Walcott: we’ve shown we can do necessary dirty things

THEO WALCOTT believes Arsenal have shown they can do the “dirty things” which are needed to mount a sustained challenge for the Barclays Premier League title.

The Gunners came through a stern examination at West Ham on Sunday when they battled to a 2-0 win as they made up ground on Chelsea and moved further ahead of Manchester United, while keeping the deficit on leaders Liverpool at just four points.

And Walcott believes the manner of the hard-fought victory at Upton Park — which came via a deflected shot from Emmanuel Adebayor with 15 minutes left and a second from the substitute in stoppage time – will have sent a signal the Gunners have added another dimension to their game.