The match wasn't as close as the score suggests and Arsenal should have won more comfortably, but they all count the same. The Gunners will be satisfied to walk away from Carrow Road with three points, thanks to their 2-1 win over Norwich City. Robin van Persie was brilliant yet again, scoring a brace, while the team around him performed brilliantly, save for a couple of bad apples.
Norwich City Vs. Arsenal, 2011 Premier League: Full Time, Gunners Win 2-1
One of them was Per Mertesacker, whose error lead to Norwich's goal. In the 16th minute, Mertesacker got himself between Steve Morison and a long ball and should have made an easy clearance. Instead, he allowed Morison to more or less run through him onto the ball, then finish off the chance to give his side a lead.
Van Persie would get the goal back quickly, scoring in the 26th minute to send the teams into halftime tied up at 1-1. Theo Walcott provided the cross, while Gervinho provided a combined shocking miss/dummy run to set up van Persie for an easy finish at the back post.
Gervinho should have had an easy hat trick in the second half, but miraculously missed all of his glorious chances. Van Persie made up for it, though, scoring the winner in the 59th minute. Collecting a through ball from Alex Song - who would have been man of the match if not for van Persie's brace - RvP chipped goalkeeper John Ruddy to score the goal.
It should have been a bit easier for Arsenal, but with the exceptions of Gervinho’s misses and Mertesacker’s terrible defensive error, it was a great performance they can be proud of. The Gunners very easily could have won this match 5-0.
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