Bendtner keeps Arsenal top, but striker crisis still looms

Danish forward the unlikely hero as Gunners beat Cardiff to make it three wins over Christmas

Nicklas Bendtner scores for Arsenal

Arsenal 2 Cardiff City 0. Nicklas Bendtner was the unlikely hero as Arsenal overcame a stubborn Cardiff side with two goals in the final five minutes to cap an excellnet Christmas campaign. The victory keeps the Gunners top of the table, one point above Manchester City whose recent run of fine form continued with a 3-2 win away at Swansea.

Arsenal were unable to break down a well-organised Cardiff side for most of a tense encounter at the Emirates, a match played in atrocious conditions that dampened the style as well as the spirits.

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE
https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/jacafc5zvs1692883516.jpg

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up
Bill Mann is a football correspondent for The Week.co.uk, scouring the world's football press daily for the popular Transfer Talk column.