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Robin van Persie has enjoyed an incredible month in the Arsenal attack. With one January game to go - against West Ham at Emirates Stadium on Saturday - the Dutchman has scored or created every Arsenal goal this month. That's a total of three goals and five assists, culminating in a thunderous strike to rescue a point at Everton on Wednesday night. Here, we look back at Van Persie's magical month.
JANUARY 3: FA CUP - ARSENAL 3-1 PLYMOUTH ARGYLE
VAN PERSIE: TWO GOALS, ONE ASSIST
Van Persie celebrated his first game as Arsenal captain with a virtuoso display against Plymouth Argyle in the FA Cup at Emirates Stadium. He opened the scoring two minutes after the break, stooping to head home Samir Nasri's left-wing corner from close range.
Two minutes after giving Arsenal the lead, Van Persie set up a second goal. Emmanuel Eboue's pass sent the Dutchman clear on the right of the area and Nicklas Bendtner turned home his cross from close range. Plymouth defender David Gray was in close attention but Bendtner claimed the goal.
Samir Nasri, who set up Van Persie's first, claimed another assist with six minutes to go. This time the Frenchman's pass sent Van Persie racing through the middle and in on goal. The Dutchman flicked the ball over Argyle goalkeeper Romain Larrieu and crashed his shot in off the bar.
JANUARY 10: PREMIER LEAGUE - ARSENAL 1-0 BOLTON WANDERERS
VAN PERSIE: ONE ASSIST
Van Persie had already gone closest to breaking the deadlock when he shimmied past a couple of defenders and poked a shot past a static Jussi Jaaskelainen and onto the post. But the Dutchman made ameds with six minutes left, crossing from the left for Bendtner to slide in the winning goal.
08/09 Arsenal 1-0 Bolton - Nicklas Bendtner
JANUARY 17: PREMIER LEAGUE - HULL CITY 1-3 ARSENAL
VAN PERSIE: THREE ASSISTS
Van Persie failed to get on the scoresheet at the KC Stadium but had a hand in all three Arsenal goals. He kicked off his hat-trick of assists with a perfectly-flighted corner which Adebayor met with a towering header to put Arsenal ahead on the half-hour mark.
Hull threatened to snatch at least a point after levelling through Daniel Cousin but Van Persie had other ideas. Collecting Bendtner's pass, he showed good skill to spin and feed Nasri on the left-hand side of the penalty area. The Frenchman took Van Persie's pass in his stride and found the bottom corner.
With four minutes remaining at the KC Stadium, Van Persie was at it again. He collected a pass from Bendtner inside the box and clipped the ball back to the Danish striker, courtesy of a slight deflection. Bendtner volleyed past Boaz Myhill and into the net to secure three vital points.
JANUARY 28: PREMIER LEAGUE - EVERTON 1-1 ARSENAL
VAN PERSIE: ONE GOAL
With just 70 seconds of stoppage time remaining at Goodison Park, Arsenal trailed 1-0 to Everton. Then Abou Diaby picked out Van Persie on the left-hand side of the area with a raking diagonal pass. The Dutchman chested the ball into his path with his first touch and slammed a fierce shot past Tim Howard with his second to rescue a point.
ARSENAL IN JANUARY: EIGHT GOALS
VAN PERSIE IN JANUARY: THREE GOALS, FIVE ASSISTS
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Arsène Wenger has hailed Robin van Persie’s continued match fitness as the “good news of the season”.
The 25-year-old’s ability has never been questioned since his arrival at the Club in 2004 however a series of injuries restricted him from making maximum progress. This year is different.
The most starts Van Persie managed in a single season was 25 during the 2006/07 campaign. Currently on 24, the Dutchman looks set to equal that tally in tonight’s clash with Everton. And, if he were to score against the Toffees, he would equal the 13 goals he notched that season, currently his best tally.
Speaking ahead of the match, Wenger praised Van Persie and pointed out that he wasn’t just responsible for finding the net. After all, the Dutchman has seven Premier League assists this term.
“He makes goals as well,” said Wenger. “For me that is in his position as important as scoring goals.
“Having him fit is the good news of the season. We had lost Robin in the second half of the season, people forget.
“This year he has had a sustained run and you can see when he has that he scores goals.”
