Gunner news: Arsenal 2-0 Napoli

 

Mesut Ozil scored his first goal for Arsenal as an early onslaught saw off a surprisingly sloppy Napoli at the Emirates Stadium.

In a pulsating start, he German caressed home an Aaron Ramsey cross on eight minutes, having been found unmarked by the Welshman on the edge of the penalty area.

Ozil then capitalised on some slack Napoli defending from their own throw-in by surging to the byeline and squaring for Olivier Giroud to double the Gunners' lead, and the advantage proved decisive.

Arsene Wenger – celebrating 17 years in charge of Arsenal - welcomed back Rosicky from a thigh injury to replace Serge Gnabry, while Mikel Arteta came in as Jack Wilshere was rested.

Gonzalo Higuain - who was a transfer-window target for Wenger's side - was unable to shake off a calf injury in time to feature for Napoli.

Arsenal were at their free-flowing best right from the off and were soon two goals ahead.

The first came in just the eighth minute when Ramsey stormed down the right-hand side and cut back for Ozil on the edge of the box and the German hit a sublime first-time shot that nestled in the corner.

And the home fans celebrated a second after quarter of an hour. Giroud flicked to Ozil in the box and he stormed to the byline before laying back for the Frenchman to tap home from close range.

Napoli almost responded when Miguel Britos made a late run into the box from a Lorenzo Insigne corner and headed wide when unmarked.

Arsenal continued to dominate with Ozil and Ramsey producing a midfield masterclass. The latter twice saw shots blocked in the area by Raul Albiol.

The home side's lead was almost extended immediately after the restart when Giroud raced clear on the right and fed into the path of Rosicky six yards from goal, but he failed to make good contact when under pressure from Britos.

Napoli tried to come back into the contest and Insigne twice saw efforts go just wide, while Gokhan Inler blazed harmlessly over with 20 minutes remaining.

Laurent Koscielny then had a wonderful opportunity to add a third when he met Arteta's flick but from point-blank range he fired straight at Pepe Reina.

But Koscielny's miss made no difference to the final score as Arsenal moved to the top of the group. Their next Champions League fixture is at home to Borussia Dortmund on October 22. 

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Gunner news: Swansea City 1-2 Arsenal

Gnabry and Ramsey send Gunners two points clear at the top
After a tight first half the away side showed their class in the second with Serge Gnabry and Aaron Ramsey producing top finishes, while Ben Davies' goal proved just a consolation.
Aaron Ramsey scored his eighth goal of the season as Arsenal moved to the top of the Premier League table with a 2-1 win at Swansea City.

Ramsey's hot streak of form – which has seen him score five goals in his last four matches – continued in his native Wales as Arsene Wenger's men won their fifth Premier League game in a row.
After an uninspiring first half, Ramsey set up German youngster Serge Gnabry for the game's first goal in the 58th minute.

And the former Cardiff City midfielder produced a composed finish himself just a few moments later as Arsenal recorded their eighth Premier League away win in succession.

With a lengthy injury list, Arsenal – who are missing the likes of Santi Cazorla, Theo Walcott, Lukas Podolski and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain – made nine changes from the side that beat West Brom on penalties in the League Cup on Wednesday, retaining only German pair Gnabry and Per Mertesacker.

Swansea saw their defence of the League Cup end at Birmingham City in midweek, and they kept just four players in their team, recalling Spanish star Michu, although they were without injured defensive pair Ashley Williams and Angel Rangel (both ankle).

Jonathan De Guzman and Jonjo Shelvey both fired over in the early stages for the hosts while Ramsey shot wide from distance, but despite both sides enjoying good spells of possession, they failed to penetrate in a dull first half that saw neither produce a shot on target.

Arsenal goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny was almost caught out after a heavy touch played in Michu, but an offside flag avoided further embarrassment for the Polish goalkeeper, while a De Guzman free-kick was blasted over in an effort that summed up the first 45 minutes.

The visitors should have scored in first-half stoppage time though, with an excellent Gnabry run finishing with Olivier Giroud, but the Frenchman, who had gone down with an ankle injury a few moments earlier, dragged his effort wide.

The second half started slowly, with Szczesny forced to charge off his line to deny Michu, but Arsenal won the game thanks to four minutes of brilliance.

The lively Gnabry opened the scoring just short of the hour, making the most of a neat Ramsey flick to slot a cool finish beyond Swansea goalkeeper Michel Vorm and into the bottom corner.

Mesut Ozil nearly doubled Arsenal's lead less than a minute later but saw his near-post effort saved by Vorm, before a counter-attack that ended with Ramsey saw the Welshman maintain his scoring run.

An excellent team move that also involved Jack Wilshere and Giroud saw the latter cut back for Ramsey, and the goalscorer took a touch before smashing an effort into the top corner to delight the travelling fans.

Nathan Dyer forced Szczesny into a terrific save as Swansea pressed for a goal and defender Ben Davies gave them a lifeline with eight minutes to play.

The left-back ran forward and played in substitute Wilfried Bony, and Davies followed his run, collecting Bony's lobbed pass and finishing beyond Szczesny.

It was a terrific goal but time ran out for Swansea, as Arsenal won again ahead of a mouth-watering UEFA Champions League clash against Rafael Benitez's Napoli on Tuesday.

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Gunner news: West Brom 1-1 Arsenal (3-4 on pens)

 

Monreal the hero as Gunners progress to face Chelsea
The two sides could not be seperated after 120 minutes, with Saido Berahino cancelling out Thomas Eisfeld's opener, before Craig Dawson and Morgan Amalfitano missed from the spot
The north London club's 20-year-old German starlet Thomas Eisfeld gave the away side the lead in the second half, latching onto a perfectly weighted through-ball from Nicklas Bendtner, before the Baggies responded through Saido Berahino.

But with the scores still level after extra-time, the match went to a penalty shoot-out. Serge Gnabry was the first player to miss, giving West Brom the advantage, but Craig Dawson and Morgan Amalfitano both failed to beat Lukasz Fabianski as Monreal converted the final penalty to win the tie.

Steve Clarke made eight changes to the side that beat Sunderland 3-0 on Saturday, with only Youssouf Mulumbu, Scott Sinclair and Stephane Sessegnon retaining their places.

Arsenal too took the opportunity to rest key personnel, with Per Mertesacker and Serge Gnabry the only survivors from the 3-1 win over Stoke City, while Bendtner made his first start for the club in two years.

West Brom had the first chance in the 25th minute when Dawson's looping header from Graham Dorrans' corner required Fabianski to tip over the crossbar.

Arsene Wenger's side were then lucky not to have 18-year-old debutant Isaac Hayden sent off. The midfielder’s sliding tackle on Mulumbu was late and robust but referee Robert Madley deemed it only a yellow card.

West Brom produced the best effort of the match to that point on the stroke of half-time, when Reid’s 35-yard free kick dipped and just grazed the top of the bar, but that near miss saw the teams go in level.

Mulumbu forced the first genuine save of the night on the hour mark, when he teed himself up for a volley that Fabianski parried out for a corner, but West Brom failed to orchestrate clear openings and were duly punished as Arsenal went ahead in the 62nd minute.

Bendtner’s sideways pass into the box was met by the run of Eisfeld and the 20-year-old showed good composure to coolly slot beyond Luke Daniels at the near post.

