Thierry Henry made a fairytale return for Arsenal as he came off the bench to sink Leeds United in a 1-0 FA Cup third round win at the Emirates Stadium.
Arsenal had dominated possession against a stodgy visiting side but needed the predatory instincts of Henry - who had replaced Marouane Chamakh on 68 minutes - to seal their progress in a competition they have won 10 times as the on-loan French striker slipped the ball beyond Leeds keeper Andy Lonergan with 12 minutes left.
Henry and his team-mates will face Aston Villa in the fourth round at home on the weekend of January 28/29 courtesy of the club icon's 227th goal in an Arsenal shirt.
The scenes of celebration were something to behold after Henry bounded onto Alex Song's pass to beat Lonergan with a trademark finish with his right foot that was an item of real beauty from inside the area.
He is only on loan from New York Red Bulls until the outset of March, but the short-term deal already seems to be a masterstroke by manager Arsene Wenger, who joined in the staggering moments of joy that saw Henry mobbed by his team-mates with the home supporters celebrating like they had lifted the FA Cup.
The watching former England skipper David Beckham looked as delighted as Henry, but Leeds will feel hard done by having seemed likely to force a replay despite coming to London to defend stoutly and hit on the break.
With the Dutch forward Robin van Persie rested, Arsenal looked to Andrei Arshavin and Marouane Chamakh to cut the Championship side open, but the pair suffered a frustrating night in front of goal as they huffed and puffed with little success.
That was until Chamakh made way for the bearded Henry, who is now a sprightly 34 with a statue cut outside of the stadium to honour his first stint at the club.
Arshavin had squandered a glorious chance to find the opening goal on five minutes as he walloped a shot wide from Chamakh's pass before Sebastian Squillaci nodded past a post from Mikel Arteta's corner on 14 minutes.
The outstanding Aaron Ramsey then lifted a shot over the bar from distance with Arteta slapping a shot wide from 20 yards as the general theme of Arsenal pressure and palpable frustration among the home supporters continued.
Leeds' best moment of the first period saw Luciano Becchio slam a shot over from inside the home area after a energetic run by Mika Vayrynen, but that was a rare moment of adventure from a visiting side whose general stubbornness belied their average age of only 24.
Arsenal continued to binge on possession in the second half with Lonergan diving low to his left to claw out a shot by Arteta on 53 minutes before doing likewise to repel a vicious effort by Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain as the home team continued to tot up their unsuccessful attempts on goal.
Leeds could have saved the game after Henry's big moment with substitutes Ross McCormack and Mikael Forssell forcing Wojciech Szczesny to make his first real saves of the night in the death throes of the match before the celebrations began as Henry raised his arms to the sky in celebration amid further scenes of unfettered joy.
It was little wonder Wenger said the dressing room was full of 'euphoria' in describing the mood among the Arsenal players at full-time.
Strike duo Thierry Henry and Lukas Podolski would fit right in at Arsenal, according to Gunners defender Per Mertesacker.
Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger is contemplating a loan move for his former captain Henry, who has been training at London Colney and will not be back in competitive action with the New York Red Bulls until the opening of the Major League Soccer season in March. The Gunners have also been heavily linked with Cologne striker Podolski, as Wenger looks for attacking cover when the transfer window opens again in January.
Mertesacker has seen first hand what both men can offer, training alongside Henry in recent weeks and playing against Podolski in the Bundesliga with Werder Bremen as well as with him for Germany.
The centre-half said: "Henry has a lot of experience and he is a great opportunity for us, but I am not the manager and I do not know what is possible, for him or for us. In training, Henry shows his class and [it is good] to have him with us."
Mertesacker, 27, signed for Arsenal just ahead of the August transfer deadline and has now settled into the hustle and bustle of top-flight English football. And he feels Podolski, 26, could make a similar positive transition.
"He is a powerful, great player, especially for the national team. He has scored a lot of goals, is a good striker with a very good finish. His left foot is unbelievable and I am a fan of him," he said.
