Arsenal 2-0 Cardiff Stats and Highlights
Nicklas Bendtner and Theo Walcott scored late goals to keep Arsenal at the top of the Premier League table as a brave Cardiff were beaten in front of expected new boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.
Bendtner fired in from close range after Bacary Sagna’s header was saved by David Marshall before Walcott converted Jack Wilshere’s sublime pass.
Wilshere had earlier hit the post for a frustrated Gunners side.
Cardiff are set to name Solskjaer as Malky Mackay’s successor.
Watch English Premier League match, Arsenal Vs Cardiff preview, stats and highlights here.
Venue: Emirates Stadium
Date: Wednesday, 1 January, 2014
Kick off: 15:00 GMT
All Goals | Mobile users click here
1-0 Bendtner 88′ | Mobile users click here
2-0 Walcott 90’+2′ | Mobile users click here
Head-to-head
Arsenal are unbeaten in the past 12 matches in all competitions against Cardiff (W7, D5), since a 3-2 home defeat in February 1961.
The Gunners are winless in their past three home top-flight games against the Bluebirds (D2, L1), albeit the most recent of those matches was in 1962.
Former Cardiff player Aaron Ramsey scored twice in Arsenal’s 3-0 win when the two sides met at the Cardiff City Stadium in November. Mathieu Flamini fired the third.
This is the second time the two clubs have met on New Year’s Day. Arsenal won 3-2 at Highbury in an old Division One clash in 1927.
Arsenal
Arsene Wenger’s table-topping side collected a league-high 82 league points (W25, D7, L6) in 2013. That is despite failing to win their first three games of the calendar year (D1, L2).
Arsenal have only scored 16 times in nine Premier League home games this season.
They share the record for fewest Premier League goals conceded (18) and most clean sheets (8) this season.
Arsenal have the best shooting accuracy (54.5%) in the Premier League this season, whereas Cardiff have the worst (35.7%).
Cardiff
Cardiff have recorded only one league win in nine games. They have conceded at least two goals in seven of those matches.
All four of the Bluebirds’ league wins this season have been by a single-goal margin.
Cardiff have scored just four first-half goals. They led at the break for the first time this campaign in Saturday’s draw with Sunderland.
Only 18 different players have started a league game for Cardiff this season, fewer than at any other Premier League club.
