I must confess that the defeat on Sunday hurt me so much so that I didn’t watch past the second goal. Anyone who’ve read the blog knows I am an eternal optimist when it comes to Arsenal, however switching off the Tv was not about us not being able to mount a comeback, but watching the game made me physically sick.

Even before United scored my stomach was in knots, the ease of which they made their way to the edge of our box was alarming. It was akin to those ads about leaving you valuables in plain sight for thieves, it was surreal and painful.

So we lost another game against top class opponents and yes there are many reasons to hang our heads in collective shame, however this is sport and it isn’t over until the final whistle goes. We’ve taken a battering but the title is still within reach, and Chelsea’s draw with hull serves to remind us of that.

As it stands we are 6 points behind Chelsea a win on Sunday will still leave us 3 points behind Chelsea and probably 4 behind United who plays at home against Portsmouth. It is a big ask for Arsenal to win at Stamford Bridge but that’s the beauty of sport, that’s why we love the game, nothing is set in stone.

We can also take solace in the fact that Chelsea and United have to still to play each other and having lost against teams like Burnley Wigan etc who is to say that they won’t drop points elsewhere before the end of the season. The possibilities are endless and I still believe that we can do it.

There’s the return to fitness Bendtner who is never shy to talk up his prospects. The big Dane has put himself in the frame to take on the mantle left vacant by Robin van Persie, whether or not he us up to the task remains to be seen. One thing is for sure, with Chelsea letting in 60% goals from set pieces I’d be more than happy to have Bendtner in the box.

I’d hope that at least one of Ramsey or Diaby is fit for the Chelsea encounter because the thought of Denilson —who I’ve vigourously defended on many occassions— pitching up against the Chelsea midfield doesn’t fill me with confidence. Now if we could sort out the goalkeeping situation…