I'm not quite in Wonderland, but it feels great to be occupying again a CL spot.

When Blackburn Rovers left Old Trafford three weeks ago, they knew they'd been robbed by a weak referee (is there any other kind?) who had first failed to show Ronaldo a second yellow before his winner and then dismissed a far stronger penalty claim than Pedersen's laughable act of cheating on Saturday. Yellow cards should be given retrospectively and, in Pedersen's case, posthumously. He deserves shooting for that dive. Blackburn scored one at The Swamp, hit the post, and, apparently, dominated entire passages of play. So, having performed with such credit against the Manchester thoroughbreds, why the lack of ambition against our supposed pack horses? If the hapless Song (who, but for Arshavin, would have been my Man of the Match) and Denilson lack the necessary talent and desire to wear our shirt, why didn't our centre backs - who also need replacing - get a torrid time due to lack of protection from our engine room? Yes, Santa Cruz was missing, but it still doesn't add up.

And what are we to make of the following numbers? Eight successive home "clean sheets" (no Rolling Stones jokes, please) since Plymouth's 3rd January consolation; five goals conceded in 16 outings since Boxing Day despite the continued injury crisis (that has now started to ease) and 15 unbeaten Premier League matches since the Citeh fiasco.

Theo played his last game as a teenager and I'm no longer confident that my mum could dispossess him, especially as she's more Nora Batty than David these days. Rovers' defenders certainly couldn't cope and were reduced to illegally blocking his passage, if you'll excuse the expression. Blackburn manager Mike Bassett's anti-football only partially stifled today's birthday boy and needed to be aided and abetted by a referee who was far too lenient for too long (sound familiar?), which hastened his loss of control of the game well before half-time. If silicon chips are ever imbedded into footballs to assist technology-based decisions, there's an additional benefit for Blackburn's ball boys: they'll more easily be able to retrieve lost balls after the game. The Ugly One obviously told his charges to take the Route One approach - Arsene certainly expected this as he preferred Djourou to Gallas - but conceding a fortuitous goal in the second minute does not assist pre-match game plans.

The aerial bombardment that England fans would now be enduring had the FA given Big Fat Sam the job for which he is manifestly unsuited produced just one anxious moment; the ever-improving Almunia clawing away a dangerous first-half header. Calls for a new stopper have abated recently, I notice. Diouf's challenge on Almunia was late and nasty, serving only to "enhance" his reputation with opposition fans. Diouf left the pitch to a chorus of boos, which he milked. Did he deliberately leave the pitch last for maximum effect? Was he proud of his contribution to the drubbing?

The final tally was four, but double figures would not have been overly fanciful. I'm sure I read somewhere - everywhere - that teams have worked out how to play Arsenal [two banks of four and get in their faces]. If so, why are we creating so many chances for Nic (to squander) and the rest? And would our Great Dane have received a standing ovation had he been subbed at 0-0 and an as-they-stand fifth place rather than 2-0 and fourth?

Curiouser and curiouser, cried Alice.

Keep the faith.