Fabregas - That goal was maybe the best moment of my career

Cesc Fabregas ranks his goal at Milan on Tuesday as one of the best moments of his career so far.

The 20-year-old, who is fast approaching 200 games for Arsenal, let fly from distance with five minutes left to give the visitors a vital lead in the Champions League Knockout Round second leg at the San Siro.

Although Emmanuel Adebayor added another at the death, it was that fabulous Fabregas goal - and the celebration that followed - which stick in the memory.

"It was one of the best moments of my career and I went straight to the boss because without him I would never have had the chance to play in a game like this," he said.
"Maybe I have not been at my best since my injury, but now I feel great once again. This performance has been very important for my confidence. After I had started the season so well and then had an injury, I was not playing the way I used to and I was a bit upset. I needed a performance like this.

"When you look back on your career, these are the nights you are going to remember.
"We have to be very proud of what we have done. We went over to our fans, and you could also see some of the Milan fans clapping. You could see they like this kind of football and that we played well. "The Milan players all said: 'well done, we hope you win it now'. In Italy, they have a lot of respect."

But respect is not enough, Arsenal need to display the trophies their consistency deserves. Fabregas feel they are 'on order'. "We only have a small squad and have had lots of injuries," he said. "However, now we have important players coming back, like Robin [van Persie] and maybe next week Tomas [Rosicky] and Kolo Toure. So it is all positive. "Other teams now know if they let us play, we can be very dangerous."They close us down and defend, we have to try not to make mistakes and just play our own football.

"The spirit of the team is amazing, and we have to keep going. Now, though, we just have to be focussed on Sunday's game - we have to go to Wigan and win there."

Eduardo is February's Player of the Month

Eduardo has been chosen by the fans as their Player of the Month for February.
The Croatian striker's season was cut short in horrific circumstances when he broke his left fibula and suffered an open dislocation of his ankle in the opening minutes of the game at Birmingham. But prior to that Eduardo did enough to show that, when he returns, Arsenal can expect plenty more goals from their summer signing.

Eduardo's finest moments of February came right at the start of the month. The 25-year-old was exceptional against Manchester City, combining well with Emmanuel Adebayor and scoring a fine goal with an overhead kick in Arsenal's 3-1 win. Eduardo followed that display with starts against Blackburn, Manchester United and Milan before that fateful trip to St. Andrews.

This is the second time Eduardo has scooped our Player of the Month award and, on this occasion, he polled 36.4 per cent of the votes. Adebayor, our January winner, was second with 18.4 per cent while Mathieu Flamini was third with 11.4 per cent.

Eduardo 36.4%
Emmanuel Adebayor 18.4%
Mathieu Flamini 11.4%
Others 33.8%

Arsenal Vs Aston Villa Preview

Arsenal will not rush Robin van Persie back from a thigh injury despite the absence of Eduardo, so Nicklas Bendtner will partner Emmanuel Adebayor. Abou Diaby (calf) should return, but Kolo Toure (knee) is still out and Emmanuel Eboue remains suspended.

Aston Villa's Olof Mellberg (ankle) appears to be winning his fitness battle, after returning to training. Patrik Berger has recovered from a hamstring problem and could challenge for a place on the substitutes' bench.

Arsenal (from): Almunia, Sagna, Gallas, Senderos, Clichy, Walcott, Fabregas, Flamini, Hleb, Bendtner, Adebayor, Lehmann, J Hoyte, Denilson, Gilberto, Traore, Lansbury, G Hoyte.

Arsene Wenger's Interview

Flamini - We want to win the title for Eduardo

Mathieu Flamini has vowed to win the Premier League title for Eduardo.
The Croatian striker broke his leg in the opening minutes of Arsenal's game at Birmingham on Saturday. The incident overshadowed the first half and, though Martin Taylor had been sent off for the tackle, Arsène Wenger's side trailed at the interval.
Theo Walcott's brace saw them storm in front 10 minutes after the restart and Arsenal looked to be cruising to a vital three points until Gael Clichy was adjudged to have fouled Stuart Parnaby in the area deep into injury time. James McFadden scored from the spot.
Manchester United's subsequent win at Newcastle reduced Arsenal's lead to three points. It was a tough day all-round for Wenger's outfit but, according to Flamini, Eduardo's misfortune will spur on the side.
"We wanted to win the title before but now we want to win it also for him," said the Frenchman afterwards. "He is not going to be with us for a long time, so of course we want to win it for him.
"We are still three points clear at the top but the way we have only drawn is going to be disappointing because there was an opportunity to win this game. We came back, we showed great character and I think that was the only positive thing from the game."
Of course, the massive negative was the loss of Eduardo, who ironically celebrates his 25th birthday today.
"I genuinely didn't see the tackle," said Flamini. "But I could see it was bad because I saw the result. I have no words to describe what I saw.
"Yes, of course, it was difficult to get over in the game. He is a friend before he is a partner in the team. It upsets you but we're not going to say we conceded the goal because of that.
"We all said in the dressing room at half-time that we had to react. We want to win the title and we wanted to win this game. We came back we scored the first one very quickly and the second just behind.
"I think we should have killed the game. So, yes, we were very disappointed because it is a bad result for us, and especially when we conceded the goal 30 seconds before the end of the game.
"It is clear there was no penalty. We checked on the video so it is very frustrating. But I really don't think we deserved this result."

