FOOTBALL: Premier League – Arsenal 1, Everton 0

Published: 10 December, 2011

by ALLAN LEDWARD

THE Gunners' current players looked understandably daunted as they carried the weight of a remarkable football club’s history on their shoulders.

Watched by many of its legends, and 60,000 Gunners fans in the mood for festivities, they were under pressure to fulfil their role in a milestone game.

But if they had taken their first-half chances it would have given everyone invited to the Emirates party a whole 45 minutes to celebrate 125 years of the Arsenal.

Instead, a stale-looking Everton – a team clearly crying out for the sort of craft and composure that Mikel Arteta offers – were allowed to find their way back into the contest and almost departed with an unlikely, and very much incongruous, point.

It was left to Robin van Persie to rescue the occasion, with a goal that would have won approving looks from Thierry Henry and Ian Wright in the stands.

After all the pre-match pomp, came an almost inevitable anti-climactic opening 10 minutes played out in a subdued atmosphere.

Arsenal started with an over-staffed defence, with only Louis Saha to keep them occupied.

But it soon became clear that going forward they had more than enough to unpick the visitors' back line when Arteta released Theo Walcott for a clear run at goal. The winger's decision to square the ball for Gervinho, when he clearly should have shot, set a tone of uncertainty for the afternoon, and the chance of the half was gone.

Aaron Ramsey and Walcott, again finding space, failed to convert further opportunities, while Gervinho was foiled by a superb save from Toffees keeper Tim Howard.

Following the break, Thomas Vermaelen produced an excellent saving header at the back post to deny Tim Cahill, as the game threatened to fizzle out in a scrappy and prolonged period of play. Phil Neville then went close to becoming a highly unlikely match-winner with a shot just over the bar.

With just 20 minutes left, Alex Song lifted a perfectly weighted pass over the Everton defence in search of van Persie. The Dutchman, losing Phil Jagielka, hit the sweetest possible left-foot volley off the post and into the net. It was the sort of skill that, if reprised over a lengthy career for the Gunners, can earn a statue.

The tension dissolved, and, other than the inevitable last-minute scare when mascot-sized Everton substitute Conor McAleny fired inches wide, Gunners fans were left to look forward to the next chapter in Arsenal‘s history.

Deflecting questions about the possibility of Henry and Nicolas Anelka returning to the club next month, Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger was in upbeat mood after the game.

He told the Press: "You will say we are van Persie-dependent. He delivered something special and three important points.

"I must give credit to Song as well, it was a fantastic ball.

"In the first half we created many chances – the players were disappointed because we hadn’t scored. In the second half Everton played deeper and it gave us less room. We lacked a little bit of team pressure to get them out of position, so we needed something special.

"I’m very pleased that we kept our composure and didn’t give a goal chance away.

"When you look back to the start of the season, we looked much more solid today."

Asked if the Gunners could now mount a serious title challenge, he said: "The spirit is there, the consistency is there – we will see how far we can go.

"Today was an historic day, it’s not easy to keep the focus with so many people here, celebrations, and the festive side."

And Wenger joked: "It was an historic day today – because we won 1-0."