Arsene Wenger says Arsenal are up for the title fight following their 3-0 victory over Wigan in the Premier League.

The Gunners strolled to a comfortable win at the Emirates as Robin van Persie hit a hat-trick and also missed a penalty.

Wigan were reduced to 10 men in the second half when Gary Caldwell was shown a straight red card, but in truth, Roberto Martinez's men have their goalkeeper Ali Al Habsi to thank for keeping the score respectable.

Arsenal remain two points behind Manchester United at the top of the table but Wenger is optimistic ahead of the second half of the season.

He told Sky Sports: "We know we now have eight home games and it's important to win the home games - then we have a good chance (of title fight).

"We are up for it. We are hungry, we want to do well, we play well so it will be interesting."

On the game itself, he added: "It was 1-0 at half-time when it could have been five or six. But overall I was very happy with our performance.

"We looked like we're going from strength to strength. We needed to be patient and in the end it was a convincing performance with maybe a less convincing performance than it could have been.

"Some players were frustrated because they felt they could have scored but what is most important is the team performance and that was great."
Cup task

Arsenal take on Ipswich in the Carling Cup on Tuesday night, looking to overturn a one-goal deficit from the first leg.

Wenger admits that he will once again rotate for the visit of the Tractor Boys and says he is taking one game at a time.

"We rotate from game to game. We play nine games in January which is a historical record for Arsenal," he added.

"We have a strong squad, some great players have not played today. Some of them might play on Tuesday.

"When you are in many competitions you just think about your next game.

"We have some knocks and bruises. Fabregas, Nasri, Djourou has a shoulder problem - we will have to assess that on Sunday and Monday.

"(Lukasz) Fabianski will still be out for Tuesday, (Manuel) Almunia maybe is coming back into the squad on Monday so he will be available."

Well Gooners another fantastic result for us. Well done to everybody.

Crowd- 6 -Seriously be Louder. Your not a bunch of fat cats going for a cricket match, and I bet you all pay probably the highest ticket prices !

Szczesny- Nothing much to do .

Sagna-  Continuing his good form even after his suspension. Was tidy at the back and great going forward with some brilliant crosses and link up play with Theo. –  8

DJ- Good on the ball. Never had any problems at the back except for the instance when Di Santo got a header. –  7

Kosher- Same as Dj. However was every good with at winning possession at the middle of the park today be it ground or aerial balls. – 7

Clichy- Tidy play at the back. Won the ball brilliantly on numerous occasions. Kept Nzogbia tamed. –  8

Song- Great performance from the Cameroonian. Great on the ball both attacking and defensively. Great  pass  for the first goal. Brilliantly picked out Cesc which led to the Penalty. –  8

Wilshere- Tidy and neat . Good on the ball. Made some brilliant runs and kept feeding the forward line. Increased Arsenal’s momentum when they looked a bit casual at the beginning of the second half.  - 7

Fabregas- Fantastic passing. Brilliant ball  for our second. He was in the centre of every attack. Won the penalty as well. Seriously deserved a goal today. Keep it up Le Capitan . – 8.5

Nasri- Kept the midfield ticking. Great on the ball as always. Tracked back when needed to and was a constant channel for Arsenal’s attack. Should have  got a goal.  -  7.5

Theo- Great commitment shown by the Englishman today. Kept running and chasing down his wing, a constant threat to the Wigan defence. Put some great crosses in as well which is good to see. Provided the assist for the our third. –  7.5

RVP – Well, he missed a penalty ( it happens to the best of footballers) , hit the post  and scored a hat-trick. We are delighted he is back (touchwood ) and leading the front line. –  9

Substitutes :

Denilson-  On for Cesc. Made a brilliant tackle in whatever time he got to play.

Arshavin- N/A. On for Nasri.

Chamakh- N/A On for RVP

Denilson has called for every Arsenal player "to take responsibility" as they chase silverware on four fronts this season.

The midfielder has been in the news this week after telling Brazilian TV that Cesc Fabregas was "not a leader". Speaking to the Official Arsenal Programme, Denilson clarified his comments in that interview and urged his team-mates to work together in the months to come.

"I want to tell everyone that I never said that Cesc Fabregas is a bad captain," said Denilson. "I never spoke about him [like that] because I like him and respect him, as I do all of the players.

"Sometimes the papers change a conversation and you never know whether it’s true. I am honest though, and when I came to the training ground on Wednesday, before going to Leeds on the train, I spoke to Cesc about it. He understood and was fine.

"I basically said that we have 25 players who should all take responsibility - I never talked about Cesc as captain. Unfortunately the papers like to change things. More important than that is to be together as a club. I respect Cesc, all the players and the staff too because we are all working for the same thing.

“This is a very young team, but we have quality, and we are in a very good position. Look at Chelsea – they have many experienced players but they are below us in the table. Cesc is the captain, and I respect him, but I think every single player needs to take responsibility on the pitch too.

“Me personally, I need to continue to work to improve as well. If we want to win this is what we have to do."

Arsenal moved back into second position in the Premier League table today after a 3-0 win against Wigan at The Emirates Stadium. Dutch forward Robin van Persie netted a hat-trick in a match in which the Gunners could have scored many more.

Arsene Wenger’s men had a bucketful of first half chances, and if it wasn’t for a good display by Wigan’s goalkeeper Ali Al Habsi, the Gunners would have had more to show at the break than a solitary van Persie effort. In the second half the Dutchman netted a sweet volley, then missed a penalty that he’ll want to forget, before finally getting his third with five minutes left – his 7th goal in five matches.