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A man is flying in a hot air balloon and realizes he is lost. He reduces height and spots a man down below. He lowers the balloon further and shouts, "Excuse me, can you help me? I promised my friend I would meet him half an hour ago, but I don't know where I am."
The man below says, "Yes. You are in a hot air balloon, hovering approximately 30 feet above this field. You are between 40 and 42 degrees North latitude, and between 58 and 60 degrees West longitude."
"You must be an engineer," says the balloonist.
"I am," replies the man. "How did you know?"
"Well," says the balloonist, "everything you have told me is technically correct, but I have no idea what to make of your information, and the fact is I am still lost."
The man below says, "You must be a manager."
"I am," replies the balloonist, "but how did you know?"
"Well," says the man, "you don't know where you are, or where you are going. You have made a promise which you have no idea how to keep, and you expect me to solve your problem. The fact is you are in the exact same position you were in before we met, but now it is somehow my fault."
The man below says, "Yes. You are in a hot air balloon, hovering approximately 30 feet above this field. You are between 40 and 42 degrees North latitude, and between 58 and 60 degrees West longitude."
"You must be an engineer," says the balloonist.
"I am," replies the man. "How did you know?"
"Well," says the balloonist, "everything you have told me is technically correct, but I have no idea what to make of your information, and the fact is I am still lost."
The man below says, "You must be a manager."
"I am," replies the balloonist, "but how did you know?"
"Well," says the man, "you don't know where you are, or where you are going. You have made a promise which you have no idea how to keep, and you expect me to solve your problem. The fact is you are in the exact same position you were in before we met, but now it is somehow my fault."
Premier League leaders Manchester City surrendered their unbeaten record at Stamford Bridge as Frank Lampard came off the bench to score a late penalty and secure a 2-1 win for Chelsea.
City, without so much as a goal in eight of their past nine trips to this corner of West London, started in spectacular fashion when Mario Balotelli rounded Petr Cech to put Roberto Mancini's side into the lead.
Inside 15 minutes they should have had the chance to make it 2-0 but Jose Boswinga's trip on David Silva in the penalty area went unpunished by Mark Clattenburg. Having enjoyed some good fortune, Chelsea then set about securing a third consecutive win in all competitions through their own perspiration.
Raul Meireles drew his side level with a fine volleyed finish after 34 minutes and the under scrutiny Andre Villas-Boas was given further reason to celebrate when Gael Clichy was shown a second yellow card and dismissed on 58 minutes.
As City removed Silva for Nigel de Jong in a bid to cling on for a point, it was Chelsea who snatched a winner when Joleon Lescott was penalised for handball and substitute Lampard struck the winner from 12 yards.
The victory sees Chelsea move into third place above Arsenal and Tottenham and seven points behind leaders City, who have seen their lead over Manchester United cut to two.
Even if Villas-Boas had attracted intense scrutiny on himself with his complaints about Alan Pardew, Gary Neville and the media's treatment of his club in recent days, back-to-back 3-0 wins over Newcastle United and Valencia had somewhat dispelled concerns about the porous nature of his defence.
Implementing a deeper defensive line helped to address Chelsea's vulnerability but at Stamford Bridge they were opened up within two minutes by a City side that had made the best ever start to a Premier League season by dropping only four points in their opening 14 games.
Sergio Aguero created the opening as he did superbly well to hold on to the ball on the right wing before slipping a magnificent pass into Balotelli. The Italian accelerated away from the inattentive Branislav Ivanovic, took a touch around Cech and rolled the ball home before indulging in an typically arrogant celebration after claiming his eighth goal in his last 10 appearances in the league.
City were enthused by the excellent start and dominated Chelsea with their superior short passing. On one break Aguero showed good strength to hold off Bosingwa, duck inside Ashley Cole and fire a ferocious shot just wide of the post.