That goal should have allowed the visitors to exercise control of the game but, with 20 minutes remaining, the home fans were on their feet celebrating an equaliser.

Arsenal failed to clear their lines from a West Brom corner and a dinked cross from Dorrans was met by Berahino, who headed home from eight yards despite Fabianski getting a hand to the ball.

Both teams pushed forward for a winner in the ensuing minutes, but with neither able to find a breakthrough, the game headed for extra time.

Bendtner could have wrapped it up in the 97th minute when Serge Gnabry sent him racing clear, but the Dane took too long to get his shot away and allowed Dawson to recover and make a last-ditch tackle.

And with just four minutes remaining, substitute Amalfitano thought he had won it for West Brom but saw his drilled effort cannon back off the bar. Markus Rosenburg went close moments later, before Sinclair sliced a volley well wide from close range.

That meant the match headed to penalties where, after two successful spot-kicks for the hosts and one for the away side, Gnabry saw his effort saved.

But Dawson and Amalfitano both fired wide for the home side, leaving Monreal the chance to win the tie, and the Spaniard made no mistake as he fired high into the roof of the net to set up a fourth round clash with Chelsea.

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Gunner news: Arsenal 3-1 Stoke City

Ozil sets up Gunners treble
The former Real Madrid man played a part in all three of the home side's goals as Mark Hughes' charges failed to deal with set-pieces, with Geoff Cameron netting for the Potters
The Germany international had a hand in all three of his side's goals on his home debut as Arsene Wenger's men eased to a comfortable win that sent them top of the Premier League ahead of Sunday'slate fixtures.

Ozil's free kick was parried into the path of Aaron Ramsey to score a fifth-minute opener, before Geoff Cameron cancelled that out for Stoke.
Per Mertesacker put Arsenal back in front at the break, with Ozil supplying the assist, before the £42 million playmaker was on hand again to supply the third for Bacary Sagna to head home his first goal since February 2012 with 18 minutes left.

The only change for the hosts came just prior to the match, with Serge Gnabry called up as a late replacement for Theo Walcott, who was laid low with illness.

Mikel Arteta and Nicklas Bendtner both made their first appearances of the season on the bench. For the visitors, Marko Arnautovic made his first start for the club in place of Matthew Etherington.

Arsenal had won their last six in all competitions going into the clash and they were ahead within five minutes through Ramsey.

Ozil's free kick was parried away by Asmir Begovic and Ramsey followed up to finish at the near post and claim his fourth goal in three games.

Stoke responded well, and they were level through Cameron after 26 minutes, with the American coolly slotting home from outside the area.

Arnautovic saw his volleyed effort come back off the post, with the defender latching onto the rebound to put his side level.

Parity lasted just 10 minutes, though, and as Arsenal pressed forward, they were rewarded once again with the lead when Mertesacker put them back in front nine minutes before the break with his first goal of the season.

Ozil was the architect again as he swung in a corner and Germany international Mertesacker headed towards the far post, with the ball creeping in despite the efforts of the scrambling Begovic.

Olivier Giroud forced an impressive save from Begovic seven minutes after the break, following good work from Gnabry, before the French striker curled an effort over from inside the area soon afterwards.

Marc Wilson then had a sight on goal for Stoke just after the hour mark, but Wojciech Szczesny was equal to it and the Pole was soon required again, gathering a dangerous delivery from Steven N'Zonzi as the visitors applied pressure.

However, Arsenal went two goals clear courtesy of another header after 72 minutes, with Sagna getting his name on the scoresheet as he met another Ozil delivery and looped his header over Begovic and into the far corner.

Ozil was withdrawn to a standing ovation after 79 minutes, with Arteta on in his place, as Arsenal closed out the game to move top of the table.

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Gunner news: Marseille 1-2 Arsenal

Walcott & Ramsey gets Gunners off to perfect start

 

Jordan Ayew netted a late penalty to set up a nervous final few minutes, but the Premier League side will fly home happy after a confident performance in Europe

Arsene Wenger's men earned a win in their last visit to the Stade Velodrome back in 2011, and they replicated they feat on Wednesday, Walcott finding the net with a close-range volley before Ramsey wrapped things up with a fine individual effort after the break.

Jordan Ayew grabbed a late consolation from the penalty spot for the hosts, but Arsenal held on to claim all three points.

Elie Baup made just one change to the Marseille side that drew 1-1 with Toulouse on Saturday, Andre Ayew replacing Florian Thauvin on the left-hand side of midfield.Arsenal's only alteration came in defence, with manager Arsene Wenger - who has seen his side win five of their last six competitive outings - opting to select the experienced Per Mertesacker in favour of Carl Jenkinson.

Marseille made a bright start to proceedings with Andre-Pierre Gignac and Mathieu Valbuena both testing Wojciech Szczesny in the early going.

Arsenal responded quickly however, Theo Walcott forcing Steve Mandanda into a save with a close-range effort after beating left-back Jeremy Morel for pace.

Still, it was the hosts that continued to dictate play. Valbuena volleyed over before Andre Ayew headed narrowly wide after an excellent right-wing cross from Dimitri Payet.

The visitors struggled to gain a foothold in the midfield, with Valbuena and 21-year-old Giannelli Imbula particularly impressive for Baup’s men.

And Marseille almost got their reward for a positive display shortly before the break, Gignac heading just over the bar at the near post after powering onto a Payet corner.

Baup's side continued in the ascendancy straight after the break, Rod Fanni volleying inches wide of the post after good work down the right from Alaixys Romao.

Arsenal remained an attacking threat, though, and they almost took the lead in superb fashion, Kieran Gibbs denied by a fantastic reaction save from Mandanda after latching on to a deft backheel from Mesut Ozil.

The game quickly became stretched, with both sides crafting regular goalscoring opportunities, Payet keeping Szczesny busy with a fierce drive, before Jack Wilshere drew a near-post stop from Mandanda at the other end.

Arsenal never looked settled at the back, and they had Gibbs to thank for keeping them level as he showed great awareness to head a Payet cross off the line after miscommunication between Mertesacker and Szczesny.

But Marseille were finally made to pay for their profligacy 19 minutes into the second half, Walcott firing a magnificent volley into the top corner after Morel had failed to deal with Gibbs' far-post cross.

Payet and Valbeuna both then went close as the Ligue 1 club searched for an equaliser, but it was Arsenal who proved the more clinical of the two sides, Ramsey securing the points as he jinked through the home defence before sending a precise low shot beyond the grasp of Mandanda.

Marseille did get one back in injury time, though, Jordan Ayew scoring from 12 yards after Laurent Koscielny had felled Andre Ayew in the box.

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Gunners news: Fenerbahce 0-3 Arsenal

Gunners put one foot in the group stages

Goals from Kieran Gibbs, Aaron Ramsey and Olivier Giroud have put Arsene Wenger's men in a commanding position in the Champions League play-off ahead of next week's second leg

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Arsenal ran out comfortable 3-0 winners over Fenerbahce in Istanbul on Wednesday night to put one foot in the group stages of the Champions League.

Second-half goals from Kieran Gibbs, Aaron Ramsey and a penalty from Olivier Giroud made sure of the win, with the Gunners now firmly in the driving seat ahead of next week's second leg at the Emirates Stadium.

Arsene Wenger was forced into one change from the opening day of the Premier League season with injury to Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain ruling him out of the trip to Turkey.