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Robin van Persie's stunning injury-time strike gave Arsenal a point they barely deserved at Everton.
Van Persie's brilliant left-foot volley rescued Arsenal - but not before another resilient Everton performance dented their faltering title hopes.
Tim Cahill headed Everton in front with his 100th career goal from Leighton Baines' cross after 61 minutes.
And he almost doubled Everton's advantage before going off injured, but Van Persie had the final word.
Everton will feel unfortunate not to have grabbed a victory, and even though Arsenal needed more than a draw to keep the pressure on the Premier League pace-setters, ultimately boss Arsene Wenger will have been grateful to share the spoils.
The Toffees were able to recall Marouane Fellaini after suspension, while influential midfield man Mikel Arteta recovered from the rib injury that kept him out of Sunday's FA Cup tie against Liverpool at Anfield.
Arsenal made six changes from the side that drew at Cardiff in the FA Cup - but there was little opportunity for anyone to shine in a dour first 45 minutes.
Everton showed plenty of endeavour, but their lack of attacking options was exposed as they failed to mount any sort of sustained threat on Manuel Almunia's goal.
Cahill headed wide from Arteta's corner, while Van Persie could not control his close-range effort from Samir Nasri's cross.
Matters livened up after the break, with Denilson wasting Arsenal's best chance when he was off target from Van Persie's pass and Cahill shooting into the side-netting with an angled drive.
Cahill's ability to find space in the box is uncanny, and Arsenal became the latest victims when he put Everton ahead after 61 minutes.
Baines delivered an inviting cross to the far post, and Cahill rose superbly to head firmly beyond Almunia.
Arsenal's failure to show any of their trademark passing game had been their biggest failing, especially when faced with the sort of defensive discipline that has become Everton's trademark in recent months.
Cahill, the game's outstanding performer, almost added a second after 82 minutes with a stinging drive that bounced away off Almunia's chest.
Van Persie had been Arsenal's best hope of fashioning an equaliser, but he was receiving little positive support from his Arsenal team-mates.
Everton were concerned late on when Cahill limped off after an innocuous challenge, and boss David Moyes will be hoping it is not a recurrence of the metatarsal problems that have dogged his recent career.
It did not look likely to deny Everton victory, but Van Persie showed his quality with seconds remaining, taking Abu Diaby's pass on his chest before lashing a left-foot volley beyond Tim Howard.
Everton: Howard, Hibbert, Jagielka, Lescott, Baines, Osman, Arteta, Neville, Pienaar, Fellaini, Cahill (Anichebe 86).
Subs Not Used: Nash, Yobo, Castillo, Rodwell, Jutkiewicz, Gosling.
Booked: Arteta, Hibbert.
Goals: Cahill 61.
Arsenal: Almunia, Sagna (Eboue 72), Djourou, Gallas, Clichy, Nasri, Denilson, Song Billong (Bendtner 72), Diaby, Adebayor, Van Persie.
Subs Not Used: Fabianski, Toure, Vela, Ramsey, Gibbs.
Booked: Diaby, Nasri.
Goals: Van Persie 90.
Att: 37,097
Ref: Andre Marriner (W Midlands).
www.bbc.co.uk
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Our photo gallery is temporary offline. We try to set him online as soon as possible.
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Cardiff produced a superb performance to hold Arsenal to a goalless draw in the FA Cup fourth round at Ninian Park.
The Bluebirds dominated the early stages but wasted good chances, with Ross McCormack, Joe Ledley and Paul Parry all failing to hit the target.
Nicklas Bendtner wastefully headed over for Arsenal late in the first half.
Emmanuel Adebayor scuffed a great chance as Arsenal improved after the break, though McCormack did clip the Arsenal crossbar with a free-kick.
Cardiff were hanging on in the latter stages of the game but they fully deserved to take the tie to a replay.
Dave Jones' team, beaten finalists last season, really took the game to Arsenal in the opening half, playing with a desire absent in their more illustrious opponents, and the high-flying Championship side should have taken at least one of their chances.
McCormack headed wide from 10 yards and Jay Bothroyd shot over from outside the box while Ledley failed to hit the target with a volley from seven yards after a precise cross from Parry.
