Danny Ocean links and news: Liverpool beaten, Chelsea lose, AVB sacked, and other good things happen

So, yesterday was a fun one, wasn't it? The Arsenal world is still buzzing after the Gunners comprehensively defeated an obviously weaker Liverpool side to comfortably take three points at Anfield.

What's that you say? We were kind of crap? But I thought we won! What a country!

So as we all revel in our big win in the Michael Thomas Golden Ball and all (?) watch this Tottenham-Manchester United game and feel weird about rooting for whichever team we're rooting for (United for me, as I regularly get sick in this trash can I keep for occasions like this) here's the opinions and news of the morning and yesterday, from sources other than us.

Firstly, THE NEWS. Evidently in his post-game presser yesterday, Arsene Wenger said that he would "do anything possible" to keep Robin van Persie here after this season. I can only assume this means offering a lifetime supply of delicious Dutch beers and a new Power Wheels for young Shaqueel. I have a sneaking suspicion that "anything possible" is "get in the Champions League," but I guess we'll see as things develop. It's good to hear the manager hint that if extraordinary measures are needed, he is willing to take them.

In other Arsene Wenger news, he won the Barclay's Manager of the Month, showing that unlike most people Barclay's is still aware that the FA Cup and Champions League are not the same thing as the Premier League. Still, Wenger was slightly surprised. I was too - not that he'd won the award, but that I'd so comprehensively blocked that Bolton debacle from my memory. I honestly forgot that that match even happened.

Arseblog's fine match report can be summed up thus: we were kinda crap, but considering how often we're comprehensively better than the opposition in a loss or draw, we were due one of these. He also makes sure Jordan Henderson's unnecessary bodycheck of Mikel Arteta (which could lead to him being out for a while, or not) is not totally overlooked in the delirium of van Persie's genius. Because that was super-lame.

Gunnerblogdoes a good job of articulating why this win was sweet for me, at least - beyond the three points, which are always great, there's the fact that it was against Liverpool. Of the other "top four" sides Liverpool have always been the ones I disliked the least, until the past year or so. And to be honest it's almost entirely down to the conduct of Luis Suarez, whom I find to be one of the most reprehensible athletes on the pitch I've seen in recent memory. At this point I can barely stand the sight of him without being filled with loathing, and it was good to give his side something to think about for a while.

And now the wider range of Things That Aren't Directly Related to Arsenal, But Still Affect Us: in the shock of the century, Roman Abramovich has fired a manager! Yeah, Andre Villas-Boas is no more the head man at Chelsea, replaced by Roberto Di Matteo until such time as Abramovich gets tired of him and decides to hire Phil Jackson or something insane like that. Is this a good thing for Arsenal? Honestly I have no idea. They weren't great with AVB, but I have to imagine Di Matteo won't be able to work any magic on them that Villas-Boas wasn't. But then stranger things have happened, like us scoring five unanswered against the greatest team ever assembled (no, I'm not letting that go).

And finally it appears we're closing in on goalline technology of some kind being employed. In 2013. So slowly evolves the game of football...

A postscript: I posted this in a thread yesterday, but since I started this thing Tottenham have gone down 3-0, so I thought I'd break it out again. Lesson here, Spurs...you come at the king, you best not miss. Omar comin'.