The captain's contribution from the start was eye-catching, but it was the waft of his left boot with nine minutes remaining that provided the decisive moment, and one that led to an outpouring of relief in this corner of north London.
His team had performed their usual trick of turning a position of strength into one of weakness in what had seemed like no time at all. Sunderland, who dug in for their embattled manager, Steve Bruce, could reflect upon costly misses in the second part of the first half.
Arsenal recovered to control the second period without creating too much of clear-cut note, and it looked as if Sunderland might hang on for a battling point. Van Persie, though, refused to allow that story-line to play out. He won a free-kick from Wes Brown after a surging run and, having placed the ball, sent it spinning over the defensive wall and into the top corner. If his team were just about value for the win, he fully deserved his ovation at full-time.
Van Persie's dream calendar year goes on. His two goals here took his tally for Arsenal to 28 in 34 games. It is little wonder that the club are desperate for him to extend his contract beyond June 2013 and why the Dutchman's preference for waiting until next summer to open talks has prompted such anxiety.
"Unfortunately, the ideal situation does not exist often," said the manager, Arsène Wenger. "The ideal situation is that he extends his length of contract but if he does not, we have to respect that. What is important is that he plays like he plays. For me, commitment is not how long you are at the club, it is as long as you are there, you give 100 per cent until the last day of your contract.
"Robin knows that we are ready to talk. The most important thing is what you do today and how much you are committed to the cause for as long as you are at the club."
Van Persie has grown weary of the furore surrounding his desire to postpone the contract discussions, which has been interpreted as a sign that he does not want to commit long-term just yet. He was asked after the game whether his future was at the club. "I'm committed, as I said," he replied. "This is my eighth year. If you can see one player who is committed, it is me."
Nobody doubts Van Persie's commitment when he crosses the white line and it was his impishness that inspired Arsenal to a fine start. He punished Sunderland for their early sleepwalking with a predator's finish on 29 seconds, which was Arsenal's quickest goal of the Premier League era. The he almost added a gem. Having beaten Kieran Richardson with a languid Cruyff-turn, he chipped sumptuously towards the left top corner: think Eric Cantona for Manchester United against Sunderland in 1996. Unlike Cantona, however, he was denied by the woodwork.
Arsenal were in charge midway through the first-half but by half-time had surrendered the lead and were fortunate not to be trailing. It was a shocking turnaround and they left the field to a smattering of boos. Wenger spoke of a "confidence wobble" and it represented further evidence of his team's brittleness. Sunderland's equaliser came after Mikel Arteta's needless handball gave Sebastien Larsson the opportunity of a free-kick from 25 yards and the former Arsenal midfielder curled the ball to perfection.
Bruce's team went for the jugular and he felt that the result would have been different if Lee Cattermole had converted a header from point-blank range, rather than seen Wojciech Szczesny save sharply. Jack Colback also volleyed over when well placed. Van Persie's brilliance ensured that Arsenal escaped with the three points.
Source: David Hytner, The Guardian on 16 Oct 11
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