March 1st, 2010 by Adam Davies

Arsenal fans could have been excused for feeling a strange sense of déjà vu after 65 minutes of their game against Stoke on Saturday. Ryan Shawcross went in for a heavy tackle on Welsh starlet Aaron Ramsey, and the force of the challenge broke the teenager’s leg. Shawcross was sent off and was himself visibly shaken as he left the field of play in floods of tears. Television executives elected against showing replays of the incident, which brought memories of Martin Taylor’s horrific tackle on Arsenal striker Eduardo in spring 2008. The London club could only manage a limp draw in that game, and their title challenge faltered after that.

This time however, Arsenal did not collapse. Though captain Cesc Fabregas and central defender Thomas Vermaelen wore pained expressions at the sight of their stricken teammate, they went on to score late goals to move just three points from Chelsea in the Premier League table. With top two Manchester United and Chelsea yet to play at Old Trafford, Arsenal will be hoping that their newfound resolve in the face of adversity will result in a famous triumph.

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