as Edu, Gilberto and Vieira), yet still had the strength to turn in one of his best performances for the club. Fantastically alert, his use of the ball was excellent. He also scored a very impressive, very difficult goal and was involved in the build up for the fifth. Not just our most frequent performer in midfield this season, but also our best. 8

Jose: Took his goal really well and gave us a flying start. Had another deflected shot well saved and looked much more like the sun kid of the beginning of the season. Had a delightful late chip that bamboozled three very stupid looking Rosenberg players before landing on the roof of the net. 7

Pires: Looked much, much better and was even spotted making a tackle late in the second half. Kept going and linked up well late on with Jose and RVP before being withdrawn for Quincy with two minutes left. His penalty was so brilliantly placed it went into the side netting. Again I marvel at his ability to put a football exactly where he wants it to go. 7

Bergkamp: A nice return for the Ice Man who got involved well in the game, set up the opener and had a couple of openings himself. Might have done better when in front of goal, but eased himself back into the side well. 7

Henry: I actually thought that poor as the defending was for his goal, it was still a pretty decent finish. Worked hard all night, linked up well with the kids around him and seemed to be feeling particularly tolerant. 7

Subs:

Clichy (for Dennis 72ish): Spent a few mins in midfield before dropping back to left back when RVP replaced Ashley. As ever looked sound in the defending and assured going forward. 7

RVP (for Cole 75): Resuscitated the game with some silky skills, wayward finishing and then eventually a very well taken goal. Rawer than an uncooked vegetable, but with massive potential. 7.5

Quincy (for Bob 88): Should have had longer. Don't think he got a touch.

Alumnia: Looks like Lehman, kicks slightly better than Lehman, fumbles the odd ball like Lehman and jumps a couple of inches less high in the air than Lehman. Did ok, but would have been ill advised to let Morrison’s second half effort creep under him and over the line.6.5

Lauren: Seemed really quiet yesterday. Means he was doing his defensive job well which at the moment is the priority. Better? Seeing as we kept a clean sheet, probably a tad. 6.5

Cole: It's not been picked up much by the press, but I’ve thought Ash to be one of the players whose form has most obviously dipped in the recent spell. He’s still looked a top left back, but the subtlety of touch that allowed him and Bob to link so well still seems to be absent. Better? Not noticeably, but again should take credit for a clean sheet. 7

Sol: I’m of the opinion he’s still carrying a little bit of weight. Played well enough, but on a couple of occasions he looked sluggish and immobile on the turn, which is obviously a concern with Duff and Robben coming to town next week. Better? Probably not. 6.5

Kolo: Probably fair to say he’s not been our worst performer in the recent period, but I think on occasion he has allowed our recent jitters to affect his decision making a little. Kept Heskey quiet, but also seemed to time his jumps wrongly on a couple of occasions. Better? Ditto above. 7

Vieira: Did some good stuff but on other occasions his decision making and concentration again seemed lacking a little. He’s a hard one to judge at the moment. Better? Probably a bit.7

Cesc: I’m glad to see he escaped censure for his recent performances because I think a lot of the recent mutterings about how he’s no Gilberto have been unfair. Admittedly, the Brazilian’s best work is done off the ball, SKY’s stats show how we tend to win with him in the side, but I still think the young Spaniard is doing pretty well. He’s a young boy whose probably played too many games in a struggling team in a big league. But he’s still there, still getting stuck in and still doing his stuff. Tired in the latter stages yesterday and was replaced by Flamini, which was a wise, common sense, decision. Better? No, but only because he was doing well in the first place. 7

Freddie: Scavenged, burrowed, furrowed, ducked and dived. Fred’s doing them all at the moment and its working as the perfect complement to the continued attempts at perfection that come from the rest of the team. Is also being very productive. Should have had a penalty yesterday, set up the third goal and generally ran the show. Better? No, but only because he’s been great. 7.5

