It is all about belief. Arsenal, trailing by a goal at half-time and looking distinctly ineffectual without the injured Thierry Henry, recovered to beat Chelsea in the fifth round of the FA Cup at Highbury yesterday. José Antonio Reyes, who appeared stricken by the enormity of the occasion in the first period, produced a captivating brace to dump Chelsea out of the competition for the fourth season running.
This was an opportunity missed for Claudio Ranieri's side, emboldened by the absence of Henry, and galvanised by the presence of Scott Parker in midfield. Sven-Göran Eriksson, the England coach, spent yesterday morning, on television and radio, refuting the suggestion that he is about to succeed Ranieri at Stamford Bridge. Yesterday afternoon Ranieri was more concerned by the duplicity of a linesman.
Nothing has gone right for Jesper Grřnkjćr this season. He has played badly and delivered some chronic crosses. At Highbury, he scored his first goal of the season in the 35th minute, a tidy header from Frank Lampard's cross, only to be ruled offside. It was a gross injustice.
The Chelsea player was a yard onside as the ball was delivered. Shame on Paul Durkin, the referee. A little more time spent concentrating on play and less on dishing out yellow cards and Chelsea might still be in the draw.
For 50 minutes of this sparky confrontation, it was Chelsea who looked the more assured outfit, winning unlikely battles in a competitive midfield and taking the lead through Adrian Mutu. Industrious and committed, Claude Makelele, Frank Lampard, and new recruit Parker combined well, rolling up their sleeves, treading on Patrick Vieira's toes.
Arsenal didn't like it one bit. Flustered, and a tad aggrieved by the ferocity of some of the challenges, the home side gave away four free-kicks within the first 11 minutes, all within shooting distance of Jens Lehmann's goal. Arsenal have Mutu's dismal deliveries to thank for Chelsea failing to convert a single free kick into a goal-scoring opportunity. Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink's wayward header from a curling Wayne Bridge cross also let them off the hook.
However, Mutu was to make amends. Booked in the 24th minute for a wild tackle on Ashley Cole, one of seven yellow cards in a fiesty but hardly ill-tempered tie, the Romanian striker showed much more composure five minutes before time. A lousy clearance from Arsenal keeper Jens Lehmann dropped kindly at the feet of Parker, who wasted no time returning the ball to Mutu on the edge of the penalty area.
Confusing Kolo Touré with a shuffle to the right and then to the left, the striker engineered some space before unleishing a shot. Powered by his left foot, the ball veered through Touré's legs and beyond Lehmann's reach.
Moments later, an apoplectic Vieira found his way into Durkin's black book, disgusted with a free kick given against him. Arsenal, as their captain confirmed, were rattled.
Then came the interval, a few assurances from manager Arsčne Wenger and the Reyes double, two goals in a blistering five-minute spell which completely knocked the stuffing out of Chelsea.
"The second half was wrong for us, very bad," admitted a disappointed Ranieri at the finish, adding: "Arsenal put us under pressure and we didn't play." It was as simple as that.
Instead of Ashley Cole being the most potent threat in the Arsenal line-up, the attack-minded left back twice testing the reflexes of Carlo Cudicini, Reyes emerged from the shadows of a dismal first half to take centre stage.
Playing only his third game for Arsenal, the young Spaniard had looked ill at ease early on, perhaps a little disconcerted by Chelsea's commitment and under pressure to deliver in the absence of Henry.
To his credit, the youngster kept his nerve and, inspired by the outstanding performances of Vieira and strike partner Dennis Bergkamp, found his way on to the scoresheet in breathtaking fashion. Eleven minutes after the restart and six minutes after the Brazilian, Edu, had replaced the injured Ray Parlour to give Arsenal added bite where it mattered, Reyes scored a stunning equaliser, his first in his new colours.
Edu supplied the pass, Reyes the touch of class: a couple of strides and another cultured strike of the left boot just as Parker was about to close him down. The ball fairly soared into the top right corner of Cudicini's goal. To add insult to injury, the Chelsea keeper strained a muscle as he attempted the impossible and was immediately replaced by the hapless Neil Sullivan.
The first time Sullivan touched the ball, he, too, was pulling it out of the back of the net. Reyes was on a roll. So, too, Arsenal.
Liverpool were the last team to beat Arsenal in the FA Cup final back in 2001. This season, Wenger's side are attempting a record-breaking fourth consecutive final appearance and a third win on the spin. The way they destroyed Chelsea in the second half suggests they mean business.
As Cudicini trudged from the pitch, Sullivan settled between the posts, but not for long. Vieira, skipping over Parker's challenge, fed a delightful ball over the top of the Chelsea defence to Reyes, who had sneaked up behind the unwitting Mario Melchiot. The Spaniard's first touch was exquisite, totally fooling Sullivan, flooring Chelsea, and sending a capacity Highbury into raptures.
Scorers: Arsenal: Reyes (56, 61); Chelsea: Mutu (40)