2 points from our last two games is not exactly good, but on the face of it is ok. A draw at Anfield is a good result and drawing to a Manchester United side bang in form is no disgrace. Before the match I was thinking a draw at Anfield and a victory at home to United would be how it would turn out. We gained the first point but were not able to take the other 3 yesterday. As it turned out we deserved and should have won away at liverpool, with yesterday's draw a fair result in my eyes. We had the chances last Sunday, dominated the game throughout and even missed two open goals. Yesterday we had more possesion and shots on target but the opposition had far more of a cutting edge and were worthy of at least a point.

What encouraged me was the defending throughout the game. Gallas and Toure were rocks at the back and won everything in the air, granting no space to Tevez and Rooney. They were brilliant in the tackle and some of their last ditch challenges were spot on during what was a scrappy and tentative first half. The main threat to our defence was going to be the front four of Tevez, Rooney, Giggs and Ronaldo and as Wenger said the "handbrake" was on during the first period. Clichy and Sagna were wary of the threat down their wings and they dealt with their men very well. They knew if they won their individual battles we had a real chance. The problem is that Ronaldo is a world class player, and these footballers only need a little bit of space and they can hurt you, however much you keep them quiet. Unfortunately this is what happened as he delievered the cross for United's opener and later got their second goal. Although Gallas was positioned well once again, the fact Rooney miscued his effort meant the effort went in off the unfortunate Gallas. Any clean contact would have seen a similar block to the one he made against Gerrard last sunday.

The goal coming just before half time could have been a killer blow but as we have seen so many times this season, the current Arsenal squad, as a whole, will never give up. Two minutes into the second half Hleb had the ball deep in his own half and once more showed brilliant close control to weave his way out of a cul de sac and release the ball to Fabregas. The Arsenal no.13 showed from the very off that he could cause the United defence problems with his dribbling. As soon as the match kicked off he ran down field, drifitng past players with ease and had Rosicky and Adebayor not got in a mundle we may have been in business within the first minute. From then on he knew he could keep the ball from the United players and everytime he had the ball looked threatening. Working in the space off Adebayor it was hard for the opposing players to pick him up. One criticism of him at times in the first half was that he held the ball for too long when a pass was on.

This was not the case in the build up to the equaliser as he played the pass to Cesc as soon as he saw it and this was the springboard for a quick counter attack. As the ball reached Eboue, via Adebayor, the red shirts flooded forward and Eboue's cross was met by Adebayor. The chance looked like it had gone as Van Der Saar parried the ball away from goal but the energetic Sagna never gave up the chase and centred the ball to Fabregas with a crunching challenge on Evra. He has been a revelation this season and that tackle in itself opitimised what he has added to this side. If that was typical of Sagna's performances so far, the finish of Cesc Fabregas showed even more what we now expect from the young Spaniard. Most players would try and break the net when 5 yards out with only defenders on the line, not Cesc. He knew Ferdinand had a chance should he attempt to blast it so he calmly slotted the ball in the one place where Ferdinand had no chance of reaching it. It demonstrated the form he has been in when in front of goal and this was his 11th goal of a brilliant season.

Almunia had been in good form of late but yesterday was clearly nervous. His decision making was all over the place and his desire to rush off his line was from was erratic to say the least. There was no need for him to come and meet Evra and it left him with an easy choice to centre the ball for Ronaldo to finish into the empty net. This was not the first time during this one match he had made the same error and I feel this may well cost him the no.1 jersey. Although harsh, when keepers make errors they are punished far more than an outfield player; the question is about who will come in. I have lost all confidence in Lehmann but am happy to be proved wrong by the mad German. For me personally I would want Wenger to give Fabianski at least one chance in the League to prove himself. He has looked solid in the Carling Cup and there is no reason why he should not get a chance after the two senior keepers have both made some blunders.

I mentioned Gallas as being a leader at the back but he was also a threat in the other box. He had been denied a goal when Van Der Saar saved his downward header but he prevailed in the final minute as Arsenal got more and more desperate. Not for the first time in the game Clichy got the better of Ronaldo to deliver a teasing cross that evaded everyone in the box. It was the sort of cross I want to see more of from Clichy; the one thing he can improve hugely is his final ball. The cross was miscued by Walcott but fell to Gallas who still had a lot to do. From a tight angle and the ball sitting up he did brilliantly to: 1. keep the ball down and 2. get the power on the ball to beat Vidic and Van Der Saar who were running back towards their goal. He did both and the Arsenal fans burst into raptures. Gallas showed the spirit in the team as he ran to the bench punching the air. Anyone who questioned his commitment to this team have surely now been silenced. This was a real Captain's performance both at the back, up front and in a motivational sense.

The players were happy with the draw and considering we went behind twice against the reigning Champions I am too. We looked like we would get nothing from the game as the match rolled into injury time but once more the heart of this team shone through and we grabbed the least we deserved. All in all a draw was a fair result, its just a pity we could not win at Anfield last weekend. The game in hand away at Newcastle now takes on added importance if we are to gain any lead ahead of those teams behind us. The title race seems it will go right to the wire, its shaping up to be the best season in a long while.

But right now, as the Arsenal fans sung jubilantly in the final few moments of the match, "We are top of the League", unbeaten this season and long may it continue.

My ratings for this game would be thus:
Almunia - 5 - made error for their second goal, lucky not to be punished for rash decisions more often.
Sagna - 7 - did well against Giggs and made our first equaliser with great commitment and desire.
Gallas - 8 - showed why Wenger made him skipper. Solid on the deck, dominant in the air, clinical in front of goal and a real leader throughout.
Toure - 8 - the real rock of this side. Rooney hardly got a sniff when up against him and some of his tackles were brilliant.
Clichy - 7 - Great cross for our seocnd goal and did admirably well against the best winger in the world.
Eboue - 6 - some good moments but does not have enough directness right now to deserve to start on the right.
Flamini - 6 - over-run by anderson and didnt really stamp much authority on the game.
Fabregas - 7 - quite quiet but still got his goal and always tried to push us forward, well marshalled by Hargreaves.
Rosicky - 6 - another who didnt stamp his authority. Has looked out of sorts last two games as he has not driven at defences nearly enough.
Hleb - 6/7 - some brilliant skill and passing but must get rid of the ball quicker, get stronger and learn to tackle.
Adebayor - 6 - had the hard job of playing up top on his own and was up against a great defensive partership. Worked hard and nearly got his reward with one shot at goal.