Theo Walcott continues electric form to sink Cardiff City

Arsene Wenger looked set to be a frustrated man this evening, as Arsenal dominated possession for much of the game against Cardiff City, yet were seemingly having to settle for a draw until the final minutes.

Theo Walcott perfectly encapsulated Arsenal’s afternoon, seeing plenty of the ball, being willing to take on his man and having plenty of attempts on goal, yet failing to find the net, until very late on.

Until Nicklas Bendtner grabbed a late goal, it was Jack Wilshere and Per Mertesacker who came closest for the home side, hitting the woodwork just after the hour mark, as Arsenal began to increase the pressure on Vincent Tan…sorry, David Kerslake’s side. With Ole Gunnar Solskjaer watching from the stands, Cardiff showed the sort of resilience that’s going to be needed if they’ve any chance of avoiding relegation.

Arsenal’s cause wasn’t helped by Lukas Podolski who had an afternoon to forget, culminating in his substitution after 64 minutes for Bendtner.

Wenger also took Mathieu Flamini off for Tomas Rosicky as Arsenal pressed for a winner, three points being even more vital following Manchester City’s win at Swansea earlier in the day. Fortunately for the home side, Wenger’s gamble paid off as Bendtner grabbed what could turn out to be a vital winner come May.

Unlike previous seasons where Wenger’s substitutions have been called into question, this one, like much of the rest of this campaign, worked perfectly and offered some justification – albeit only a little – to the Danish striker’s claims that he’s vastly underrated.

Walcott though, deserves much of the credit for the Gunners victory as like many of his team mates, the England international didn’t give up and was rewarded with his goal late on. Although this was an uneasy afternoon for the Gunners on the whole, three points is three points and Wenger will be pleased his side have shown the sort of belief that’s perhaps been missing in the past.