Arsenal Analysis: Abou Diaby Comes To The Fore

In a season when the pretenders to the Premier League title all seem reluctant to stake a consistent claim, Arsene Wenger's injury-hit team did what mattered and took the points.

It was not pretty and the Gunners had to ride their luck before Eduardo calmed their nerves after Geovanni had wasted a perfect chance to level for Hull by failing to score from the penalty spot.

But nobody could argue with the final outcome given that Hull came to contain and counter-attack on a ground where they won so handsomely and unexpectedly last season.

The outcome was that Arsenal climbed back to third in the championship race at the end of a week in which they have gathered seven points and Wenger had hogged the headlines with his comments about the construction of the fixture list.

If the result was impressive, the performance was light years away from the flowing goal-fests of late summer and autumn - though that will not matter at all to the Gunners fans and their club.

This was a result to revive faith and optimism and the performance matched that feeling as the team overcame a drab start and opening half by increasing the intensity and efficiency of their performance to claim victory with greater ease than expected.

On a day when other results offered Arsenal a chance to climb back into the title race with conviction, it was all that was required - and, curiously, given the freezing conditions, it was also a story about two, if not three, Brazilians in the bleak mid-winter.

Denilson's opening goal for Arsenal - a fabulous free kick that arced over the wall and dipped inside a post - was sublime and understandably brought a smile to his face.

But compatriot Geovanni was left with nothing to smile about when he wasted Hull's chance to level with a limp spot-kick to Manuel Almunia's right - gifting the Arsenal goalkeeper a chance to make his fourth save from seven penalties he has faced in the Premier League.

Had Geovanni, who had scored with a dazzling long-range shot last season on the same ground in Hull's early season victory, managed to equalise, the Tigers may well have gone on to claim at least a point.

Instead, another Brazilian-born player Eduardo made Hull pay for that miss by putting Arsenal 2-0 up within two minutes when he stabbed the ball in from a cross by Abou Diaby, the match's outstanding player.

Tall, powerful, strong on the ball, rangy and dangerous, Diaby gave Arsenal's midfield the physical edge it has needed and he helped the team overcome the absence of captain Cesc Fabregas with an all-action display.

Brought down for the free kick from which Denilson scored, he went on to make the second goal for Eduardo and then scored the third from a cute pass by Andrey Arshavin, who was excellent again.

It was a fine performance from Diaby, one of the unsung men in the Arsenal squad, and helped deliver the perfect result to send Wenger's team into the Christmas programme on the shoulders of Manchester United - and with leaders Chelsea within reach.

Tim Collings, Goal.com

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