Santi Cazorla replaced the England international with Lukas Podolski having to settle for a place on the bench.

Fenerbahce gave starts to new signings Bruno Alves and Michal Kadlec, while another new arrival Emmanuel Emenike was named as a substitute.

Having dominated the opening exchanges, Arsenal tested goalkeeper Volkan Demirel for the first time after 19 minutes.

Cazorla created the first opportunity for Walcott, his through-ball nearly finding the forward, but Demirel slid in well to intercept.

The loose ball fell to Tomas Rosicky and he delivered a perfect cross for Giroud but the striker’s header was just wide of goal.

Fenerbahce were struggling to get into the game and failed to test Wojciech Szczesny in the opening half.

Wenger's early season injury problems continued just after the half hour when Laurent Koscielny was forced off with a head injury.

The French defender clashed with Pierre Webo and had to be replaced by Carl Jenkinson.

The hosts began the second half at a much higher tempo but fell behind six minutes in as Gibbs scored a crucial away goal.

Just after the hour, Arsenal doubled their lead thanks to Ramsey.

He received a pass from Jack Wilshere 35 yards from goal and moved at pace towards the Fenerbahce defence. As he reached the penalty area, Ramsey fired a low shot into the bottom corner, although Demirel should have done better.

The victory was secured with 14 minutes to play as Kadlec brought down Walcott inside the penalty area. Giroud made no mistake from the spot, sending Demirel the wrong way to complete a perfect night for Arsenal.

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Gunners news: Vietnam 1-7 Arsenal

Giroud grabs first-half hat-trick in friendly rout

The Frenchman, apparently unruffled by reports linking the Gunners to Gonzalo Higuain and Luis Suarez, took his pre-season tally to five as Jack Wilshere made his bow

Olivier Giroud bagged a first-half hat-trick as Arsenal continued their pre-season tour of Asia with a 7-1 annihilation of Vietnam in Hanoi.

Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, Chuba Akpom and Ignasi Miquel also found the net against the international minnows, while Jack Wilshere made his first appearance of the season from the bench.Arsene Wenger made five changes to the side which demolished the Indonesia XI on Sunday, with Bacary Sagna filling in at centre-back and Lukas Podolski and Giroud up front.

And inside five minutes they took the lead, with Tomas Rosicky dinking the ball cleverly in behind for Giroud, who smashed the ball low into the bottom corner.

Despite their obvious superiority, the Gunners looked lethargic and even a little jaded at times, and only Vietnam’s lack of attacking quality prevented them encountering more problems.

But in attack Arsene Wenger’s men were creating chances at will, and on 19 minutes Podolski headed over when found by Serge Gnabry’s inviting cross.

Nine minutes later the lively Gnabry’s incisive pass put Podolski clean through, but after dodging past two challenges, Giroud failed to read the German’s pass and the chance went begging.

Five minutes before the break Podolski went even closer, lashing against the post from the edge of the area, with Gnabry seeing his low first-time rebound beaten away.

Arsenal were playing well within themselves against the side languishing in 145th in the Fifa rankings, but two goals in three minutes before half-time put them firmly in control.

On 44 minutes Giroud capitalised on a poor defensive clearance to curl the ball superbly into the corner, and two minutes later he raced onto Oxlade-Chamberlain’s slide-rule pass to dink in.

Having completed his hat-trick the Frenchman was withdrawn at the break, but Arsenal showed no mercy in the second half.

It took barely a minute for substitute Theo Walcott to surge forward down the right and square the ball for Oxlade-Chamberlain, who curled the ball first time into the top corner.

Only 10 minutes later the Gunners were at it again – this time Aaron Ramsey dinked the ball through for Akpom, and Giroud’s replacement slotted calmly into the bottom corner.

Just before the hour mark the youngster had his second, tapping into an empty net after Oxlade-Chamberlain had strolled through a non-existent Vietnamese defence and squared the ball.

On 66 minutes Wilshere replaced Oxlade-Chamberlain, and eight minutes later the Gunners grabbed their seventh, as Miquel swept home after a neat exchange of passes with Ramsey in the penalty area.

Some 12 minutes from time Vietnam got themselves an unlikely consolation, as substitute Tran Manh Dung finished off a flowing counterattack with a slightly scuffed finish which looped into the net.

At the other end, substitute goalkeeper Tran Buu Ngoc saw red for handling outside his area late on, and Arsenal comfortably saw out the win.

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Gunners news: Indonesia 0-7 Arsenal

 Giroud, Podolski & Walcott on target in emphatic friendly win

The Gunners notched six second-half goals to produce a flattering scoreline as Chuba Akpom, Kristoffer Olsson and Thomas Eisfeld all also got themselves of the scoresheet

Fine work from Alex Oxlade Chamberlain saw the England international open the scoring before Chuba Akpom, Giroud, Podolski, Kristoffer Olsson and Thomas Eisfeld underlined the Gunners' dominance in the second half.

Arsene Wenger opted for a mixture of experience and youth for his first team selection of the 2013-14 season, with the likes of Mikel Arteta and Walcott playing alongside Serge Gnabry and Akpom in midfield and attack, respectively.

In a typically slow start to proceedings for a pre-season friendly, the Premier League side looked the more threatening, with Akpom, Kieran Gibbs and Aaron Ramsey all going close early on but all failing to test goalkeeper Kurnia Meiga.But it did not take long for Arsenal to break the deadlock, with Oxlade-Chamberlain pouncing on hesitation in the Indonesia defence to storm forward into the penalty area before sliding the ball into the path of the onrushing Walcott to calmly sidefoot past Meiga on the 15-minute mark.

The visitors nearly doubled their lead moments later when Ramsey and Akpom combined to force a corner, before the midfielder nearly fortuitously found the back of the net via Indonesia defender Ruben Sanadi only for the ball to flash past the post.

Again Akpom went close just past the half-hour mark when Carl Jenkinson made tracks down the right flank and whipped in a fine cross towards the six-yard box that evaded the striker before Gibbs should have perhaps down better when hitting the side netting from 18 yards.

As the first half drew to a close, a slight misunderstanding between Ignasi Miquel and Lukasz Fabianski nearly saw the hosts equalise but the goalkeeper recovered his composure in time to deny Boaz Solossa.

With Wenger making five changes at the break, the already-tame pace of the game slowed further. However, Gnabry continued to shine and a quick break down the left flank saw him skip past a weak challenge and whip a low cross into the path of Akpom to double Arsenal's advantage after 53 minutes.

Podolski and Giroud were brought on with 20 minutes remaining in an attempt to liven up proceedings and it worked. Within two minute of his introduction, the Frenchman was fed inside the area by fellow second-half substitute Bacary Sagna to beat Meiga with the outside of his boot.

A further two minutes later, the two combined again as Giroud took his time to control the ball and flash a shot high into the roof of the net.

The goals just kept on coming as Tomas Rosicky combined neatly with Podolski for the latter to drill home from the edge of the area before the Czech's fine, hanging cross towards the back post saw Meiga clutching air and allowed Olsson to simply poke the ball into the back of the net.

And, to put a flattering look on the scoreline, Eisfeld pounced on Giroud's header down to hammer the ball off the inside of the bar for Arsenal's seventh.

