Bullard 29 (pen)    Arshavin 14

                                                                                                         Bendtner 90 + 3

Arsenal were grateful for a 93^rd minute winner from much-maligned Danish striker Nicklas Bendtner to overcome an unbelieveably resilient and plucky ten-man Hull City at the KC Stadium.

Arsenal started at lightning speed and Andrei Arshavin opened the scoring in the 14^th minute, the diminutive Russian breaking two tackles before firing home with his right-foot.

The Tigers equalised from the penalty spot on 29 minutes. Sol Campbell clumsily fouled an offside-looking Jan Vennegoor of Hesselink and Jimmy Bullard fired home.

Hull midfielder George Boateng received his marching orders in first-half stoppage-time after picking up two yellow cards in the space of five minutes, the second for a knee-high challenge on Bacary Sagna which possibly warranted a red card in itself.

But the hosts worked ferociously to hold the Gunners after the interval.

And Campbell could have seen his second yellow card, after being booked for conceding the penalty, when an aggressive challenge on Kamil Zayette saw the Hull man stretchered off and substituted.

Arshavin and Bendtner both missed presentable chances, the latter denied by some daredevil defending, before Hull’s luck ran out when Denilson’s swerving shot from distance was parried by Hull keeper Boaz Myhill and Bendtner netted the rebound.