Arshavin finally finds his feet

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The Russian has taken six weeks to turn in the sort of show-stopping performance expected from a player costing £15million. But the way he inspired Saturday's rout of Blackburn, when he opened his Gunners account with a sublime individual goal, confirmed why Wenger fought so hard to prise him from Zenit St Petersburg.

Arshavin is back to peak physical condition and has been backed to lead Arsenal's FA Cup charge, which continues with tomorrow's home quarter-final with Hull.

"It is great to have him for this game because every time he has played, he has been really good for us," said defender Bacary Sagna. "He has everything - he can shoot well, pass the ball, arrive in different positions and also has great power. He is not very tall but he knows how to deal with physical stuff. And now he has shown he can score great goals as well."

Arshavin admitted he has suffered homesickness since completing his switch from his native country, but he was given a timely lift ahead of this emphatic win by his wife, Yulia. He said: "I wanted to leave Russia and Arsenal was a good chance for me but it was not so easy to settle at first. I was alone, but my wife came over last week so maybe she gave me power for this match."

The 28-year-old played a key role in the Gunners' second-minute opener - his shot was saved by Paul Robinson but the rebound bobbled in off Andre Ooijer - and smashed in the second in the 65th minute from a tight angle.

Arsenal's dominance was underlined by two late goals from Emmanuel Eboue, a close-range tap-in and a coolly-converted penalty, awarded after Carlos Vela had been fouled by Martin Olsson.