Final Score: Arsenal 2 Cardiff City 0

ARSENAL manager Arsene Wenger maintained he had never given up on Nicklas Bendtner after the Denmark striker netted a late goal to help beat managerless Cardiff 2-0 at the Emirates Stadium, but is now set to be sidelined for few weeks with an ankle injury.

It had looked like the Bluebirds, with potential new boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer watching from the stands, would hold out for a muchneeded point in the wake of relentless Arsenal pressure.

However, with just two minutes left, substitute Bendtner crashed the ball in from close range after David Marshall had saved Bacary Sagna’s header before, in stoppage time, Theo Walcott sealed the victory which took the Gunners back to the top of the Premier League table.

Bendtner sprained his ankle in scoring the goal, which Wenger believes was reward for his positive attitude since returning to the first-team picture.

‘‘Nicklas has gone through some difficult periods, so I just want to give him great credit,’’ said Wenger, who was already without lead striker Olivier Giroud because of his ankle problem.

‘‘I told him he is back to the level I want him to be at, and if he continues to develop like that he will come back into the team.

‘‘Unfortunately he got injured.

He was a bit unlucky, he said he landed on the foot of a Cardiff player and sprained his ankle. It looks like it is a question of weeks.”