Robin van Persie’s stats at the conclusion of the win over Hull were 85 passes attempted, 83 completed. It’s that kind of quality and value of possession that has given Arsenal their reputation as a side that plays football the way it should be played, the neutral’s pick. That Arsenal haven’t been seen much lately, and the reason is simple. Too many players giving away possession too cheaply. Basically because they aren’t as good as they need to be.

Still, the Gunners took three crucial points at Hull, so let’s start with the positives. They were by far the better side over the 90 minutes, and made Hull look like, well, a Championship team most of the time. When questions were asked at the business end of the match, they produced. They weathered Hull’s comeback and held on until superior fitness told.

The goals were all superb in their own way. Adebayor managed to get his header in practically without touching his marker – no mean feat, but a necessary one given the fussiness of referee Alan Wiley about Arsenal’s forwards making any kind of contact with the opposition. Nasri was brilliantly found by Van Persie and finished with quality. Bendtner’s goal was key, given the concerns about the rearguard, and again a result of Van Persie’s good work. The woodwork was also struck twice.

With all the teams above them that played earlier having won, especially Villa, allowing the gap to fifth place to become five or six points would have been very damaging. As it is, staying within reach prevents the season falling flat at a club with a group of players whose relationships appear to be highly fracticious. Team spirit can be a delicate thing if quality is lacking, as William Gallas has made public more times than is healthy.

Now onto the concerns. The quality of some of the squad members is patently below that required to mount a credible challenge for honours. Some have what it takes (Van Persie and Nasri are obvious examples) and would not look out of place in a team that actually won a title. The same cannot be said of, for example, Eboue and Diaby. On 64 minutes Eboue gave possession away cheaply – a fairly regular occurrence in this game and many others this season. I thought to myself, “Enough, get him off now, he’s become a liability”. The next time Arsenal had possession was at kick off after Hull had equalized. Obviously the gravest error was Clichy’s, but one of the reasons the defence is constantly exposed is the lack of care taken by those in front of them.

Then later, Alex Song was preparing to come on at 2-1. His body language when Arsenal had taken the lead in the first half spoke volumes. As his manager raised his arms in triumph, the Cameroon international didn’t flinch, even though his mate Adebayor was the scorer. The man don’t give a f***. Anyway, as Song prepared to come on for Adebayor, I was thinking, “Don’t let the ball go out. Just keep it in play!” Not because Adebayor was doing much, just because of the fear of what Song might do to allow Hull an equalizer. Fortunately, the next time the game went dead was when Bendtner scored his goal to put the game beyond doubt. Song may have made his entrance subsequently, but Spurs couldn’t happen twice in one season.

However, the most culpable crime Arsenal committed was in injury time of the first half. With only seconds remaining, a free kick was awarded on the halfway line. The only thing there was time to do was try and launch it into the area and try for a goal with a header or a knock down. Send the taller players up and have a go. Absolutely nothing to lose and a goal to gain. They took it short. Even though the minute’s injury time was up, there was time for another Hull foul and a second bite at the cherry. The ball was worked back to the central defenders and the whistle finally blown. It summed up the lack of urgency seen all too often from certain of Arsenal’s players all season.

It put me in mind of a Steve Bould quote (thanks to Ian Tanner for alerting me) on arsenal.com about Emmanuel Frimpong. Bould said: "He keeps having a slash at goal and we tell him not to but he keeps hitting the target".

I despair.

The win might be prove critical come the end of the season. But should Arsenal have made such hard work of a team that is in freefall to the relegation zone? Wenger said before the game that Arsenal need to win every Premier League game between now and the end of the season. I’d worry about getting into the fifth round of the FA Cup before even contemplating such a lofty and unrealistic notion.