Premiership: Charlton 1 - 2 Arsenal

After a lot of niggling, a few missed chances, the gift of a missed handball and intermittent vibrancy from Charlton, Arsenal did Arsene Wenger proud enough in the end. And it was wholly fitting that his captain, Thierry Henry, should play a pivotal role in helping Wenger - David Dein's 'miracle worker', Lee Dixon's 'geography teacher' - celebrate 10 years in charge with a win to haul them out of the mid-table ruck.

In a curious mixture of the sublime and the ugly, Charlton could only rue their lack of finishing quality, because they had plenty of opportunities, especially in the second half. Iain Dowie, hampered by having five of eight summer signings sidelined, has juggled his resources well, but still Charlton are floundering about at the bottom of the Premiership.

Against Portsmouth two weeks ago, when the south coast team had yet to concede a goal, Dowie pulled his formation into all sorts of shapes to crack the nut. Here he kept it simple - but Arsenal came desperately close when Henry side-footed the cheekiest of passes on to the head of Cesc Fabregas who nodded it inches over.

Dowie's players did not lack for commitment, Hermann Hreidarsson marking his return with a dreadful hacking job on Alexander Hleb to grab the first booking. Charlton, meanwhile, were wasting chances. It would be hard to miss by more than Kevin Lisbie did - unless the ball went backwards - when a wild swing sent the ball kidding off his shin into the side seating. Then, against the run of play, Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink found himself in space on the right and slid a measured pass across the goalmouth to the advancing Darren Bent, who would have been shot had he not scored. He did.

Temperatures were rising too quickly for the referee's liking, and the home crowd were not happy with him. Robin van Persie, rightly, was booked for a challenge on Hasselbaink, and Kevin Lisbie, rightly, was booked for a foul on Fabregas. A little bit of Henry magic secured the equaliser. He toyed with Hreidarsson before nutmegging him with a deft pass to Hleb, who swivelled and, on his left foot, found Van Persie unmarked. The Dutchman coolly planted the ball low into the right corner.

The niggling resumed soon enough. Hasselbaink was booked for a dumb thumping of Emmanuel Eboue and Fabregas went into the book when he brought down Amady Faye. Arsenal got a bit of rhythm going forward and Luke Young produced the tackle of the fi rst half, when he robbed Van Persie in front of goal. It was hard to work out who was booed more fiercely when they went off at half time: the referee or Van Persie.

Van Persie's athleticism for his second shortly after the break was awesome. Hleb sliced open the defence for Emmanuel Eboue, who launched a cross at about chest height. Van Persie, arriving like a man late for work, had two options: a speculative header or try the impossible by bringing the ball under control with a shoulder-high volley from short range. He went for the impossible. Scott Carson had no chance.

Andy Reid, whose industry was admirable, but whose errors were clownlike, brought a good save out of Jans Lehmann after Hasselbaink had set him up. Van Persie should have had a hattrick moments later but thrashed it wide from a couple of yards out. The referee further irked Charlton fans when he missed a clear handball by William Gallas that stopped Hasselbaink's goal-bound shot. Hasselbaink had no excuses next time, though, putting his header wide from Bryan Hughes's cross. That was cancelled out when Fabregas murdered an equally easy chance at the other end, blasting his shot into Carson's chest. A flurry of missed chances at the end rounded off a mixed day's football.

MAN OF THE MATCH - ROBIN VAN PERSIE

The Arsenal striker started as if he was going to be sent off at any minute. Before being withdrawn in the second half he scored twice, the second a goal of breath-taking skill.