Category: Match Reports

Despite Arsenal’s recent upsurge in form, it was of no surprise that Arsenal fans still entered their match against Champions-elect Manchester City with a feeling of apprehension.

Given the re-introduction of the Europa League, fatigue has started to creep in and Arsenal and their players seem unlikely to be able to cope with both a Premier League and European run-in at the same time.

It therefore seemed a somewhat bizarre turn of events to see Mikel Arteta name a damn-near full-strength side for the visit of Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City. Kieran Tierney returned to the side after a prelonged period of absence and Mohamed Elneny stepped in alongside Nicolas Pépé.

Arsenal could not have gotten off to a worse start. No sooner had the whistle blown to kick the game off that Manchester City began to attack with gusto and it was no surprise that after two minutes, City found themselves ahead through a Raheem Sterling header.

It was a hammer-blow for Mikel Arteta and his side. Not only were they coming up against arguably the best attacking outfit in the land, but also one of the sturdiest defences in the league as well.

However, Sterling’s goal had looked like a premature opening of the floodgates for a cavalcade of City attacks, an onslaught that would leave Arsenal begging for the final whistle before half-time, but it proved to be nothing more than a signifier of an anti-climax.

Barely either team created much throughout the game, though Arsenal found themselves in some fairly advanced positions, with Nicolas Pépé rattling the side-netting.

When the final-whistle blew, it seemed to be a disappointing result for both managers. Guardiola will feel that he could have easily had three or four in the opening fifteen minutes alone and Arteta will be questioning how Arsenal failed to pull one. back, especially given that City seemed to regularly secede possession to Arsenal so often.

Despite the defeat, Arsenal couldn’t be too upset with what they had seen. It was always a tall ask to beat Manchester City, especially a Manchester City team as good as this one. The return of Rob Holding had looked to be a poor decision on Arteta’s part in the beginning when he failed to beat the tiny figure of Raheem Sterling in the air, but the defender recovered well from the goal and turned in a fairly impressive performance alongside Pablo Marí.

The performance of Bukayo Saka is so often a high point for Arsenal regardless of the result, and Sunday was no exception. The youngster gave it his all and looked to cause City some real issues, creating chances, attacking with intent and opening up space for Kieran Tierney on the left-hand side.

Arsenal will take some comforts from the defeat and will hope that their performance in Athens on Thursday against Benfica is a more profitable return.

Arsenal team:
  1.) Bernd Leno
  2.) Héctor Bellerín
16.) Rob Holding (concussion: David Luiz 82′)
22.) Pablo Marí
  3.) Kieran Tierney
25.) Mohamed Elneny (Ceballos 86′)
34.) Granit Xhaka
19.) Nicolas Pépé
11.) Martin Ødegaard (Lacazette 73′)
  7.) Bukayo Saka
14.) Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (c)

Arsenal subs:
33.) Maty Ryan
23.) David Luiz
  6.) Gabriel Magalhães
17.) Cédric Soares
  8.) Dani Ceballos
12.) Willian
32.) Emile Smith Rowe
35.) Gabriel Martinelli
9.) Alexandre Lacazette

Manchester City team:
33.) Ederson
27.) João Cancelo
  3.) Rúben Dias
  5.) John Stones
11.) Oleksandr Zinchenko
25.) Fernandinho
  8.) İlkay Gündoğan (c)
20.) Bernardo Silva
26.) Riyad Mahrez
17.) Kevin De Bruyne (Gabriel Jesus 63′)
  7.) Raheem Sterling

Manchester City subs:
13.) Zack Steffen
14.) America Laporte
  2.) Kyle Walker
22.) Benjamin Mendy
16.) Rodri
47.) Phil Foden
21.) Ferran Torres
  9.) Gabriel Jesus
10.) Sergio Agüero

Marcelo Bielsa’s Leeds have one of the most popular teams to watch in the Premier League this season. The games are usually high-scoring, the scoreline’s enthralling and football dazzling. Despite this, Arsenal showed no signs of trepidation as they entered Sunday evening’s match.

With injuries to Thomas Partey and Kieran Tierney, Dani Ceballos and Cédric Soares were brought in to cover, meanwhile Bernd Leno and David Luiz returned to the side following their red cards in the defeat to Wolves.

It can be difficult for managers figuring out how to defeat Leeds. While their defence leaves a lot to be desired, last year’s Championship winners have more than enough quality in their attack to punish any team that dare commit too many men forward.

Despite this, Arsenal came out of the blocks all guns blazing. The creativity overload of Martin Ødegaard and Emile Smith Rowe definitely aided Arsenal’s attack, with the supplementary silkiness of Bukayo Saka.

