Turf Moor Diaries: Wenger's Moans Can't Hide Arsenal Squandering Fast Start

This time last year, with Championship Burnley taking on and beating a succession of London Premier League sides, the line "Capital Punishment" was used to market the Cup run.

Wins against Fulham, Chelsea and Arsenal, and the overturning of a three-goal first-leg deficit against Spurs, who needed an extra time semi-final goal to break our hearts, made it one of the greatest Cup runs in Burnley's history.

So with two of those sides at Turf Moor in the last few days, we were hoping for Capital Punishment 2. Alas, as with movies, sometimes in football things turn out not to be quite so spectacular second time around.

But a point against Fulham in a match we might well have lost, followed by a point against Arsenal in a match we could well have won, made for plenty of excitement and entertainment.

On Saturday, Fulham were well organised, and opened with the kind of high-turbo tempo we are more used to seeing from the home side. Given our superb home record, Fulham manager Roy Hodgson said he would have settled for a point at the start, but felt disappointed by the end. I could see why. Both teams like to play the passing game, but both had an off day on that front, so for long periods it was all a bit scrappy. But - and here's a little proof that I can be objective - Fulham were probably the better side on the day.

The good news is that having gone behind, we came back to rescue the point through Wade Elliott, and with most other results going against us in the bottom half of the table, it was a point we needed.

Arsenal, just as they are starting to close on The Big Two, is perhaps the last side you want to play when you're starting to worry about having gone five games without a win. And the Wenger kids of last year's encounter gave way last night to names like Cesc Fabregas, Andrei Arshavin and William Gallas.

Again, in a feeble attempt to show an ability to be objective, I will acknowledge that Arsenal could have been three up within the first 20 minutes. The pace of their passing and movement was breathtaking at times. Fabregas was brilliant.

But we did hit the bar before they had even settled down. And the only time they actually managed to get the ball in the net, it came courtesy of a nicely wrapped early Christmas present from Andre Bikey. Our big midfielder dawdled too long on the edge of the box, was dispossessed, and seconds later Fabregas was firing the ball past Brian Jensen.

But as against Fulham, and despite the slight "oh no, here we go" mutterings among some fans, the players dug deep and worked their way back into the game. The next time Bikey dawdled on the ball, we loved him for it. Because this time he was in the Arsenal box and dawdled long enough to get fouled by Thomas Vermaelen. Up stepped Graham Alexander to bang home the equaliser, his 100th career goal, his 70th converted penalty out of 74 taken.

Arsene Wenger moaned a lot about the penalty decision, but then he moaned about practically every decision made by the referee and the linesman on our side of the pitch. Oh, except when said linesman consistently flagged Steven Fletcher for offside, including on the one occasion in the second half when the ball was put in the net. The cross from which he "scored" was from Elliott, who was virtually on the byline, so I can only assume Fletcher was standing on the goal-line three inches in front of him.

I am an admirer of the Arsenal manager and think he has added a lot to the English game. But, God, does he moan. Surely the fourth officials of the world, like wives and husbands who nag each other every hour of the day, are now immune, deaf to his protestations.

He was moaning about some of his players a fair bit too. Sometimes I couldn't quite work out whether he was shouting at the linesman or Theo Walcott. "You'd better hope Capello doesn't get the tape of this one," someone shouted at Walcott as he trudged off to be substituted.

He was not alone in feeling Wenger's wrath, even if on a smaller scale to that which shocked the living daylights out of the players when he tore into them at half-time at Anfield on Sunday.

Both Arshavin and later Eduardo inspired Wenger to enter into a comical agonised dance around his technical area when they failed to capitalise on half chances. And when Gallas tamely lobbed the ball into Jensen's arms when one-on-one in injury time, I thought Wenger was auditioning for Strictly Come Dancing.

I don't suppose he will agree with my assessment that despite their early dominance, an Arsenal win would have been unjust. But having ridden our luck a little in the first half, in the second half Burnley looked more like Arsenal than Arsenal did.

It was Steven Fletcher who tried an audacious thirty-yard volley when he spotted Manuel Almunia out of position. It was Kevin Macdonald - the scorer of our two goals when we beat them last year - who showed poise and command in midfield. It was Chris Eagles and Elliott who showed the nice flicks and touches to get around defenders. It was Tyrone Mears who was making surging runs before whipping in low crosses. And if Walcott had an off-night, it was largely because our left back, Stephen Jordan, contained him so well.

As for Jensen in the Burnley goal, he saved a free kick, held a few corners, forced Arshavin out wide, said thanks to Gallas for the injury-time backpass, and that was about it.

I suppose it might have been different had Fabregas not gone off injured towards the end of the first half. He was terrific in those opening twenty minutes, creating what at times felt like an irresistible force in and around our box.

We were glad to see the back of him. Glad to get the point, even though three seemed within reach by the end. Glad to see Wenger back at the Turf. You have to say he adds something to the entertainment, and indeed to the gaiety of the nation.

I see from this morning's papers he was moaning afterwards about Mick McCarthy's fielding of a weakened Wolves side against Manchester United. Surely if any manager has the right to moan about that, it is Owen Coyle, who takes the same set of players to Molineux on Sunday.

As chance would have it, last night I was sitting directly behind McCarthy as he took a look at us. He was on good form, cracking a few jokes about reserve teams. I noticed him at one point murmuring to his assistant "they look good going forward." And he was talking about Burnley not Arsenal.

He may have his first team back for Sunday. But he knows we'll give them a game. Ask Arsene. He knows.