Van Persie dents Arsenal's top four hopes

Arsenal 1-1 Manchester United

Arsenal had to accept a point yesterday from a game which they could look back on full of regret at what might have been. The Gunners couldn’t have started the match any better, racing into a 1-0 lead within the first two minutes, but failed to significantly build on that momentum and ultimately gifted Manchester United an equaliser right before halftime. Arsenal never really recovered from this crushing blow and struggled to create chances in the second period, with the match ending all square.

Despite all the wild speculation in the build-up to this encounter, Arsene Wenger’s side did form a guard of honour for the newly crowned Premier League champions, as they entered the field. However the show of respect ended there as from the very first second, Arsenal’s players flew into challenges wholeheartedly, hard but fair, winning the ball each time. After the game Alex Ferguson proclaimed his great surprise that the Gunners had adopted such an aggressive approach. Had he expected Arsenal to simply smile and wave them through? The Manchester United manager was clearly feeling delusional as he also professed his displeasure at the reception the returning Robin Van Persie received from the Arsenal faithful. Let us not forget this was the same player who one minute claimed he would always be a Gooner, only to then state the little boy inside had told him to sign for the Red Devils. Regardless of what he did in a red and white shirt, for every Arsenal supporter the name Robin Van Persie will forever mean traitor.

The Gunners were excellent during the first twenty minutes, as they rushed and harried their opponents, refusing to give them an inch. In the heart of midfield, Thomas Rosicky and Aaron Ramsey were simply everywhere as they dominated the battle for midfield supremacy. Rosicky’s desire and commitment to throw himself into tackles was extremely impressive, as was Ramsey’s exceptional work rate. The industrious Welshman has often been lambasted during recent seasons, but during the second half of this season, he has really come to the fore. Unfortunately his passing does sometimes let him down as Ramsey often seems to force a pass and therefore ends up mishitting it, rather than going for an easier option, enabling his side to maintain possession. If he can work on and improve this aspect of his game, Ramsey could become a very important player for Arsenal in the future.

It was as a result of their constant pressing that the Gunners took the lead in only the second minute of the game. As Van Persie slipped when attempting a cross field pass, Rosicky was on hand to take full advantage, seizing possession and driving forward, before unleashing a perfectly weighted through ball to Theo Walcott on the right hand side of the box. The Englishman collected the pass before firing beyond David de Gea, the ball squirming through the Spaniard’s outstretched arm and leg. This was the perfect start for the home side, especially when considering their notoriety this season for beginning the big games in sluggish fashion. In fact the Gunners could have been 2-0 up a few minutes later as Santi Cazorla’s long range effort seemed destined for the top corner but was just palmed away by de Gea.

Arsenal were playing with great intensity, not just in midfield but also in defence. Kieran Gibbs was fully committed as always and Per Mertesacker also performed well, but Laurent Koscielny, in particular, was magnificent, expertly marshalling Van Persie. The Frenchman made sure he was first to every ball, setting the tempo for the rest of his teammates. Unfortunately, the Gunners just could not maintain this high level of intensity and slowly but surely, Manchester United began to get themselves back into the game. Phil Jones should have scored, but headed just wide of goal, before Van Persie’s header was blocked by the outstretched Szczesny’s face.

The visitors were building momentum but ultimately Arsenal could only have themselves to blame for the concession of an equaliser just before halftime. Sagna’s poor pass back towards Mertesacker was mishit and easily intercepted by Van Persie. As the Dutchman raced into the penalty area, Sagna threw himself into a needless tackle and took the former Arsenal man out. Phil Dowd had little choice but to award a penalty. Although the crowd did all they could to put Van Persie off, as did Szczesny, the Dutchman rifled his effort right into the corner of the net to restore parity.

This was a huge blow for Arsenal to take. Not only had the strike arrived just before half-time but it was also self-inflicted and avoidable. Had the Gunners managed to hold onto their lead, as the game wore on, Manchester United would have been forced to pour forward in search of an equaliser and Arsenal would have been able to hit them on the break. Unfortunately with the concession of the goal just before halftime, it was Arsenal who had to surge forward in the second period. However, apart from Rosicky’s effort which flew just wide of goal and Cazorla’s low curling shot, Arsenal didn’t really manage to create any real goal scoring opportunities.