Chelsea found themselves under intense pressure and were very fortunate not to concede a penalty after 15 minutes. Balotelli shifted a square pass to David Silva and the Spaniard let the ball roll across his body before being caught by Bosingwa and going to ground. Referee Clattenburg told Silva to get to his feet but also neglected to show a yellow card, presumably indicating he believed some contact was made.
Having been so close to going 2-0 down at home, Chelsea responded and, after Drogba had seen one low effort tipped round the post by Joe Hart, the Blues levelled the scores.
Terry found Daniel Sturridge with a glorious long pass to the right and after taking control the former City trainee jinked one way and then the other to lose Clichy, before dinking in a cross that found Meireles. The Portuguese midfielder volleyed home firmly from eight yards.
Meireles pushed his luck when being booked for a horrible challenge on Pablo Zabaleta and then colliding with Yaya Toure, while the City midfielder had his own on-running and petty battle with Juan Mata as he kicked and then slapped the Spaniard. However, it remained level, and 11-a-side, heading into the break.
Numerical equality was surrendered on 58 minutes though when Clichy was shown his first career red card in 198 Premier League games. Having brought down Sturridge with a clumsy challenge at the start of the second half, he then stuck out a leg to bring down Ramires in full flight and was rightly ordered off the pitch by Clattenburg.
City were suddenly looking ragged, with Vincent Kompany risking a second booking with a clumsy challenge on the increasingly sprightly Mata, and Toure again escaping punishment when attempting to rake his boot down the back of Ramires's leg.
Chelsea enjoyed the greater weight of chances, no more so than when Sturridge expertly chested down a free-kick from the right before thumping his effort over the bar. As the match progressed, Kompany and Lescott were being called upon to repel a constant barrage of crosses.
Mancini responded to Chelsea's pressure by removing the refined talent of Silva and introducing the rather more unreconstructed De Jong in an effort to protect a point, and with it their unbeaten record in the Premier League.
However, the change backfired and on 82 minutes Chelsea were awarded a penalty when Lescott was adjudged to have handled from a Sturridge shot. There appeared to be little intent on the part of the City defender but equally he had the intent to needlessly raise his arms in the box.
Lampard, ushered on as a substitute, hammered the ball down the middle of the goal from 12 yards to spark frenzied celebrations amongst the home players.
City responded by introducing Edin Dzeko for Lescott with four minutes remaining but Mancini could not reverse the tide as his side suffered their first Premier League defeat of the season and left the title race ever so slightly more open.
Tottenham Hotspur suffered their first defeat in 12 Premier League games when they were beaten 2-1 by Stoke City in a thrilling and controversial match at the Britannia Stadium.
Former Spurs player Matthew Etherington scored twice in the first half with two goals that came as a result of the Potters' trademark long throws. The club's main exponent of those set plays, Rory Delap, was not playing, but in his stead Ryan Shotton provided the airborne assault that led to Tony Pulis getting the better of his former manager Harry Redknapp.
Emmanuel Adebayor pulled a goal back for Spurs after half-time from the penalty spot, but their hopes of claiming a result were hit when Younes Kaboul was sent off with eight minutes remaining for a second bookable offence.
The visitors had several appeals for handball in the box turned down, but referee Chris Foy declined to give Spurs a second spot-kick.
Stoke's third win in a row sees them move up to eighth in the table, while Tottenham remain five points behind second-placed Manchester United after a run of six consecutive wins was brought to an end.
Stoke showed signs of what was to come as early as the first minute when the first of Shotton's long throws was headed away by Benoit Assou-Ekotto but only as far as Etherington, whose volley was scrambled away by goalkeeper Brad Friedel.
The visitors were tested again on 13 minutes, and this time Etherington got his first goal since Stoke's 5-0 thrashing of Bolton in last season's FA Cup semi-final. Spurs dealt with the initial throw but it was enough to see them unable to regain their shape before Shotton sent in the second ball. Peter Crouch - one of four ex-Spurs players in the Stoke squad - shielded the ball near the byline before sneaking it through Friedel's legs allowing Etherington to finish from close range.
