I wondered if we would start off slowly to then crank up the gears late on but luckily that was not the case, we went after Wigan from the off. Arsenal fans around the world have been increasingly frustrated with our corner kick routine which are almost the equivalent of giving the opposition a goal kick. Instead of the pointless whipped kick at knee height, Santi was instead floating the ball into the near post for someone, mainly Mertesacker to flick on, Wigan showed why they are fighting relegation rather than

At the final whistle, the 4-1 score line gave the impression that the match was a complete stroll but there were many points during the game where it was anything but.

There was a sense that the Wigan players were playing against the clock, almost waiting until their legs inevitably gave in. We have started quickly in many games during this good run of ours rather than the reverse at the start of the season. I remain convinced that this is an intended strategy by the manager in an attempt to manage fatigue levels.

I wondered if we would start off slowly to then crank up the gears late on but luckily that was not the case, we went after Wigan from the off. Arsenal fans around the world have been increasingly frustrated with our corner kick routine which are almost the equivalent of giving the opposition a goal kick. Instead of the pointless whipped cross at knee height, Santi was instead floating the ball into the near post for someone, mainly Mertesacker to flick on, Wigan showed why they are fighting relegation rather than passing their way into mid table, they pretty much missed the ball and allowed Podolski to head into the net unmarked.

Arsene Wenger publicly criticised the amount of corners we had without making anything of them against Everton I think, so it may well be safe to say that we have done something about it, and the near post flick on smacks of the bald bloke on the bench. Another indication to show that something has changed is the corner kick taker. Theo Walcott has been the first choice taker, bending the ball into the box but now that we have gone for a floated kick the man for the job is now Santi Cazorla.

Laurent Koscielny almost scored with a similar effort but he could not sort his feet out fast enough and it bounced harmlessly off for a goal kick.

I hope we continue to work on this over the summer and keep improving. I think I am right in saying that Manchester United have scored almost double the amount of set pieces as the next best team. Given that we are a possession team we often rack up a considerable amount of corner kicks so at least a slight conversion percentage increase would make a big difference. Add Giroud to that and we are cooking on gas.

I was hoping that we could go on and get the second goal, something we have failed to do of late. I thought we had when Theo tucked the ball away only for my celebration to be cut short due to the raised flag, something I would be grateful for later on.

Mike Dean had waved play on when it seemed as if Cazorla was pulled down after jinking past his man for him then to blow for a foul on Maloney who looked to have gone down easily after throwing himself on Mikel Arteta.

Shaun Maloney a player I like very much did what a couple of visiting players have done in recent years from roughly the same position and that is lash a freekick into our net. Drogba and Ronaldo have also flashed similar shots into the near post. Lukas Podolski could perhaps look back at that and feel that he should have done better, been braver with the ball heading towards him. His instinct made him duck a fraction, that fraction was enough to see the ball fizz over his head and into the corner via Szczesny’s finger tips.

Wigan really came into the game and were impressive in taking the game to us, they certainly made us defend, luckily we can defend pretty well these days contrary to popular belief. Wigan pushed on in the second half and we were on the ropes a little. I was worried that we were losing control of the game. Wigan had the ball in the net and I had that split second goal syndrome where you are hoping for it to be ruled out for some reason, it was. In 2008 decisions like those were consistently incorrect but in early 2013 lady luck has been very hospitable, long may that continue.

Kone had one really good chance but Szczesny stood up when counted and made a fantastic save to deny him. Had Wigan scored then the game could have spun off into a completely different direction. Big save.

I have been bemoaning the lack of quality in our crossing many a time this season, whether that be Sagna, Walcott or Gibbs but when Santi Cazorla was slotted in on the right hand side, my expectations had raised, his bending pass around the Wigan defence was a thing of beauty, inch perfect onto the right foot of Theo Walcott who moved into the centre forward position and our number 14 was quicker and braver than the Wigan keeper. 2-1.

Should Bacary Sagna end his time with the Gunners at the end of the season then it is that type of cross I want more often from his replacement and I think we have seen signs of that from Carl Jenkinson.

Speaking of full backs, I thought Kieran Gibbs was back to his pre injury form this season. McManaman for Wigan destroyed Gael Clichy only a few days ago but coming up against Gibbs he had pretty much no answer. I still regard Gibbs as our most consistent player in the first half of the season, since his injury he has shared the left back spot and hasn’t had the same run of games to sharpen him up. Gibbs has one weakness and that is his fitness, if he gets over that then I have no doubt that he will be a first choice England left back very soon.

Walcott had deserved his goal, he was working hard up and down his flank all game, winning the ball back and testing their left back. Given the torrid time, Wigan’s wide players gave Manchester City, you can imagine that Theo was reminded before hand to work back the other way and make sure his defensive duties are not shirked.

Our second goal visibly dented the visitors,  they pretty much knew their fate and we cranked up the gears, Santi yet again with the assist with a little header into the path of Podolski who was allowed all the time in the world to stroll into the Wigan penalty area and lift the ball past the advancing keeper. 3-1 and safety because this Arsenal side were not going to let in two goals from this position.

A hat trick of assists was not enough for Santi and it was his through ball down the left that set Aaron Ramsey sprinting towards the Wigan goal, Lukas Podolski on a hat trick had made some room for a cut back and would have dished out a tongue lashing had Rambo not found the net, Ramsey’s disguise was lovely, looking towards the penalty spot but instead lifting the ball over the keeper for his first league goal of the season. I still think the cut back was the more sensible option but I am very happy for him, his attitude, commitment and fight deserves that goal.

With the possibility of top three, I was hoping that we could score a couple more late goals but it was not to be. The one negative on the night was the late injury to Mikel Arteta and he is likely to miss the trip to Newcastle. Jack may well have to play one more game and a big game it will be.

Sunday will decide everything, most online bookies will have us as favourites to qualify but we will need to turn up with a strong performance. At least it is in our hands. One more Arsenal, just one more victory.