Club releases statement with update on Eduardo injury

The Club can confirm that following the incident during Saturday’s match at Birmingham City, Eduardo has fractured his left fibula and sustained an open dislocation of his ankle joint in the same leg.

He was immediately taken to Selly Oak Hospital in Birmingham where he underwent surgery on Saturday evening. The operation was successful and Eduardo was transferred to a London-based hospital on Sunday afternoon.

Earlier today (Monday 25th February), the Orthopaedic surgeon and Arsenal medical staff assessed the extent of the damage and possible time scale for a full recovery.

All being well, Eduardo will have his leg in plaster and using crutches for the next six to eight weeks. After that time, partial weight-bearing exercises will be scheduled into a slow rehabilitation process.

It is hoped that Eduardo will be running again in six months time and making a full recovery after nine months.

Eduardo will be released from hospital in a few days.

The Arsenal medical team would like to take this opportunity to thank Birmingham City FC for their assistance on the day as well as the surgical and ward staff on S2 at Selly Oak Hospital for their expert medical care.

In addition, and on behalf of Eduardo, the Club would like to thank everyone for their many touching messages of support.

Update: Eduardo undergoes surgery

Eduardo underwent surgery in hospital on Saturday and is currently resting. The Croatian striker sustained a broken leg in the 2-2 draw with Birmingham earlier in the day.

Everyone at Arsenal Football Club would like to wish him a speedy recovery.

Wenger retracts Taylor criticism

Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger says his initial comments that Birmingham captain Martin Taylor "should never play football again" were "excessive".
Wenger claimed the third-minute tackle which broke Eduardo's leg and earned Taylor a red card was "horrendous".
But later on Saturday Wenger said: "I feel that my comments about Martin Taylor were excessive. I said what I did in the heat of the moment.
"It was a highly emotional afternoon and we were all shocked by the injury."

Eduardo has surgery on broken leg

Arsenal striker Eduardo underwent surgery for a double compound fracture of his leg on Saturday after suffering a horrific injury against Birmingham.

The Croatia international will miss the rest of the season and Euro 2008, and Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger said he fears a "much longer" absence.

Croatia manager Slaven Bilic added: "This is horrible. The fact he won't play at the Euros is less important. Most important is he recovers as soon as possible and resumes his career."

Birmingham City Vs Arsenal Preview

Birmingham have joint-top scorer Olivier Kapo back to face the leaders.

The Frenchman missed the draw at West Ham a fortnight ago after picking up five bookings and is in contention to partner James McFadden up front.

Arsenal are without centre-half Kolo Toure (calf) but top scorer Emmanuel Adebayor (stiff neck) and winger Alexander Hleb (foot) are available. Goalkeeper Manuel Almunia is back in the squad after recovering from a virus but Emmanuel Eboue is suspended.

Arsenal (from): Almunia, Sagna, Senderos, Gallas, Clichy, Walcott, Flamini, Fabregas, Hleb, Adebayor, Eduardo, Lehmann, Bendtner, Denilson, Gilberto, J Hoyte, Traore, Song

Kolo's Injury Boost

Kolo Toure may be out for a shorter period than first thought.
The Ivory Coast defender was injured after only seven minutes of Arsenal's Champions League tie with Milan on Wednesday after he blocked Pato's drive.
Afterwards, Arsène Wenger suggested the 26-year-old would be missing for "three to four weeks at least". Speaking exclusively to Arsenal TV Online on Thursday it appears his prognosis may have been a little pessimistic.
"The news is maybe a bit better," said the Frenchman. "For me on Wednesday night it looked like he would be out for two to four weeks. The way he was walking perhaps four. But today the medical staff said to me it would be closer to two than four."
Of course Toure is definitely out for the trip to Birmingham at the weekend while his countryman, Emmanuel Eboue, is suspended after being sent off at Manchester United last Saturday. Manuel Almunia is likely to replace Jens Lehmann in goal and there are some question marks over Emmanuel Adebayor and Alex Hleb but otherwise Arsenal's squad will show few changes.
"We have some uncertainties," said Wenger. "The biggest are Alex Hleb, who hurt his foot and Adebayor who has a stiff neck.
"So yes, there are a few knocks and bruises but final decisions will be made on Friday. We know we'll lose Emmanuel Eboue through suspension and Kolo to injury. So the squad from Wednesday night will travel to Birmingham."