Lukas Podolski’s performance was disappointing yesterday. The German international had the opportunity to prove he can play in the lone striker role, but failed to impress. He didn’t win one header against Rio Ferdinand and his lack of pace meant he struggled to get in behind the Manchester United defence. Yet although his replacement, Gervinho, has an abundance of pace he too was also largely anonymous when he came on. Podolski’s lack of influence on the game may also be down to the fact that the team is not used to playing with him up front and need to learn to play to his strengths.

This is a major problem for Arsene Wenger’s side. They do not have an abundance of attacking options and seem to have lost that spark in the final third to open teams up. The Gunners no longer possess a player who can conjure up a piece of magic and produce something out of nothing. They arrive on the edge of the opposition’s box, but then there seems to be a lack of movement and a distinct lack of ideas. Ultimately they end up passing the ball square and in front of their opponents, never really hurting them. As a result, Manchester United were able to invite Arsenal onto them in the second half, safe in the knowledge that the home side would not be able to break them down, while also leaving themselves open to the counter attack.

At the end of the game, a draw was a fair result, but Arsenal must surely consider this to have been a missed opportunity. Manchester United were really there for the taking yesterday, especially after the early goal. Had the Gunners managed to maintain their high intensity game and not conceded right before half time, they may well have been celebrating a crucial victory at the final whistle. Nevertheless, the race for a top four finish continues and as Wenger declared after the game, Arsenal cannot afford to drop any more points. Whether they have the necessary fire power to win their last three games of the season remains to be seen.

Gunners struggle against 10 man Fulham

 

 

 

 

 

 Fulham 0-1 Arsenal

Arsenal toiled to another crucial victory on Saturday, against a Fulham side who were reduced to ten men as early as the 12^th minute of the game. However, as the referee blew the final whistle, victory was the only positive which could be taken out of this match with the Gunners distinctly below par and seemingly lacking in ideas.

Having started the game well, Steve Sidwell’s reckless challenge on Arteta, which left the referee with no option but to give the former Gunner his marching orders, should have enabled Wenger’s side to secure a comfortable victory. However the sending off actually made the game even more difficult for Arsenal as Fulham sat back, as deep as possible with all ten men behind the ball, looking to catch the away side on the break.

There was absolutely no space in behind the Fulham defence and the middle of the park was extremely congested and almost impossible for Arsenal to play through. Wenger’s decision to once again deploy Cazorla out wide, on the left flank, did not help matters either. The Spaniard does not provide any width to the Gunners attack as he naturally drifts inside, into the middle of the pitch, where he is most dangerous. While this tactic may be beneficial in certain circumstances, it is actually counterproductive when playing against a side reduced to ten men.

The best way to exploit a team who are a man down is to spread the play by getting the ball out wide as quickly as possible and engineering two on one situations on the flanks as a result of overlapping runs from the full backs. Yet with Cazorla on one wing and Theo Walcott on the other, also continually moving into the middle as he sought to get on the end of any Giroud flick ons, Arsenal did not have any width to their game and as a result couldn’t manage to get in behind the Fulham defence.

The Gunners just seemed to be content with maintaining possession, slowly passing the ball amongst themselves, but ultimately going nowhere and not posing any threat to the Fulham goal. It can be argued that Wenger should have reacted to this state of affairs and sought to introduce some width to his side with the introduction of a pacey winger such as Gervinho or Oxlade-Chamberlain. However the Arsenal manager does not like to make substitutions until at least the 70^th minute of the game and it would have been a surprise to see him make such a change as early as halftime.

Therefore it was extremely disappointing that Theo Walcott did not take it upon himself to remain out wide and stop drifting into the middle of the pitch in an attempt to support Giroud. The Frenchman was not really receiving any service with which he could hurt Fulham and as a result, Walcott, who was trying to feed off Giroud’s knock downs, became a peripheral figure in the game. The Englishman should have realised what was happening and that if he remained out on the wing, he would become more involved in the Arsenal build up play, benefiting his side greatly. However since signing his new contract Walcott’s form has dipped and he is sadly not the same player who was full of confidence and scoring for fun during the first half of the season. It was no surprise to see him substituted on Saturday.