Tottenham began to play their way into the match but were for the most part unable to break through Stoke's resolute back line. Any aerial deliveries were swatted away with ease thanks to the Potters' significant height advantage, while the supply line to lone striker Adebayor was largely cut off.
The Londoners' best chance came from distance when Luka Modric had a drilled effort from 25 yards tipped around the foot of the post by Thomas Sorensen.
Etherington then doubled his team's lead just before half-time, and this time the long throw was even more influential. Jonathan Walters flicked Shotton's delivery on and Etherington miscued his first-time shot, but it was still enough to loop over the helpless Friedel.
Redknapp responded by making two changes at the break - bringing on Jermain Defoe and Sebastien Bassong for Aaron Lennon and Assou-Ekotto. Bassong sent a header over the bar from a corner before Crouch did the same from a Shotton throw.
Spurs were given a lifeline just post the hour mark when Modric invited a challenge from Glenn Whelan in the Stoke box and the Ireland midfielder took the bait. Adebayor scored coolly from the spot to register his fifth goal in his last four games.
Scott Parker forced a decent save from Sorensen and Adebayor curled an effort just wide as Tottenham began to find openings.
With 15 minutes left if what was building to a thrilling climax, referee Foy suddenly became the focus of attention. The official did not see Kaboul's shot clearly rebound off Shawcross's arm on the line, and in the very next phase of play Adebayor had the ball in the net only to be incorrectly ruled offside.
Then, in the final 10 minutes, Kaboul chased desperately after Walters down the left flank and sent him tumbling. Foy had already booked Kaboul for his justified protestations after Shawcross had hauled him over inside the box, and showed the France defender a second yellow for the challenge on Walters.
With Spurs down to 10 men Stoke were able to close out the victory thanks in no small part to the excellent hold-up play of Crouch, who celebrated a second victory at the Britannia over a former club having beaten Liverpool 1-0 back in September.
Luis Suarez answered his critics with the winning goal as a profligate Liverpool side beat Queens Park Rangers 1-0 at Anfield to move into the top six of the Premier League.
The Uruguayan forward was hit with a second FA charge this week for allegedly making an offensive hand gesture to Fulham fans, adding to his ongoing defence against an accusation of racially abusing Manchester United’s Patrice Evra.
It looked like his bad week may continue as Suarez missed several gilt-edged opportunities, while team-mate Maxi Rodriguez was denied a hat-trick by some excellent goalkeeping by Radek Cerny.
But Suarez’s flicked header early in the second half proved sufficient for a wasteful Reds side to get past a plucky Hoops team, who offered little going forward and were spared a thrashing by some resolute if haphazard defending and the excellence of reserve keeper Cerny.
Kenny Dalglish’s side move into the top six, ahead of a sliding Newcastle, while QPR stay lower-mid table.
The first half was predictably all Liverpool with QPR limited to a couple of half-chances from range that did not come close to testing Pepe Reina.
Just as predictably though the Reds struggled to find the net - Andy Carroll had been left out of the starting XI, so it was Suarez this time lacking in end-product.
The Uruguay forward is as temperamental as he is talented, a lack of focus that applies to both finishing and decision-making - before the match he had the lowest conversion ratio of Premier League forwards who have scored three or more goals, that statistic of under eight per cent as much a result of attempting the spectacular as it is a lack of composure in front of goal.
From eight yards he headed straight at veteran Czech keeper Cerny when found unmarked by a superb Stewart Downing cross, and soon afterwards he drilled a shot across goal and wide from a tight angle when Dirk Kuyt and Maxi were free.
Suarez did exactly the same again late in the half, although that time the chance came about when his initial finish was well-saved by Cerny at the near post, while the former Ajax forward skewed a finish embarrassingly wide after he was set up by Maxi.