Arsenal Vs AC Milan Preview

Arsenal goalkeeper Manuel Almunia is a doubt for the visit of defending champions AC Milan with a thumb injury. Striker Emmanuel Adebayor should start after appearing as a substitute during the FA Cup loss to Manchester United while Mathieu Flamini is available.

AC Milan also have a goalkeeper dilemma with Zeljko Kalac struggling with a dislocated finger while Dida is already ruled out with a back injury.
But striker Alexandre Pato returns from an ankle injury while Kaka is also fit.

Arsene Wenger Interview

Arsenal (from): Lehmann, Sagna, Gallas, Toure, Clichy, Eboue, Fabregas, Flamini, Hleb, Adebayor, Eduardo, Fabianski, Senderos, Bendtner, Gilberto, J Hoyte, Traore, Walcott, Denilson.

Adebayor - Henry keeps me focused on title

Emmanuel Adebayor has revealed that Thierry Henry is helping to keep him motivated for the title run-in.

The Togolese striker scored his 19th Premier League goal of the campaign on Monday night as Arsenal beat Blackburn 2-0 to go five points clear at the top of the table.
It is a far cry from the pre-season predictions of doom and gloom; much of which was based on Henry’s departure to Barcelona. Since then Adebayor has filled his shooting boots with aplomb but the Frenchman is still having an influence.

"Thierry to me is like a big brother,” said the 23-year-old in the tunnel less than an hour after the match. “He already sent a message to me after the game to congratulate me.
"He talked to me a lot during the summer when he was leaving, he calls me and we have a lot of chats. He believes in my strength and my quality so I just want to thank him a lot because he helped me out a lot.

"A lot of times he sends me messages saying that I may have scored 15 or 16 but I know you can score more if you concentrate in every game.
"That is what I'm trying to do. I'm trying to listen to the advice and at the moment it's working so I'm very happy. I think Thierry keeps in touch with a lot of people [here]."
Monday’s victory put a little daylight between Arsenal and the chasing pair. However, if anything, it only adds to the pressure on Wenger’s side. As the questions to Adebayor demonstrated.

"I don't know about it being our title to lose,” he replied to one. “The feeling I have is that we have a good squad, we want to win it and we can achieve it. So we just have to keep doing our job and enjoy ourselves on the pitch.

"Five points [clear] is very good and we are very happy. Like we always said, the title is really something this year but we know Man United can always come from behind somewhere. We just want to keep our focus and keep what we are doing at the moment.
"We are enjoying ourselves on the pitch,” he concluded. “We can talk about whether we win the title at the end of the season."

Ivorian duo in contention for Old Trafford tie

Kolo Toure and Emmanuel Eboue are in contention for Saturday's FA Cup tie at Manchester United.

The Ivorian duo returned from the Africa Cup of Nations on Monday and are due to report for training today. Neither Toure or Eboue played in their country's final game in Ghana, the third and fourth place play-off against the hosts on Saturday, but they could feature at Old Trafford.
Arsène Wenger admitted before the Blackburn game that he was down to the "bare bones" thanks to injuries and international commitments. Manuel Almunia, Abou Diaby, Tomas Rosicky, Robin van Persie, Denilson and Johan Djourou were all sidelined for Arsenal’s 2-0 victory but Rosicky could return at the weekend.

"Kolo and Eboue came back today [Monday] so we hope to see them tomorrow to see if they're not injured," said Wenger at his post-match press conference.

"Rosicky, he looks better. Van Persie looks better, but he is still a few weeks away. But Rosicky maybe has a little chance for Saturday."

Arsenal Vs Blackburn Rovers Preview

Arsenal midfielder Mathieu Flamini hopes to shrug off a thigh injury.
Winger Tomas Rosicky (hamstring) could return but striker Robin van Persie (thigh) and defender Johan Djourou (groin) are still not match-fit.
Blackburn have Christopher Samba, David Dunn and Morten Gamst Pedersen banned, while Ryan Nelsen and Andre Ooijer (both hamstring) are doubts.
Aaron Mokoena could be available after Africa Cup of Nations duty and Steven Reid hopes to overcome a knee injury.

Arsenal (from): Almunia, Sagna, Gallas, Senderos, Clichy, Hleb, Fabregas, Flamini, Diaby, Adebayor, Eduardo, Lehmann, Bendtner, Traore, Walcott, J Hoyte, Rosicky, Gilberto.

Blackburn (from): Friedel, Emerton, Ooijer, Khizanishvili, Warnock, Bentley, Reid, Derbyshire, Santa Cruz, McCarthy, Roberts, Berner, Olsson, Rigters, Treacy, Tugay, Brown, Mokoena.

