Agony follows ecstasy for Bendtner as Arsenal nick it

Arsenal 2 Cardiff City 0

Arsene Wenger’s side were set to slide to third place until sub Nicklas Bendtner and Theo Walcott scored late goals.

And this was supposed to be the easiest of Arsenal’s festive fixture list!

Perhaps inspired by the presence of manager elect Ole Gunnar Solskjaer in the stands, Cardiff battled and frustrated Arsenal in fiercely wet and windy conditions in north London.

Relieved Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger revealed afterwards how the win had come at a price as, with Olivier Giroud already sidelined through injury, Bendtner is now facing a three-week absence after turning his ankle in the act of scoring.

“He is a player who has gone through some difficult periods, so I want to give him great credit,” Wenger said. “I told him already before the game that he was back to his level, where I want him to be.

“And if he continues to develop like that, then he can be back in the team, but unfortunately he got injured and it looks like a question of weeks not days. He has sprained an ankle. I’m very sad, not just for us but for him also.

“It doesn’t mean we go straight from Nicklas’s ankle to the transfer market but the fact is we have Giroud and Bendtner out.

“Cardiff were tough — they are the fittest team in the Premier League. And they have enough to stay up, especially if they can add some goal-scoring knowledge like Solskjaer has.”

Cardiff were ultimately undone by an Arsenal team that clearly wanted the win more and defeat leaves the Welsh side just one place and one point above the relegation zone.

And things are not likely to get any more comfortable for former Manchester United striker Solskjaer as his first three league games are at home to relegation rivals West Ham before trips to Man City and then his Old Trafford stomping ground.

“I believe the squad is good enough to survive the Premier League and if the new manager can add to the squad then all when and good but I think they are already good enough,” Cardiff caretaker manager David Kerslake said.

“The players were not talking about it [Solskjaer] in the hotel, on the team bus or in the dressing room so I do not know how they were influenced.”

Arsenal made three changes from their victory at Newcastle, with Lukas Podolski starting as the central striker in place of Giroud. But the German failed to make his presence felt, so Arsenal tried to either pass their way through a well-organised defence or exploit the speed of Walcott with a few passes over the top.

And the tactic nearly paid off a couple of times before the impressive Jack Wilshere picked out Walcott down the right and the move ended with the ball flashing past a post into the side-netting.

Arsenal started the second half with more urgency throughout their side, but still struggled to create clear-cut chances. That made Cardiff an increasingly dangerous threat on the break and they felt they should have been awarded a penalty when Nacho Monreal stopped a Craig Noone cross with his left hand.

Moss was right to dismiss the Cardiff pleas as the ball had deflected to hand from Monreal’s boot.

Cardiff’s tactics were quite clear now as soon after Moss was moved to book their goalkeeper David Marshall for time wasting and there was still over half an hour to go. Five minutes later and Wilshere shook the Cardiff woodwork with a stinging left foot shot after a tricky run into the area.

It was straight after that Wenger decided to make an attacking switch and replaced Podolski and Mathieu Flamini with Bendtner and Tomas Rosicky.

But Wenger and his players must have been wondering whether they would ever score after captain Per Mertesacker missed two great headed chances in quick succession, the second shaving a post.

With two minutes left in normal time, Monreal slung a cross to the far post, Sagna had a header saved and Bendtner blasted in the rebound home before hobbling off injured.

Then, in time added on Wilshere’s classy pass released Walcott and he dinked the ball over Marshall.

ARSENAL: Szczesny 7, Sagna 7, Mertesacker 6, Koscielny 6, Monreal 7, Arteta 6, Flamini 6 (Rosicky 65, 6), Wilshere 8, Walcott 7, Cazorla 6, Podolski 5 (Bendtner 65, 7, Vermaelen 90).

CARDIFF: Marshall 7; McNaughton 7, Caulker 7, Turner 6, John 6; Whittingham 5, Medel 6 (Gunnarson 61, 6) Kim 5, Noone 6, Mutch 5 (Cowie 68, 5); Campbell 5 (Maynard 79, 6).

Referee: Jon Moss.