Arsenal captain Robin van Persie eyes top four spot after 2-1 victory over Norwich City

The Dutchman knew it was going to be a tough game travelling to Carrow Road while Thomas Vermaelen admitted it was a relief to be back playing after a long injury layoff

19 Nov 2011 15:49:00

By Mark Fordham

More On :  Arsenal FC, Norwich City, Thomas Vermaelen, Robin van Persie
EPL - Norwich City vs Arsenal, Robin Van Persie
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Arsenal striker Robin van Persie is confident the Gunners can secure a top four finish this season after coming away with a 2-1 victory over Norwich City in the Premier League's lunchtime kick off on Saturday.

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The north Londoners started the game brightly and missed a number of chances before Steve Morison capitalised on a slip from German international Per Mertesacker to give the Canaries the lead, before Van Persie’s double ensured Arsenal came away with the points.

Speaking to Sky Sports after the game, the Dutchman said: “The aim is to finish in the top four and it’s a long run like a marathon but I’m confident we can achieve that.

“It is a very welcome win. We know that Norwich away is a tough game as we’ve seen them a couple of times this season playing really well away from home and at home, so we knew it was going to be a hard task.

“We played well but we missed a few too many chances so we made it a bit more difficult for ourselves but in the end it was a good win."

Belgian defender Thomas Vermaelen said he always expected his side to come out on top, even when they went 1-0 down in the first half.

“They were 1-0 up in the beginning and it’s tough to come here but I felt confident from the start because we had a lot of chances before they scored,” the Belgian added.

“So when they scored I was as confident that we could turn the game for us and we scored two goals.”

Arsenal skipper Van Persie admitted he should have scored more even though his brace took his tally to 31 goals for the calendar year.

“Oh yes, at least one more goal. I had four or five chances and put in two which is ok but not great so I will have to work on that,” the 28-year-old stated.

Vermaelen was making his third consecutive start for the club after a long layoff and admitted it was a relief to be back playing.

“It’s always good to be back, I played before the international break for a few games. It’s hard to be injured and being back on the pitch is the best thing that could have happened,” he added.

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