Pires: Mark my words. One of these days the opposition are going to get a free kick on the edge of our area. Their player will hit it, the ball will fly off Robert Pires and zip past Lehman. And we’ll all put it down as a fluke, like we did for Graveson’s effort that flew off Pennant in the Carling Cup game against Everton. Except it won’t be a fluke because Pires, like Pennant, will have jumped with his back to the ball, meaning that when it hits him he’ll have no way of giving it any direction. My point is that Pires simply has to go into tackles. Maybe he’s worried about getting hurt, but he’s ducking out of the most basic challenges and its meaning we’re losing the battle in midfield at places like Old Trafford and Anfield. Obviously, as I was making a note of this, Bob went and scored a classic Bob goal. Basically a really, really good one. He is a fantastic playa, probably the purest footballer we have in our team and quite possibly the best finisher. Yesterday was his 50th goal for the club and almost without exception (Bolton at home this season) they’ve been aesthetically perfect and a joy to watch. But he must pull his weight for the team, which funnily enough I’ve seen him do really well on a number of occasions. Better? A little bit later on in the second half. 6.5

Reyes: You have to feel for him - seemingly everything he tries seems to go askew these days. Inches away from a Henry cross in the first half, he got into the game a bit more going towards half time, but then tired before being withdrawn. As I said above, he could do with a 25 minute run against tired defences to get his confidence back. Better? Not really, but not for want of effort. 6.5

Henry: Whether it be through injury or lack of confidence, he spent much of the game getting into decent positions but then making the wrong decision. Then ten minutes from time he took off past Melchiot, through the Birmingham defence and then a cool low finish hit whilst he was running at incredible speed. Six minutes later, he bought a ticket for Freddie Ljungberg’s cross and got lucky. May not be at his best. But the level of criticism he of all people has taken is ridiculous. Has scored 13 league goals this season (four more than anyone else and 9 more than Ruud), scoring in 11 of the 16 games. And it’s not even like he’s bound to get the goals because nobody else does. He hasn’t even scored a third of our goals, and with the exception of Old Trafford (when nobody scored) and Selhurst Park, at least one other Arsenal player has scored in all of our other games. Better? Yes. Despite earlier failures, his determination to keep going for the all important second goal was admirable. 7.5

Subs:

Clichy (for Jose): I love this guy. He’s like Wenger’s little foot soldier and seems capable of doing everything. Slotted in expertly in left midfield. He covers, chases back, tackles, retains the ball, gets forward, dribbles and causes havoc in the opposition defence. He may be more defensive than Reyes, but sometimes being slightly more defensive can give you the shape to attack more. May not be suited to central midfield, but should be considered a serious option for a place in left midfield on tough away games. 7.5

Flamini: Seems to do everything neatly enough without being spectacular. Will be interesting to see how he works with Cesc over the next two games.7

Alumnia: Crap on their goal, barely put a foot wrong otherwise. Plays and looks like a slightly smaller Jens, but can kick. 6

Hoyte: OK and defended well on occasion, but I’d still like to see him get forward more. That said, I think he’s a player who would look much better surrounded by seasoned pros. 6.5

Clichy: Really, really good as usual. Slipped on their excuse of a pitch for the early goal, but didn’t let it affect him and worked tirelessly defending and attacking all game. 7.5

Senderos: The lumbering giant of Everton had been replaced by a very, very accomplished looking centre half. One dodgy back header that fell short but otherwise cut out everything that was asked of him and looked a real first team option. 8

Djorou: Took eye off ball and then slipped for the goal which wasn’t good. Never quite looked the same player as against Everton, but worked his way back into the game. 6.5

Flamini: Looks like we can breathe a little more easily in the midfield department after watching a very assured display. Would like to see him trialled as a sub for Freddie in games where we’ve got a dodgy one goal lead. 7

Larsson: Some like him but I’m not so sure. What he did was decent enough but I thought he struggled to have an effect on the game. 6.5

Quincy: Maybe it was the pitch, maybe it was United doubling up on him. Either way the hero of the last round never really got into last night’s affair. 6

Pennant: Worked hard, tried to take the initiative and overall did quite well. Still not sure if he’ll quite make it at Highbury though. 7

Lupoli: Is a striker and when strikers get no service they don’t look much kop. 6.5

Van Persie: Battled hard all night and willingly came deep to win possession. But probably came a bit too deep and battled a bit too hard. Yes, he could have been sent off for the incident with Richardson. Reminds me a bit of a young Freddie, not in playing style but in the way that the potential is clearly there but the skills are still very, very raw. 6.5

Subs:

Smith (for Lupoli): Did OK but still looks wary of going in for challenges and taking men on following his long term injury.

Cregg: Alright

Karbassiyoon: Alright