It didn’t take long for Arsenal’s hard-work to pay off. The runs of Ødegaard and Smith Rowe created space for Granit Xhaka’s slide-rule pass into the feet of captain Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, who’s silky step-overs and body-feints were enough to bamboozle former-Gunner Luke Ayling and the former Borussia Dortmund hitman rattled the back of the net in emphatic fashion to give the Gunners a well-deserved lead.

It wouldn’t be an Arsenal game if there wasn’t some kind of controversy however and sure enough VAR supplied some. After Liam Cooper brought down Saka in the penalty area, Stuart Atwell immediately pointed to the spot without a second’s hesitation, however, VAR assistant Andre Marriner told the referee to check the incident out on the VAR screen. The decision was remarkably overturned. Given David Luiz’s incident only two weeks previously, it seemed an unnecessarily harsh decision on Saka.

Arsenal didn’t have to wait long to get their penalty however. Leeds goalkeeper Illan Meslier failed to clear his lines and in a desperate attempt to keep the ball away from the high-pressing Saka, brought the youngster down in the penalty area and this time, there was no mistake at all and Aubameyang dutifully dispatched from twelve-yards to double the home side’s lead.

Arsenal continued to attack before the half was out and after some silky footwork in the penalty area from Dani Ceballos, the Spaniard was able to dink the ball throigh the legs of the defender for Héctor Bellerín, who took a touch seemingly too far outwide, only for the right-back to thump home Arsenal’s third.

Half-time was a welcome occurrence for Leeds as displayed in their two changes at half-time, but for Arsenal, it was an unnecessary distraction.

Not that their performance stuttered, barely two minutes after the interval, Aubameyang rounded off his hat-trick when Emile Smith Rowe’s shot-cum-cross found Aubameyang at the far-post who headed home in style.

From then on, Leeds soon found their way back into the game. A thumping header from Pascal Struijk from a corner and a beautifully worked finish from substitute Hélder Costa where enough to invoke ripples of fear from a fanbase that has seen Arsenal throw away similar leads to this one before, but the final whistle blew on a 4-2 victory for Arsenal.

It was a superb performance from Arsenal, despite conceding two goals. A hat-trick for a talismanic captain who has been in need of some form for a while now is always a welcome addition, but the defensive solidity of Granit Xhaka and Dani Ceballos aided matters a lot too.

Mikel Arteta seemed to take a leaf from Pep Guardiola’s book as well; Arsenal seemed to play with a false-nine, but with them rotating. One minute it was Aubameyang, the next Saka and the next it was Smith Rowe or Ødegaard and Leeds seemingly had no way to block it.

The movement of the Arsenal forward-line was backed-up by the remarkably press-resistant midfield pivot of Ceballos and Xhaka. Though the two have come under fire for their lackadaisical passing or inability to beat the press of anyone who comes near them, they coped with Leeds remarkably well.

Many have put Xhaka’s recent resurgence in form down to the added cover of Thomas Partey, however, with the Ghanian missing against Leeds, he seemed to cope just fine.

It seems strange to have too many negative critiques from a game in which Arsenal won fairly comfortably, but the performance of substitute Willian was fairly close to taking the sheen off of a fairly immaculate performance.

The Brazilian seems to be on a completely different page to his teammates and his inability to track back or to dribble with the ball begs the question as to why Arteta insists on introducing him every game.

Willian seems to be on another planet entirely and though his lovely ball through for Saka in the second-half showed the vision he has, it’s worrying that he doesn’t use it more. Outside of that one incident, the former Chelsea man lost the ball the same amount in just under half an hour of play than Emile Smith Rowe (the man he replaced) managed in 62 minutes, a truly worrying statistic and seemingly emblematic of the poor performances Willian seems to churn out every week.

The attention now turns to the return of the Europa League, as Arsenal face-off against Benfica in their Round of 32 first-leg.

Arsenal team:
  1.) Bernd Leno
  2.) Héctor Bellerín
23.) David Luis
  6.) Gabriel Magalhães
17.) Cédric Soares
34.) Granit Xhaka
  8.) Dani Ceballos (Holding 89’)
32.) Emile Smith Rowe (Willian 62’)
11.) Martin Ødegaard (Elneny 78’)
  7.) Bukayo Saka
14.) Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (c)

Arsenal subs:
33.) Maty Ryan
16.) Rob Holding
22.) Pablo Marí
21.) Calum Chambers
25.) Mohamed Elneny
12.) Willian
35.) Gabriel Martinelli
19.) Nicolas Pépé
  9.) Alexandre Lacazette