While the Gunners struggled to create any significant goal scoring opportunities, Fulham actually posed the greater threat, catching the away side on the counter attack and forcing Szczesny into fine saves from Berbatov and Emanuelson. Although Giroud did hit the post, following a clever turn and shot on goal, Arsenal did not deserve to be in the lead at halftime. Yet right before the interval the Gunners did manage to score what turned out to be the match winning goal, thanks to woeful defending from the home side. Laurent Koscielny was completely unmarked in the six yard box as he headed Walcott’s free kick delivery across goal, where Per Mertesacker was able to steer the ball home, with no Fulham defender in sight.

Despite having taken the lead, the game did not change at all in the second half and in fact Arsenal seemed to play even worse than they had done in the first period. Once again their build up play was excruciatingly slow and at times appeared to have no real purpose. The Gunners were clearly content to sit on their one goal advantage as they showed no desire to increase their lead. After the game, Wenger blamed his players’ lethargy on the tough physical encounter with Everton on Tuesday, noting that the Toffees had also not been at their best in their defeat against Sunderland.

In the end, Arsenal were fortunate to see the game out, the defence standing firm under great pressure in the closing stages of the match, especially following Giroud’s red card in the 90^th minute. The Frenchman will now miss three of the last four games of the season, although this may well be a blessing in disguise as he has not been at his best in recent weeks and Giroud’s omission could provide Podolski an opportunity to stake his claim for the lone striker role.     

This was an extremely important victory for Arsenal, especially following Tottenham’s morale boosting comeback win against Manchester City on Sunday and Chelsea dropping two points in the last minute at Anfield. While both teams are within touching distance of the Gunners, their game in hand is against each other. Therefore Arsenal can only concentrate on their own games, seeking to win their remaining four fixtures. This will be a tough order against Manchester United at home on Sunday and then up against two clubs in the midst of a relegation battle in QPR and Wigan before a trip to Newcastle on the final day of the season. While there will be many twists and turns during the coming weeks, one thing is certain, any slip ups now will prove extremely costly. Wenger’s team must give their all to make sure that at the end of the campaign they are not looking back with regret.

Stalemate at the Emirates

Arsenal 0-0 Everton

Arsenal and Everton played out a goalless draw last night which could well mean the fight for a top four finish will once again go right down to the last game of the season. This was a tense encounter played with great intensity from both sides but with so much riding on the outcome ultimately ended in a stalemate. A victory for the Gunners would have virtually ended Everton’s hopes of Champions League qualification while also placing added pressure on both Tottenham and Chelsea. Yet had the visitors secured the valuable three points, they would have moved to within a point of Arsenal.

The Gunners, as has occurred so often in the big games this season, started the match in sluggish fashion, failing to pick up where they had left off against Norwich on Saturday. The home side were almost punished for their lethargy as early as the seventh minute as Seamus Coleman’s low and curved forward ball was allowed to travel right across the box by the static Arsenal defence. The pass was met by Steven Pienaar but fortunately the South African could only slice his effort over the bar.

Arsenal’s passing, especially in midfield, was often awry as the home side struggled to come to terms with Everton’s pressing game. Fellaini, Pienaar and Gibson seemed to dominate much of the early exchanges, with strong and robust challenges flying in time and time again. In fact Darren Gibson could consider himself extremely fortunate not to have been dismissed during the first half following two cynical body checks on Theo Walcott. Such a decision would have surely transformed the outcome of this match, but the referee, having already booked Gibson, was not strong enough to make such a call, a decision which was further confounded when Pienaar received a yellow card moments later for an identical foul. Surely David Moyes’ appearance on Saturday night’s Match of the Day, in which he lambasted the officials for awarding Arsenal the penalty against Norwich, which helped change the outcome of that match, had nothing to do with Neil Swarbrick’s inept performance last night?  

