Arsenal Vs. Everton, 2011 Premier League: Robin Van Persie Wondergoal Gives Gunners Three Points

Arsenal had plenty of possession and were always on the front foot against Everton, but were hardly at their best on Saturday afternoon. That is, everyone but Robin van Persie was at their best. The Flying Dutchman netted his 18th goal of this season in all competitions and his 15th of the year in the Premier League with a brilliant 70th minute strike, giving his side a 1-0 victory.

Theo Walcott looked dangerous throughout the match and was the man responsible for most of Arsenal's best chances, but his finishing, crossing and decision making were very poor. He created a great opportunity in the 30th minute, but crossed when a shot was probably a better move, only for Gervinho to miss the shot. In the second half, he had a couple of bad back to back misses in the 54th and 55th minutes. Despite his fantastic play down the right wing, the final ball was never there and it appeared for a time that Everton could escape from the Emirates Stadium with a point.

That was, until the 70th minute, when Arsenal's star striker struck again. Running onto a fantastic ball over the top of the defense from Alex Song, van Persie hit a spectacular volley into the back of the net at the far post, beating Tim Howard with an unstoppable shot from 12 yards.

Van Persie will likely be named the man of the match for his jaw-dropping game-winning strike, but Alex Song was the key man for Arsenal throughout the match. He broke up a number of Everton moves forward, dictated the play in the center of the pitch and started most of Arsenal's attacking moves. His assist to van Persie was merely the icing on the cake. Arsenal go to fourth in the table with this win, one point ahead of Chelsea, who play on Monday.