Nicklas Bendtner has been much-maligned both inside and outside the Emirates, but the ultra-confident Dane could yet prove to have a pivotal impact on ending Arsenal’s long wait for the Premier League title.
Without the injured Olivier Giroud and with Lukas Podolski having offered little as his replacement, Bendtner came off the bench and made the most dramatic of impacts with the crucial goal to break Cardiff City’s admirable resolve less than two minutes before the end of regulation time. With the visitor’s lines breached, a second goal soon followed as Theo Walcott secured a priceless victory in injury time. The three points crucially keep Arsenal top of the table as the Premier League began its second half.
With Mesut Ozil, Aaron Ramsey and Kieran Gibbs joining Giroud on the sidelines, this was always liable to be an encounter where the victory would be the only thing that mattered. And that’s exactly how it proved. Arsenal, despite deserving their win, were far from their flowing best, but not for the first time this season showed a precious ability to do what’s necessary to pick up all three points.
The late goals were hard on a Cardiff side who worked tirelessly throughout to deny Arsenal space to play their trademark intricate passing maneuvers. There was also a heavy sense of déjà vu after the Welsh side, again led by interim boss David Kerslake, conceded two late goals on Saturday to snatch a draw from the jaws of victory against Sunderland. Still, for Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, who was watching alongside owner Vincent Tan in the director’s box, there is much he can take from the performance by a side of which he is imminently expected to be confirmed as manager.
More to follow.
Goal Bendtner - Arsenal 1-0 Cardiff City - 01... by The-Best-Games
Goal Walcott - Arsenal 2-0 Cardiff City - 01-01... by The-Best-Games
VIDEO Arsenal 2-0 Cardiff: Highlights; Late Bendtner And Walcott Goals keep Gunners Top
No comments:
Post a Comment