Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger has backed Robin van Persie to maintain his sparkling form in 2012. The Dutch striker was the Gunners’ hero again when he scored the only goal in a 1-0 win over Queens Park Rangers at the Emirates Stadium. He has fallen just one goal short of Alan Shearer’s record of 36 goals in a calendar year. His remarkable prolificacy has been one of the few bright spots in a frustrating year for Arsenal. And Wenger expects his captain to carry on scoring, providing he avoids the injury problems that have forced him to miss periods of previous campaigns. “He can continue because he is the right age,” Wenger said. “Touch wood, he can repeat the same amount of games, and nothing is impossible. I don’t know why it changes at midnight at the end of the year.”
QPR frustrated Wenger’s team for an hour, but the winner came when Shaun Wright-Phillips lost the ball and Andrey Arshavin slipped it through for Van Persie to drill home.
“Robin scored the goal again that got us the points against a good QPR side. They are one of the good sides we have seen this year.”