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Gunners news: Newcastle 0-1 Arsenal

Koscielny strike secures Champions League football for Gunners

Arsene Wenger's side cemented their fourth-place finish with a composed victory against the Magpies, with the match-winning goal coming from their French centre-back  

The Gunners' victory meant that regardless of how Tottenham got on against Sunderland at White Hart Lane, they would be the north London side appearing in the Champions League come September.

Arsene Wenger risked Mikel Arteta from the start after the Spain midfielder was given injections in his calf on Friday to patch up the injury he sustained in the midweek win over Wigan, but the decision proved a poor one as the Gunners captain was forced off through injury in the 29th minute.

Newcastle marked Steve Harper's final game by handing him the captaincy for the day, as the goalkeeper reached the end of a 20-year spell at the club. The 38-year-old was afforded a marvellous send-off by Newcastle's supporters as they chanted his name for the duration of the 37th minute, to symobolise the goalkeeper's shirt number.

Newcastle barely touched the ball in the opening five minutes as Santi Cazorla and Aaron Ramsey dominated possession in midfield for the visitors, and that impressive spell was only broken by a thunderous challenge from Cheick Tiote on Tomas Rosicky.

The hosts fashioned the first chance of the game in the 10th minute when Papiss Cisse fired just over after strong play down the left-hand side from Mapou Yanga-Mbiwa.

Alan Pardew's side continued to threaten down the flanks, as Hatem Ben Arfa and Yoan Gouffran enjoyed themselves playing in an attacking three off Cisse.

Wenger's decision to start Arteta despite the calf injury he picked up against Wigan during the week backfired shortly before the half hour mark, as the former Everton midfielder had to be replaced by Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain.

Arsenal appeared to click through a couple of gears at the start of the second half, as Theo Walcott and Cazorla began to run at Newcastle's defence, and in the 52nd minute their pressure told when Koscielny gave them the lead. The Frenchman was on hand to smash a close range volley past Harper after Theo Walcott's free kick sat up for him inside the Newcastle penalty area.

Just moments after going ahead the Gunners were fortunate not to concede a free kick in a very dangerous position, as the ball struck Ramsey's arm as he slid to dispossess Ben Arfa in full flight. Despite being just yards away from the action Howard Webb waved play on.

Newcastle withdrew Yohan Cabaye shortly after, and that sapped the life from the hosts' play as Arsenal bookended their performance by dominating possession in a similar vein to how they started the game and defended resolutely to claim three massive points.

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Gunners news: Arsenal 4-1 Wigan

Podolski double relegates Latics and lifts Gunners up to fourth

Roberto Martinez's FA Cup winners failed to carry forward their Wembley momentum and slip out of the Premier League as their eight-year top-flight stay ends with a whimper

 

The Gunners, too, were desperate for a win to keep alive their ambition of finishing in the top four and Lukas Podolski capitalised on some woeful defending to hand the home side an early lead while a Shaun Maloney free kick – won in questionable circumstances – drew the visitors level before the break.

Roberto Martinez's side threatened to put the dampeners on Arsenal's final home game of the season but clinical second-half strikes from Theo Walcott, Podolski and Aaron Ramsey ensured that they both regained control of the final Champions League qualification spot going into the last game of the season and terminated Wigan's eight-year stay in the top flight.

Neither side came into the high-stakes encounter with fresh injury concerns and Arsene Wenger's decision to replace Nacho Monreal with Kieran Gibbs at left-back was the only departure from the starting line-ups that last featured for both.

That, though, was an issue. The emotional nature of the Latics' remarkable turn at Wembley on Saturday offered a draining contrast to their hosts' 10 days of inaction since beating QPR, particularly considering that, while Wigan were enjoying the greatest moment in their history, notable Premier League strugglers conspired against them with crucial wins.

Consequently, Arsenal imposed themselves on their jaded-looking visitors, were met with flimsy resistance and took the lead just after the 10-minute mark. Alarm bells should have been ringing when a free Santi Cazorla hit the deck to send a controlled header skidding wide of the upright and moments later a totally unmarked Podolski stooped to nod home a bouncing corner delivered by the Spaniard.

The Gunners loosened slightly thereafter and, though Gibbs nearly got on the end of Bacary Sagna's cross-cum-shot, it took Laurent Koscielny's well-timed, agile interception to deny a lurking Arouna Kone.

More questionable defending from a corner saw Koscielny poke narrowly wide before Walcott saw an effort ruled out for offside as Wenger's side threatened to render Wigan's end-of-half ascendancy somewhat impotent. However, moments before the interval, Maloney struck a lethal free-kick from edge of the area that Wojciech Szczesny's hand could not prevent from nestling into the bottom corner.

Wigan started the second half in a much more confident manner, testing Szczesny right away as the Polish goalkeeper stood firm to thwart Kone's close-range attempt, while James McCarthy was half a yard offside when he tucked home. Arsenal countered immediately and Joel Robles denied Cazorla as the the home side's freshness became telling.

Robles was kept busy as he blocked Podolski's header and Walcott's near-post drive, though there was little he could do to stop Walcott from prodding home Cazorla's pinpoint cross from the right flank to re-establish the Gunners' lead.

Any hopes of Wigan pulling themselves back into the game and saving their Premier League status were dampened shortly after as Podolski grabbed his second, capitalising on some static defending to race onto Cazorla's header and dink over the advancing Robles before Ramsey once again breached the Latics' defence to gleefully rifle home inside the near post.

With the job done, Arsenal played out the remainder of the game in the knowledge that, having leapfrogged north London rivals Tottenham, a top-four finish is now in their own hands when they meet Newcastle on Sunday. 

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Gunners news: Arsenal 1-1 Manchester United

Van Persie penalty earns a point on his Emirates return

Arsene Wenger's men failed to capitalise on Tottenham's draw at Wigan yesterday in their hunt for a top-four finish despite making an explosive start to a fiery contest Theo Walcott gave the hosts the lead inside the second minute as Arsenal raced out of the blocks but they were pegged back at the end of the half courtesy of a Van Persie penalty.

After a week's worth of speculation Van Persie started on his return to the Emirates, while Lukas Podolski also made a rare start as Arsenal's central striker with Olivier Giroud missing through suspension.
The Gunners got off to the perfect start in front of their red hot home support when Walcott beat the offside trap and calmly found a way past David de Gea from a tight angle inside the second minute, though replays showed he was half a yard offside.
Santi Cazorla then stung the hands of the United keeper with a shot from range as Arsenal maintained their early momentum.

Van Persie's first real involvement in the game was a miscued shot which sailed high over the bar just after the 10-minute mark, much to the delight of the Gunners' supporters.

Those fans then collectively held their breath moments later when the Dutchman broke down the left flank before crossing for Phil Jones, who failed to find the target with a header after surging into the box.

Arsene Wenger's men lost some of that early impetus as the first half wore on but were sparked back into life when Jonny Evans brought down Walcott just outside the area.

The free kick was wasted but moments later Arsenal had a glorious chance to double their lead on the counterattack. Rosicky elected to pass to Podolski, rather than the unmarked Walcott, but the German could only fire his shot from a tight angle straight at De Gea.

Arsenal then had Wojciech Szczesny to thank for keeping them ahead just before the break. The Poland international made himself big to keep out Van Persie's header from point-blank range after a swift United counterattack.