Argentine attacking midfielder Maxi - restored to the starting line-up with Jordan Henderson moved inside following injuries to Steven Gerrard, Lucas Leiva, and Jay Spearing's suspension - had a low curling finish well-saved by Cerny, who again showed smart reflexes to keep out Downing’s effort after the England winger was played in by a clever Kuyt backheel.
Somehow it remained goalless at half-time, although that changed almost immediately after the break.
Early in the second half Liverpool won a corner, which the visitors initially defended: the second ball saw Charlie Adam glide in a great cross, with Luke Young dragged woefully out of position to allow Suarez a free header that this time he buried from close range.
Things got worse for QPR though as Anton Ferdinand, who had been by far their most capable defender, went off with a thigh injury after over-stretching while evading an Adam tackle.
Liverpool continued to pepper QPR’s overworked penalty area, with Maxi denied what looked a certain goal by a remarkable save from Cerny, wrongfooted but able to readjust and tip his low finish off the post.
The impressive Cerny made another superb stop from the increasingly exasperated Maxi, spreading himself to block his close-range finish after a succession of one-twos with Suarez played the ex-Atletico Madrid man through.
Such escapes gave QPR a chance to snatch a barely-deserved equaliser, and they almost did so when Danny Gabbidon poked a pinpoint free-kick from Joey Barton wide, while a succession of corners tested the home defence.
Indeed, going a goal down was the best thing that happened to Rangers, who bossed the latter stages although admittedly without forcing any saves of note from Reina.
The counter attack actually suited Liverpool, as Suarez felt Bradley Orr had handled his ball in the box, while substitute Craig Bellamy curled a long-range free-kick into the side netting and QPR winger Shaun Wright-Phillips almost scored a spectacular own-goal as he mis-kicked Bellamy’s cross against his own bar.
As it happened there was not too much for the hosts to worry about as they saw out three minutes of stoppage time to hold on to a victory that snaps a poor home streak of four draws on the trot.
Wayne Rooney scored twice as Manchester United responded to their crushing European disappointment with a comfortable 4-1 Premier League win over Wolverhampton Wanderers at Old Trafford.
Nani scored United's first and set up Rooney for the second - the Englishman's first domestic goal in almost three months - to move the defending champions within two points of leaders Manchester City, who play at Chelsea on Monday.
Steven Fletcher continued his fine recent form by pulling a goal back a minute into the second half, but it was not enough to see Wolves claim what would have been a vital point.
Nani and Rooney then both struck again to make it five wins from United's last six league games. Rooney's second goal was his 113th in the league for United, moving him into the top 10 of the club's all-time goal scorers ahead of Tommy Taylor.
For all their characteristic work rate and togetherness, Wolves never looked likely to repeat their 2-1 win over United at Molineux in February once Fletcher's first-minute effort flew wide of David de Gea's near post.
The Red Devils soon took hold of the game and could have been ahead on seven minutes when Antonio Valencia - starting in place of Ashley Young - crossed for Michael Carrick, who sent his diving header just over from 12 yards.
Alex Ferguson's side took the lead on 17 minutes as an eventual result of Wolves keeper Wayne Hennessey's miscued clearance. That led to the Welsh keeper saving Rooney's effort at the near post at the expense of a corner, and after that set piece was not cleared sufficiently Nani roamed across the edge of the box before firing a clinical low strike into the bottom corner for his fourth league goal of the season.
Nani was then sent free down the left after an excellent through ball from Danny Welbeck, but Phil Jones was put under enough pressure not to be able to turn in the Portuguese's cross for what would have been his third goal in as many games.
Nani turned provider as the half-hour mark approached with a goal very similar to his opener. Once again Wolves could not fully clear a corner and Nani rolled the ball across to Rooney, whose low finish was too quick for Hennessey to keep out.
That goal took Rooney's league goal tally into double figures for the season, despite it being his first domestic strike since the 3-1 win over Chelsea on September 18.
United continued to dominate proceedings but could not extend their lead before half-time, and soon after the restart they were given a fright when Fletcher outjumped Patrice Evra to head Matt Jarvis's cross back over De Gea and in for his fifth goal in six games.