With Wilshere and Cazorla suffering the effects of Everton’s rough house tactics, Arsenal could have easily been overcome and simply surrendered all three points. At times such as these the Gunners lack of a dominant physical presence in central midfield, in the mould of Fellaini, is really brought to the fore. Come the end of the season, Arsene Wenger may well regret not signing an adequate replacement for Alex Song in either the summer or January transfer window and effectively gambling on the injury prone Diaby lasting an entire season. Yet last night the home side dug deep and as the first half wore on, began to come to terms with the aggressive nature of the game and started to grow into the match.

Although it did take until the 24^th minute for Arsenal to register their first shot on goal, which Kieran Gibbs blazed over the bar, following Fellaini’s poor attempted clearance; this was a game of few clear cut chances with both defences largely winning their personal duels. It was much to their credit that the Gunners did not become frustrated and continued to play their own game. In fact despite Everton’s positive start to the game, it was Wenger’s men who created the best chance of the first half. Aaron Ramsey’s excellent low cross was met by Olivier Giroud, who slid onto the ball, but with Tim Howard rushing off his line applying pressure on the Arsenal striker’s finish, the Frenchman could only divert his effort wide of the goal.

This was not Giroud’s best game in an Arsenal shirt, as he was constantly outmuscled and outfought in the aerial battles and struggled to exert his presence on the game. The former Montpellier striker was not able to hold the ball up or link the play well with his teammates and it was somewhat surprising to see him complete the full 90 minutes. Lukas Podolski has apparently been deployed up front during recent training sessions and Wenger could have moved the German into this position during last night’s game. While Podolski does not have the same physical presence as Giroud, he is more mobile than the Frenchman, makes better runs in and around the penalty area and has a powerful, clinical finish when presented with an opportunity.  

Unfortunately Giroud just does not make the runs expected of a striker. One incident during the second half yesterday, highlighted this perfectly. As Kieran Gibbs raced into the Everton penalty area and towards the by-line, the young Englishman played the ball back towards the edge of the six yard box where he was expecting his striker to be. Yet Giroud was still standing on the edge of the penalty area, looking on and seemingly caught on his heels. Surely a ruthless goal scorer would have burst forward, in an attempt to get on the end of Gibbs’ cut back? Giroud just seems to lack the movement and pure ruthlessness associated with the game’s top strikers and last night missed the best chance of the match as a result. As the Gunners hit Everton on the counter attack, following a blocked Leighton Baines free kick, Cazorla surged forward, before feeding Oxlade-Chamberlain, whose low cross left Giroud with the goal at his mercy. Yet rather than putting his foot through the ball, the Frenchman was denied by an excellent last ditch tackle from Coleman, which the Everton defender really should not have been allowed to make.

At the end of the game, Arsenal could reflect on an opportunity missed. From the moment Santi Cazorla had been moved from the left flank and into the middle of the park, the Gunners had dominated the second half and created enough chances to have won the game, but just could not apply the finishing touch. While deploying Cazorla on the wing is understandable, as in theory he should have more space out wide in which to weave his magic, than in the often congested midfield, the Spaniard always appears more effective when at the heart of the Arsenal attack. Cazorla is at his best when he is pulling the strings, zipping passes across the pitch and seeking to unlock the opposition’s defence with a delightful through ball. With Walcott, Gervinho, Oxlade-Chamberlain and even Podolski all available and better suited to playing on the wing than Cazorla, it is difficult to understand why Wenger continues to select the Spaniard in this position.

With the game ending in frustrating stalemate, several pundits were quick to point out that last night’s result handed the initiative back to Tottenham and Chelsea. However Wenger chose to stress the fact that with tough fixtures remaining for all three teams, they will all drop points during the end of season run-in. Therefore, rather than being pessimistic, Gunners fans should consider that last night’s point takes Arsenal a step closer to securing a top four finish whilst also keeping Everton at bay. Wenger’s side must now focus all their efforts on trying to win their remaining games as we all prepare ourselves for an extremely tense finish to the season.

Late show saves Gunners

Arsenal 3-1 Norwich

During yesterday’s post match press conference and highlights programmes, much was made of the penalty decision, taken in the 85^th minute, which ultimately played a crucial role in changing the outcome of this match. Some said it was a harsh call while others proclaimed surprise that the linesman could make such a decision, given the distance between himself and the incident.

