WHO said Arsenal’s season was going nowhere?
The Gunners have been written off for the big prizes while all the focus has fallen on Manchester United, Liverpool and Chelsea.
But Arsene Wenger’s men could yet end up doing a Champions League and FA Cup Double four years after they last won any silverware.
Wenger got so excited by Arsenal’s march to a semi-final date with Manchester United that he did a bit of dad dancing on the touchline when his kids bagged their second goal.
Embarrassing maybe, but he certainly did not care.
The French boss has always protested in the face of fierce criticism that these youngsters were capable of great things.
Even when they were losing to the likes of Fulham, Hull and Stoke and dropped out of the qualifying places for next season’s Champions League, the manager backed his team to the hilt.
Now he is being vindicated. The saying at Arsenal is that ‘Arsene knows’ and we should learn not to doubt it.
His big guns are back, fit and firing at a vital time, and the manner in which the inspirational Theo Walcott, Cesc Fabregas, Robin van Persie and Emmanuel Adebayor are combining would scare any opponent.
Arsenal have already beaten United back in November and the fact the Gunners have not conceded a single goal at The Emirates in Europe this season will give them extra cause for optimism.
Walcott has been a big miss since he dislocated his collarbone in training on England duty five months ago.
A knee injury was a further setback but the advantage is that he now looks as fresh as a daisy and ripping his way past leg-weary defenders.
What a sight it was on 10 minutes as Walcott collected Emmanuel Eboue’s through ball, which was faintly flicked on by Fabregas, and produced an exquisite wedge shot with his right foot over sprawling keeper Diego Lopez.
The ball seemed to take an age to come down and you could see the backspin as it rotated through the air before obligingly dropping under the bar.
It was a magnificent sight.
A year ago Walcott went on an amazing 60-yard run to set up Adebayor for what looked like the decisive goal in the quarter-final against Liverpool in the second leg at Anfield.
But the Reds hit back and Walcott’s brilliance on that night was largely forgotten.
This time it mattered.
Former Arsenal winger Robert Pires, whose last appearance for the Gunners was in the 2006 Champions League final defeat by Barcelona, received a warm welcome on his return to North London.
And his shot which was deflected wide was one of the visitors’ best efforts on goal as they failed to take advantage of Arsenal’s makeshift defence.
But Pires was powerless to prevent Arsenal strengthening their grip.
Adebayor thought he had scored the second goal on 29 minutes after Van Persie’s free-kick was beaten out by Lopez and the big striker’s goalbound header was hacked right off the line by Gonzalo Rodriguez.
Diego Godin’s header just over the bar on the stroke of half-time was a reminder to Arsenal that they needed another one before they could feel comfortable following the 1-1 draw in the first leg in Spain.
It duly arrived bang on the hour.
Van Persie collected in midfield, weighed up his options as he turned one way then the other, and picked out Adebayor on his left.
There was no messing about from Adebayor as he took a touch forward then prodded the ball into the bottom corner with the outside of his right foot for a marvellous finish.
Cue a celebration dance by the corner flag from the Gunners players and Wenger’s own jig of delight.
Villarreal, know as the Yellow Submarine, were sunk. There was no way they were going to come back.
The Spaniards’ frustrations boiled over completely after 69 minutes when Godin was undone by the trickery of Walcott and clipped the England winger’s ankle in the penalty area.
German referee Wolfgang Stark had no hesitation in pointing to the penalty spot and Villarreal did not like the decision one bit.
Sebastien Eguren went too far with his argument and his reward was a second yellow card and a sending-off which reduced the embattled visitors to 10 men.
Van Persie stepped up and smashed home the kick to seal an emphatic victory and a date with United.
Next up it is Chelsea in the FA Cup semi-final at Wembley on Saturday.
Make no mistake, Arsenal are in the mood.
