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Arsenal overturned a 2-1 first leg deficit sustained at Porto, resoundingly thumping the latter in the home fixture of the Champions League Round of 16 tie.

Three weeks ago, Sol Campbell scored the critical away goal, but it was not to matter as Porto's run in London was goalless. At the time, Lukasz Fabianski, tending to the goal for the injured Manuel Almunia, cheaply yielded the scoreline, and Arsenal Captain, Cesc Fabregas bemoaned Fabianski's schoolboy errors. A good night's sleep was all it took for Dear Boy to backpedal. If I sound as though I am defending Cesc's blow-up, it is because I am.

But this week, ah, this week. Arsenal bounced back in spectacular style, and the absent Captain, could not possibly have found anything to complain about this time.

Cesc did not play because of his recurring hamstring trouble, but Samir Nasri (we have quite a player on our hands in this one) and Andrei Arshavin (whose injury layoff seems to have done him a world of good) bossed the midfield, and were more than happy to fill his sizeable boots. Arshavin provided three assists; Samir Nasri netted one (a shoo-in for one of the top five goals of the year); and Eboue scored another and even won a penalty (without theatrically going to ground).

What about Nik Bendtner you ask? Nik, proved yet again, that he can only ever do things in excesses, and made up for the four? five? six? chances he spurned last Saturday, by scoring his first senior hat-trick. Sweet. Striker and a half, I tells ya.

Here is what was said about Bendtner by Almunia, Wenger, and Arshavin before the Porto fixture:

The Arsenal striker is self-assured and has a thick skin – which is probably just as well.

Ask anyone on the inside at Arsenal to talk about Nicklas Bendtner’s best qualities and their features invariably soften. “Nick is a special guy,” said the goalkeeper Manuel Almunia, with a smile, yesterday. “You cannot fault him on confidence,” added the manager, Arsène Wenger. Bendtner has what all of the world’s leading strikers are supposed to have; that streak of arrogance. Actually, he has it by the bucket-load. In short, he is a cocky so-and-so. Yet his is a likeable brand of self-assurance.

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The 22-year-old’s team-mate Andrey Arshavin joked that he was saving up his goals for Porto and it is to be hoped that if similar chances present themselves, especially from point-blank range, Bendtner can stick them away.

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“Bendtner can take critical remarks and analyse them without being offended. People take a lot the negative side of his self-confidence but it has as well a positive side. He can face his problems, analyse them and change his behaviour. I don’t know what he said to his team-mates after Saturday but he has not fooled himself. He knows that he could have scored.”

Wenger admitted he had spoken in private with Bendtner about Saturday’s events in order to ensure that the Danish international drew strength from them. The player, though, knows of nothing that can derail him. His thoughts now are fixed purely on scoring the winning goal against Porto and becoming Arsenal’s latest cult hero.

Here is what Wenger said about Bendtner post-Porto match:

"I told you how football can change for a player in three days. It goes quickly up and quickly down. And it shows you as well that he has not lost the confidence that he came back tonight with good focus and with the same belief. It is one of his strengths. His confidence level remains relatively stable."

On Bendtner playing after last weekend…

"He is of a size and a presence and that is what you need. We are usually a very short team so one or two players of size is important, offensively and defensively as well on set-pieces."

On whether Bendtner was the designated penalty taker…

"He was No 3. The No 1 was Nasri, the No 2 was Arshavin. And he was No 3. He was lucky. Arshavin was out and Nasri as well when the penalty happened."

And here is what I, sayer, have to say to the Little Big Boy: Don't let the world change you, Nik.

To my faithful reader, Miko, this is the first of a ten-part serial, in a run-up to the end of a season, where, touch wood, we may finally see some silverware.

The Sweet

It was a game which, if Arsenal had won by a four-goal cushion, would have sent them to the top of the table, level with Chelsea on 61 points, but ahead on goal difference, albeit having played a game more.

As it is, the Gunners scored three and Burnley nicked one, but Arsenal did enjoy a two-hour spell in second place. I got teary-eyed over the tributes to Aaron Ramsey.

From the players....

and from the fans, who chipped in for this

The Sour and The Bitter Pill

Man Utd. played the late kick-off v. the Wolves and left it late, Paul Scholes finding the back of the net for his century only 18 minutes from time. In the fairest of opinions by one who cannot be more biased in favor of Red London, I submit that the Wolves deserved to have at least drawn. The Mancs are distinctly average without Wayne Rooney, and struggled throughout 90 minutes to carve out clear-cut chances. But credit where credit is due, and it was a top quality goal for Scholes. Their win means Arsenal are back on third.

Chelsea have a game in hand since their FA Cup engagement occupies them this weekend. I reserve judgment on them, but note, with a great level of satisfaction that without the powerhouse midfielder, Michael Essien, the Chavs are clearly laboring. Essien is the one Chelsea player I would be happy to see kitted out in Arsenal colors. I think their dip in form owes as much to their injuries as it does to the off-the-field brouhahaha surrounding John Terry and Ashley Cole and their missuses and mistresses.

On such sordid business, I haven't much to add. But I shall summarize: both players are lower than the low-lifes feeding on pond scum, and deserve much less than what they have. If football performance paralleled real life behavior, Chelsea would be in danger of relegation. I swore to concentrate on the fantastic in Arsenal instead of the ignoble and base in Chelsea, and while successful with Essien, Terry and Cole (and Lampard and Drogba) will always mean that I cannot help but throw venomous barbs.

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I have never taken less pleasure in writing about Beloved Team.

Aaron Ramsey, easily the brightest in Arsenal's latest crop of phenomenal young talents, suffered a potentially career-threatening injury; a suspected leg break from a mindless Ryan Shawcross tackle in tonight's match v. the thugs of Stoke. At once, I had a nagging feeling, heart in throat, struggling to swallow, that it was a gruesome injury as instant replays were not made available. The reactions of Cesc, Clichy, Verma, Nik, and Sol confirmed it. The odd angle of his ankle below says it all.

This has shades of Eduardo in February 08 v. Birmingham.

I am numb and heartbroken. The boy is 19 years old. And literally has the world at his feet.

Get well soon, Rambo. We'll miss you firing away.

Updated:

Here's how he looks when not distressed:

This was his first shoot for The Arsenal. I think this was around my birthday in 08. (Of course I am making everything about me.)