An error from Bakary Sagna then gifted possession to Parry and the 28-year-old really should have tested Lukasz Fabianski in the Arsenal goal after breaking into the penalty area but he again shot over.
The Bluebirds received magnificent support from the home crowd, while Arsenal struggled to play their fluent passing football.
Aaron Ramsey in particular found it difficult on his return to the club that sold him for £5m last summer and he was replaced by Abou Diaby after 59 minutes.
The Gunners, with five changes from the team that defeated Hull last weekend, looked rattled but came close to punishing Cardiff's profligacy in front of goal when Robin van Persie picked out Samir Nasri midway through the opening half.
Nasri had time to pick his spot and opted to shoot across goal but he was denied by Peter Enckelman.
The opening half appeared to be petering out when Cardiff launched another excellent attack. The Bluebirds had a penalty appeal for a handball against young defender Kieran Gibbs correctly turned down by referee Martin Atkinson, while Ledley saw his shot blocked by one of his own team-mates.
Arsenal countered dangerously but Bendtner's first touch was heavy and his subsequent shot was blocked. The striker should have tested Enckelman from the corner that followed but headed over.
Van Persie shot narrowly wide with a free-kick and McCormack forced Fabianski into action with a terrific long-range strike as both teams pursued the opening goal after the break.
Cardiff almost gifted Arsenal the opener when Mark Kennedy inadvertently directed a cross towards his own goal but Enckelman was alert to the danger.
The Bluebirds keeper played a more involved role in the match as Arsenal started to dominate possession and he twice denied Van Persie from tight angles.
Adebayor, who had replaced the disappointing Emmanuel Eboue, should have scored when the ball fell to him at far post but he made an awful contact while Enckelman saved a long-range strike from Nasri.
Arsenal looked the most likely to score a winner, though McCormack's free-kick almost snatched victory for Cardiff in the final minutes.
Cardiff: Enckelman; McNaughton, R. Johnson, Gyepes, Rae, Kennedy, Burke (Capaldi 79), Parry, Ledley, Bothroyd (E. Johnson 91), McCormack.
Subs Not Used: Heaton, Purse, Comminges, McPhail, Blake.
Arsenal: Fabianski, Sagna, Toure, Djourou, Gibbs, Eboue (Adebayor 66), Song, Ramsey (Diaby 59), Nasri, Bendtner (Wilshere 87), Van Persie.
Subs Not Used: Almunia, Gallas, Denilson, Vela.
Booked: Eboue, Van Persie.
Att: 20,079
Ref: Martin Atkinson.
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Arsène Wenger thinks Robin van Persie is “on fire”. Incredibly the flying Dutchman has scored or made the assist for every Arsenal goal in January.
Of course there are three games left in the month but Wenger is backing his striker to continue his imperious run of form.
At Friday’s pre-match press conference ahead of the FA Cup tie at Cardiff, the manager paid tribute to Van Persie’s contribution and noted his progress since arriving in North London five years ago.
“He is on fire and he has become a very important player,” said the Frenchman.
“When you talk about youth, Van Persie came here at the age of 21 and look at the way he has developed since his arrival.”
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Dutch master Robin van Persie has warned his Arsenal team-mates about the “Ninian Park effect”.
Van Persie visited Ninian when his pal Glenn Loovens was at Cardiff City – and he admits Arsenal’s young Gunners will find the volatile atmosphere daunting.
“Cardiff City have incredible fans,” said the 25-year-old striker.
“I watched them at Ninian Park a couple of times when I went to visit my old mate Glenn Loovens last season.
“He would always tell me tales about their fans – and then I witnessed it for myself. They are passionate, they are outstanding in their support.
“The atmosphere will be similar to that at Stoke City’s Britannia Stadium – and we lost [2-1 in the Premier League] there.
“It’s going to be tough. I would be far happier if we had been at home, but if we match their work-rate I’m positive we can come out on top.”
Arsenal have been displaced by Aston Villa in the top four of the Premier League, but they are intent on making FA Cup progress at Cardiff’s expense.
“We have gone far too long without winning anything,” said van Persie.
“When I first came the team were winning things for fun and in my first season we won the FA Cup. If we could do that again this season it would be an even bigger achievement.