Leeds United team:
  1.) Ilan Meslier
46.) Jamie Shackleton
  2.) Luke Ayling
  6.) Liam Cooper (c)
10.) Ezgjan Alioski (Huggins 53’)
21.) Pascal Struijk
18.) Raphina
15.) Stuart Dallas
43.) Mateusz Klich (Roberts 45’)
22.) Jack Harrison (Hélder Costa 45’)
  9.) Patrick Bamford

Leeds United subs:
13.) Kiko Casilla
24.) Leif Davis
35.) Charlie Cresswell
52.) Niall Huggins
47.) Jack Jenkins
17.) Hélder Costa
19.) Pablo Hernández
30.) Joe Gelhardt
11.) Tyler Roberts

An embarrassing performance at the Emirates Stadium back in November gave Aston Villa a well deserved victory, but given Arsenal’s recent run of form (their game against Wolverhampton Wanderers notwithstanding), Arsenal had every right to be confident about securing revenge against the boys from Birmingham.

Following the unceremonious dismissals of David Luiz and Bernd Leno respectively against Wolves, Maty Ryan was called into make his Arsenal debut and Gabriel Magalhães was recalled to the side alongside him.

The game did not start well. Within the opening two minutes Aston Villa found themselves in front. A bit of dawdling on the edge of the Arsenal penalty area from left-back fill-in Cédric Soares allowed Bertrand Traoré loose and the winger square the ball for Ollie Watkins, whose shot took a deflection off Rob Holding to take it away from Maty Ryan and bounced into the back of the Arsenal net.

It was a hammer blow. Going 1-0 down can be a tough pill to swallow even at the best of times, but going 1-0 down away to a side in the form Aston Villa are in within two minutes os damn near suicide.

Arsenal created a few avenues to exploit Villa, but the final ball was all that was lacking. Aston Villa soon seemed to realise that Bukayo Saka would likely be Arsenal’s main danger man and so targeted him so as to break up Arsenal’s play.

For the most part, this tactic seemed to work. Saka is something of a pacemaker in the Arsenal side and the constant breaking up of fouls broke the team’s rhythm. The tactic almost backfired hiwever when Granit Xhaka’s superb free-kick was expertly kept out by former-Gunner, Emiliano Martínez.

The second half was a far more creative showing from both sides. Villa had sat back after their goal, but in the second-half they seemed more willing to attack, forcing Maty Ryan into some superb saves.

From Arsenal’s perspective, there were a few opportunities to draw level, mainly through the high number of chances the team created. A possible penalty incident that was missed by VAR in which Alexandre Lacazette was tugged down by Martínez summed up Arsenal’s afternoon however, and the final whistle blowing brought an end to a cruel afternoon for the North Londoners.

Despite the result on the board, the performance was something far more impressive than Arsenal fans are used to seeing from the team. Despite going 1-0 down, Arsenal did not let their heads go down, but instead strived to be better and create openings for a route back into the game.

The introduction of Martin Ødegaard seemed to bolster Arsenal’s attacking credentials. A guilt-edged miss at the end of the game will likely play on his mind for a while, but his performance elevated the team around him, even Emile Smith Rowe, who was himself already experiencing a very good game of his own.

The tactical switch-up following Ødegaard’s introduction was a fascinating sight to behold as Emile Smith Rowe moved out to the wing and Granit Xhaka, Bukayo Saka and Willian all seemed to occupy the left-hand side, with Ødegaard given the license to drift out wide where needed.

All in all, it was a dissapointing result for Arsenal, but they can take comfort from the performance, which was definitely a step in the right direction.

Arsenal team:
 33.) Maty Ryan
  2.) Héctor Bellerín (c)
16.) Rob Holding
  6.) Gabriel Magalhães
17.) Cédric Soares (Ødegaard 65’)
34.) Granit Xhaka
18.) Thomas Partey (Willian 74’)
19.) Nicolas Pépé
  7.) Bukayo Saka
32.) Emile Smith Rowe
  9.) Alexandre Lacazette (Aubameyang 59’)

Arsenal subs:
13.) Rúnar Alex Rúnarsson
21.) Calum Chambers
22.) Pablo Marí
25.) Mohamed Elneny
  8.) Dani Ceballos
12.) Willian
11.) Martin Ødegaard
35.) Gabriel Martinelli
14.) Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang

Aston Villa team:
26.) Emiliano Martínez
  2.) Matty Cash
  4.) Ezri Konsa
  5.) Tyrone Mings
18.) Matthew Targett
  7.) John McGinn
19.) Marvelous Nakamba
15.) Bertrand Traoré
20.) Ross Barkley
10.) Jack Grealish (c)
11.) Ollie Watkins

Aston Villa subs:
  1.) Tom Heaton
27.) Ahmed Elmohamady
22.) Björn Engles
  6.) Douglas Luiz
21.) Anwar El Ghazi
17.) Trézéguet
41.) Jacob Ramsey
25.) Morgan Sanson
39.) Keinan Davies

With recent results starting to look ever more promising for Arsenal, it is not entirely unsurprising to see Arsenal fans walk with a spring in their step recently.