BIG-MATCH FACTS
Arsenal returned to the top of the table after a two-week absence following victory at Manchester City last Saturday, but they could well find themselves back in second spot by the time this Monday night match kicks off.
The Gunners have won 11 league matches at the Emirates alone this season - that's more than Blackburn have mustered both home and away.
Blackburn go into the 100th league clash with Arsenal, trailing their north London opponents by 21 points, but still with aspirations of a highest placed finish since winning the title 13 years ago.
Rovers enter this set of Premier League fixtures fourth in the "Form" table.
Mark Hughes's side have only won one of their last 10 Premier League matches in London; 1-2 against Tottenham on 28 October last year.
The Gunners are pursuing a fifth successive home Premier League victory over Rovers. They've scored 12 goals in the last three, including last season's 6-2 drubbing.

02 Player Of The Month- January

Ten goals in seven games is quite a return. Therefore it is little surprise that Emmanuel Adebayor has been chosen by the fans as their Player of the Month for January.

With the Africa Cup of Nations taking place this month, the Togo striker's availability this month may well have been limited. However Africa's loss is Arsenal's gain. Arsenal's year was just 20 minutes old when Adebayor registered his first goal. That came against West Ham United on New Year's Day. Since then he has fired a brace of goals against Fulham and Newcastle, as well as single strikes against the Kevin Keegan's men again, Birmingham and Tottenham.

It is the first time the Arsenal man has won the award and he has done it by a landslide, polling a massive 71.4 per cent of the vote. French midfielder Mathieu Flamini finished second in our January poll, earning plaudits for his consistency as well as the sumptuos strike against the Magpies in the Premier League. Gael Clichy, again excellent at left back, was third.

January's Player Of The Month Results

Emmanuel Adebayor 71.4%

Mathieu Flamini 15.3%

Gael Clichy 4.7%

Others 8.6%

Man City v Arsenal Preview

England defender Micah Richards could return from a niggling knee problem to Manchester City's side to face Arsenal.New signing Felipe Caicedo is not expected to arrive until next week, so Darius Vassell and Daniel Sturridge should continue up front.

Arsenal will be without winger Tomas Rosicky because of a hamstring injury while striker Robin van Persie (thigh) is back in training but not match fit.
Denilson (hamstring) and Johan Djourou (groin) are also out for the Gunners.

Manchester City (from): Hart, Jihai, Onuoha, Dunne, Richards, Corluka, Ball, Hamann, Fernandes, Petrov, Vassell, Elano, Mpenza, Ireland, Sturridge, Geovanni, Schmeichel, Garrido, Etuhu.

Arsenal (from): Almunia, Sagna, Gallas, Senderos, Clichy, Diaby, Fabregas, Flamini, Hleb, Adebayor, Eduardo, Lehmann, J Hoyte, Gilberto, Bendtner, Walcott, Traore, Lansbury.

Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger:"The only thing you want is for your team to respond because it's a race where the consistency will be rewarded - and the strength of character.
"I just want to look at how well we can respond in every game because I know that kind of consistency and stamina in performances will be determinant.
"We're up for it [the City game] and we are on a good run in the Premier League and we want to keep that going."

Teenager Out On Loan

Burnley have signed teenager Mark Randall on loan from Arsenal until the end of the season. Randall who featured in Arsenal's 3-2 win over Blackburn in the Carling Cup has joined the club to gain first team experience. Kieran Gibbs has also gone out on loan to Norwich. He also has featured in Arsenal Carling cup matches and also hopes to gain more first team experience.

Diaby signs new Arsenal contract

Abou Diaby has signed a new long-term contract at Arsenal that will keep him at the Emirates Stadium until 2012.

The 21-year-old French midfielder, who signed from Auxerre in January 2006, played his 55th game for Arsenal in Tuesday's 3-0 win over Newcastle.

He suffered a broken and dislocated ankle against Sunderland at the end of his first season with the Gunners and spent seven months on the sidelines.

But he has played 21 times this season and is pushing for a starting place.

Freeman Signs For Arsenal

Teenage Gillingham striker Luke Freeman has completed his expected move to Premier League giants Arsenal.

The 15-year-old has attracted interest from several clubs but has joined the Gunners after a fee - reported to be around £200,000 - was agreed. Freeman, who turns 16 in March, has signed a two-year deal to become part of Arsenal's youth set-up on their schoolboy/scholar scheme.
"This is a great opportunity for me," he said.

Arsenal Face Manchester United In FA Cup

Arsenal will face Manchester United in the Fifth Round of the FA Cup.

Arsene Wenger's side were drawn against their Premier League title rivals when the draw was made at FA headquarters in Soho Square on Monday afternoon.
Arsenal eased into the last 16 with a 3-0 victory against Newcastle at Emirates Stadium. United beat Tottenham Hotspur 3-1 at Old Trafford on Sunday.

The Fifth-Round ties will be played over the weekend of February 16 and 17.