Arsenal produced a dominant display against Wigan Athletic, scoring four goals without reply, to take home all three points. The performance was one akin to Arsenal of old as they passed the ball at will while the wonderful interplay and understanding that is developing between the front three of Walcott, Van Persie and Gervinho is extremely promising.
Yet Arsenal did not have it all their own way from the start as Wigan began the game strongly, pressing high up the pitch and placing the Arsenal full backs under pressure. As a result the Gunners struggled at first to establish their passing game. It was a match that maybe earlier in the season Arsenal would not have won and had Jordi Gomez’s early shot not been blocked by Andre Santos it may well have been a different story. However what impressed me most was the fact the players remained calm, slowly but surely began to assert their authority and as the first half wore on Wigan began to find it more and more difficult to maintain possession and get out of their own half. In the 28th minute the increasing pressure told as Vermaelen carried the ball out from defence, fed Mikel Arteta who strode forward and unleashed a long range shot which Ali Al Habsi should have saved, but instead let slip through both hands and into the net to put Arsenal in front. One minute later the Gunners doubled their lead from a Robin Van Persie corner and never looked back. The Dutchman’s fine delivery headed in at the back post by Thomas Vermaelen.
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Vermaelen heads home Arsenal's second |
The second half began in similar fashion to the first, with Wigan starting brightly but quickly fading away as Arsenal began to dominate once more. Aaron Ramsey was denied a clear penalty, by the hapless Mark Clattenburg, when the Welshman was pulled back in the area before Gervinho put the result beyond any doubt. Van Persie’s wonderful close control in the Wigan box, created just enough space for him to unleash a powerful shot on goal, which Al Habsi could only parry into the path of Gervinho, who applied the simplest of finishes. With Arsenal having scored three goals the only surprise was the omission of a certain Dutchman from the score sheet. He would not be denied. In the 78th minute Theo Walcott was sent clear, his pace and strength enabling him to get past his marker, before laying the ball back for Van Persie to seal a comfortable and stylish win for the Gunners.
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Walcott and Van Persie celebrate Arsenal's fourth goal against Wigan |
It was no surprise that Arsenal’s front three were heavily involved in the last two goals on Saturday. They are slowly becoming one of the most potent attacks in the Premier League. Walcott and Gervinho have phenomenal pace and regularly look to get in behind the opposition’s backline, forcing them to play deeper and so creating more space for the Gunners’ midfield. Up front Van Persie is clearly in the form of his life and feels he can score at any given moment. Significantly all three are extremely versatile and continually alternate their positions throughout the match, posing the opposition defence with various problems and the Arsenal attack with numerous options. They are also becoming familiar with each other’s game and so when in possession, instinctively know where the others will be, increasing the speed and effectiveness of the attack. Hopefully all three can remain fit as we enter the notoriously busy Christmas schedule as they are essential to Arsenal’s excellent recent run of results.
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