Arsenal:
             Lehmann
     Eboue Toure Senderos Flamini
   Hleb (Pires 71) Gilberto Diaby Reyes
Henry (Adebayor 62) van Persie (Bergkamp 71)

And for me, he's particularly special, because I finally got my Arsenal season ticket in the same week that Dennis signed for Arsenal. If this is to be Dennis's last season (that's what we're expecting, but Wenger has said that Dennis could continue and if Dennis is prepared to continue to be such an infrequent starter, then who knows..?), then this could have been his last really significant appearance. It could have been his last goal, and I was right behind it in the Clock End just as I was right behind his first goal for the club back in 1995. Special memories.

Dennis didn't start, but he came off the bench in the second half, for just 20 minutes, and he made the win with a display that rolled back the years: calming things down with his poise and composure, and firing them up with his precise, incisive passing and cool finishing.

Anyway, let's start the report at the beginning. Arsenal attacked the North Bank first for a change, with a line-up that was virtually back to full-strength, the only definite first-choicer missing being Cesc Fabregas who is out with a foot injury (there are suggestions however that he may be fit for Villareal on Wednesday after all). On the wings, Alex Hleb and Jose Reyes were preferred to Freddie Ljungberg and Robert Pires, a choice that has pretty much become a toss-up these season due to the good form of the former pairing during the periods that the lesser form and injuries of the latter pair gave them opportunities. Up front, Robin van Persie was chosen ahead of Emmanuel Adebayor. I was expecting Adebayor to start because he can't play on Wednesday, but I guess there's a limit to how much one should rest players, and Robin's not been playing quite enough to need it anyway - in fact it's more important to give him some game time ahead of the semi first leg.

On 7, Emmanuel Eboue went on a terrific run down the right and should have had a shot. Instead he fell victim to the "let's pass it to Thierry" problem which sometimes affects the younger players. In fact, Thierry had pulled away to the right as Manu cut in from the wing with the ball, and dragging 3 defenders that way to create space for the right back's charge. Manu should have used that space himself rather than try to use Thierry in an active role, because even Thierry didn't really have a chance to use the ball he received.

The next minute, on the other wing, Mathieu Flamini came charging forward to get onto a beautiful long pass from midfield, he cut inside and hit a shot from outside the box, but it was an easy save for Kuszczak in the Baggies' goal.

A couple of minutes later, Abou Diaby did well to make space for himself on the edge of the D, but scuffed his shot through to the keeper.

On 10, a very loose ball from Philippe Senderos (under little pressure) gave the ball away in a dangerous area. Gilberto did well to try to make a clearing tackle - he nearly succeeded but instead it fell to Quashie who hit a good shot from outside the box which flew a foot wide of Jens Lehmann's left hand post. I'm not sure that Jens would have got to it.

A minute later Quashie was in action in that area again. He tried to make some space for another shot but was fouled - centrally and a yard outside the D. Their defender Neil Clement, who apparently has a bit of a rep for these things, tried a shot from the free kick, but he placed it over the wall and wide of the goal.

Kamara got caught offside a few minutes later, when a ball was played over the top. I wasn't best placed to see it but it looked to be a very very close decision to me.

On 22 we broke forward, van Persie had the ball centrally in a promising position, Henry making a supporting run to his left. Robin slipped over, but did brilliantly from the ground, poking the ball on to Thierry anyway. Thierry touched it back to the right a couple of yards to where Reyes was charging in, and the Spaniard's decent first-time near post shot was deflected for a corner past the far post.

On 24 the visiting fans had a moment of excitement when Robinson crossed into the 6 yard box from their left. Lehmann was in a far enough advanced position that when he fell on the ball he was facing the goal-line, and he made a minor fumble. But it only popped out a foot and there was no-one else in proximity so there wasn't really the danger that the "ooohs" from our left might have suggested. Shouldn't be surprised really, they were getting excited when they got a throw-in.

Reyes hit a good long chip forward for Thierry to run onto, but the keeper did well, rushing out of his box to head clear from the D. Then Reyes himself had a chance when he tried to volley home a Hleb cross from the right, but he mis-cued it.

We should have taken the lead just before the half-hour. Gilberto's pass put Henry through in his inside left position. He skipped past a challenge coming in from the side, to get through on the keeper. As the keeper came out Henry tried to side-foot it past him and inside the far post, but he misdirected it a couple of yards beyond that post.

On 34, former Man Utd thug Ronnie Wallwork had a long-range shot deflected for a corner. The corner found a Baggies head but the ball looped staright up in the air and down on the roof of Lehmann's net. Then Zoltan Gera showed some impressive footwork to dribble through the box to the goal-line, but Toure came across to clear emphatically.

On 39 van Persie went on a mazy run from right to left, across the pitch 10 yards outside their box. Then he clipped a clever diagonal ball back to the right of the box where Gilberto was coming in, but the Brazilian had to stretch a bit to get to it and while he did well to get the shot on target, it was easy for the keeper.

Then, a minute before the break, we took the lead through a superb goal from Alexander Hleb. He started the ball in the middle of the park, passing wide left to van Persie. Robin passed it back to him as Hleb advanced. He skipped nonchalantly round a challenge a few yards outside the box, then passed to Henry in the D. Henry laid it straight back to him as Hleb continued his run, which took him quite deep on the left, a few yards wide of goal. A position, with the keeper near the near post, where you might expect a shot across him towards the far post. Instead Hleb wrapped his left foot round the ball and whacked it high between the keeper and the near post, a quite fantastic finish.

