It was a surreal sight Sunday. There he was, Jens Lehmann -- the man notorious for being sent off in the Champions League final five years ago, a character among keepers (and that's saying something) -- between the sticks for his old team, Arsenal. Out of retirement but having lost none of his trademark, shall we say, uniqueness, Lehmann got the start at Bloomfield Road against Blackpool as he filled in for Manuel Almunia, who injured his knee in the warm-up.
As if Arsenal supporters hadn't been tortured enough this season, now they were forced to watch a match in which the Gunners' only functioning keeper was a 41-year-old and one of the founding fathers of the team's misadventures in front of goal.
And Lehmann didn't disappoint, either, providing some Maalox moments. In the 52nd minute, for example, he could have been easily sent off for taking out DJ Campbell in the penalty box. Instead, referee Lee Mason waved play on, and Gary Taylor-Fletcher scored his team's only goal of the day. It was a blessing in disguise for the Gunners, because Lehmann should have seen red -- and there was no substitute keeper on Arsene Wenger's bench. Imagine the chaos if that had happened. Nicklas Bendtner in goal, anyone? Could have been the laugh of the season.
The Gunners dodged another bullet two minutes later when Laurent Koscielny got away with a late tackle on the edge of the penalty box. Mason was all of 6 yards away from the player, but at this point in the season it's folly to expect a match to conclude without an officiating howler.
But Lehmann played decent all things considered, positioning himself well on dangerous crosses and snuffing out some growing threats by coming off his line. Will Wenger rely on him for the rest of the campaign? Will he have a choice? Will fans prefer him over Almunia? Stay tuned there.
Overall, the game pretty much summed up Arsenal's and Blackpool's seasons. For Arsenal, we saw brilliant passing, a midfield expertly run by Cesc Fabregas, some beautifully executed goals, missed chances and a defense that at times is shakier than a house of cards. Arsenal could have put the game to bed much earlier, when right before halftime Blackpool keeper Richard Kingson came off his line to play the role of sweeper. Abou Diaby had a chance to score, but he dallied on the ball and blew it.
For Blackpool, we saw Ian Holloway's men play their trademark attacking 4-3-3 formation. Not afraid to leave themselves open, they charged forward at every opportunity, only to get burned on the counterattack. This is a team, after all, that has conceded in all 16 games it has played in 2011.
But say this about Blackpool -- if it goes down, it won't be without a fight. Compare how the Tangerines fought and hustled Sunday to Wolves' toothless 3-0 loss to Everton on Saturday. Both relegation-threatened teams got off to stirring starts, only to concede the first goal to their opponents. Blackpool kept plugging away, while Wolves couldn't cope.
Avoiding the drop often comes down to which teams have the stomach for a fight. And when you saw Mick McCarthy in the middle of yesterday's game, looking off with a thousand-yard stare, he and his team completely shell-shocked, you wondered if the 19th-placed Wolves would be able to dig themselves out of trouble before the season ends. Blackpool, by contrast, competed to the end with energy and purpose. That might not be enough, either -- though on this day, at least, all the teams below Blackpool lost, so it's still just outside the relegation zone.
Baggies bag more points
Another team that played with great fight this weekend was West Brom, which defeated Sunderland 3-2. The versatile Paul Scharner scored the game winner in the 72nd minute at the Stadium of Light. The Baggies are now unbeaten in seven games, six of them under new manager Roy Hodgson. Sunderland, meanwhile, finds itself in the thick of the relegation battle, a startling turn given that at one point this season there was talk about the Black Cats possibly finishing high enough to qualify for the Europa League. But Steve Bruce's team has taken only one point out of a possible 24 in the past eight games. It's a terrible run that adds further intrigue to the relegation battle.
Atonement for Crouch
In Tottenham's thrilling 3-2 win over Stoke on Saturday, Peter Crouch scored on two headers. No, really. The goat in Spurs' defeat to Madrid last week came through with a strong performance. That is no small feat for the big man whose heading ability usually consists of knocking the ball down for a teammate who ends up scoring. But Crouch repaid manager Harry Redknapp's faith in him. His second tally was particularly impressive, as the striker got on the end of an excellent ball from Tom Huddlestone and smashed it with power and precision across the face of the goal. From zero to hero -- at least for a day.