Arsenal 4 - 0 Wigan Athletic

Vermaelen at the double

Updated: September 19, 2009, 8:16 AM UK

Arsenal drew a line under recent controversies by recording a straightforward Premier League victory against Wigan, helped by Thomas Vermaelen's double.

• Wenger leaps to defence of Eboue

Whether it has been Eduardo's diving row or being reunited with Emmanuel Adebayor, Arsene Wenger's men have never been far away from the headlines recently - and they were also beaten in their previous two league matches.

What they needed was a regulation win, and Wigan's limited attacking ambition at the Emirates Stadium meant they were perfect opponents. The hosts could have racked up a huge score before half-time if their finishing was clinical.

In the end it was down to Vermaelen to grab the limelight, with the defender scoring his third and fourth goals of the season, the first a powerful header and the second a delightful curling finish.

Emmanuel Eboue's deflection then made it 3-0 when the match was effectively over, then Cesc Fabregas added another in stoppage time.

If Arsenal were desperate for a simple win, their 25th-minute opener was certainly uncomplicated.

Robin van Persie, back after missing the midweek comeback against Standard Liege with a slight knee problem, swung over a corner from the right and Vermaelen thundered the ball home with his head after climbing higher than Titus Bramble and Henry Thomas. It was his second this week after netting in his native Belgium.

Arsenal fans have taken to Vermaelen since his arrival from Ajax, while Eboue needed to win back their trust after being jeered in this fixture last season for constantly giving the ball away.

Eboue's unpredictability means he is never far away from a brilliance or madness. In the first half he went over with shot and set up a chance for Van Persie with a powerful run and precise low cross, then a minute later was cautioned for trying to handball Eduardo's cross towards goal.

He went close again before the break after Van Persie sent him through - just one of Arsenal's many chances.

Van Persie broke the offside trap in the dying moments of the opening half but his scissor-kick lacked power and limped wide, William Gallas had an effort cleared off the line, while Maynor Figueroa bravely blocked Abou Diaby's shot on goal in the penalty area.

Wigan's tactic was to contain and counter-attack, and they gave the hosts a huge scare before the break.

Emmerson Boyce's header was saved by Vito Mannone - with the Wigan defender also claiming a handball by Gallas - then the rookie goalkeeper bravely saved again when the rebound fell for Bramble.

It was a decent contribution from the man deputising while Manuel Almunia has a chest infection, particularly as there was little else to do in the match.

Vermaelen's second goal, three minutes after the restart, was a classic strike that a centre-forward would have been proud of. The defender picked up a loose ball and exchanged passes with Eboue before curling his finish around Chris Kirkland and into the top corner from the edge of the penalty area.

The third goal came just before the hour mark. Eduardo struck the post with a volley from Gael Clichy's cross, then Diaby prodded the rebound back in the path of the Croatia forward. Eboue got the telling deflection to divert Eduardo's shot beyond Kirkland.

Alex Song almost added another after a surging run from the halfway line - but his finish hit the outside of the post.

Eboue's cult-hero status with the Arsenal fans was confirmed when he was substituted in the 73rd minute and cheered off as Tomas Rosicky replaced him.

Paul Scharner tapped in after Mannone made a decent save - but the assistant referee ruled it offside.

Fabregas, in stoppage time, tapped home Nicklas Bendtner's cross for the fourth.

Wenger leaps to defence of Eboue

Arsene Wenger was forced to defend midfielder Emmanuel Eboue after another cheating row brewed during Arsenal's Premier League victory Wigan.

Eboue was booked for deliberate handball when he got on the end of a cross midway through the first half in the 4-0 win at the Emirates Stadium, just a few weeks after Eduardo's diving saga erupted.

"Of course we want to stamp out cheating in the game," Wenger said. "It is not necessarily cheating sometimes, it (handball) can be a reflex as well. I do not encourage cheating and we all have to fight against it, but in this particular situation it can be a reflex as well.

"When the player goes down sometimes it is not always because he wants to cheat. It can be a foul and he makes a bit more of it, but the personality I feel in England that the personality of the player who does it is more important than the importance of the foul and the cheating. I mean some players get away with things and other don't."

This was a symbolic match for Eboue as he was jeered by his own supporters in the fixture last season. Not so now.

Wenger, when asked about the turnaround in the fans' view of Eboue, said: "I believe Eboue did what you have to do in our job, which is to shut up, play and let everyone else talk while he produces quality performances. His is a job for strong people, and you can respond mentally. The supporters are behind him again as he plays well and he plays with the right spirit." Wenger added: "He is a sensitive bit and an extrovert, but he's a creative player."

Thomas Vermaelen scored the first two goals - a header from a corner and a delightful curling effort. He now has four goals since arriving from Ajax. Wenger joked: "Let's be honest for once. I thought he could adapt quickly but maybe not as quickly as that."

Wigan boss Roberto Martinez was furious with his side's display. "We were very poor in our performance," Martinez said. "That was not our style at all. We did not get anywhere near the Arsenal players in the first half. Our starting position was wrong and there was a lack of belief. We are not normally a defensive side, but we had a slow start and that was the reason for our performance. I cannot not take any positives from the performance - or the lack of it."