“I remember the feeling of winning against Manchester United in 2005 and it was unbelievable. It was an amazing day and to score in the shoot-out, as I did, made it even more special.”
www.walesonline.co.uk
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Arsenal players Gael Clichy, Manuel Almunia and Robin van Persie swapped footballs for paintbrushes when they met with world famous cartoonist Gerald Scarfe at Arsenal’s training ground on Monday 5th January.
The unusual meeting took place so that players could share their ideas with Gerald and help design an Arsenal-themed Citroën C4 which will be raffled to raise money for Arsenal’s Charity of the Season, Teenage Cancer Trust.
The car, generously donated by Arsenal Football Club’s official car supplier, Citroën, will feature the design which will be personally created by Gerald with the help of the players. Gael, Robin and Manuel shared their thoughts and ideas with te cartoonist around Club culture, supporters and what they felt it meant to be part of the Club. Supporters can tune into a vodcast of the consultation and interview with Gerald Scarfe via Arsenal.com or iTunes from Monday 13th January.
Welcoming Gerald to the training ground Robin van Persie, whose father is an artist, said: “This is something different for us to be involved in and my ideas were very much centred around the pace of the game and the style of football Arsenal play.
“My father has been inspired in his work by the supporters and I’d like to see this reflected in Gerald’s design too. Gael and Manuel had very different ideas, so I’m looking forward to seeing how he puts all the ideas together to design this unique piece of art. I hope it inspires supporters to keep up their amazing fundraising for Teenage Cancer Trust and I hope they buy lots of tickets to try to win the car!”
www.beagoonerbeagiver.org
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Robin van Persie is the runner-up in the 'Holland player of 2008' poll. Holland supporters could vote the last few weeks on www.onsoranje.nl who they think is the best Dutch national team player of 2008. Edwin van der Sar won the poll. He decided this summer to stop his international career after playing 128 matches for Holland. He even made it to 130 caps in October because of goalkeeper problems in the Dutch national team. We think he deserve this price for his fantastic performances in the last two decennia and are proud that Robin is the runner-up.
Holland player of 2008:
1. Edwin van der Sar 33,5 %
2. Robin van Persie 16,4 %
3. Wesley Sneijder 15,5 %
Total votes: 20.870
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Robin van Persie's goal against Liverpool has been choosen as goal of the month December in BBC's competition.
It's only his second goal of the month. The other one was the famous volley against Charlton Athletic. We are very proud that we attend that match and saw the goal live in the Emirates Stadium.
And Robin, we even call that goal a little bit our goal ;)
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Robin van Persie's current form is outstanding. The press praises his performance of yesterday. He made a huge impact in England the last few weeks.
Sky Sports gave him a 10 for his performance yesterday. They believe he's the best striker in the Premier League bar none. He's included in five of the six match highlights:
- Man of the match - Robin van Persie was brilliant and assisted for all three goals
- Moment of the match - Van Persie collecting the ball with three defenders around him, spinning away and picking out Samir Nasri for the Gunners' second
- Attempt of the match - Van Persie's free-kick in the 28th minute
- Save of the match - Myhill getting a touch on Van Persie's free-kick to send it crashing into the crossbar and away from goal.
- Goal of the game - Arsenal's second. Van Persie's technique and vision set up Nasri who finished brilliantly.
Arsène Wenger calls his performance 'outstanding' on arsenal.com and English newspapers combine his name with brilliance, impressive, class, top of the form and filling Arsenal's creative gap.
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Arsenal had to overcome a spirited fightback from Hull to keep up the pressure on the Premier League's top four with victory at the KC Stadium.
An Emmanuel Adebayor header opened the scoring from a corner seconds after a Robin van Persie free-kick hit the bar.
But Hull roared back with Daniel Cousin nodding in Bernard Mendy's cross.
The Gunners grabbed all three points as Samir Nasri coolly slotted in Van Persie's pass and Nicklas Bendtner poked in from close range at the end.
With Manchester United, Chelsea and Aston Villa all winning earlier in the day, Arsenal would have been desperate to keep the heat on the Premier League front-runners and they named an unchanged side after beating Bolton last week.
But it was Hull, on the hunt for a shock double over Arsene Wenger's men and an upturn in fortunes following four straight league defeats, who started the stronger with Geovanni scuffing a shot after two minutes.
