What a time to score your 100th goal!
When his team needed him the most, Arsenal captain and lynchpin, Robin van Persie stepped up to deliver the goods in scintillating form as the Gunners gunned down Bolton Wanderers 3-0 to add some much needed life to their Premier League campaign.
With just a mere four points from five games before the kick off, anything less than a win would be detrimental to Arsenal’s hopes of a top four finish. At the end of the day it was a solid performance from the Gunners as ten men Bolton suffered their fifth defeat of the season.
Defeat to Blackburn last week had meant that the Gunners were under immense pressure and while the attack looked extremely sharp at Ewood Park, it lacked the ruthlessness that win you matches.
For the first half of the game, it was much of the same. The attack looked good, created a few chances, dominated possession but failed to make an impact on the score line. The signs were promising but the Gunners needed a quick goal to settle the nerves and ensure that they wouldn’t be picked apart in the counter attack.
If a quick goal was what was needed then that was exactly what the Gunners got. Arsenal’s newly appointed captain rose to the occasion with a neat finish from a tight angle. Bolton’s attack had struggled to cause much trouble for the Gunners and if things were bad for the Trotters, it was about to get much worse. Wheater’s sending off in the 55th minute, meant that they would have to chase the game with a man down.
Now, Arsenal have been below par this season but they are still one of the toughest teams to play against when you have just ten men on the field. Arsenal dominated the rest of the game and like Arsene Wenger pointed out in the post match press conference, Bolton never even came close to scoring in the second half.
Arsenal added two more to the score line as Robin van Persie and Alex Song added Arsenal’s second and third.
The statistics at the end of the match just highlighted Arsenal’s dominance. With 63% of possession and with a total of 19 shots compared to Bolton’s paltry two, there was no questioning Arsenal’s domination tonight. A bit more ruthlessness and had it not been for Jaaskelanien’s solid performance, Arsenal could have ran riot.
But this was the kind of performance the Gunners desperately required. Short on confidence and needing a win, a comprehensive win like this will only boost the confidence of the players ahead of a massive week for the Gunners.
It was another very fluent performance from Arsenal’s midfield as Mikel Arteta and Aaron Ramsey showed that life without Fabregas and Nasri won’t be as difficult as it initially seemed. Arteta looks perfectly at home in an Arsenal jersey and those who doubted his caliber after his transfer have been treated to three superb Premier League performances from the ex-Everton captain who continues to show his talent and quality at Arsenal.
After a superb show against Blackburn, he once again put in a solid shift in his second game at the Emirates.
But special mention must go to Aaron Ramsey who played a good second half as he continued to show a positive improvement in his form. His form at the start of the season was indifferent as he drifted in and out of the games against Udinese, Swansea. But in the last few games against Blackburn and today against Bolton he played very well grabbing an assist on both occasions.
He seems to be improving slowly but steadily which is only expected from a player who is making a return from a career threatening injury.
Van Persie might have been the man of the match but Theo Walcott deserves mention too for an action packed performance that could have and should have had a goal. Nevertheless it showed all his critics that while he maybe a tad inconsistent, on his day, it is truly hard to contain the Englishman. His pace and direct running caused lots of problems for the Bolton defense and it was for a foul on him that Wheater picked up his red card. A blistering run down the right provided the cross for van Persie’s second of the night as the game was wrapped up in style by Arsenal.
Van Persie’s second was a personal landmark for the Dutchman as he became the 17th Arsenal player to ever score 100 goals for the club. It was a feat long overdue for the mercurial striker whose constant injuries have meant that he has rarely been able to play more than 40 games in a season.
But when fit, he is there right among the best in the league as he showed last season when his blistering scoring run made him the best striker of 2011. People often complain that van Persie, while superb against the weaker sides, comes a copper against the top sides.
A closer analysis on his career goals show that he indeed has scored several top goals with his goals against Barcelona, Manchester United, Chelsea and Liverpool all testimony to this.
Another trait of the best players is scoring and delivering when your team needs it the most. That is exactly what he did last season as he was the only beacon of consistency for the Gunners towards the end of the season as the entire team collapsed. His 21 goals in 2011 was top drawer stuff as he established himself as one of the league’s best. When one talks about world class players at Arsenal, one can think about four players: Thomas Vermaelen, Bacary Sagna, Alex Song and Robin van Persie.
Among this there is no doubt that most people would admit that Robin van Persie is truly world class with the rest of the names being debatable.
When Cesc Fabregas departed in the summer, no Arsenal fan had any second thoughts on who the next Arsenal captain should be. Loyal, dedicated and committed to the Arsenal cause, Van Persie has remained steadfast in his loyalty towards the Gunners even when the chips have been down and even when the Gunners were struggling to win trophies.
Such class and commitment from a class act like him endeared him to the Gunners’ faithful who have been unanimous in their steadfast support for the Dutchman, akin to his never ending passion for the Gunners. With just a year and a half remaining on his contract, extending it should be top priority and even Wenger has admitted to that.
The icing on the cake came a minute from time as the ever consistent and superb Alex Song popped up with a bit of magic to score a beautiful goal that once again showed his talent up front. Surely one of the best defensive midfielders in the league, his five goals last season including goals against Chelsea and Manchester City including a winner against West Ham and a goal against Bolton again last season at the Emirates highlighted his success up front as well. The goal today was a beautifully taken goal that would have made even van Persie proud.
Arsenal’s defense who came under intense criticism after a shocker against Blackburn was hardly troubled. It was widely expected that the defense would concede at least a goal against Bolton especially considering the team’s set pieces woes off late. But other than a scary moment in the second minute, the defense dealt comfortably with the little that came its way. Wojciech Szczesny was forced into a save from a Bolton corner in just under two minutes and the Pole who despite conceding 14 in the league has been solid, having hardly put a foot wrong.
But like everything surrounded with Arsenal these days, there was bound to be a negative for the Gunners. Walcott’s late injury makes him a doubt for Arsenal’s mid week Champions League clash and more importantly a doubt for next week’s North London derby at White Hart Lane.
His pace is extremely vital to the team and an injury would mean that Andrei Arshavin would have to start. The diminutive Russian is a good player no doubt, but his performances would be better for the club if he came on as an impact substitute than making him start the match.
But we can hope that the injury is a minor one that would allow the Englishman to return quickly.
At the end it was the kind of performance we would love to see more of. Domination in midfield and a very quiet night for the under scrutiny defense which was hardly troubled throughout the 90 minutes.
Confidence is key for the Gunners and the team should look to take it one step at a time as they look to surge towards a top four finish. With Olympiacos in the Champions League and Tottenham next, Arsenal will be hugely benefited from a moral boosting win like this and the smile on Wenger’s face at the end of the match just showed the value and importance of the win to the team and their under-fire manager.
This game once again showed the potential of the current side and consistency will be key and if that is achieved, there is absolutely no reason why the Gunners can’t finish in the top four.
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