I truly believe that Arsenal will win this title

There is no need to bring up any more news or quotes. We all know what happened, and we all know what has been said since. But there are a few things that I want to say about the injury and the team's reaction.

The way the boys responded to what happened to Aaron Ramsey made me prouder to be an Arsenal fan than I have ever been. Never have I seen any team react to something so harrowing with such determination and drive, and the win reflected how much they have matured over the two years since that fateful day at St Andrews.

But first, the injury itself. I feel awful for Aaron Ramsey. As an Arsenal fan and a half-Welshman who has followed him since his early days at Cardiff, I am absolutely gutted by what has happened to him. At 19 years of age he had already shown not only us but the rest of the country that he will be a leading midfielder one day, and I have no doubt that he will become as great a player for Wales as Ryan Giggs was. I sincerely hope that he is the same player when he returns, and the mental strength which we have already seen in him gives me the belief that he will come back from this.

Ryan Shawcross made a disgraceful challenge and he knows it. He is young and he was visibly shaken by what he had done. I am angry and sickened by it, and although there is little he can do in consolation I will at least acknowledge that he went over to Ramsey after he had been sent off, and that he expressed regret. If I was responsible for an injury like that, I would be shaken too - however, I would be incapable of attempting something so stupid and dangerous.

There was no malice in the challenge, but there was recklessness and utter contempt for both the rules and the spirit of the game. I blame the culture of anti-Arsenal thuggery more than anything, and although I don't believe there has ever been any intention to actually injure our players, the intimidation 'tactics' are plain to see and are merely the work of cowardly managers.

Regarding some of the Stoke fans, I haven't seen such a disgusting display of simple-minded ill will in a long time. I am grateful to the majority that gave him a standing ovation as he left the field, which was a sincere display of sympathy; but those that sang the hateful songs in the background are simpletons who deserve something far worse than what happened to Ramsey. They should take a leaf out of Glenn Whelan's book - the midfielder stayed with Aaron Ramsey until the paramedics took him off, and he deserves a big hand for his help.

Anyway, enough said about that and hopefully both Shawcross and the Sam Allardyce school of defending have learned a valuable lesson.

For five minutes after the injury, neither side wanted to play and that much was obvious. I would imagine that most Arsenal fans were waiting to see if the team could make up for the Birmingham incident, and after an understandably muted spell they didn't disappoint.

Alex Song has not been given the credit he deserves. He took the initiative during those abject moments and raised the team's spirits with some forceful runs down the centre; it was his brilliant pass to Eduardo, which the striker was unlucky not to curl inside the near post, that sparked the fightback.

Cesc Fabregas led by example. He was running the show to begin with and his assist for Nicklas Bendtner's goal was as world-class as the header itself. As Ramsey lay on the floor, Fabregas had looked utterly distraught, and his horror was matched only by his frustration that history had repeated itself to Arsenal's detriment. I urge any doubters to re-watch his reaction to a moment which could have destroyed both his teammate's career and his team's season, and then try to tell me that he doesn't love this club.

Both Thomas Vermaelen and Nicklas Bendtner looked seriously distressed by the incident, but both upped their game and deserve recognition - a great show of resolve and commitment, and a goal apiece was just reward for their contributions. Well done also to Gael Clichy, who was a potent attacking threat, Sol Campbell who put in a classic centre-back's performance and played with his heart on his sleeve in the later stages, and a solid Manuel Almunia who couldn't really be faulted. Of course, credit to Aaron Ramsey who had - bias aside - put in a characteristically energetic and committed performance in midfield, and played well defensively.

Almunia, Sagna, Clichy, Fabregas, and Walcott were all on the pitch the last time this happened. Their immediate reaction that day spoke volumes, and they were shaken for the rest of the game. The effect of Eduardo's injury on the players cost us a win, and cost us the title.

But last night it was clear that lessons had been learned. The team refused to let it happen again, and they ended up achieving something brilliant - an away win against their bogey team. The Britannia Stadium is a cauldron, the Stoke players the anti-Christ to our purist game, and yet against all the odds we did it.

I found myself desperately trying to defend this team after the defeats to Manchester United and Chelsea left us nine points adrift. They were all the more frustrating because we have matched both of these teams for quality this season. At both Stamford Bridge and Old Trafford, we out-classed our title rivals and deserved to leave with something. Yes, there are clear differences between us and them which can overshadow our incisive passing and flair, and we got nothing out of six points when we should have picked up two at the very least. But we have played them now, and the toughest part of our schedule is behind us. We have fought our way back into the race and I genuinely believe that we will win it.

We have added steel to a team which has been labelled light-weight for some time. Abou Diaby has truly established himself in our engine room, and mark my words: if Nicklas Bendtner stays fit, this will be his season. We have arguably the best midfielder in the world in Cesc Fabregas, we at last have the right defensive midfielder behind him, and the defence has finally found its feet thanks to the addition of Thomas Vermaelen and - despite my initial concerns - Sol Campbell. And what happened at the Britannia Stadium last night has given our players the added impetus to win this thing.

It has been said for years that, on our day, we are the best 'footballing' team in the country. But the events of last night were evidence that this season, on our day, we are so much more than that.