Nani restored United's two-goal cushion in 57 minutes. Antonio Valencia had given left-back Stephen Ward a torrid time for much of the afternoon, and on this occasion the Ecuadorean ran at the Irishman before firing a low cross in that Nani prodded home from the edge of the six-yard box.
Five minutes later, Rooney had his second of the game again thanks to Valencia. The cross came to the England striker at the far post and he fired a delightful half-volley on the turn that gave Hennessey no chance of saving it.
Ferguson felt comfortable enough at 4-1 up to bring 19-year-old left-back Ezekiel Fryers on for his Premier League debut, and the youngster helped United close out a game which may not provide much of a tonic for their European failure but aid least aids them in their league title defence, now unquestionably their top priority.
Grant Holt scored twice as Norwich City beat ten-man Newcastle United 4-2 in a thrilling Premier League match at Carrow Road.
The Canaries took the lead through Wes Hoolahan’s scrappy finish, but Demba Ba levelled moments before half time with an exquisite finish.
Norwich re-established their lead through Holt’s header, before Steve Morison capitalised on Dan Gosling’s error to power in another header to make it 3-1.
Gosling was sent off for a second bookable offence moments later before Ba’s well-taken second made it 3-2. But Norwich’s fears of a nervy finish receded when Holt’s header rounded off a superb win for the Canaries.
Both of these sides came into the game with something to prove. Norwich were dismantled 5-1 by Manchester City - which included a goal scored by the shoulder of Mario Balotelli - while the manner of Newcastle’s 3-0 defeat by Chelsea left a sour taste for Alan Pardew.
But a depleted Newcastle, playing James Perch and Danny Simpson in central defence in the absence of Steven Taylor and Fabricio Coloccini, started slowly at Carrow Road.
Early chances for Holt and Morison were spurned as the home side pinned Pardew’s side inside their own half for sustained periods.
So it was no surprise that the Canaries took the lead in the 39th minute – albeit controversially.
Andrew Surman’s corner was met by the head of Andrew Crofts, who forced Simpson into a goal-line clearance. But the ricochet fell to Hoolahan, who scrambled the ball into the net.
But Newcastle claimed that the corner should not have been awarded in the first place, insisting goalkeeper Tim Krul had prevented Marc Tierney’s cross from going out.
But injury-hit Newcastle, still without the anchor of their midfielder Cheick Tiote, responded on the stroke of half time with a moment of pure quality.
Latching onto Yohan Cabaye’s wonderful pass over the defence, Ba controlled the ball with his first touch and exquisitely rolled it into the bottom corner with his second.
But for all their promise, Newcastle looked frail at the back and Holt finally got on the score sheet just before the hour.
Finding space in the box to head in Crofts’ cross from the right at the second time of asking – after Krul had repelled Holt’s initial effort.
Newcastle’s resilience has been a trademark of this campaign but they self-destructed when Gosling inexplicably misplaced a pass straight to Crofts, who picked out Morison to power in Norwich’s third.
Things got worse for Gosling and his team when he was shown his second yellow card for clumsily clattering into Russell Martin.
Newcastle weren’t done though and Ba showed his quality again to latch onto Shola Ameobi’s pass, shift the ball onto his left foot, and find the bottom corner with another classy finish.
Sensing a Newcastle comeback , the goal left Carrow Road biting their nails for the next few minutes. But a stirring Magpies comeback failed to materialise.
Instead, Norwich were able to put the gloss on a deserved win when Holt claimed his second of the game after finding space at a corner to head in Norwich’s fourth.
It was Pardew’s first defeat by Norwich as a manager and highlighted Newcastle’s need to reinforce a threadbare defence in January, if they are to sustain their charge for a Champions League place.
Arsenal ensured their 125th birthday celebrations were marked with a victory when defeating Everton 1-0 at Emirates Stadium in the Premier League thanks to a goal of outstanding beauty from Robin van Persie.
