10 Theo Walcott Performances That Show Why Arsenal Must Keep Him

4. Arsenal 7-3 Newcastle - 29.12.12

Arsenal's Theo Walcott celebrates scoring his side's third goal during the Barclays Premier League match at the Emirates Stadium, London.
Nick Potts/PA Archive

2012-13 was the season in which Walcott finally got to fulfill his long cherished ambition to play as a striker on a regular basis and he rewarded Wenger's faith in him with a regular goal tally.

Arsenal's 7-3 win over Alan Pardew's Newcastle sounds a lot more comfortable in retrospect. In reality it was a far more close run thing for much of the game and required Walcott's quality to make the difference.

Walcott gave Arsenal the lead after 20 minutes with a well taken striker's goal, picking a precise spot to avoid goalkeeper Tim Krul and expertly sidefooting home.

Still, the game stood at 3-3 after 70 minutes. It was then that Walcott proved the difference between the two teams. Just four minutes after Newcastle's equaliser, Walcott received the ball in a crowded box, spun into space and fired the ball into the top corner.

His curling cross found Giroud for another, before Walcott hit his hat-trick with a neat chip, completing a game that was a perfect showcase for his striking talents.

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