Arsenal Crushes Reading 4-1 as they battle out for top 4

         Gervinho.....Man of the match with one goal and            two assists





Arsenal kept up their pursuit of a top-four finish with a comfortable 4-1 win over Reading at Emirates Stadium on Saturday.
Santi Cazorla inspired the home side to an utterly dominant first-half display, though they only had Gervinho’s early strike to show for it.

The Spaniard struck a sweet second himself just after the restart. Olivier Giroud and Mikel Arteta’s penalty completed the scoring. Inbetween those last two goals, Hal Robson-Kanu nodded home but, in truth, Reading were well beaten this afternoon.

The Berkshire side slipped to the bottom of the table after this defeat but, in fairness, they had given Manchester United significant problems in a narrow defeat at Old Trafford a fortnight ago.

Arsenal, meanwhile, have now rattled up six wins, one draw and one defeat in their last eight Premier League games.

Spurs lost in the last round of games, Chelsea were defeated at Southampton this afternoon. It all means that four points straddle that trio of teams in the Premier League table, though third-placed Tottenham have played a game more than the others.

It is set to be very tight and very tense for the remaining eight games but, if momentum means anything, Arsenal have a very decent chance.

Santi Cazorla inspired the home side to an utterly dominant first-half display

Wenger made four changes from the side that had brought back a heartening victory from Swansea a fortnight ago.

Aaron Ramsey and Gervinho started instead of Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and the injured Theo Walcott.

Bacary Sagna came back into the side for Carl Jenkinson and Tomas Rosicky replaced Abou Diaby.

The French midfielder had suffered a cruciate knee ligament injury in midweek and his season was over. However his team-mates remembered him by wearing shirts with 'Get well soon Abou' on the front in the warm-up.

But then it was a day when Arsenal paid its dues with class and respect. Legendary midfielder David Rocastle died 12 years ago this weekend and the home fans had just finished singing his name when they took the lead.

In the 11th minute, Cazorla drove a ball across the face of goal and Gervinho stabbed it into the roof of the net from close range.

A couple of minutes later the Ivorian glanced a header past the far post from Sagna’s cross and, midway through the half, Giroud burst through and flicked the ball over Stuart Taylor. The effort was cleared but the home fans claimed a penalty as the former Arsenal trainee had clattered the Frenchman. for more read at arsenal.com