It looks like the words of the fans had been heard prior to the game as John Utaka was dropped in favour of Kanu who played up top as Benji moved to the right. Richard Hughes also made a rare start as Pedro Mendes had been hit with the flu whilst Lauren played in Glen Johnson's absense.
It wasn't the best game to watch in terms of quality but I'm sure the Pompey fans will be proud of the fight and the commitment that the men in the Blue shirts showed today as we became the first team in the league to stop the Gunners from finding the net.
The first half was devoid of any real chances, with Kranjcar coming close with a shot that went narrowly wide of the post after Arsenal almost took the lead in the first minute but Fabregas missed his header.
I was very impressed with the way we pressed Arsenal and made them hurry their passing and when they did get near our box, the defending was superb as the blocks and tackles denied Arsenal a goal.
The second half followed in the same manner but Benjani should have done better when he was put through on goal but his touch around the onrushing Almunia took him too wide of the goal and allowed the Arsenal defence to get back.
Having said that, I was breathing a huge sigh of relief at the end of the game as William Gallas somehow managed to spoon his shot over from close range. Tomas Rosicky's curler almost nicked the win for the visitors too but that would have been cruel on us as we defended so well.
So after two particularly bad performances, we have avoided three straight defeats with a good one although we still haven't ended the home goal drought. The defence are doing their jobs and with a poor Middlesbrough side visiting us on Saturday, it might be time to revert to a more attacking system to finally give us a goal to cheer!
On a final note, I was glad to hear that the atmosphere was much better than it has been in previous games. Let's hope it stays that way for the rest of the season!
Pompey Player Ratings
David James: 7 - Wasn't really tested but made one great save from Rosicky in the first half.
Lauren: 7 - Very solid showing and didn't give an inch.
Sol Campbell: 9 - Proved himself against his former club with an outstanding performance.
Sylvain Distin: 8 - A rock for the majority of the game. Didn't give Adebayor a sniff alongside Sol.
Hermann Hreidarsson: 6 - The weak link as most of Arsenal's attacks came down their right, but still solid enough.
Papa Bouba Diop: 7 - A strong display in the centre.
Richard Hughes: 7 - Good display on his return to the team.
Sulley Muntari: 6 - Did his bit.
Benjani: 6 - Hard working as always but guilty of squandering a great chance.
Niko Kranjcar: 6 - Not his type of game.
Kanu: 6 - Held the ball up well when he could.
Substitutions
Asmir Begovic
Djimi Traore
John Utaka: N/A - Too late to make an impact.
Matthew Taylor: 6 - Should have been given more time in Kranjcar's place.
David Nugent