As the debate raged on and on, it merely turned the focus away from the fact Norwich City got exactly what they deserved from a game in which they made no attempt to secure victory and a vital three point haul. The Canaries arrived at the Emirates with the sole aim of spoiling the game in the hope of ambushing the Gunners and effectively stealing a point. As several sides have done in the past, Norwich sought to frustrate the home side by getting as many men behind the ball as possible and keeping them there, defending extremely deep leaving no space for Arsenal to exploit. The fact that at half time the visitors had registered absolutely no attempts on goal, spoke for itself as did the time wasting which began as early as the first period.

With Chris Houghton setting his side up as he did, it was crucial for Arsenal to score an early goal to open up the game. Had the Gunners taken the lead in the opening twenty minutes, the visitors would have been forced to abandon their negative tactics, becoming more adventurous in search of a goal and ultimately leaving space which Arsenal could exploit.  Unfortunately, despite their best efforts, Wenger’s team just could not break the deadlock.

First, Giroud was extremely unlucky to see his looped header from Sagna’s cross come back off the crossbar, before Wilshere’s attempted pass to Ramsey was just in front of the Welshman, allowing Mark Bunn, in the Norwich goal to come out and collect the ball. The Gunners continued to push forward and seemed certain to break the deadlock when Cazorla’s wonderful through ball saw Gervinho race clear, only for him to take a heavy touch as he attempted to round the goalkeeper. With the angle becoming more and more acute, the Ivorian should have looked up and played the ball back to Giroud for an easy finish, but instead decided take the shot on, only to see his effort sail wide of goal. With halftime approaching, Cazorla let fly from distance, but his shot was straight at Bunn and with seconds left, Giroud’s goal bound header was cleared by Steven Whittaker.

Despite enjoying promising moments in the first half, the Gunners struggled to maintain their momentum at the beginning of the second period. The only way to break down a side who sit so deep and seek to get every man behind the ball, is to have players running beyond the opposition’s midfield. At times yesterday it was far too easy for Norwich to defend as the Arsenal players would often slowly pass the ball amongst themselves, in front of the away side’s midfield and therefore not stretching the visitors at all. This can only be achieved with quick passing and movement. Once the opposition are pulled out of position, mistakes begin to occur and opportunities are created.

With the Gunners struggling to break down a resilient Norwich side, the last thing the home team needed was to fall behind. Yet with eleven minutes of the second half played, Norwich were awarded a free kick as Kamara tripped over his own legs. It was clearly not a foul, but this incident was largely brushed aside after the game. Nevertheless, Arsenal’s defending was absolutely shocking as Sagna completely lost Michael Turner, allowing the Norwich man a free header on goal, which he directed into the bottom corner to give the away side an undeserved lead.

Wenger reacted immediately, bringing on both Walcott and Podolski for Wilshere, who was clearly off the pace all afternoon and the underwhelming Gervinho. The changes had an instant effect, with Walcott’s searing pace on the wing causing havoc amongst the Norwich defence. But the Gunners were still finding it difficult to create goal scoring opportunities, with the slick and greasy pitch not helping as on several occasions, the ball skimmed off the surface and ran out, resulting in howls of frustration from the home fans.

As the clock ticked down, and the tension increased with every second, it appeared as though this would not be Arsenal’s day. With eleven minutes left, Giroud cushioned the ball into Podolski’s path and the German unleashed a wonderful effort which seemed destined for the back of the net but instead cannoned back off the crossbar. Then with 85 minutes on the clock, the Gunners were offered a way back into the game thanks to that penalty award. While it was difficult to spot in real time, the replay clearly showed Kei Kamara pulling Giroud’s shirt in the box. Whether it was the linesman or the referee that gave the decision the main thing is that it was the right decision.

With the Norwich players arguing with the linesman and referee, Mikel Arteta had to wait an age before dispatching his spot kick precisely into the corner of the goal. Bunn got his hands to the ball, but could not prevent it from going in. Having drawn level, suddenly the floodgates opened and three minutes later the Gunners took the lead. Oxlade Chamberlain, who had come off the bench and been deployed in the middle of the pitch, embarked on a surging run down the right flank. The young Englishman reached the touchline before firing low across goal, where Bassong turned the ball into his own net, under pressure from Giroud.

