The most significant aspect of the victory over Portsmouth last night was that Cesc Fabregas was not missed. The midfield trio all performed well and Arsenal’s slick passing did for Avram Grant’s team, and then some.

There tend to be two types of games when the Gunners visit Pompey. Either tight edgy encounters or comfortable victories. The 4-1 scoreline tells the story of this one. Whether the home team sat off and allowed Arsenal to play due to instructions from their manager or a lack of commitment caused by fresh developments in their financial woes I do not know. What has got me thinking though is that many a club Harry Redknapp has served as manager seems to end up with serious financial problems. West Ham, Southampton, Portsmouth. This may be pure chance, but it’s an interesting phenomenon and we can only monitor events at the Lane and see what develops.

Still, I digress. It was not only the Gunners’ midfield that played well. Ironically, the player whose touch seemed poorest was Andrey Arshavin, but mitigation might be provided by the fact that – due to his position – he was the one Arsenal player who received more attention when in possession, as Pompey seemed intent on protecting their penalty area.

I was delighted to see Wenger’s men put away a poor team convincingly. This could have happened at Turf Moor with the dominance established early on, but that just goes to show how vital a second goal is to this group of players. ‘One-nil to the Arsenal’ is less a chant of superiority these days than a call to make the game safer by doubling the advantage while they are in the ascendance.

The FA Cup game on Sunday is more significant than the manager may give it credit for. The side have established some momentum through their recent results, reflected by the closing of the gap behind Chelsea. With no European commitments for several weeks, it would seem obvious that the confidence gained by winning every game before that quartet of clashes in four weeks’ time can only be dented if it is restricted to the Premier League.

There is an argument that, selection-wise, Wenger doesn’t actually have much choice beyond putting out a side at Upton Park similar to that which accounted for Portsmouth. However, if he treats the competition with the contempt he displayed at Wembley last season and fields a side with too many youth players, not only will a likely defeat ensue, but a lot of the goodwill that has been built up since the defeat by Chelsea will evaporate – especially amongst the 5000 plus that have paid money to follow the team at the match.

Come on Arsene. Arsenal are on a roll. Let’s keep it going at West Ham. And as these will be my final words before 2010, a happy new year to all Gooners. I hope your team gives you a lot of pleasure in the coming 12 months.

Issue 201 of The Gooner went on sale on Sunday at the Aston Villa game and included a free calendar featuring Arsenal’s defining moments of the last decade. Copies of the issue can be bought online here. Due to the Royal Mail not working over the Xmas period, subscription copies were dispatched on Tuesday and should have been received by now.