Arsenal are continuing to watch Southampton winger Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain amid speculation that the 17-year-old is on the verge of joining the Gunners.

Oxlade-Chamberlain was in action this afternoon as Southampton took on Tranmere Rovers at Prenton Park, with a selection of Premier League clubs having scouts present. Arsenal representatives were joined by those from Liverpool and Manchester United in watching on from the stands as the Saints lost 2-0.

John Cross, of the Daily Mirror, and the Express’ Matt Law had earlier announced on their Twitter pages that Arsenal had agreed a deal for the winger, despite Law’s fellow Express writer Paul Joyce writing on Wednesday that Liverpool were set to move in with an offer.

Other English newspapers had suggested that Fulham and Manchester City were also realistic options in a week of intense speculation around the England Under 18 international.

Arsène Wenger has previously been quizzed on Oxlade-Chamberlain, but said there had been no talks, only rumours. The Frenchman backed up that claim by reaffirming his stance on transfers in his program notes ahead of today’s clash with Wigan, saying he is “happy with what I’ve got”.

Arsenal are indeed making checks on one of the most highly rated youngsters around, but suggestions that the club have gone as far as negotiating a deal appear to be wide of the mark. At least for the time being.

После матча с "Уиганом" Арсен Венгер поговорил с журналистами о форме Ван Перси, о ротации перед матчем с "Ипсвичем", об исполнителях пенальти и о состоянии своих игроков.


О форме Робина Ван Перси...

"Он набрал оптимальную форму. На прошлой неделе Робин был уже готов и достаточно остр. В целом, мы продемонстрировали хороший командный футбол, поэтому ему удалось-таки сделать хет-трик".

О нереализованных моментах в первом тайме...

"Футболисты были немного разочарованы, поскольку упустили ряд моментов для взятия ворот. Однако думаю, что в первом тайме мы показали замечательный футбол. Чувствуем себя всё увереннее и увереннее с каждой игрой. Впереди у команды интересная пора. Для меня тот футбол, который мы демонстрируем в данный момент, является очень привлекательным. Давайте просто продолжим серию".



Об имеющихся атакующих опциях...

"Конечно, на таком уровне важно иметь Робина в своём распоряжении, однако мы имеем достаточно атакующих футболистов. Первым делом, давайте скрестим пальцы и понадеемся, что сможем сохранить Робина здоровым до конца сезона. Всё зависит от нас: в предстоящих матчах нужно использовать его в правильной пропорции".

О ротации состава на игру с "Ипсвичем"...

"Мы проведём ротацию, у нас нет выбора. Играем 9 матчей в январе, ни разу не проводили столько игр за один месяц. Взгляните на календарь матчей декабря: с тех пор мы постоянно проводим ротацию. Однако в команде имеются фантастические футболисты на скамейке запасных, это очень важно, поскольку мы не можем постоянно играть одним и тем же составом".



Об отдыхе Ван Перси...

"Он хорошо переносит плотный график. Он умён, и хочет играть в каждом матче. Кстати, в матче с "Лидсом" он отдыхал, а потом вышел на последние 10 минут и забил".

Об исполнителях пенальти...

"Ван Перси всегда был штатным пенальтистом, и то, что случилось сегодня, ничего не изменит. Понятно, что мы не должны жалеть соперников, и реализовывать пенальти".

О серии "сухих" матчей...

"Постепенно, наша игра в защите становится всё лучше и лучше, и "сухая" серия тому подтверждение".

О покупке защитника...

"Я думаю об этом, и если мы найдём нужного игрока, мы обязательно подпишем его. Мы сейчас не в отчаянии, ведь у нас есть Скилаччи, который вернётся, скорее всего, в следующее воскресенье, есть Вермален, который так же будет способен сыграть ещё часть сезона, после восстановления. В защите может сыграть и Алекс Сонг".

О поиске правильного игрока...

"У нас есть две недели не для того, чтобы обдумывать покупку, а для того, чтобы её совершить и найти подходящего нам игрока. Я думаю, что мы сможем найти нужного игрока, ведь мы не ошиблись с выбором Джуру, Косьелни, ну и конечно же Вермалена. Поверьте, если у нас появится возможность подписать правильного игрока, мы это обязательно сделаем. Но если мы не купим никого, это не будет оправданием, если мы не выиграем трофеи".



О возможных приобритенях...

"Вопрос имеет смысл, но на самом деле всё не так, как кажется на первый взгляд. И это не потому, что у вас есть деньги, которые вы можете потратить, вам ведь нужно найти подходящего игрока, не так ли? У нас есть необходимые средства, которые мы можем потратить, но на данный момент я не вижу доступных игроков достаточно высокого уровня. Сейчас я чувствую, что у нас есть некоторые проблемы в защите, но думаю, мы можем справиться с ситуацией с помощью внутренних ресурсов".


О состоянии своих подопечных...

"Фабиански будет в лазарете ещё до вторника, а вот Альмуния в понедельник будет уже готов. У нас есть немного небольших травм - у Сеска, Насри и Джуру. Все они пройдет обследования в воскресенье или в понедельник".


О выступлении Сеска Фабрегаса...

"Думаю, он сыграл замечательно. В конце матча Сеск был немного разочарован, потому что не смог забить, но лично для меня тот пас, который он отдал Робину в эпизоде со вторым мячом, является просто удивительным. Я могу смотреть этот гол постоянно, потому что начиная с самой передачи и заканчивая ударом, он просто высшего класса".