The Emirates stadium went wild, but seconds later, as had happened in the home encounter with Norwich the previous year, Arsenal almost threw it all away. A long ball forward was headed down to Howson, who was in acres of space and fired on goal. Fortunately, Fabianski got his angles right and was able to block with his feet.

The shredded nerves of the home fans were not helped with the six minutes of injury time indicated at the end of the game as Norwich benefited from their constant time wasting. However, Lukas Podolski made sure the Gunners could rest easy for the final few minutes, the German turning on the edge of the box, before unleashing an unstoppable shot past Bunn to secure all three points.

Arsene Wenger once again praised his side’s great spirit, character and never say die attitude as they snatched a vital victory from the jaws of defeat. It was crucial for the Gunners to maintain their fine recent run of form and heap as much pressure on Tottenham and Chelsea as possible. The match against Everton on Tuesday night is now absolutely huge. Wenger must surely be concerned at the defending which almost cost Arsenal dear here, as Everton will definitely test them with Leighton Baines’ excellent set-piece delivery. However a draw will not do for David Moyes and so his side must attack, potentially leaving the Gunners space which they must seek to exploit. One thing is certain; it will be another tense 90 minutes at the Emirates.

Little Mozart downs Baggies

West Brom 1-2 Arsenal

 

 

Arsenal extended their recent run of fine form, with a hard earned away win at West Brom on Saturday. In similar fashion to the recent victory away to Sunderland, the Gunners once again displayed the great spirit and character possessed within the squad to dig deep and grind out a result, having been reduced to 10 men.

Arsene Wenger’s side, although not at their best, had appeared to be in complete control of proceedings, especially when the impressive Thomas Rosicky fired home early in the second half to give his side a seemingly unassailable two goal lead. From this moment on, the Gunners should have been able to see out the game with consummate ease. Yet Arsenal have a tendency for shooting themselves in the foot and forcing their supporters to live on their nerves. Saturday’s game was no different.

Despite enjoying a two goal lead, the introduction of on-loan Chelsea striker Romelu Lukaku in the 63^rd minute, prompted the previously resolute and composed Arsenal defence to suddenly descend into old habits, becoming extremely nervous, leading to poor decisions and increased pressure on the Gunners goal. Per Mertesacker was the main culprit, with the German international committing a series of errors, which ultimately culminated in his sending off in the 70^th minute. Mertesacker didn’t seem to recover from a poor square pass to Kosielny which was easily seized upon by Shane Long, leaving the Frenchman with no option but to bring down the West Brom striker, earning himself a yellow card. From this moment on, the German’s composure simply appeared to have deserted him. Mertesacker is not blessed with pace and so positioning is everything to his game, but the German suddenly lost his positional awareness and began to get caught out time and time again.

This rapid loss of form was to prove costly with twenty minutes of the game still to play. James Morrison’s clipped ball over the top of the Arsenal defence found Shane Long, who had all too easily escaped the clutches of Mertesacker. As the ball flew over him, the German international turned his head to see where Long was, but did not move to towards him. This enabled the West Brom man to control the ball and get in front of Mertesacker, who in desperation lunged into a tackle he was never going to win, bringing Long down to concede a penalty and earn himself an early bath.

Morrison converted the spot kick to reduce the deficit, the ball just squirming under Fabianski’s legs, and Arsenal were set for an extremely nervous last twenty minutes. The Gunners didn’t help themselves at all during this period of the game, as they tended to drop deeper and deeper, conceding far too much territory to the home side and failing to put any pressure on the ball. Subsequently, West Brom’s players had plenty of time to get their heads up and pick out a pass as they bombarded the Arsenal penalty area with lofted balls. Although the Gunners coped with the aerial bombardment extremely well, on several occasions, they couldn’t get to the second ball and this is where the danger lay. Lukaku in particular had a golden opportunity to restore parity in the 85^th minute, the ball falling to him following a low cross which the Gunners failed to clear. Fortunately for the away side, the Belgian skewed his shot just wide of goal when he seemed destined to score.   

