Arsène Wenger can finally enjoy some festive cheer after Arsenal completed three successive victories in the Premier League with a 1-0 win at Wigan Athletic on a miserable Lancashire afternoon. Wenger will be pulling a cracker on his own at Arsenal's training ground after giving his players Christmas Day off, but Mikel Arteta's 60th-minute penalty was as good a gift as he is likely to get this year.
Arteta scored the only goal of the game against Wigan after the referee, Jon Moss, controversially awarded the away side a penalty in the second half when Theo Walcott went down softly under the challenge of Jean Beausejour. Arsenal had to play large parts of the game on the back foot and, though they did not replicate the sparkling football they produced against Reading last Monday night, there were more encouraging signs of resilience following the shootout defeat at Bradford City.
"It was good because there was more determination than domination in the final part of the game," Wenger said. "I hope that gives us a bit more belief and confidence. We had to show nerves and we did it.
"They organised to stop us from playing and they did that very well, especially in the middle of the park. We had chances but especially the final part of the game was difficult for us."
Roberto Martínez, the Wigan manager, was upset with the penalty decision and argued that his side should have had the opportunity to equalise from the spot when Kieran Gibbs handballed in the closing stages of the match.
On Arsenal's penalty, he said: "When I saw it, it looked very, very soft because whether there is contact there or not, it is difficult to tell. It has to be contact that stops you from staying on your feet. I thought it was very soft. If there was contact, I doubt whether it would take the player down.
"The disappointment is that in the other box you've got a clear handball. The ball travels a long distance and the arms are not in a natural position; that's a penalty. You can argue all day if it is a silly one but that is a penalty."
The first chance of the match fell to Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, who exploited the space down Wigan's left flank and was picked out by Arteta in the penalty area, but his low shot was palmed behind by Ali al-Habsi at the near post.
Martínez returned to a 4-4-2 formation as Beausejour dropped in at left-back, but the Chilean's natural attacking instincts often left Wigan exposed, with only Emmerson Boyce and Maynor Figueroa in defence.
Ronnie Stam, the Wigan right-back, was equally forward-thinking, however, neither player's delivery from wide caused Arsenal's defenders major problems.
The home side did, though, have the best opportunity of the first half. Arouna Koné was fed through by Franco Di Santo's wonderful pass from deep, and although he easily outpaced the trundling Per Mertesacker, Koné dragged his left-foot shot wide in the 24th minute.
Walcott, playing in a central attacking role again, had the chance to put Arsenal ahead in the 49th minute. Santi Cazorla surged down the right to the by-line before pulling the ball back across goal, but Walcott's shot from eight yards was well stopped by Habsi.
On the hour mark, the striker played a key role in the opening goal, though. Walcott slid a pass inside to Cazorla and received the Spaniard's return ball before tumbling to the ground inside the area under the challenge of Beausejour. There was definite contact but the home supporters were furious; Arteta made no mistake and sent Habsi the wrong way.
"The player has got real experience and he knew that a penalty would change the game or give them real hope of the three points," Martínez said, "and I thought he bought the decision."
The Wigan supporters' ire reached boiling point soon later when Di Santo was forced to stand on the touchline for three minutes. It was a bizarre exchange after the forward was mistakenly adjudged to be wearing an earring, and the fourth official, Mark Halsey, did not allow him to return to the action.
Wigan fought their way back into the game but twice Wojciech Szczesny denied them the equaliser. In the 70th minute, Figueroa's 25-yard deflected effort was saved low by the Polish goalkeeper, before Koné had a fierce drive palmed away. David Jones then fizzed a stinging shot narrowly wide from just outside the penalty area but Wigan could not craft a clear-cut chance to equalise.
Wigan will be in the bottom three at Christmas, but Arsenal moved into the top three. "When the team is on a roll you want them to go out and play," said Wenger, who is disappointed that a London Underground strike has put paid to his Boxing Day plans. Martínez, though, could use a break.
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