![]() But it was the tenderness of the moment, the cupping of the face, the tilting of the heads, the eyes closed expectantly, the blur of ginger hair and wispy not-quite-beardness in yesterday's sport sections that put us off our lunch. Hell, even if Gary Neville had just planted one hand on either side of Paul Scholes's head and laid a shock-and-awe black-and-white movie style smacker on his lips, that would have been fine too. If it was two ripped and dashing footballers – some Matt Taylor-on-Jason Roberts action, for example – we'd have no problem with such ostentatious public displays of man-love and possibly be even a little turned on. ![]() And before you scuttle off down to the comments section to level accusations of homophobia at us, don't bother. Gary Neville and Paul Scholes should get a room The crucial error may have been Craig Bellamy's late attempted crossfield pass, but Mancini should probably shoulder much of the blame for trying to play the occasion instead of the actual game. A pale imitation of the rampant swashbuckling City team that had swept all before them in their three previous games, it came as no great surprise when they conceded a late, late winner against their fiercest rivals for the third time this season. If it ain't broke, Roberto Mancini shouldn't try to fix itįar be it from us to latch on to lazy national stereotypes, but when it became apparent that what looked like a seriously attack-minded Manchester City side sent out by Roberto Mancini to face Manchester United had been instructed to approach the opposition half with extreme caution, that old gag about five-geared Italian tanks sprang to mind. That sort of thing has no place in football. If he did it because he wanted me to react then he got what he wanted, which I shouldn't have done, and I'm sorry for that." Nevertheless, it has sullied Arteta's image. I wasn't even touching the ball – he just trod on my ankle. "I probably got more upset because I was out for so long and don't want a stupid challenge like that injuring me again. "I made a mistake, I shouldn't have reacted and I apologise for it," he said. Even then his semi-apology brought you on to his side. "It was amazing to see so many Evertonians at the game yesterday," is his latest tweet, but on Saturday Morten Gamst Pedersen was left seeing only half the number of supporters at Ewood after Arteta went all Three Stooges on the Blackburn midfielder, attempting to place his index finger on the inside-back of the Norwegian's skull via his right eye. He seems to have it all: the brave recovery from horrendous injury, rare vision and artistry on the field, dignity and equanimity despite constantly being overlooked by Spain, even the typos on his Twitter page are endearing ("Still a bit sore from the game at Goodison, was so nice to score a free kick and to get three pints", "Thank you for all your support and woshes, today was a wonderful day for me"). Mikel Arteta is the neutral's poster boy. Instead the north London side remain in their chrysalis. This campaign was a chance, a 30-storey chance with magnificent chandeliers and deep-pile carpets, for this interminable stage of Project Wenger to at last emerge from its pupa and flutter off with the title. What makes it all the more galling for the Gunners is the fact the title will be won this season by the lowest points tally since at least 2002-03. That "something specified" yesterday was a bit of gumption, a bit of "thou shall not pass" spirit, the nous to take the sting out of a side of no little quality themselves fighting for their Premier League lives. The Gunners have been unfortunate, for sure, with injuries taking a heavy toll on a thin squad (but even then their lack of squad depth is a reason for what is surely now their failure to win the title, not an excuse), but they've also been the dictionary definition of poor: "insufficient", "not adequate in quality", "deficient or lacking in something specified". "The goals we conceded were very poor," said the Arsenal manager. Arsenal: 'Unlucky, but poor'Īrsène Wenger unwittingly summed up Arsenal's season after watching Wigan battle back to beat the Gunners 3-2 at the DW Stadium. It'll be a small price to pay if Harry Redknapp's increasingly mature side remain a serious force to be reckoned with in next season's Premier League. Their first Premier League win against Arsenal in aeons and an astonishing demolition job on Chelsea later and those of us who confidently predicted Tottenham's end-of-season collapse have been left picking eggshell, albumen and vitellus from our gormless, slack-jawed faces.
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