Another negative aspect of Arsenal defending so deep was the fact that when they did win possession, they could not hold onto the ball. With Giroud completely isolated upfront, the Gunners were constantly attempting to hit long passes up to the Frenchman, only to see him unable to win the aerial challenge and the ball quickly returning to the home side. Had the Gunners held a slightly higher defensive line, they wouldn’t have come under such intense pressure as they would have been able to meet the West Brom midfield higher up the pitch, enabling them to exert pressure on the man in possession, restricting the home side from launching constant aerial attacks on the Arsenal penalty area. In addition, upon winning possession, the Gunners would have also had more options when looking for a forward pass, enabling them to keep the ball and alleviate the pressure they were under.

Nevertheless, Arsene Wenger’s side stood firm and held on for a crucial victory, despite five minutes of injury time and the ridiculous decision by Howard Webb to add on a further minute following an injury to Olivier Giroud. While the team’s resilience in the face of adversity and under extreme pressure would have greatly pleased the manager, Thomas Rosicky’s excellent performance would have also brought a smile to Wenger’s face. With Jack Wilshere out injured, the Czech international’s return to full-fitness and fine form is extremely welcome at this stage of the season. Rosicky was excellent on Saturday, playing just behind Giroud, orchestrating Arsenal’s attacking play. His great desire and hunger were evident in both of the goals he scored.

The first highlighted the importance of having midfielders who are prepared to gamble and support the attack with runs into the box. Had Rosicky not made his way into the West Brom penalty area, Gervinho’s cross would have probably been harmless and easy to defend against. But Rosicky was in the right place at the right time to meet the cross with an instinctive header, which wrong-footed Ben Foster, to give Arsenal the lead. The Czech international’s second goal of the afternoon owed much to his never say die attitude. Having collected a low ball from Aaron Ramsey Rosicky took one touch before firing a thunderous shot on goal which Foster could only parry back into the middle of his penalty area. However Rosicky would not be foiled and instead of standing still admiring his initial shot; Arsenal’s number 7 surged forward into the box and fired the rebound into the bottom corner of the goal, his celebration indicating a passion which still burns brightly.

For most of his Arsenal career, Rosicky has been a frustrated figure, hampered by an unfortunate succession of injuries and stuck on the side-lines. But each and every time he has suffered a setback, Rosicky has simply refused to give up, recovering from his injury nightmare and ensuring his inclusion in first team affairs. The fact he has not only returned to full fitness but seems to have lost nothing of his ability at the highest level is extremely commendable. In fact, in similar fashion to last season, the man nicknamed little Mozart seems to be finding form at just the right time and with Ramsey and Gervinho doing likewise the Gunners must surely be optimistic for the end of season run-in.

Gervinho leads Gunners to victory

Arsenal 4-1 Reading

Arsenal were completely dominant on Saturday as they strolled to a crucial three points against relegation threatened Reading. The Gunners exuded confidence throughout, with the visitors simply unable to live with the home side’s superior passing ability.

Somewhat surprisingly, the star of the show was the much maligned Gervinho. When the Ivory Coast international’s name was read out before kickoff, boos were heard from certain sections of the Emirates crowd, but by fulltime, Gervinho had turned those boos into cheers with an excellent display. The main frustration with the former Lille front man is that all too often he promises so much but delivers so little. Time and time again he gets the crowd up off their seats as he surges forward utilising his electric pace and sumptuous skill to surge past the opposition defence and into the box. Unfortunately having got himself into such a promising position Gervinho often seems to panic and ultimately makes the wrong decision. His passing in the final third leaves much to be desired and during his time in North London, he has also missed several gilt edged opportunities.

Despite starting the season in fine form, scoring at will and at times selected to lead the line by Wenger, Gervinho’s form rapidly dipped and he appeared to suffer from a severe crisis in confidence as the crowd increasingly got on his back. On his return from international duty at the African Cup of Nations in January, it seemed that even Wenger had lost faith in Gervinho, with the Ivorian’s name omitted from the starting line up in the preceding weeks. Yet his substitute appearance in the away leg of the Champions League tie against Bayern Munich appears to have reignited Gervinho’s season. One piece of skill in particular, in which his clever turn on the edge of the box enabled him to escape the clutches of the Bayern defence and burst through on goal, showcased the great skill he possesses and the immense talent which is ready to be unleashed.

