LONDON (Reuters) – A Robin van Persie double earned Arsenal a fifth consecutive Premier League victory yesterday as Arsene Wenger’s side beat Norwich City 2-1 at Carrow Road.
Arsenal dominated throughout but had to come from a goal down after Steve Morison had given the home side a 16th minute lead in the day’s early kickoff.
Dutchman Van Persie equalised with a simple tap-in after 26 minutes and struck again just before the hour mark with a deft finish to take his league tally for the season to 13 and his calendar year total to 31.
Theo Walcott nearly extended Arsenal’s lead late on but his fierce shot from an acute angle struck the outside of the post.
Victory moved Arsenal above Liverpool, who face Chelsea today, into sixth place with 22 points from 12 games.
Leaders Manchester City were hosting third-placed Newcastle United later yesterday, while Manchester United, who are second, five points adrift, are at Swansea City in a late kickoff.
Wenger came under pressure this season after a woeful start that included an 8-2 defeat at Manchester United and a 4-3 reverse at Blackburn Rovers, which had many writing off Arsenal’s chances of a top-four finish.
However, since the Blackburn debacle on September 17, the Gunners have won six of their seven matches, thanks largely to the inspirational Van Persie.
“Robin is exceptional but we all know within the club that he’s an exceptional player,” Wenger told Sky Sports. “Sometimes, what was in the way was the fact he was injured. Since he plays, he shows just how good he is.”
