I must start with a confession. Back in November, following the defeat at Stoke (which, in itself, followed the late capitulation against Tottenham) I wrote a piece where I stated a belief that Manuel Almunia should never play for Arsenal again. Here was a goalkeeper so far out of his depth, and so prone to poor positioning that it just wasn’t funny anymore. I opined that he “resembled a plane spotter at Gatwick as another ball flew over his head in to the far corner”. Well, an apology to the veteran of the Pamplona Bull Run would appear to be in order.

Since Christmas, Almunia has been consistently outstanding in the Arsenal goal. His regular errors (many of which he had the luck to get away with) have been notable by their absence. He has had more command of his penalty area, and is to be seen regularly trying to communicate with the headless chickens in front of him (yes, Kolo, that means you).

He kept us in the game at White Hart Lane at various stages, and his save at home to AS Roma in the first-half was simply breathtaking – if you can’t remember it, he flew full length to his right to fingertip 30 yard pile-driver away from the top corner. In his absence Fabianski failed to show he has the ability to replace the Spaniard (though playing behind this defence is far from easy). I was surprised to find myself feeling relieved that Almunia was back between the sticks on Sunday, as six months ago I believed him to be the biggest weakness in the side.

On Wednesday night Almunia produced one of the finest goalkeeping displays I have seen. It was on a par with Seaman at Anfield in 1991 and Lehmann in Cardiff in 2005. If by some miracle Arsenal can get to the final next week, it will have far more to do with Almunia’s brilliance than any goalscorer. The very fact that we can even talk about having a chance next week is solely due to the performance of Manuel Almunia. Along with Alex Song (another bright spot in the Old Trafford drudgery) he is Arsenal’s most improved performer. Long may it continue.

So, Manuel, please accept my apology for judging your ability as I did. Just don’t throw it back in my face now by wasting all the good work and turning into a clown once again.