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Bendtner Strikes In The Nick Of Time

The English Premier League is the most fickle of businesses, where a matter of inches either side of a post can determine whether you are loved or loathed by your teams own fans. Just ask Nicklas Bendtner.

After troubling fans seated behind the goal rather than Burnley goalkeeper Brian Jensen last Saturday, the young Dane has put the now infamous display of dire finishing well behind him after he struck a late, late winner for Arsenal in what became an unnecessarily tricky fixture away to Hull City.

The Gunners controlled the tempo during the opening exchanges, and duly went ahead just before the quarter of an hour mark when Andrey Arshavin rounded off a typically instinctive Arsenal attacking move.

However, instead of protecting what could be a precious 1-0 lead in this Premier League title race, the visitors became sloppy and lapsed in defence when a vulnerable looking Sol Campbell was adjudged to have felled Jan Venegoor of Hesselink in the area with a high foot. Despite the hint of offside surrounding the Dutch striker, Campbell could have no complaints about the awarding of a clear penalty, and should think himself fortunate to have escaped with just a yellow card in what Phil Brown, the Hull manager, described as ‘a clear goalscoring opportunity’.

Jimmy Bullard rifled the resulting penalty into the top corner with aplomb, leaving Manuel Almunia, the Arsenal goalkeeper, grasping thin air.

Brown will have been delighted to see the fighting spirit of his side, which boiled over in this weeks well documented park fracas between Bullard and Nick Barmby, was in evidence throughout the contest. But a five minute period of strong arm tactics just before half time ended with yet another moment of controversy as the bad blood between the two teams appeared to rear its ugly head once again.

George Boateng, already booked for striking Bendtner in the face earlier on, lunged in ferociously on Arsenal’s French full back Bacary Sagna as half time loomed, and gave referee Andre Marriner no choice but to show the Dutchman a second yellow card. Arsene Wenger, amongst many, will argue that it was worthy of a straight red.

With the battling Humbersiders reduced to ten men, it was perhaps, on another day, a fixture which you would have expected Arsenal to put to bed with the slightest flex of their attacking muscle. But during a second half in which Arsenal failed to make any immediate impression on Hull’s backline, a priceless point in the Tigers ostensible struggle against relegation became all the more palpable with every passing minute.

The introduction of Theo Walcott, the young England winger, so nearly turned the tide for the Gunners. Using his pace to tear down the right flank, he cracked a ball into the path of Arshavin via Samir Nasri’s flick on, but the Russian skied his shot in what could be referred to as ‘Bendtner-esque’ style.

However, not one to be outdone when it comes to howling misses, Arsenal’s Danish striker blundered two simple opportunities before atoning for his errors by slotting home the dramatic late winner that could be his most important goal in the red and white of Arsenal to date.

Denilson took aim from distance and heaved his shot straight into the path of Boaz Myhill, the Hull goalkeeper. But the Welshman flapped at the ball and served the winning goal up on a plate to Bendtner who stroked home to the relief of his manager and travelling fans.

The heartbreaking defeat for Hull ended what will have been one of the most difficult weeks in Phil Browns tenure at the club. Contrastingly for Arsenal, victory equated to the sustainment of their title challenge on a day which saw rivals Chelsea brush aside West Ham with ruthless competence.

But who would have dared to dream that Bendtner could emerge as a vital component in Arsenal’s run in? If the fans didnt, the media didn’t, and to some extent his peers didn’t believe so, the player, himself, most certainly did. And his transformation from marked man to marksman is testament to that self-belief.

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