For all of Arsenal's short passes and delicate trickery they created little in the opening 20 minutes with new signing Kevin Kilbane marshalling the Hull defence well.
But then up-stepped the excellent Van Persie to liven up proceedings on the half hour.
The Dutchman's vicious free-kick was tipped brilliantly onto the bar by Boaz Myhill and only a lunging tackle by Mendy on Johan Djourou denied the opener.
Only a few seconds later the Premier League's weakest defence - Hull had conceded 39 goals going into the match - had crumbled.
Van Persie's corner was floated in from the left and found the lurking Adebayor, who looped a header over the stranded Nathan Doyle to notch only his third in nine games.
The confidence seemed to drain from Hull's players and Arsenal, stroking the ball around with ease, should have grabbed another soon after with Emmanuel Eboue shooting disappointingly wide.
Manucho - Hull's loan signing from Manchester United - was introduced to spice things up front and was immediately in the thick of the action after replacing Peter Halmosi.
The Angolan striker was clattered by Djourou on the six-yard box as both leapt for a header but the screams from the Hull bench for a penalty went unanswered.
It was against the run of play that Hull grabbed their equaliser and it came from the man who scored the winner at the Emirates four months ago.
With Gael Clichy dithering on the right, Mendy was given time to stroke in for Cousin to head in powerfully from three yards past the out-stretched hands of Manuel Almunia.
As the rain and wind tore across the stadium, the Arsenal players became hesitant and Hull stepped up the work-rate, sensing a famous victory was within their grasp.
Bendtner, one day after celebrating his 21st birthday, almost grabbed a goal just minutes after coming on, smashing the ball at Myhill after turning Kilbane.
With nine minutes to go, the spoils were Arsenal's. Van Persie poked the ball through to Nasri on the left and the winger calmly slotted the ball home inside the left post.
Bendtner wrapped up the game with four minutes to go, finishing off van Persie's square ball from close range to leave Hull without a single point in five league games.
Hull: Myhill, Doyle, Turner, Ricketts, Kilbane, Mendy, France (Fagan 83), Ashbee, Halmosi (Manucho 53), Geovanni (Garcia 87), Cousin.
Subs Not Used: Duke, Dawson, Folan, Giannakopoulos.
Booked: Ashbee.
Goals: Cousin 65.
Arsenal: Almunia, Sagna, Toure, Djourou, Clichy, Eboue (Bendtner 69), Diaby, Denilson, Nasri, Adebayor (Song Billong 87), Van Persie.
Subs Not Used: Fabianski, Vela, Ramsey, Gibbs, Merida.
Booked: Clichy.
Goals: Adebayor 30, Nasri 82, Bendtner 86.
Att: 24,924
Ref: Alan Wiley (Staffordshire).
www.bbc.co.uk
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Robin van Persie won't be happy until he lands some silverware this season.
The Dutch forward has enjoyed a fine campaign, netting 12 goals in total including five in his last seven games. However, finishing as the Club's top scorer will count for little if Van Persie and his team-mates end the season empty-handed.
Arsenal landed their last major trophy in 2005, beating Manchester United after a penalty shoot-out at the end of the FA Cup Final. Nearly four years have passed since that memorable day at the Millennium Stadium and Van Persie can understand the Arsenal fans' frustration.
"Yes, and I am like them," Van Persie told the Official Matchday Programme. "I feel the same, I want it as badly as them and it can be frustrating when it doesn’t happen.
"I’m a positive person though, and I think positively, and I think the fans should do that as well. We didn’t win everything in the past couple of years, but we are doing absolutely everything we can to change it.
"The main thing [in 2009] is to finally get silverware, but there is a clear picture here of how to achieve that. We need to stick to it – because this is how Arsenal is. The Arsenal way is in our system now, it grows into you, and I don’t think it’s clever to change your philosophy.
"Things take time, and you often see clubs sacking managers for fun, and they don’t get anywhere. You need a long-term strategy. That’s why I like Arsenal, because the players have time to grow into the system, and if we stick to our principles we will get silverware. That’s the main target, if we stick to the way we play we will get it."
www.arsenal.com
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Robin van Persie claims Arsenal are clawing back their confidence.
