Everyone will have their own view of the greatest moment, the greatest goal, or the greatest result of the Emirates era but there won’t be many memories that live longer than Reiss Nelson’s winner against Bournemouth.
I remember Danny Welbeck’s winner against Leicester in 2016, Thierry Henry’s goal on his return to the club in 2012, and I still recall with glee Andrey Arshavin’s beautiful finish to make it 2-1 against Barcelona in 2011, all huge results in their own context and moments that brought that collective outpouring of delirious joy that you just can’t replicate anywhere else.
Nelson’s winner against Bournemouth yesterday is on a par with those memorable moments – those rare occasions that you can recall with perfect clarity even decades later. Where you were, who you were with, what you did – it never leaves you.
The full implications of Nelson’s late winner may not be known for months yet or, indeed, may ultimately come to naught, but that shouldn’t take away from it. It was the culmination of a quite extraordinary game in which Arsenal skirted along the edge of calamity only to emerge triumphant, against all the odds.
It brought about the kind of feeling you dream of as a fan. The victory pulled from the jaws of defeat, the thrill of agony turned to ecstasy when all seemed lost, the sort of drama you can live in real time. It was escapism of the highest order, a transcendental experience only available in the sporting arena and then, sometimes only at football.
Like most of us, I have spent the last 24 hours just consuming as much media as I can get my hands on. Reactions, commentaries, fan footage, foreign footage, opposition reaction – I want it all. Recalling those moments and sharing the experience with members of your Arsenal tribe is gorgeous and a big part of the fun for those who can’t make every game.
I suggest you keep consuming that media for as long as you can because days like these are few and far between and god knows we have suffered enough lows over the years.
It will take a few days yet to get this win fully processed because the heights were just so dizzying. I hope the players were able to enjoy a little celebration last night because their efforts this season have been extraordinary and results like these are just rewards for their indomitable spirit.
Of course these three points are worth exactly the same as the three points were gained in the mid-week canter against Everton but, at the same time, they are worth so much more. The boost in belief, the boost in morale, in momentum, in the backing of the fanbase – these are the sorts of dividends you can reap for weeks and months ahead. Yes, the points mean the same but the intangible benefits are impossible to overstate, with the effects felt not only by our team but by rival teams too. Imagine the deflating feeling you get when you see a rival snatch hope away from you in such dramatic fashion?
I know there are still 12 games to goal and I know there are disappointments yet to come but I’m glad that disappointment didn’t come against the league’s bottom side at our home ground. When we look back at this fixture now we might yet see it as the game that clinched the title instead of being the game that saw the wheels finally come off, and that’s worth its weight in gold.
Enjoy the rest of your weekend, Gunners!
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