No, your eyes didn't deceive you. That was Andrei Arshavin making a handful of perfectly timed tackles and tracking back to help his defense. That was a much-maligned back line holding up to the pressure with a cool, measured performance. And yes, that was Arsene Wenger smiling.
And why not? His team played with passion and pride on a sunny Sunday at the Emirates to defeat Manchester United 1-0. The victory may be tinged with regret for the Gunners, since they are all but out of the title race even if they're still mathematically alive. But they also played a significant role in altering the Prem's title race.
Simply put: It. Is. On.
United is on 73 points and Chelsea 70, with an identical goal differential of plus-38. You couldn't write up a more compelling script, as the two sides will face off at Old Trafford next weekend, after which it could be Chelsea in pole position. It's certainly not how Sir Alex Ferguson would have drawn it up, especially considering that Chelsea is in a rich vein of form, having won eight of its past nine league matches.
On some level, however, United only has itself to blame for Sunday's loss. Sir Alex Ferguson's side clearly came out to play defensive football and absorb pressure, hoping to leave London with a point and the title well in its grasp. There was no adventure and very little forward endeavor for United in the first half. Pack the midfield, play for a point appeared to be the order of the day. So the match settled into a rhythm early on, with Arsenal passing its way down the field with little trouble, only to get stymied in the penalty box where United crowded the Gunners and tried to force them wide.
At times, the crowd shouted "Shoot, shoot," as they grew more frustrated with Arsenal's continued insistence to try to pass the ball into the back of the net. Each intricate, if labored, buildup amounted to nothing. The faithful had seen this show many times before.
But when you invite pressure the way United did, you play a risky game. And in the 56th minute, Arsenal scored the breakthrough. On the left wing, Robin van Persie twisted and turned, drawing in two United defenders, before delivering to a wide-open Aaron Ramsey 12 yards from goal. With a sublime one-touch strike, the Welshman slotted the ball past a diving Edwin van der Sar for his first goal in an Arsenal uniform since January 2010.
As Ferguson has done throughout this season when he has needed to score, he made aggressive substitutions -- taking off Anderson for Antonio Valencia, which gave the United attack more width and pace. Michael Carrick was taken off in the 85th minute for Michael Owen. But there would be no last-minute sucker punch, no stoppage-time flair for Fergie's men.
Arsenal fans will say that justice was served, too, given the controversy in the 32nd minute. Theo Walcott swung a cross into the 6-yard box, and Nemanja Vidic used his hand to divert the ball away from an onrushing Van Persie for a corner. The Dutchman immediately protested, but the assistant referee somehow didn't see the blatant handball, or perhaps didn't think Vidic made contact. Either way, we can add this to the ridiculously long list of poor calls in the EPL this season.
But credit to Arsenal. It didn't fold. After it went ahead, it didn't have a nervous breakdown. The players must carry some sort of psychic scar from all the blown leads and missed opportunities this season, but they hid that pain well on Sunday. They closed down on United, pressed for the ball and showed a feistiness that has been too often lacking.
The midfield pairing of Jack Wilshere and Ramsey outplayed their United counterparts, Carrick and Anderson, too, showing more skill and energy in their runs, passes and ability to control the match.
It wasn't enough for Arsenal in terms of the title, but the result throws the Premier League race wide open. Chelsea, left for dead, is now primed to pounce. It's "squeaky bum time," as Ferguson would call it. The old master better get out his WD-40 as we head into the final three games of the season, because it can't get much tighter than this.
It's a good bet SAF will rely on the veteran leadership of Ryan Giggs (who wasn't on the bench at the Emirates) in the midfield for next weekend's match to help counter Chelsea's 4-3-3 attack. Darren Fletcher should be fit for that match, as well. Will it be enough? All we know for sure is that now the earliest the Premier League title can be decided is during the penultimate round.
In such a chaotic, up-and-down season, that seems only fitting.