Arsène Wenger’s side left it late on Saturday against Bolton but Nicklas Bendtner’s 84th-minute winner meant the Emirates Stadium side ended the weekend having closed the gap on leaders Liverpool to eight points. It has also extended Arsenal’s unbeaten run to seven games.
“I am really happy because if you look at the game, Bolton played a bit more defensively than normal,” said Van Persie. “But we stayed focused and stayed calm.
“I think the confidence is coming back now because we lost points earlier in the season that were not so clever. I think we will learn from that. This is what the boss said at half time - stay confident, stay focused and you will get your goal. This is what happened. It was a combination of fitness and confidence really.
“Before that we were a bit unlucky. They stayed behind the ball with 10 men. This is what we knew [would happen] and the only way to break them is to score. You could see after the goal, they were finished. They were tired suddenly and passes weren’t coming through.
“It’s not the most positive way of playing football. I know they had lots of injuries as well - they just brought 15 players to the Emirates. It was not a proper game of football but they had their reasons for that.”
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Nicklas Bendtner came off the bench to snatch victory for Arsenal when he slid in to score with six minutes left.
Until then Arsenal had been frustrated as Robin van Persie fired a volley just over the bar and Emmanuel Adebayor hesitated and his shot was blocked.
Van Persie's toe-poked effort hit the post before the Dutchman's flick was saved by Jussi Jaaskelainen, who then saved Bendtner's close-range header.
But the Dane converted Van Persie's cross to finally end Bolton's resolve.
It had seemed Arsenal would be foiled by a dogged display from the visitors, who showed virtually nothing coming forward but proved very difficult to break down at the back.
And they might have been pegged back to a draw had Kevin Davies done better with a shot from six yards that he directed straight at Manuel Almunia in the closing stages.
Chances were rare until the last quarter of the match, with Bolton's blanket rearguard comfortably keeping Arsenal out.
The Gunners looked to Samir Nasri and Van Persie for a creative spark but the pair saw a lot of the ball without managing to inflict any damage.
Van Persie had the best chance of an uneventful first half when he took down Nasri's pass with one touch and narrowly volleyed over the bar with his second touch.
Bolton lost their lone striker Johan Elmander to injury mid-way through the half - not that anyone would really have noticed, such had been the lack of an attacking threat.
Yet had the visitors shown some adventure they might have exposed some nervousness in the Arsenal defence - twice keeper Almunia almost suffered a mix-up with his own players.
Bolton's first chance on goal came after the interval, but Matthew Taylor's header was easily saved.
It had the effect, though, of finally provoking the home side into stepping through the gears.
And they should have scored when Nasri found Adebayor in space but he delayed his shot too long and Andy O'Brien was able to block.
Arsenal were inches from taking the lead shortly after when Van Persie poked the ball against the foot of the post and then saw his flick, which diverted Kolo Toure's shot, well saved by Jaaskelainen.
Bendtner should, perhaps, have scored with his first touch when he headed downwards but it was only into the arms of the Wanderers keeper.
But the striker was not to be denied and he slid in at the far post to meet Van Persie's cross and slot into an empty net to put Arsenal ahead.
It was a cruel blow for Bolton, although they had been increasingly under pressure, and they might have come away with a point had Davies not squandered a late chance.
Arsenal: Almunia, Sagna, Toure, Djourou, Clichy, Eboue (Bendtner 74), Diaby (Vela 64), Denilson, Nasri, Adebayor (Ramsey 88), Van Persie.
Subs Not Used: Fabianski, Wilshere, Bischoff, Gibbs.
Booked: Djourou, Ramsey.
Goals: Bendtner 84.
Bolton: Jaaskelainen, Basham, Shittu, Andrew O'Brien, Samuel, Taylor, Muamba, McCann, Gardner, Elmander (Riga 39), Davies, Riga (Obadeyi 77).
Subs Not Used: Bogdan, Fojut.
Booked: Riga, McCann.
Att: 60,068
Ref: Chris Foy (Merseyside).
www.bbc.co.uk
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Every week Arsenal TV Online will bring you two free videos. The first of these this week is a spotlight interview with Robin Van Persie where he discusses his journey as a professional footballer and his life at Arsenal.
Watch the video here.
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Robin van Persie has won his second consecutive O2/Arsenal.com Player of the Month award.