But moments later Van Persie made no mistake, this time from the spot, after Sagna's rash challenge on the Dutchman gave United a penalty.
The full-back had given the ball to his former team-mate with a poor pass, and then brought him down in the box as he treid to make amends.

The Gunners made a bright start after the break and could have gone ahead early on but Tomas Rosicky's prod with the outside of his boot whistled just past the De Gea's far post.

Sir Alex's side soon edged back into the contest and dictated the game for the next 15 minutes. Van Persie overhit a low cross past the onrushing Antonio Valencia before Wayne Rooney wasted a good chance with a header straight at Szczesny from close range.

Arsenal rallied for a winner in an end-to-end finale, with Sir Alex's side still a threat on the break, but neither side could fashion the clear cut chance needed to win the game.

Cazorla came close with a powerful right-footed shot which was palmed away by De Gea with minutes left on the clock before Ryan Giggs wasted a great opportunity when found totally unmarked on the break by Rooney.
Wenger may see the draw as a missed opportunity to strengthen their grip on a top-four finish, while United can now no longer beat Chelsea's record Premier League points haul of 95.

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Gunners news: Fulham 0-1 Arsenal

Mertesacker moves Gunners up to third

Arsene Wenger's men survived a testing 90 minutes to secure their eighth win in 10 Premier League outings and continue their charge to finish in the top four 

Arsenal managed to eek out a tight victory at Fulham and move back up into third in the Premier League table, courtesy of a goal from Per Mertesacker.

After Steve Sidwell’s early red card, the Gunners struggled at a sun-bathed Craven Cottage but secured the win thanks to Mertesacker’s first-half effort. 

The hosts made four changes to the one that collapsed at home to west London rivals Chelsea while for Arsenal, Nacho Monreal and Tomas Rosicky returned in place of English duo Kieran Gibbs and Jack Wilshere.

The early minutes saw the Cottagers struggle to even get a touch of the ball against a confident-looking Arsenal at Craven Cottage.

The visitors possession was almost total and Fulham’s frustration showed when Sidwell earned himself a red card on 12 minutes for an over-the-ball challenge on Mikel Arteta.

The former Chelsea and Aston Villa man was only just making his return from a previous three-match suspension and he really could have no complaints about referee Andre Marriner’s decision.

However, despite that unexpected boost, the Gunners struggled to create openings and on on 20 minutes it was Fulham who went closest to breaking the deadlock.

A surging run from Urby Emanuelson saw the Dutchman dissect the visitors’ backline with a reverse pass that fell perfectly for Dimitar Berbatov. However, the Bulgarian could only direct his close range-effort straight at Wojciech Szczesny.

Indeed, it took until the 27th minute for Mark Schwarzer to be called into action when the veteran Australian made routine saves from first Aaron Ramsey and then Theo Walcott.

Those initial openings were followed by Arsenal’s first real opportunity when Olivier Giroud collected a Santi Cazorla pass well and fired across Schwarzer only to find the outside of the post.

However, Fulham continued to threaten on the counterattack and Emanuelson forced Sczesney into a sprawling save after showing good strength to win the ball back off Monreal.

With two minutes of the half to play, the Gunners finally made their numerical advantage count.

Ruiz was caught sleeping from a Walcott free-kick and that left Laurent Koscielny free to nod across goal for central-defensive partner Mertesacker to stoop in for the opening goal.

The second half started in much the same fashion as the first with a buoyant Arsenal controlling possession without really causing much a threat, though Ruiz scooped a close-range free-kick over the bar for the hosts.

In the glorious spring sunshine, the Gunners looked content to simply pass the ball around Fulham in the second half without exerting real pressure on Mark Schwarzer.

However, the Australian showed good reactions to rush out at the feet of Walcott when he looked set to latch onto a Cazorla pass.

The Gunners’ were almost made to pay for their rather casual approach when Szczesny palmed away a Ruiz free-kick into the path of Stanislav Manolev to tuck away the rebound. However, the Bulgarian’s celebrations were pulled up by a correct offside flag.

In the closing minutes, Giroud earned himself a straight red-card for a poor challenge on Manolev, but Arsenal held out fairly comfortably for the win. 

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Gunners news: Arsenal 3-1 Norwich

Late comeback sees Gunners leapfrog Tottenham

Second-half strikes from Mikel Arteta, Olivier Giroud and Lukas Podolski move Arsene Wenger's men up to third after Michael Turner's opener gave the visitors a shock lead

  

Arsene Wenger’s side dominated a tense affair but a flat first-half display meant they could not break down a resolute Norwich back-line, and matters were made worse when Michael Turner opened the scoring for the Canaries on the hour-mark.

But a late penalty from Mikel Arteta was followed by strikes from Olivier Giroud and Lukas Podolski at the death as Arsenal sealed their seventh league win in eight games in the most dramatic of circumstances.

The headline team news was undoubtedly the return of England midfielder Jack Wilshere, who replaced the injured Tomas Roiscky in one of three changes from Arsenal’s 2-1 win at West Brom. Kieran Gibbs replaced Nacho Monreal, while skipper Thomas Vermaelen came in for the suspended Per Mertesacker.

Norwich boss Chris Hughton, meanwhile, also made three changes from his side’s 2-2 draw against Swansea as Steven Whittaker replaced Javier Garrido, Alexander Tettey came in for Elliot Bennett and skipper Grant Holt returned in place of Wes Hoolahan.

From the off, the creative trio of Wilshere, Gervinho and Santi Cazorla sparked to life as the home side pursued the strong start boss Wenger had stressed the importance of before kick-off.

Aaron Ramsey, Giroud and Gervinho all came close thereafter as the home side began to knock on the Norwich door with some determination.

And the hosts’ persistence would continue after the break as a melee in the penalty area saw several attempts at goal either palmed away by Bunn or blocked by a Canaries defender.

But minutes later, it was the visiting fans who were celebrating against all the odds as Turner headed home a Robert Snodgrass free kick.

Wenger’s response was immediate: off went Wilshere and Gervinho, on came Lukas Podolski and Theo Walcott.

And after 64 minutes, the England winger almost made an impact as he surged into the box only to be brought down by Whittaker. Once again, though, referee Mike Jones dismissed any penalty appeals as the atmosphere at the Emirates Stadium grew more and more tense.

Fifteen minutes later, it was Walcott’s fellow substitute who came close as Podolski smashed a sweet strike towards goal that needed a superb Bunn save to send it crashing against the crossbar.

But Arsenal would finally get their equaliser with just five minutes left – though it came in the most controversial of circumstances.

Giroud was felled in the box and the assistant referee signalled for a spot-kick as Kei Kamara was penalised for a foul. The decision was dubious but Arteta’s penalty was not, with the Spaniard converting to level the scores.

And the Gunners were not done there as a surging run and cross into the box from substitute Oxlade-Chamberlain late on ended with a timely tap-in from Giroud, though the last touch may have come off Sebastien Bassong.

Shortly after, Podolski smashed home from the edge of the area and Arsenal's remarkable comeback was complete.

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Gunners news: Arsenal 4-1 Reading

 

 

Cazorla & Gervinho inspire Gunners to third straight win. The home side were rarely threatened by their relegation threatened visitors and cruised to a comfortable victory, while the Royals remain isolated at the foot of the league

Arsenal gave their Champions League qualification hopes a boost with a comfortable win over relegation-threatened Reading.