Since this game against Bayern, Gervinho has gone from strength to strength. In the following match away to Swansea, the Ivorian came off the bench and found the back of the net when one on one with Michel Vorm, with a cool, calm and controlled finish which exuded supreme confidence. Wenger duly rewarded the Ivorian with a place in the starting line up on Saturday and was not disappointed as Gervinho was a constant threat on the right hand side of the Arsenal attack causing Reading numerous problems.  He was particularly impressive as he showcased a striker’s innate awareness to score the opening goal of the game as well as excellent vision to set up two more.  

Arsenal took the lead with only eleven minutes played as Cazorla picked the ball up on the edge of the penalty area and drove it across goal. Gervinho, in the middle of the goal, timed his run to perfection, showing great anticipation to meet Carola’s low ball and fire home into an empty net. Having scored the opening goal, the Ivorian could have doubled his tally when glancing Sagna’s cross just wide of goal and then shortly afterwards Gervinho embarked on a fantastic solo run from inside his own half, brining the Emirates crowd to its feet, but unfortunately as he bore down on goal, Gervinho could only steer his shot wide.

The Gunners could and should have been further ahead during a first half of total domination in which they created numerous goal scoring opportunities, but a combination of poor finishing and last ditch Reading tackles combined to deny the home side.

Nevertheless, Wenger’s side continued to pour forward right from the start of the second half and were duly rewarded in the 48^th minute. With Gervinho in possession and Reading defending in numbers, Cazorla intelligently took two steps back to create some space for himself. Gervinho recognised this and instantly released the ball into the Spaniard’s path. Without a moment’s hesitation, Cazorla simply passed the ball around the Reading defender and into the bottom corner of the net for his twelfth goal of the season. It was a truly exceptional finish from Arsenal’s signing of the season. Cazorla ran the show on Saturday, pulling the strings in midfield to switch the point of the Arsenal attack time and time again. Reading had afforded the Spaniard time and space, and he took full advantage.

The visitors now had to push forward, which also left them susceptible to the counter attack. In the sixty sixth minute Reading almost caught the Gunners out with a quick short corner. The ball was cleared out of the area and Sagna cut out a Reading pass before releasing Gervinho with an excellent forward ball. Gervinho surged forward once more, forcing the Reading defence further and further back. In previous games, the Ivorian may have panicked and made the wrong decision, but on this occasion, he was calmness personified as he held onto the ball, waiting for Giroud to join him in the attack. Just at the right time, Gervinho laid the ball square to the Frenchman, the pass was weighted perfectly, enabling Giroud to take the shot on first time, giving the Reading defence no time to block it. Giroud’s effort gave former Arsenal goalkeeper Stuart Taylor, in the opposition goal, absolutely no chance, as it was hit low and hard, to give the Gunners a much deserved three goal lead.

Yet having scored the third, the home side seemed to relax and were duly punished, barely a minute later. Sagna allowed Jobi McAnuff to cut inside and cross the ball far too easily, while at the back post, Monreal completely lost his man, enabling Robson-Kanu to head the ball home and reduce the deficit. However despite the goal, Arsenal were never in danger of succumbing to an unlikely Reading comeback and made sure of the three points in the 77^th minute thanks to a Mikel Arteta penalty, following a foul on Oxlade-Chamberlain in the box.

Arsene Wenger could be extremely satisfied with his side’s performance on Saturday. His team completely controlled the game from start to finish and secured another three points in the race for a top four finish. It is crucial for Arsenal to maintain the pressure on both Chelsea and Tottenham as the season reaches its conclusion. Chelsea in particular have an incredibly busy fixture list as they attempt to win the Europa League and FA Cup, as well as maintaining their league form, while Tottenham are also still in the Europa League and face several tough fixtures in the Premiership. This is a race which could well go down to the very last game once again and the Gunners must make sure they are in the right position to take full advantage of any slip ups from their rivals. In a surprising twist, the much improved performances of Gervinho could well prove vital in the run-in.