Arsenal made it three wins on the spin with a hard-fought 1-0 victory over Wigan Athletic at the DW Stadium.
Mikel Arteta's penalty was all that was needed for Arsene Wenger's men to leap into third place in the Premier League, level on points with Chelsea and Tottenham Hotspur.
However, their North London rivals could go back above them with a win over Stoke City at White Hart Lane this afternoon.
Here, Sports Mole takes a closer look to see if the result was fair.
Match statistics
Wigan
Shots: 14
On Target: 3
Possession: 50%
Corners: 4
Fouls: 17
Arsenal
Shots: 11
On Target: 4
Possession: 50%
Corners: 4
Fouls: 9
Was the result fair?
Yes. It was a very even first half, with not much between these two differently-styled teams. Wigan were up for the scrap, while Arsenal looked to pass the ball around. However, the hosts ran out of steam in the second period and the Gunners ran out deserved - even if not entirely convincing - winners. Although it did take a penalty to seal the three points for Arsene Wenger's men.
Wigan's performance
6/10. The Latics took 10 minutes to wake up, but put everything into their first-half performance after that. Their closing-down was speedy and their tackling ferocious. Arouna Kone had the best chance of the first half, but dragged his left-footed shot wide with just Wojciech Szczesny to beat. Wigan looked to exploit the flanks and had plenty of crossing opportunities with Ronnie Stam and Jean Beausejour, but their delivery left a lot to be desired. The hosts were caught cold once again at the start of the second half, and should have gone behind when Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain cut the ball back for Walcott, but Ali Al-Habsi kept the scores level with a good stop. Wigan lacked a definable threat going forward. Shaun Maloney and James McCarthy both had good games, but found it hard to get on the ball in Arsenal's final third.
Arsenal's performance
7/10. The Gunners had to battle for victory today. They started well, but were arguably second best as the teams came in for half time. Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain came alive in the second period, and that swung the game in Arsenal's favour. He began to get the better of Beausejour and crafted a couple of decent chances for Walcott. The goal came from a penalty following great link-up play between Santi Cazorla and Walcott. Beausejour was the man penalised when Walcott went down, and Mikel Arteta confidently sent Al-Habsi the wrong way. Jack Wilshere didn't really show much going forward today, but was a tenacious tackler in the middle of the park. In summary, they were far from great but just about did enough.
Referee's performance
Jon Moss did well to keep a lid on the game just as things started to be getting heated at the end of the first half. However, the home fans will feel that they should have had a penalty late in the game when Jordi Gomez's shot was blocked by the hand of Kieron Gibbs. It could - and probably should - have been given.
Sports Mole's man of the match
Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain: The England international sparked into life in the second half and was a determining factor in his team walking away with all three points.
Biggest gaffe
Ronnie Stam had three or four great opportunites to cross the ball into the box, and failed miserably with each one. Arouna Kone also had a missed chance in the first half. Take your pick(s)...
What's next?
Wigan: The Latics travel to Goodison Park to face Everton in their Boxing Day fixture.
Arsenal: A tube strike means that there is no traditional Boxing Day fixture for the Gunners, whose next assignment is a home fixture with Newcastle United on December 29.
Michael Penkman