New Royals boss Nigel Adkins saw his side totally outplayed throughout, with goals from Gervinho, Santi Cazorla, Olivier Giroud and Mikel Arteta ensuring all three points for the home side, although there was some cheer for the Berkshire side when Hal Robson-Kanu headed home a second-half consolation.

Arsene Wenger made four changes to the side that defeated Swansea City last time out, with Bacary Sagna, Aaron Ramsey, Gervinho and Tomas Rosicky included in the starting XI, while Reading boss Adkins brought Danny Guthrie into a five-man midfield and handed Pavel Pogrebnyak a start in a lone striking role.

The home side started the game brightly and it came of little surprise when they opened the scoring after just 10 minutes when Gervinho tapped home from close range.

The Ivorian started the move by driving towards the penalty area from a right-wing position before the ball eventually found its way to Santi Cazorla on the left and his driven cross was stroked home from the edge of the six-yard box by the unmarked Ivorian.

The home side should have been given the chance to double their lead from the penalty spot eight minutes later when Royals keeper Stuart Taylor clattered into Giroud, however, referee Chris Foy was unmoved, much to the bemusement of the majority of the Emirates Stadium crowd.

These two sides had scored a combined 19 goals in their two previous meetings this season, and a high-scoring affair looked likely once again as the Gunners piled the pressure on their visitors, but despite creating numerous chances throughout the first half, they were unable to extend their single goal advantage.

Just two minutes into the second half, however, Arsenal did finally manage to double their lead as Cazorla neatly stroked home from the edge of the penalty area.

Gervinho was involved once again, with the former Lille man taking on several defenders just inside the box before looking up and picking out the unmarked Spaniard who calmly curled an effort just inside Taylor’s left-hand post.

It took until midway through the second half for Arsenal to finally kill off Adkins’ men when Giroud slotted home after more impressive approach play from Gervinho.

Just a minute later, however, and Reading must have sensed that another of their fabled comebacks was on the cards when Hal Robson-Kanu bravely threw himself at a Jobi McAnuff cross to head home at the far post.

However, any prospect of a tense finish was ended when the Gunners were awarded a penalty 10 minutes from time after Adrian Mariappa fouled substitute Oxlade-Chamberlain, with Mikel Arteta stepping up to hammer the penalty into the corner of the net and seal the routine victory.

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Gunners news: Arsenal 2-1 Aston Villa

Cazorla leaves it late to ease pressure on Wenger

The Spaniard had given the Gunners an early lead before Andreas Weimann levelled on 68 minutes, but popped up again to score a late winner with just minutes remaining 

The visitors, meanwhile, were still without skipper Ron Vlaar but welcomed Gabriel Agbonlahor back into the line-up as a left winger.

From the off, it was all Arsenal. The hosts controlled possession with palpable ease and created the first chance of the game after just two minutes, with Jack Wilshere forcing an early save from Brad Guzan.

And the Gunners did not have to wait long to open the scoring as Cazorla found possession minutes later, tucking away an easy finish at the second time of asking. Nathan Baker had blocked the Spaniard’s initial attempt at a cross but Cazorla showed no hesitation in reacting first to convert.

But Villa responded instantly, mustering their first chance of the game after nine minutes as Charles N’Zogbia fed Agbonlahor on the edge of the box, only for the 26-year-old to fire his shot straight at Wojciech Szczesny.

After the Gunners’ emphatic start, a cricket score had looked a possibility but Villa were the side looking more and more likely to score. Close to the half-hour mark, the visitors enjoyed their best chance yet as N’Zogbia was first denied by Szczesny before Andreas Weimann then had his shot cleared by Per Mertesacker.

Theo Walcott curled a left-footed shot over the bar minutes later, before Giroud was then denied by Guzan once again as half-time approached.But while the Gunners were playing like a side chasing Champions League qualification, the visitors were counterattacking with the hunger typical of a side fighting for vital points to keep them in the Premier League.

And on 68 minutes, Villa made their sharpness on the break tell as Weimann ended a fantastic move with a strike from range – all of which started from an Arsenal corner. Szczesny could have done better between the sticks but it was the speed at which the visitors broke that really caught the home side off-guard.

With the equaliser came tension at the Emirates. The home crowd were anxious and Wenger knew they would settle for nothing less than a win.

The Frenchman responded by replacing Jenkinson with Lukas Podolski in an extremely attacking move. Yet it was Cazorla who again made the difference late on as the Spaniard found himself unmarked on the penalty spot after a Monreal cross to fire home the winner for his side. The Spaniard had given the Gunners an early lead after five minutes, before Andreas Weimann equalised for the visitors mid-way through the second-half.

But Cazorla was at the ready to slot home with just minutes to go as the Gunners closed the gap on fourth-placed Tottenham to one point, extending Villa’s miserable run to just one win in 10 games.

Wenger made four changes from his side’s 3-1 humbling at the hands of Bayern Munich on Tuesday, with Nacho Monreal returning at left-back and Carl Jenkinson replacing the injured Bacary Sagna. Giroud was also re-installed to lead the line, while Abou Diaby came in for Aaron Ramsey.

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Gunners news: Arsenal 2-2 Liverpool

Walcott stunner completes outstanding Gunners comeback

Arsene Wenger's team came from two goals down to maintain their three-point lead over the Merseysiders in the race for the Champions League qualification places

Jordan Henderson had added to Luis Suarez's 17th league goal of the season to put Brendan Rodgers’ team in control at the hour mark but, just when it looked like the Reds were going to shed their flat-track-bully tag, the Gunners produced a storming revival, scoring two goals in three minutes through Olivier Giroud and Theo Walcott.

In a grandstand finish, Arsene Wenger’s team went all-out for the winner but Liverpool remained resolute through a combination of grit, fortune and poor finishing from the hosts.

The draw means that Arsenal remained four points behind fourth-placed Tottenham in the race for the Champions League positions and it will agitate Wenger that they have mustered only a single point in league fixtures against Manchester City, Chelsea and Liverpool in January after some more abject defending on a marquee occasion.

The hosts recalled Jack Wilshere, Walcott, Santi Cazorla, fit-again Thomas Vermaelen, Bacary Sagna, Santi Cazorla and Kieran Gibbs to the team that began the 3-2 FA Cup win at Brighton.

For Liverpool, Rodgers also rung the changes, with skipper Steven Gerrard returning to the team alongside fit-again pair Pepe Reina and Glen Johnson, Daniel Agger, Lucas Leiva, Jamie Carragher and Stewart Downing.

It was like football in fast-forward in the early exchanges as the two teams traded lightning-quick attacks and clear goalscoring opportunities.

Suarez, starting on the left of the three attacking midfielders behind centre forward Daniel Sturridge, caused havoc with his uncanny ability to find space and also for some spectacular passes from out wide.

The Uruguayan's goal owed much to some calamitous defending from the home side. Sagna's slip allowed Johnson to run clear on the left and, after a hashed clearance from Vermaelen and a smothered shot from Sturridge, Jordan Henderson tapped the rebound to Suarez, whose shot deflected off a defender and in.

Arsenal responded by carving open Liverpool’s defence seemingly at will with some excellent combination play. The menacing Walcott (twice) and Giroud both coming close to scoring an equaliser.

Somehow, Liverpool held firm, although they had Gerrard to thank for an excellent last-ditch clearance that followed another zippy Arsenal attack.