We've all been saying for a while how impressive Hleb looks on the ball and that if he could just start scoring (shooting would be a start) then he really could have the influence of a Bergkamp or Pires. A few more goals like this and we won't be the only ones talking about Hleb as a pretty special player.

There was still time for an incident up our end when Toure handled outside the box on our right (and was booked for it). Greening looped the free kick towards the far post where Kanu was lurking. But he appeared to misjudge the flight a little, thinking he didn't need to jump for it, and it just clipped the top of his head and away. Lucky perhaps, because Clement was coming in behind him (although Flamini may have had that threat covered).

A couple of minutes after the break, Henry won a corner on the left as he tried to bring the ball along the touchline (good defending from alleged Arsenal target Curtis Davies, who overall had a pretty good game, managing to handle Henry better than most). The corner was crossed into the box and came through to Gilberto wide left. He chipped it into the box where Henry had come in, and Thierry jumped well to direct a header towards the bottom right corner. But there wasn't enough power on it and Kuszczak got down to save.

A minute later, Greening had a shot from the corner of our box which flew well wide of the far post, and then up the other end a great tackle from Davies denied van Persie as he ran into the box to try to get onto a loose ball.

A cross from our left looked safe for their keeper, but he mishandled it and Senderos did well to battle him for it. Phil stopped the keeper from recovering the loose ball, turned, and chipped it towards the far post. But Kuszczak did well to reach up and get the faintest of touches on the ball as it looped over him, enabling a defender to head it out for a corner before Henry could reach the cross at the far post.

On 9, a corner found Diaby's head but he got no power on it. Then Davies made a couple more excellent challenges in to deny Henry.

Diaby, who's played in fits and starts so far, had a wonderfully Vieira-like moment in midfield when he used his telescopic legs to full effect, somehow dribbling through 3 opponents then spraying the ball wide to Reyes. Diaby continued into the box but Reyes' cross was cut out before it could reach him.

Van Persie did a nice turn and shot in the D but Quashie was alert to it and stayed with the turn to make a crucial block at point-blank range.

Just before the hour, one former Arsenal striker was replaced by another as Souper-Kevin_Campbell came on for Kanu.

Henry won the ball back with a breathtaking sliding tackle, sliding towards the goal-line he managed to get his foot on the ball but keep it on the line rather than push it out, and keeping his foot on the ball he stood up and brought it towards goal before cutting it back for van Persie, but a defender managed to intercept.

Then Henry was brought off, just a question of resting him for Wednesday (and apparently a change which was planned from the start of the game), with Adebayor coming on. And straight after that, Albion brought on yet another former Gunner in Junichi Inamoto.

Soon after that, Kuszczak had to come out of his box to head clear again, this time from Adebayor. Reyes went down off the pitch after having done well to keep the ball in, but slipping as he left the pitch in the process and tried to turn quickly to follow the ball. But he was soon back on, and finished the game looking fine.

Quashie was booked for a late challenge on Hleb and van Persie had a go from the free kick, his long range low effort being deflected off the foot of the post for a corner.

On 71 minutes, Wenger made a couple more changes, Robert Pires and Dennis Bergkamp coming on for Hleb and van Persie. Almost immediately, the visitors were level. Toure slipped as he tried to intercept a simple low ball forward, and it fell to Quashie who hit a thunderous low shot from the D, giving Lehmann no chance as it went just inside his left hand post.

But with 15 minutes to go, and just as you were wondering if that double substitution had been a mistake, the two subs combined to get us back in front - in a move involving both of them twice, a move which sparkled with Bergkamp magic.

Quashie actually started it, losing the ball in midfield. Bergkamp picked it up and hit a beautiful long diagonal ball into the right hand side of the Baggies box, to Adebayor. He took it to the goal-line, 10 yards wide of the right post, and cut back to find Pires running in from the right corner of the box. Bobby's low near post shot was saved by Kuszczak but spilled. Dennis had been charging forward following his original pass, picked up the ball on the 6 yard line with the keeper right in front of him, his pace took the ball on to the goal-line, a bit closer to goal than where Adebayor had had it. He waited for the right moment, when Pires had space 8 yards out, and cut it back to him. Bobby had keeper and 2 maybe 3 defenders between him and goal, and his first effort was blocked. But when it came back to him he did superbly to reach up with his right foot and hook it past them into the net.

Greening tried a quick free kick but wasted it, sending it well over the bar.

Soon after, Reyes went on a good break down the middle, but delayed his wide pass to Bergkamp on the left a bit too much and it found Dennis very deep. He tried a chip to the far post but got it all wrong and sent it straight into the keeper's arms.

On 76, Davies was tripped going into our box and, while I had no view of it being up the other end, I'm told it was a pretty good shout for a penalty. Then Bergkamp broke forward down the right and, with Pires and Reyes as square options, he instead went for a far post looper towards Adebayor. The keeper did really well to get a hand to it and take the flight of the ball away from the Togalese striker.

Then, with a minute left, Dennis wrapped it up with a classic Dennis goal. Eboue started it, bringing the ball in powerfully from the right wing, past a challenge or 2, then poking the ball past 2 defenders who'd been drawn towards the threat. But away from the major threat of Dennis Bergkamp who received it on the the edge of the D, touched it forward a yard and then, with 3 defenders converging on him, casually stroked his lightly curled shot just inside the right hand post.

In injury time Adebayor received the ball wide and held it up well allowing Reyes to get forward in support, but when he received the ball Reyes' first-time shot went wide.

A great win, a necessary win with Tottenham beating Everton at Goodison. But as I write this, Spurs are losing 2-0 at home to Man Utd - a result which would put 4th place back in our hands and set up next Saturday's derby clash at Highbury rather nicely. Come on you reds!