Nicklas Bendtner

Nicklas Bendtner, who has largely been on the sidelines at Arsenal in the last few years, provided a telling contribution to the club after scoring the opening goal against Cardiff in the 2-0 win. His goal came in the 88th minute when Arsenal were struggling to find the opening goal.

Dropped points from this match would have given the advantage to the likes of Manchester City and Chelsea, as it is shaping up into a three horse race for the title. After Nicklas Bendtner secured the goal, Theo Walcott added a second for Arsenal to make the game safe for the gunners.

Despite the good news, there was disappointment for Arsenal because Bendtner was injured in the process scoring the goal. He could miss the next few weeks of action. The return of Lukas Podolski, though, maybe enough to soften the blow for Wenger. Wenger has stated that he had never given up on Bendtner despite many people writing him off. The Danish international has himself said in the past that he never represent Arsenal again, but he has failed to secure a move away from the Emirates due to various reasons.

The 25-year-old still has a lot of time left in football and will be looking to make the most out of the missed opportunities.

"I never give up on people because you always have to give them credit. I know the expression of the fans is only the diagnosis of the day - they are always ready to change their mind if you put the effort and the performance in. It is January 1 so we cannot stop him [talking to clubs abroad], but he says he wants to stay here. If he is focused on staying with us and his job, he is a great striker," said Wenger.