Rodgers’ pre-match sermon appeared to have fired up the visitors, who were incisive in possession and pressed the hosts’ jittery defence into making mistakes as they ended the opening period the better team.

The one let-down was Henderson, who made a series of wonky passes when well placed. Yet the midfielder kept getting in good positions and came close to doubling the visitors’ advantage with a chipped shot on the cusp of half-time that landed on the roof of the net with Wojciech Szczesny stranded.

Following 15 minutes of second-half dominance from Arsenal, Henderson made another excellent run and finally made it count with a fine solo goal.

After turning past Per Mertesacker and outmuscling the substitute Andre Santos, the midfielder collected a lucky rebound after his first shot was saved to pass the ball into an empty net.

Arsenal were momentarily demoralised but were soon back in the game following two goals in three minutes.

The comeback began when Giroud headed in Jack Wilshere’s right-wing free kick for his fifth goal in three games and his 14th of the season.

But the best goal of the night came after 67 minutes, when Walcott, who had been lively all game on the wing, received a lay-off on the right side of the box and sent the ball flying into the far corner of the net with a shot of tremendous speed and precision.

Arsenal threw bodies forward as they went all out for the winner with some wonderful attacking play.

Giroud got in some excellent positions but was guilty of missing a hat-trick of chances late on, including a sitter with only a few minutes left on the clock.

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Gunners news: Brighton 2-3 Arsenal

Super-sub Walcott edges Gunners through

Striker scores deflected winner five minutes from time after the Championship side had twice equalised as Olivier Giroud scores a double for the visitors

 

The Arsenal forward was rested by manager Arsene Wenger but saved the Gunners' blushes five minutes from time with a deflected strike.

Olivier Giroud had twice given Arsenal the lead but the Premier League side were pegged back on both occasions by their Championship opponents through goals from Ashley Barnes and debutant Leonardo Ulloa.

The result was harsh on Brighton, who knocked out Newcastle in the third round, but Arsenal showed fighting spirit of their own as the north London club seek their first trophy in eight years.

Came on in an attempt to win Arsenal the game in the final 20 minutes, replacing Oxlade-Chamberlain and grabbed the winner with a shot from the edge of the area which took a huge deflection.
Arsenal restored Abou Diaby to their starting line-up but opted to leave Walcott, Jack Wilshere and Santi Cazorla on the bench while Brighton manager Gus Poyet gave a debut to Argentine striker Ulloa following his £2 million move from Almeria.

The hosts started brightly as they looked to exploit Arsenal’s weakness on the left side, where Andre Santos endured yet another torrid afternoon in a Gunners shirt.

Brighton had the first real opportunity of the match in the 15th minute when David Lopez lifted a ball over the top to Ashley Barnes, who was played onside by the Arsenal defence but saw his fierce shot brilliantly saved by Wojciech Szczesny.

Less than a minute later, Arsenal were ahead. The visitors broke rapidly from the resulting corner and when Giroud took the ball from Lukas Podolski on the edge of the penalty area, he knew exactly what he was going to do.

The Frenchman worked half a yard of space and launched an unstoppable left-footed strike into the top corner.
Yet the Gunners were struggling to cope with the intensity of Brighton’s play as Poyet’s side set the tempo and pressed for an equaliser.

It arrived in the simplest of circumstances in the 33rd minute. David Lopez swung in a cross from the right and Barnes was allowed to rise unmarked to head home from inside the six-yard box as Gunners goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny flapped at thin air.

Arsenal began the second half with more purpose, Podolski rattling the crossbar with a thumping effort before Giroud restored the visitors' lead in the 56th minute with his second goal of the game.

Abou Diaby played a lovely long ball over the Brighton back four, which Giroud plucked out of the air with a gorgeous first touch and then steered his finish past Casper Ankergren on the stretch.

Giroud forced Ankergren into a sharp save as he sought a hat-trick after running on to Tomas Rosicky’s long pass, but Brighton continued to threaten in wide areas.

In the 62nd minute, they were level again. Barnes turned provider this time, whipping in a superb cross from the right, where Santos was again AWOL, for Ulloa to score a debut goal with a diving header.

Wenger responded by introducing Walcott and Wilshere from the bench - and in the 85th minute the striker made the difference with the winning goal.

Brighton failed to properly clear an Arsenal corner and the ball fell to Walcott on the edge of the area, whose shot took a huge deflection off Adam El Abd before nestling in the corner. 

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Gunners news: Swansea 2-2 Arsenal

Graham rescues a replay for spirited Swans

Second-half substitute Michu had given the hosts the lead mere minutes after his introduction before Lukas Podolski and Kieran Gibbs looked to have won the tie for the Gunners

After a lacklustre opening 45 minutes, second-half substitute Michu took mere minutes to break the deadlock and give the hosts the lead.
However, two goals in three minutes from Lukas Podolski and Kieran Gibbs turned the tie on its head, only for Graham to lash home from inside the area after Arsenal failed to clear a late corner.
Arsene Wenger made three changes to the side that drew 1-1 with Southampton, with Olivier Giroud, Per Mertesacker and Aaron Ramsey coming in for Podolski, Thomas Vermaelen and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain respectively.
Michu - who scored two at the Emirates Stadium earlier in the season - had to make do with a place on the Swansea bench after failing to fully overcome a back injury.
The opening 10 minutes saw the hosts more than happy to soak up pressure as Arsenal dominated possession to an extent that they have rarely enjoyed against Swansea in recent league encounters without showing any cutting edge in attack.
But, threatening on the counter, the Welsh side carved open the first real chance when Graham stung the palms of Wojciech Szczesny with a fine half-volley from the edge of the area.
While the hosts were frustrating Arsenal with a solid defensive display, Chico Flores in particular impressing, the Gunners were not doing themselves any favours with aimless runs down the flanks and shots from distance.
And, again, Swansea nearly sprung a surprise when Kyle Bartley, in only his second appearance for the Swans since his summer move from north London, outjumped Mertesacker and guided a header against the bar, with Szczesny beaten.
Arsenal came out in the second half with more dynamism about their attacking play, with Giroud going close three times inside the opening seven minutes, only to be thwarted by Michel Vorm on each occasion.
Loud shouts for a penalty to the visitors then followed when the Frenchman appeared to be felled by Bartley, but replays showed he tripped over his own heels.
As an instant reaction to Arsenal’s rediscovered flair, Michu was introduced by Michael Laudrup and rewarded his manager within seconds by controlling Graham’s flick on, gliding past Mertesacker with ease and holding off Laurent Koscielny to slot home his 15th goal of the season.
Arsenal could, and perhaps should, have restored parity soon after when Ramsey found Giroud seven yards out, but the striker failed to hit the target with a header, before Theo Walcott dragged a shot past the far post with Vorm beaten.
As the match entered the final 10 minutes, Swansea were visibly being pushed further and further back by their opponents, and Arsenal’s own second-half saviour Podolski spun smartly inside the area to convert Koscielny’s flick and level the scores.
And the visitors were not done there. Just two minutes later Gibbs played a neat one-two with Mikel Arteta to dart into the area and smash a close-range volley into the roof of Vorm’s net to turn the tie on its head.
But Swansea, despite Arsenal's control, refused to be beaten. With under four minutes left to play, Arsenal failed to deal with a Swansea corner and allowed Graham to beat Szczesny from a tight angle and give his side a second bite of the apple.

