Arsenal top the table again

And how the tables have turned! Arsenal and Manchester United have switched places again and we Gooners will have a Happy New Year indeed.

I was hoping against hope that West Ham would give Man U a run for their money, and they actually did! However my ultimate wish was for ex-Gunner Freddie Ljungberg to score against Man U. [Afterthought: And then, to see Freddie rip off his shirt and give us a glimpse of his CK underwear. OK, I just made this part up while typing.] Anyway, a win is a win. Good for the Hammers.

What looked unbelievable was how Cristiano Ronaldo missed a penalty kick totally. It was just as shocking as seeing David Beckham slip on a muddy pitch in Turkey. Also, I thought Carlos Tevez was doing fine and didn't need to be substituted by Anderson. It looked as if Man U didn't want to win after the first half.

On to the Everton-Arsenal match. I thought at best we'd have a draw because Everton's been in form while Arsenal has been off colour against mid-tier teams. Indeed in the first half it was a scrappy, halting match - precisely the style that Arsenal aren't comfortable with. And the Gunners were unhappy and started showing their temper. That is one psychological aspect of the game that many of them have yet to master, particularly the younger players. It's good to have passion but not to get so carried away that you get yellow-carded. Twice.

Those who watched the match will know exactly who I'm referring to. Nicklas Bendtner should remain a sub for some time until he matures. His winner against Spurs was great, but the lad must learn that consistency is key. Despite his tall figure, Bendtner was slow and awkward, unable to dominate the ball on many occasions. Adebayor, on the other hand, has matured greatly and was calm in front of goal.

And 'calm' can barely describe Eduardo de Silva's two goals. They were clinical, cool flicks that showed the ineptitude of the Everton defence. Everton fell apart in the second half. My theory is that mid and bottom-tier teams usually hold up well in the first half, but when things go wrong they lose concentration and allow better teams to prevail.

Arsenal did better this season against Everton, and this may indicate their championship quality. Resilience and the ability to perform despite being a man down are certainly worthy attributes.

Update: Everton boss David Moyes is reportedly furious at Fabregas' reaction to being elbowed in the face. He adds:

"We cannot hide that we made mistakes for the goals, but I will take some convincing that Arsenal were better than us."

It seems like the 4-1 scoreline wasn't enough for him.