Arsenal 2-1 Barcelona; Just. Incredible.

It's games like these where you will never forget. We beat the best team in the world. The Emirates was rocking. Just a brilliant night.

The big news and a slight surprise was that Samir Nasri started. It was great seeing him back and he showed no signs of any recurring problems, last 90 minutes.

We started alright, I thought. Used the ball well, and could of gone 1-0 up had van Persie fired in from lovely build up play by Wilshere and Fabregas. Then out of nowhere, Messi jinked his way through the defence, slid in Villa who tucked the ball away. A very nice goal, hints of offside but it would of been harsh. In all honesty, I feared for us. It took a couple of great saves from Arsenal number 1, Wojciech Szczesny, who by the way was awesome.

Barca controlled the rest of the half. The way they pass and move the ball, at that quality and speed, is just a joy to behold. And you'd have to think we're not far off that standard.

The second half was much better by us. We upped our game and Barca couldn't handle us. In a big game, we needed everyone to be on their game. Even Arsene Wenger. And it was his bold moves, bring off Alex Song and Theo Walcott, for Andrey Arshavin and Nicklas Bendtner. The substitutions worked a treat.

The first goal was all about the ability of one man. A lovely dinked ball over the defence by Gael Clichy released Robin van Persie, and from an almost impossible angle, he smashed the ball in for the equaliser. On second viewing, it's clear that van Persie meant it. He exploited the space left to him by Valdes. Awesome. From then on, I thought we were gonna win.

And so it proved. If the first was all about the individual brilliance of van Persie, the second was the collective brilliance of Arsenal. Koscielny, to Bendtner, to Wilshere, to Cesc, to Nasri, to Arshavin. GOAL! From one pitch to the other. We are probably the only capable team of scoring a goal like that against Barca. We held out, which was pleasing and we go to the Nou Camp full of confidence.

Now that we've beaten Barca in the first leg, I don't mind if we lose the second leg. Sure, I'd be disappointed. But we've now shown we can beat the best in the world, that the Emirates can host a brilliant night, we can compete, we won't hide. I don't know about you guys, but no matter the outcome of this tie, I will be delighted. That is because last night, I was so proud to be a gooner. We were just amazing. To come from behind, the bottle we supposedly lack is there in abundance. Love it.

Games like these shape careers. And for a 20 year old, and a 19 year old, Wojciech Szczesny and Jack Wilshere, they both came of age. The goalkeeper breeds confidence throughout the team. When he is in goal, there are no nervy moments. And he has the talent to be number 1 for the next decade and more. Jack Wilshere, to dominate a midfield at that age is unreal. I've stated before that I believe he can be one of the best within 5 years. I'd now consider reducing the time limit. The kid is just fantastic. And guess what, he has Arsenal DNA!

A big thumbs up too to Laurent Koscielny, fully justifying his price tag. A gamble? Yep. Looking worthy? Absolutely. He kept Messi generally quiet. How many defenders can say that this season?

This game is huge. We've delivered. But we're only at half time. We face a mighty take to go through, but it is now doable. Going into the Nou Camp, we could be League Cup winners. What a nice little confidence boost that would. Bring it on!

Thanks for reading, sorry if this is all a little jumbled. Still buzzing from the result :-)