Gunners tame Tigers with late show
Robin van Persie was the star for Arsenal with three assists
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Saturday, 17, Jan 2009 09:36
Arsenal needed two goals in the last eight minutes to beat Hull City 3-1 at the KC Stadium.
The home side looked on course for a point when Daniel Cousin cancelled out Emannuel Adebayor's opener.
But the Gunners snatched victory thanks to late goals from Samir Nasri and Nicklas Bendtner, which keeps them three points behind fourth-placed Aston Villa.
Arsenal will come away relieved after surviving a scare against the side they lost 1-0 to earlier in the season.
And like that game at the Emirates, Phil Brown's men matched their opponents for much of the game.
Geovanni, who scored the winner against Arsenal in September, went close to repeating the trick with a long-range chip that Manuel Almunia collected while at the other end, Robin van Persie's deflected free-kick crept past the post.
Almunia nearly cost the visitors a goal after a mix-up with Johan Djourou with Cousin coming close to scoring.
Arsene Wenger's men then cranked up the tempo with van Persie's free-kick pushed onto the bar by Boaz Myhil.
But the keeper could do little to stop Arsenal taking the lead when van Persie's cross was headed in by Adebayor on the half-hour mark.
Emmanuel Eboue should have doubled the lead immediately but shot wide with the goal at his mercy as the Gunners' wastefulness continued.
Hull continued to pose the Gunners' problems in the second-half with substitute Manucho feeling he should have been awarded a penalty when he collided with Djourou.
And their endeavour was rewarded on 65 minutes when Bernard Mendy, in acres of space, crossed for Cousin to head in the equaliser.
But the Tigers were guilty of sitting back in the closing stages with Arsenal coming close to regaining the lead through Abou Diaby, who lashed his shot wide while substitute Bendtner's effort was beaten away by Myhil.
And the Gunners finally went ahead on 82 minutes when Nasri collected van Persie's pass and fired a shot from an angle into the corner.
Victory was sealed four minutes later when van Persie again turned provider to square the ball for Bendtner to stroke in the third.
Arsenal came close to making the win look even more flattering in stoppage time when Bendtner rattled the post with a header as the Gunners keep up the pressure on Villa for the final Champions League spot.