Hull 1-3 Arsenal

Important Victory Over Stubborn Hull

Arsenal secured an important victory over a battling Hull side on Saturday, but it was no walk in the park. The Gunners took the lead after 30 minutes through Emmanuel Adebayor. At this stage things were looking comfortable.

But then, in the 65th minute, Hull equalised, against the run of play. This owed a lot to Gael Clichy's refusal to close Mendy down, who was able to cross for Daniel Cousin to head home. This gave the home side a lift, with their work-rate increasing; perhaps even sensing a victory.

However, in Robin van Persie, Arsenal have a player in top form. Having rattled the crossbar earlier with a vicious free-kick, as well as setting up Adebayor for his goal, van Persie, then gave the ball to Nasri to give Arsenal the lead again. The Frenchman took the pass well, and slotted the ball into the corner confidently.

To complete his hat-trick of assists, van Persie then squared the ball for Nicklas Bendtner, who to side-footed the ball into the net, wrapping the game up for the Gunners.

It's now 8 games without a defeat for them, and the manner in which they managed to take victory, despite Hull drawing level, was a good sign. But with Chelsea, Manchester United and Aston Villa all winning, the Gunners know, they can't afford to slip-up.

Kolo Toure Hands In Transfer Request

Kolo Toure has handed in a transfer request, which has been refused. Arsenal chairman Peter Hill-Wood confirmed the request, adding: "We are not looking to let any of our players go, and he is under contract - and we expect him to honour it.".

Toure has been unhappy ever since losing his first team place to Mikael Silvestre this season. The £10 million-rated defender is highly regarded, with Manchester City considering making a bid for him.

FA Cup 3rd Round

Arsenal 3-1 Plymouth

Stand-in captain Robin van Persie scored twice to help Arsenal into the 4th round of the FA Cup. Although Arsenal never looked under any real threat, the result was not truly secure until the captain scored the third goal in the 83rd minute.

He had opened the scoring 2 minutes after half time, before David Gray netted into his own net. The Gunners, however, had to sweat for a while after Karl Duguid pulled a goal back for the Championship side.

The only downside to the result was an injury to Mikael Silvestre, who hobbled off 10 minutes before the break. Manager Arsene Wenger, however, was understandably pleased with the result, saying: "I give credit to my team for doing the job seriously, and also to Plymouth who had a great game as well".