Just a day after the club unveiled statues of Herbert Chapman, Tony Adams and Thierry Henry outside their ground, Van Persie demonstrated why he may one day attain legendary status of his own in Islington with his 15th and best league goal of a wonderful season.
With Arsenal's record goalscorer Henry looking on and applauding from the stands, Van Persie settled the encounter against an Everton side that had retreated into a 4-6-0 formation when converting a stunning volley after 70 minutes that is unlikely to be bettered in Arsenal's 126th year.
Arsenal's seventh victory in eight league games takes the resurgent Gunners into fourth place above Chelsea, while Everton, who have now lost eight of 11 matches in all competitions, sit in 12th, five points above the bottom three.
The home side avoided the temptation to pay further tribute to former boss Chapman by lining up in his famous W-M formation, but the backline did have a rather old-fashioned look to it with four centre-backs being deployed due to injury problems at full-back.
Everton had a more familiar look about them and were mostly successful in stifling Arsenal in a first half in North London that boasted few genuine chances. However, David Moyes' side did create the first opening of the game after 12 minutes.
Marouane Fellaini sprayed the ball wide to Leighton Baines, who won a corner off makeshift right-back Johan Djourou. Tim Cahill swung wildly at Baines's delivery before the ball fell to Louis Saha, who saw his low effort blocked by a sea of red shirts.
On 15 minutes Arsenal should really have taken the lead and it was Mikel Arteta, plucked from Everton on transfer deadline day, who started the move against his former side. The midfielder robbed Fellaini before releasing Theo Walcott with a sliding pass. The forward had a clear opportunity to shoot when one-on-one with Tim Howard but instead opted to square for Gervinho, who first missed the ball and then saw a follow-up chance saved by Howard.
It was then Aaron Ramsey's turn to spurn a good opportunity. Alex Song was the creator, finding the Welshman with a neat pass, but after checking back in the box to leave Howard on the floor, the Arsenal man lifted his shot over the bar when really he should have scored.
Gervinho was the next to threaten the Everton goal, seeing a low effort repelled expertly by Howard after finding space on the right of the box, but aside from a wild volley that Saha blasted wide in the closing stages, the remainder of the half passed without incident.
Arsenal applied pressure in the second half but continued to be frustrated by the visitors from Merseyside. The usually-prolific Van Persie was having an atypical afternoon and rather than shooting himself after collecting a fine pass from Song he found Thomas Vermaelen with a cut-back before the defender fired off target.
The Dutchman was well-placed on 54 minutes to meet a mis-hit volley from Walcott in front of goal but the ball had just too much pace on it and Van Persie was unable to turn it on target when getting his toe to the ball.
Walcott blew hot and cold in his usual fashion but almost created the opener on 57 minutes. The England man stretched out a leg to take a pass from Ramsey on the run, nipped away from Baines and forced Howard into a smart save at his near post with a firm effort.
On 64 minutes Moyes made an overwhelmingly negative substitution as Saha was withdrawn from his role as a lone striker and replaced by Sylvain Distin, leaving Everton without a forward. Counter-intuitively, they subsequently enjoyed a brief flicker of threat as Phil Neville curled an effort just over and Fellaini thrashed a shot off target.
However, normal service was resumed on 70 minutes when Van Persie scored a goal of astonishing quality. Song spotted the Dutchman making a run into the box and lofted a pass into his path. Van Persie struck the ball in the air, his impeccable technique ensuring his left-footed volley flew in off the inside of the far post.
Everton responded by making two changes as Magaye Gueye and debutant Conor McAleny entered the fray, with both young players making an impact in the closing stages. Gueye drove an angled shot wide of the post and McAleny almost scored with a volley that Van Persie would have been proud of, but saw his effort fly narrowly wide.
It was a brief, late rally from a side that had so lamentably surrendered any attacking intent when replacing Saha, and not enough to knock Arsenal off their stride as they started their 126th year in the desired fashion.
