As the standout match of the weekend looms, I am taken back on memory lane yet again. This time, I was reminded of the heartwrencher at Anfield on 26th May 1989. On that day, Liverpool were three points ahead of closest challenger, George Graham's Arsenal. The Reds needed to avoid defeat by a two-goal margin to be crowned champions.

By AriesAndrey Arshavin has been speaking about his impressions of the Villa game and as always provided useful insights.He revealed that the only anxiety felt by the Arsenal players prior to the game was not in anticipation of the battle ahead but in trying to find tickets for their friends and relatives!

Football, football, everywhere there is football, and finally, after three agonising days, footballing of the Arsenal kind has arrived again. The very last Premier League match of the calendar year would you believe?
From Saturday, we have lost Cesc and I'm assuming Denilson as well, but we've gained Song who happens to hail from Cameroon, the most wonderful country in the world.

The refs' double standards, the difficulties, the hidden things and the human side of it all. By Walter Broeckx I already have written a few pieces on some double standards that were used in some Arsenal games the last weeks. Both against Sunderland and Chelsea the Arsenal players were allowed half of the physical challenge compared [.

Here Comes The 'Whore'!

It's never a happy time when the team you support isn't doing well on the field of play. November has been a horrible month for Arsenal fans and I believe most people are glad to see its back. Now it will soon be December and fans want to see an evidence of a change in fortune – like progressing to the semi-finals of the Carling Cup.

Contracts

You can't see the wood for the trees when it comes to Arsenal players being offered new contracts, can you? First, misser of two good chances on Tuesday, Charles Vela, earned himself a new deal. And now, talk is of man-of-balsa Thomas Rosickly getting new terms.

Might seem a bit weird to some people.

And his assistant, the fourth official, who had to put up with Ferguson's abuse after awarding only 3 extra minutes for Utd to score.

Even someone who is not very good at lip-reading would have understood exactly what Ferguson was saying. Or picked up the gist of it. Will the media decide to blow it out of proportion like they did with the Wenger Hughes handshake incident?

Yesterday's results have made today's game at Anfield all the more interesting. Not that a game against the Mugsmashers is ever anything but a chance for the Arsenal players to avenge the smashing of my mug so many years ago, but it makes life at the top of the table much more fun.

Aston Villa actually moved above us into third with their 1-0 win over United, although they have played two more games.

Tonight, in my opinion, is a bigger test than Liverpool were on Sunday.
On paper you would say that Liverpool at Anfield would be a harder game than against Burnley at Turf Moor but football is not always that straight forward!
An away game against the likes of Burnley in the cold month of December is one that Arsenal have struggled with in recent years.

Have that Phil Brown. Have that right in your fake-tanned, frazzled, oompa loompa face! Did you see him? Trying to header an imaginary ball? Twat!
Sorry, rant over. I just don't like Phil Brown.
What a crucial win that was. After seeing Manchester United lose, and lose quite heavily, Spurs, Villa and Manchester City win, that was a very pleasing three points to earn.

The Answers to the Quiz..

1... Baseball, Boxing, Cricket, Hockey and Rugby.
2... The Emirates took 123 weeks and 2 days to build.

3... April 19th 1994 was the last all English team to start for us..

David Seaman
Lee Dixon
Martin Keown
Tony Adams
Stevie Bould
Paul Davis
Ray Parlour
Ian Selley
Ian Wright
Alan Smith
Kevin Campball

4.

From the horror at St. Andrews, the title clincher at Old Trafford to Bergkamp's operational masterclass against Everton, here are six matches of the noughties.
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1. Birmingham 2-2 Arsenal: 23 February, 2008

When the fixture computer threw this one up at the start of the season, it was only expecting an innocent encounter.