Now, although it's easy to be generous after the event, I have to concede that Saturday's game at the Cottage was a prime example of exactly what I mean.
Having watched the highlights of Saturday's match quite a few times over the weekend I have to admit that I did have a bit of sympathy for Fulham if only for that fact that it wasn't the first time we had played them away from home in recent years and enjoyed the rub of the green en route to victory.
It was a huge irony that the man right in the centre of what was a very controversial game was none other than Mark Halsey. Before this game I don't think this guy would have been on the Christmas card lists of most Arsenal fans (think Sol Campbell here) but I don't think that any of us Gooners can argue that he did us a bit of a favour on Saturday.
Irrespective of the fact that he had changed his mind I think that Halsey got it right in the end over the first penalty incident. From what I saw, Andy Cole not only managed to get a shot (albeit a weak shot) away on goal but in the act of doing that he was on his way to ground before Ashley Cole made any contact with him. If Andy Cole had made a truer contact on the ball he probably would have scored and any subsequent debate on Ashley Cole's challenge would have been irrelevant.
And although Halsey then made an error in failing to award us a penalty at the other end when Volz fouled Henry I have to admit that he made his biggest gaffe when he disallowed Collins John's "goal" just on the stroke of half time. It looked like a classic old fashioned centre forwards goal where a guy gets up aggressively at the far post to nod the ball home. It should have stood.
The fact that it was the second successive game in a row where we have a touch of fortune (taking into account the Lauren incident at Carrow Road) coupled with what Jose Mourinho said after Chelsea's game prompted sections of the media to open up a debate as to whether Arsenal get preferential treatment from referees - all I can say is ARE THEY HAVING A LAUGH?
As I said after the game at Norwich we have been on the wrong end of poor refereeing decisions in the not too recent past, some of which have cost us a lot more than just one game or three points and you can bet your life on the fact that it will happen to us again someday. And if Mourinho isn't convinced then all he has to do is obtain footage of what Volz did to Henry about two hours after he made his nonsensical outburst.
It was a pity that Saturday's game marred by all the controversy because of you were to take that away I thought that it was the Arsenal's best result of the season. I was a little uneasy about this fixture on the way in and certainly up until the point where we finally managed to legitimately go in front, the Arsenal knew that they were in a contest. But, it was to our credit that we managed to find that little bit extra to see off a Fulham side that never backed down and gave as good they were getting for most of the afternoon.
So, having come away unscathed from our trip to the Cottage the Arsenal now have to focus on the Champions League and our first opponents are PSV Eindhoven.
PSV, now under the stewardship of Guus Hiddink, got into the Champions League group stage thanks to a comfortable victory over Red Star Belgrade and if that proved anything it was that they are not much the worse for losing Mateja Kezman in the summer.
What I found really intriguing to discover was that Mark van Bommel is still at the club. This guy had been linked with all and sundry for months and months and yet he has failed to move anywhere at all. There are some that rate this guy highly but I think the fact that nobody went any further than making a tentative enquiries about him does throw up some question marks as to whether he is really top class.
The same sort of question cannot quite be aimed at Phillipe Cocu though who has returned to PSV after a six-year stint at Barcelona. Cocu is rapidly approaching 34 but he has real craft. He is known more as a canny midfield operator but he can play at full back or even as a central defender if necessary. A class act.
There are two youngsters that might be worth watching out for. Leandro is a young Brazilian lad that operates normally down the left flank and Johann Volanthon is the new young Swiss sensation who became the youngest player ever to score a goal for a national side in the recent European Championships eclipsing the record that Rooney had set earlier on in that competition.
Interestingly enough they have former Sheffield Wednesday striker Gerald Sibon on their books. I won't knock him too much for what was not a very successful spell at Hillsborough because I do remember him scoring a winning goal for them against us a few years ago.
PSV's main threat up front will come in the form of Jan Vennegor of Hesselink.
Yes, Vennegor of Hesselink really IS this guys surname and the story behind it is just as long. He has actually been at PSV for quite a while but over the years he was invariably behind the likes of Kezman, Arnold Bruggink and Ruud Van Nistelrooy in the pecking order. With those guys out of the picture he has now got his chance and it looks as though he is prepared to take it.
All in all it's the start of a European adventure for me and no more than that. Time will only tell as to whether we can finally crack the case in Europe but I will tell you all here and now that the Premiership is what I want.
I think the key to this game and indeed the whole tournament for us is that we go out and enjoy it. We have had some dreadful luck over the years but I sometimes think that we haven't helped ourselves because we have always looked a little tense about the whole thing.
I've never been one for making predictions but I honestly fancy us to get off to a decent start. PSV came to Highbury and ground out a goalless draw two years ago. They will have to show a lot more ambition on Tuesday night if they stand a chance of getting anything from this game.