The Dutchman admitted in an interview on Arsenal TV Online that his November prize was based almost entirely on one performance - that double at Chelsea - but he can't say the same about his December award. Robin was in fine form throughout last month and caused problems for every defender he faced.
After sitting out the month’s first two fixtures, Robin returned with a bang. He went close to scoring at Middlesbrough and Aston Villa but did find the target after a sumptuous piece of skill against Liverpool. Receiving a high ball from Samir Nasri with his back to goal, the 25-year-old controlled and swivelled with one touch before lashing an unstoppable effort past Pepe Reina at the near post. It was Robin's 53rd goal for Arsenal, and probably his best at Emirates Stadium.
Robin polled more than 30 per cent of the votes in our December poll. The ever-consistent Bacary Sagna was second while William Gallas finished third.
December Player of the Month
Robin van Persie 32.7%
Bacary Sagna 22.3%
William Gallas 10.5%
Others 34.5%
Wayne Rouse from Milton Keynes has won the chance to present Robin with his award before the game against Bolton at Emirates Stadium on Saturday. Wayne will also receive two tickets to the match.
"Robin has been a shining light in what has been a difficult period for Arsenal," said Wayne.
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Robin van Persie’s 47th-minute header against Plymouth Argyle was the 150th Arsenal goal scored at Emirates Stadium.
The Dutchman’s goal brought up the milestone in the 72nd match at the Gunners’ new home.
Gilberto was the first Arsenal player to score a competitive goal at Emirates Stadium on Saturday, August 19, 2006 after 83 minutes of their 1-1 draw with Aston Villa.
Between the Brazilian’s strike and the Dutchman’s header, Arsenal have played 6,391 minutes of Emirates Stadium football (including 30 minutes of extra time against Tottenham in the Carling Cup Semi Final on Wednesday, January 31, 2007) averaging one goal every 42.6 minutes.
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The Arsenal striker has never played at England’s national stadium but hopes to put that right by reaching this year’s FA Cup Final.
The Dutchman, who bagged a brace in Saturday’s Third Round win over Plymouth, has won the competition before. But that was back in 2005 when the showpiece game was held in Cardiff.
He scored in Arsenal’s victorious penalty shoot-out over Manchester United that day and had previously struck twice in the Semi-Final win over Blackburn, also at the Millennium Stadium. However, for Van Persie, Wembley remains special.
“In my first year, I scored two goals in the last eight minutes in the [Semi-Final] at the Cardiff Stadium,” he said. “It was fantastic to be in front of 70,000 people but it is still a dream for me to play at Wembley. I have never played there.
“Of course it was a dream come true for me as well when I scored two goals in the last eight minutes of a Semi-Final of the FA Cup - which of course brings you to the Final - but I still want to do it at Wembley.”
That Cardiff victory in 2005 represents the last time Arsenal lifted a trophy. Van Persie did not think he and his team would still be waiting for their next silverware in 2009.
“At the time, no [I didn’t think that] because they were winning trophies for fun,” he said. “I came to the champions so I was expecting something like that but it’s not really happened in the last three years.
“But it’s not a reason for me to give up – it is a bigger challenge for me to do it. If we can do it now, then it is a big achievement.
“If you want to win a trophy you need to see it game by game. You can’t say 'OK at the end I want to lift a trophy'.
“You need to give absolutely everything game by game. If you look at Man United, they had a great year, but if you look at the Champions League, they were lucky. Terry slipped. If he hadn’t, it would have been different.
“It’s really hard – the line between winning and losing is really thin.
“I know that everyone at Arsenal will give absolutely everything to win but still I can’t guarantee we are going to win.”
www.arsenal.com
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Arsenal ace Robin van Persie is ready to challenge Chelsea captain John Terry - at darts!
Arsenal's Dutch striker was cheering on countryman Raymond van Barneveld in the PDC World Championship.
Van Persie, whose two goals beat Chelsea at Stamford Bridge in November, said: "I started playing darts when I was four.
"Although I love the game, not a lot of the other Arsenal lads are that keen - but I heard that John Terry is a very good player.
"Next time we play Chelsea, if we're beating them again, I might just drop in a line about beating him at darts too, just to wind him up."
www.tribalfootball.com
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