In the desert heat of Qatar, the cameras lingered on Darren Bent, on his knees in the Brazilian penalty area, appearing as forlorn, beaten and irrelevant as it is possible for a centre-forward to be.
If Bent seems an improbable candidate for the World Cup, domestically he appears irresistible and has now scored against every member of the so-called Big Four before November is out. Against Liverpool, he required a deflection from a stray beach ball, here his header rebounded off his fellow striker, Fraizer Campbell, and landed at his feet to drive past Manuel Almunia. Centre-forwards have always required fortune and Bent has made the most of his.
"Would I take him to South Africa? Absolutely," said the Sunderland manager, Steve Bruce, asked to imagine himself as Fabio Capello, although he momentarily forgot the England manager's name. "We all know about Wayne Rooney but I can't think of anyone else better. His appetite and his work-rate are absolutely unbelievable. He has played on his own up front and run a million miles for the team.
"To me, you would have to take him because he scores goals. I do not think he is going to be judged on 55 minutes in a friendly in Qatar. I don't think Mr … what's he called … Capello would take any notice of that.
"He would want players in form, especially one who can prove themselves after a difficult couple of weeks – he missed a penalty at Tottenham and then had the debacle with England, but he has bounced back."
Despite a glut of possession, especially in the first half, Arsenal seldom looked capable of bouncing back from the loss of Robin van Persie. While the Dutchman was in Belgrade, having his ankle injury treated with horse placenta, Andrey Arshavin was nursing the physical and mental wounds of Russia's failure to qualify for the World Cup. He began on the bench and when he was thrown on, Arsène Wenger noted that he did not galvanise his side.
This was a day for his players to prove their mental strength. Here they were faced by a side, admirably marshalled by the wolflike Lorik Cana, determined to disrupt any hint of fluidity in conditions where daylight never seemed to break, the drizzle seeped in from the North Sea and the notices discouraging suicides from the Wearmouth Bridge appeared particularly poignant. By the end, the gap with Chelsea was eight points and next week's meeting with Carlo Ancelotti's side already has the air of a decisive fixture.
Wenger argued that Arsenal might have had a penalty when Carlos Vela was brought down at the very death. For Alan Wiley not to have awarded it, he said, was "unacceptable", adding: "He was in a perfect position and you expect more honesty from referees."
But perhaps Wenger's most honest assessment was his statement, given with a shrug of those thin shoulders, that: "We can only fault ourselves. Some players were not at their best and we gave a goal away at a set piece that provided Sunderland's only opportunity to score. That sums it up perfectly; the game was there for the taking."
The most consistent support from those who had travelled from London was for the game's newest and most unlikely pariah. As far as those fans who chanted his name into the gloom are concerned, Thierry Henry could have picked up the ball in the Stade de France, flung it into the net, then scythed down the toddler used as the match mascot and still been forgiven.
Had he still worn the red of Arsenal, it is debatable how much of a difference Henry would have made. Only twice did Arsenal really threaten: once when Tomas Rosicky's shot, set up by a Cesc Fábregas bicycle-kick, thundered into Marton Fulop's body and once when Alexandre Song exchanged two passes with Eduardo as he charged forward, slipped the ball through to the Croatian who chipped the advancing keeper. Just as the ball slid past the post, Song stuck out his boot to consummate the perfect goal. Perfection was missed by inches.
THE FANS' PLAYER RATINGS AND VERDICT
Phil Wilson, Observer reader I'm delighted with the three points, we just about deserved it. Bruce got his tactics spot on by packing the midfield and playing one up front. The game was a bit of a stalemate at times, but it worked. Arsenal played some lovely stuff but they just couldn't penetrate our defence. Da Silva played particularly well and Cana had a great game. Bent worked tirelessly up front and got his rewards with the goal – without the help of a beach ball this time!
The fan's player ratings Fulop 7; Bardsley 7, Mensah 7,(Ferdinand 82 n/a) Da Silva 8, McCartney 6; Cana 9; Reid 7 (Zenden 78 7) Henderson 8, Richardson 7, Malbranque 6 (Campbell 66 7); Bent 8
Ben Lover, Observer reader It was a very disappointing result. I think we suffered from a hangover from the international break as the players were quite lethargic. We didn't create chances like we usually do – only Eduardo had one in the first half but didn't take it, and that came back to haunt us. We took our foot off the peddle. It means that when we play Chelsea next week we really have to beat them. I still think we're in with a shout. We're still playing well and hopefully this week was a blip.
The fan's player ratings Almunia 6; Sagna 6, Gallas 6, Vermaelen 6, Traore 5; Fábregas 6, Song 6, Ramsey 5 (Arshavin 60 6), Rosicky 5 (Walcott 72 5); Nasri 6; Eduardo 6 (Vela 72 6)
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