Post Match Reaction: Bolton (H)

Robin van Persie joined the esteemed 100 club as his brace saw him reach a century of Gunner goals on a day when we recorded our first convincing win of the league season.

Positives:
RVP's 100 goals have seen some utterly stupendous efforts in his 7 years at the club so far and if it wasn't for his injury plagued career, he would have surely hit this mark alot sooner. It was great to see our main man reach such a landmark and cement his place in the Gunners hall of fame alongside the likes of Bergkamp, Henry and Wright. Van Persie's goal ratio for 2011 has been incredible and since knocking in his 75th goal against Birmingham on 1 January 2011, the Dutchman has managed to score another 25, meaning has averaged a goal every 100.3 minutes in 2011. Interestingly enough, as well as the 100 goals, Van Persie has created 51 assists in his time at Arsenal, while Theo Walcott has provided him with 15 assists, including the 100th goal he netted against Bolton yesterday.

Negatives:
It's hard to find negatives from what what was a pretty polished display. Alex Song's late curler showed us he looks back to his best going forward though if we are being picky, it's fair to say we struggled to break the Trotters down up until David Wheater's 60th minute dismissal.

Conclusion:
With our home form improving and a clean sheet recorded, the mood in the camp is slowly starting to lift. Arsene Wenger remains positive, likening Van Persie to Lionel Messi.

“I see similarities positional-wise with Messi," he said. "He comes deep, he likes to turn up front as well. He doesn't play like a real centre forward but when you look at his movement around the box he is very intelligent and goes on diagonal runs. I always thought his first touch was so good that he can make a difference even in a tight space. He has matured from the boy who was a little bit emotionally impulsive when he arrived to the guy who is here today. But he is intelligent, speaks his mind and you can speak to him as well. He takes advice and overall he has developed very well."