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Gunners news: Arsenal 7-3 Newcastle

Walcott & Giroud help Gunners end the year on a high

A late flurry of goals from Arsene Wenger's side glossed over a game that was equal until the closing stages, with the England international grabbing a hat-trick

 

The Gunners took the lead four times during a chaotic match before eventually seeing off the spirited visitors as Walcott made the difference with a finishing masterclass in his preferred role as a central striker. Attention will now turn to whether the Gunners can keep the 23-year-old at the club, with his contract set to expire in the summer and no sign of a breakthrough in talks over a new deal.

Walcott had opened the scoring with a classy finish in the 20th minute but the sides went in level at the break thanks to Demba Ba's deflected free-kick two minutes before half-time.

Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain restored Arsenal's advantage five minutes after the re-start before Sylvain Marveaux tapped home a second equaliser just before the hour mark to the frustration and bemusement of the home crowd.

Lukas Podolski put Arsenal back in the lead from close range, yet his strike was quickly cancelled out as Ba volleyed home his second of the evening.

Then, in the 73rd minute, Walcott spun in the penalty area to slam the ball into the top corner from 12 yards. This time, there was no way back for Newcastle and substitute Olivier Giroud sealed the points with two late goals.

There was still time for Walcott to complete his hat-trick as he danced across the touchline and flicked a delightful finish over Tim Krul to claim the matchball - and give his agent some bargaining power as talks over a new deal continue.

The result lifts Arsenal up to fifth in the Premier League on the back of four wins in a row while Newcastle are on a dismal run having collected just six points from their last 10 matches.

Arsenal came into the game on the back of three league wins in a row and with four days more rest than Newcastle after their Boxing Day clash with West Ham was called off. Arsene Wenger made just one change to the team that beat Wigan, with Laurent Koscielny replacing Per Mertesacker, while Cheikh Tiote and Gabriel Obertan came in for Newcastle.

In a a cagey, one-paced opening period, it was Walcott who provided the spark and energy in Arsenal's play. As his contract stand-off continues heading into the January transfer window, the England international was again selected in his preferred central role - and he made his point to Wenger with the opening goal in the 20th minute.

It was a goal reminiscent of Thierry Henry in his pomp and the Gunners legend was leading the applause as he prepares to re-join the club on loan in January.

Podolski placed the ball into space behind the Newcastle back four and Walcott timed his run to beat the offside trap and spring clear down the inside left channel before opening up his body and placing a clean finish into the bottom corner.

Arsenal were struggling to open up the well-organised visitors but Walcott nearly doubled the lead after skipping past Fabio Coloccini but his left-footed shot was smothered by Newcastle goalkeeper Tim Krul.

Newcastle had already served a couple of warnings as to their threat in the final third before the scoreline was levelled two minutes before the break with a huge slice of fortune.

Ba struck his free-kick with power from 25 yards but Wojciech Szczesny appeared to have it covered before the ball was diverted in via a massive deflection off Jack Wilshere.

Arsenal began the second-half with purpose, Krul keeping out Kieran Gibbs from a tight angle before Oxlade-Chamberlain restored the home side’s lead in the 50th minute. The winger was given far too much room by the Newcastle defence as he collected Santi Cazorla's pass and he fired a low finish into the bottom corner from just outside the penalty area.

Nine minutes later, however, Newcastle were level. Gabriel Obertan danced into the Arsenal penalty area and crossed virtually across the goalline via a Koscielny deflection for Marveaux to tap home as the Gunners defence fell asleep.

Yet sloppy defending was a theme of the evening and Arsenal were back ahead in the 64th minute. Podolski was the eventual goalscorer but the credit belonged to Wilshere, who stormed into the box and clipped a delightful chip that Newcastle failed to handle, the ball bouncing off the crossbar before falling for the German to nod home.

There was more to come. On 69 minutes, Newcastle drew level for the third time as Gibbs once again got sucked in and Ba volleyed Marveaux’s excellent cross into the near post.

Four minutes later, Walcott was too sharp for the Newcastle defence as he spun in the area and fired high into the top corner from 12 yards.

Six minutes from time, Walcott turned provider as he crossed for Giroud to score with a diving header to relax the home crowd and ensure the victory. Three minutes later, the Frenchman scored his second as he collected the ball in the penalty area and smashed his effort past Krul at the near post.

By now, Arsenal’s appetite for goals was insatiable and Walcott crowned his wonderful individual performance in added time. Now the Gunners must do everything in their power to keep him at the club.

 

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Gunners News: Wigan 0-1 Arsenal

Arteta penalty keeps Gunners in Champions League 

After a frenetic first half low on quality, Theo Walcott and Santi Cazorla provided the breakthrough to enable the Spaniard to slot home from the spot and hand his side victory

 

The Spanish midfielder sent Ali Al-Habsi the wrong way from the spot on 60 minutes following Jean Beausejour's clumsy foul on Theo Walcott after neat work between the England striker and Santi Cazorla.

Wigan were the better team for long spells, but wasteful crossing from the wings and poor finishing from Aroune Kone left the Latics frustrated and winless in five league games.

Injuries forced Martinez into fielding a makeshift back line, as Adrian Lopez's hamstring tear meant James McCarthy played at centre-back for the hosts.

Busy in the middle of the pitch throughout the game, he was always a threat to the Wigan back line and played excellent passes into the men ahead of him. He always looked calm in possession and never let the conditions affect his performance, unlike others on the pitch.
Arsene Wenger gave Walcott his preferred starting role up front backed by Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, Cazorla and Lukas Podolski.

Wigan won 2-1 at the Emirates the last time the sides met and showed no fear in the first half, but it was Arsenal who had the first real chance.

Cazorla turned James McArthur easily and found Mikel Arteta in space. The Spaniard fed Oxlade-Chamberlain on the right, who forced Ali Al-Habsi into a fine one-handed stop from 16 yards.

Kone then broke well from midfield shortly after before shooting wastefully, before Podolski drove an effort at Al-Habsi after a fine run.

Wigan should have taken the lead after 24 minutes as Di Santo put Kone clean through on goal, but with just Wojciech Szczesny to beat, the Ivory Coast striker dragged his shot wide from eight yards.

The Gunners struggled with Wigan's high-pressure tactics, while Jean Beausejour's and Ronnie Stam's deliveries were poor as wild crosses typified a first half full of energy but low on quality.

The second half began much as the first with both teams breaking forward looking for an early goal, and Al-Habsi was forced into a great stop on 48 minutes.

Oxlade-Chamberlain found space on the right wing and pulled the ball back for Walcott, whose finish was close enough for the Wigan keeper to get down to and tip away well.

However, the game turned with half an hour to go as Arsenal found the breakthrough, with the danger again coming from the right.

Walcott and Cazorla's link-up play on the wing was too intricate for Beausejour, and referee Jonathan Moss blew for a penalty as the striker was felled by the defender, with Arteta finding the bottom left-hand corner of Al-Habsi's net.

Wigan kept coming though, and Kone did well to work the ball from the left before forcing a fine low stop from Szczesny with 20 minutes remaining, while Jones could only crack an effort narrowly wide two minutes later.

Mertesacker had to be alert to deny Kone late on in the area, while McArthur dragged a shot wide late in injury time as Wenger's side saw the game out for a much-needed victory. 

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