the only reason
Mathieu Flamini is still an Arsenal player is because
Arsenal could not agree a deal for him to cancel his contract and allow him to leave in the summer transfer window.
Tonight
he is the toast of the red half of north London and the most unlikely
hero of a 2-1 win in a victory against Tottenham which has booked the
Gunners’ place in the fourth round of the League Cup.
Flamini was
told he could leave by Arsene Wenger at the start of the summer and the
manager admitted that the 31-year-old’s match-winning performance
largely stemmed from his frustration at watching the start of the season
from the sidelines.
“Mathieu is a fighter and he’s a winner as well,” Wenger told reporters in his post-match press conference.
“He decided to stay and he’s fought. He’s been frustrated for a long time.”
That certainly showed in the ferocious manner with which Flamini struck the winner 12 minutes from time.
When
Federico Fazio’s attempted clearance looped high into the air, no-one
expected what followed. Flamini looked 10 years younger as he charged on
to the ball and launched an unstoppable volley low into the bottom
corner from 20 yards.
The Frenchman celebrated in front of 3,000
wild Arsenal fans, clenching his fist and kissing his badge as he was
mobbed by his team-mates.
It was a goal that drew a stark
contrast with his opener in the 26th minute. It was a poacher’s finish,
the kind of goal that strikers love to score as he pounced on Michel
Vorm’s uncertain save to turn the ball into the net from close range.
After
back-to-back defeats to Dinamo Zagreb and Leicester, this was a
must-win game for Arsenal despite this competition hardly being a
priority for the north London club.
Wenger made 10 changes to the
starting XI that faced Chelsea, with only Aaron Ramsey keeping his
place in the team for the short trip to Spurs.
The meaning of
this derby was clear in the electric atmosphere created by both sets of
supporters, with emotions running high on and on the pitch.
After
the match, delirious Arsenal supporters pulled down hoardings in the
ground as they chanted about their hatred of Tottenham and their love
for Flamini.
Flamini’s winner was needed after Calum Chambers
has turned an equaliser into his own net and Arsenal had withstood a
10-minute spell of considerable pressure.
The turning point was
the introduction of Alexis Sanchez in the 67th minute. The £35 million
forward added a real energy to Arsenal’s play on the counter-attack and
forced the Spurs defenders to start back-peddling.
But the night belonged to Flamini, the forgotten man.
He
will now hope to retain his place for the tricky trip to high flying
Leicester, with first choice Francis Coquelin facing a race against time
to recover from a knee injury.
Whether he features or not,
Flamini has certainly played his way into contention and potentially
turned around his season in the most remarkable fashion.
