9th March 2010, FOOTBALL: Arsenal 5 Porto 0

A nightmarish first leg, fortunately, left us in a good position to win this tie. After Bendtner's catalogue of misses on Saturday, he turned hero today with his first Arsenal hat-trick. His first was an easy finish from 12 yards after a loose ball squirmed out from between Arshavin and Porto's keeper and right back, his second, a tap in after a mesmerising Arshavin run and his third, a penalty in the dying seconds of the game. It won't prove the naysayers wrong, but Arsenal fans have seen the man put in good performances, full of hard work and decent ball-keeping ability that have won us over. If Arshavin can perform like he did and Bendtner can get in the right place, then he can be a very important player for us. Our other outstanding player was Samir Nasri who, in the absence of Fabregas, has really stepped up a gear. Playing more centrally, he's more direct and therefore influential. His goal, beating 3 defenders all at once before sliding it beneath the keeper was sublime. The other goal came from a Porto corner, Arshavin running half the length of the field to play in Eboue, who rounded the keeper before scoring, continuing the once-booed man's renaissance. Despite the scoreline, the result was not so emphatic. For long periods of the game (after the first goal, the first 15 minutes of the second half) we looked lost, seemingly not sure whether to attack or defend, and Sol Campbell had some nervy moments. But to criticise after this performance would be churlish. Stiffer tests will come, for sure, but this was a night to remember.