Wenger - RVP is exceptional

Arsene Wenger has heaped praise on striker Robin van Persie after his double meant he has notched his 100th goal for the club.

The Gunners skipper struck just seconds after the restart and then doubled his lead with a tap-in following great play from Theo Walcott. Alex Song then killed off any sign of a comeback from Bolton who were reduced to ten men when David Wheater was sent off in the 55th minute.

Those strikes meant the Dutchman secured his 99th and 100th goals for the club which has endured a turbulent start to their season with player departures and horrendous thumpings.

"Van Persie is an exceptional goalscorer, he is an untypical centre forward because many times I hear 'Why do you play him centre forward?' because he's not what you call the typical striker,"

"Positional-wise he's a bit like (Lionel) Messi, he drifts in and out and plays five minutes centre forward then after that comes back.

"The club knows he is an exceptional player but the crowd as well knows that he is a real lover of the club and he has Arsenal in his heart and they appreciate that especially with the times we have gone through."

Nervy start

It was a nervy start for Arsenal who could have been behind in a matter of minutes were it not for Wojciech Szczesny's superb save to deny Darren Pratley from six yards out.

However, once Van Persie netted the opener that seemed to instil confidence into an Arsenal outfit that have endured their worst start to the season since the 1950s.

"It was a game we had absolutely to win and it was a question of patience as well, dominating our nerves and slowly taking over. In the second half it happened," said Wenger.

"We were a bit nervy at the start and it took us time to get into the game and that shows you just how difficult it is to play football when your back is to the wall.

"We slowly got back into the game and became stronger and stronger in the second half, it was basically back to our usual game."