Skipper van Persie struck a stunning 70th-minute left-foot volley to clinch a 1-0 victory over Everton at the Emirates Stadium as a host of legends looked on from the stands. It was van Persie's 19th goal of a remarkable season and moved the Gunners into the top four of the Premier League on the back of a run of seven wins in their last eight matches. Although the Dutchman was delighted with the latest success, given his run of form of late he was far from happy with his own display. "It was vital to stay on track and get the three points," van Persie said on Arsenal Player. "It was a hard game against a good Everton side. In the end, very pleased. "We've been solid at the back for a couple of weeks now, I mean really solid, lots of things coming together. "Then you know, as a forward player, one chance can be decisive. "It was a great pass again from Alex Song, unbelievable. He is a defensive midfielder, but the amount of skill he has is just a dream. A great pass from him. "Normally I would have touched (the ball) to get it right. It was a bit of a gamble, but in the end a very nice goal inside the post. I can't wish for more. "But it wasn't a great game in my opinion, especially from myself as too often I had touches which did not go the way I wanted. "I'm not really happy with that, with my own performance, but pleased with the win." Van Persie felt the occasion played its part given the build-up to a historic game for the club. "It was special to see all the legends - Ian Wright, Thierry Henry, Alan Smith - all of them," said van Persie. "It was very nice they were all in one place, and I'm very pleased we could give them three points." Despite the self-criticism, goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny hailed Van Persie as a "magician" and an inspirational skipper. "He is just the best finisher in the world," Szczesny told BBC Radio 5 Live. "Any time he touches the ball in the penalty box he looks like he is going to score, so we appreciate having him at the club, and we hope he can keep it going. "He's always had the quality. It's just that he's been very unlucky with injuries, a few setbacks in his career. "But ever since he became captain, he's been fantastic, someone who leads by example and he matches his attitude with his performances on the pitch. We're very pleased to have him." Arsenal face their sternest test next Sunday when they travel to unbeaten league leaders Manchester City. The Gunners currently trail Roberto Mancini's side by nine points ahead of City's clash at Chelsea on Monday night. While Szczesny concedes the title appears beyond Arsenal, there is hope, although he feels he has to be realistic. "It (the club's form) been very encouraging," he added. "We've managed to come back strong after what was a very poor start to the season. "We're very confident for the rest of the season and I hope we can keep climbing up the table. "Can we win the title? At this time, probably not, but if we win every single game for the rest of the season, then you never know. "We've achieved our goal so far, we're in the top four, which is very important, it gives us a lot of confidence, with the main target to now stay there."