Wins over Brighton & Hove Albion, West Bromwich Albion, Newcastle United and Southampton and a draw against Manchester United, seem to have given the team a new lease on life, not least because of the continued rise of young Emile Smith Rowe and Bukayo Saka.

It therefore came as no surprise to see Arsenal taking their match against Wolves by the scruff of the neck right from the off. A fabulous through-ball from Thomas Partey to Bukayo Saka gave everyone an indication of how Arsenal intended to play, attacking with style. Though Saka’s effort rattled off the post, it was one of many danger signs for the home side.

Saka was one of Arsenal’s most lethal attackers and even had the ball in the back of the net, only for it to be ruled out due to VAR. From there, Arsenal continued to dominate Wolves.

Eventually, the deadlock was broken. Wonderful footwork from the resurged Nicolas Pépé saw him break into the Wolves box only to then lash a stunning shot into the far corner with his weaker right foot to give the away side the lead.

From there, it was one-way traffic until…disaster struck. Right on the stroke of half-time, David Luiz brought down Willian José in the penalty area and was immediately dismissed. It was a huge blow to the team, not least because they were now facing the prospect of heading into half-time all-square.

The penalty decision itself looked very harsh and Luiz’s dismissal was particularly unfair, given that the Brazilian had not even attempted to tackle the striker. It was therefore no surprise whatsoever to see Rúben Neves rifile home the equaliser as the half-time whistle blew.

The second-half saw Arsenal forced into a defensive change as Alexandre Lacazette was replaced by Gabriel Magalhães to cover Luiz’s absence. Arsenal struggled to gain much more of a foothold and, inevitably, Wolves took the lead, this time throigh an absolute screamer from João Moutinho. Five goalkeepers wouldn’t have kept it out, but it was pretty much the final nail in the coffin for Arsenal, who looked distinctly unlikely to score now.

However, if Arsenal fans thought that that was the end of the misery, they were sadly mistaken. A moment of madness from the usually reliable and heroic Bernd Leno saw the German goalkeeper leave his penalty area and attempt to head the ball out of play, only for the ball to hit his hand. An instant dismissal and Mikel Arteta saw his team go down to nine men and was forced into the substitution of Thomas Partey being withdrawn for Rúnar Alex Rúnarsson.

Thankfully, the final whistle blew without Arsenal conceding anymore, but with a sour taste in the mouth.

It was a particularly frustrating result to take for Arsenal fans. The first-half had been a display of rich attacking football, with intricate passing play, players playing with full confidence and a team that looked capable of replicating a similar scoreline to Manchester United’s recent 9-0 hammering of Southampton. The first red card killed the momentum, the second killed the game.

The first red card still seems an insanely harsh decision, not least because no foul had been committed. Willian José seemed to have hit his own foot into David Luiz’s knee and was given a penalty for it. Though the penalty decision itself seemed a little harsh, it was at least understandable, however, the subsequent red card was distinctly unfair. It is therefore no surprise that Mikel Arteta and his staff will be appealing the decision.

The second red card was a moment of pure insanity from Leno. Its clear that the former Bayer Leverkusen goalkeeper had not intended to use his hand or to commit any sort of foul, however, a mis-timed header in the pouring rain is always a dangerous combination and the goalkeeper paid the price for it.

However, the continued good form of Nicolas Pépé will certainly be a glimmer of hope with which to cling onto. The Ivorian winger was keen to do the defensive dirty-work as much as the attacking and though Pépé was substituted in the 61st minute, it was more down to Arsenal’s one-man disadvantage than anything else.

Despite the glimmers of hope in Pépé or Partey or Saka or Smith Rowe or even Rob Holding, Arsenal fans will likely want to try and forget this game as soon as possible and honestly, who can blame them?

Arsenal team:
  1.) Bernd Leno 🔴
  2.) Héctor Bellerín (c)
16.) Rob Holding
23.) David Luiz 🔴
17.) Cédric Soares
34.) Granit Xhaka
18.) Thomas Partey (Rúnarsson 74’)
19.) Nicolas Pépé (Aubameyang 61’)
  7.) Bukayo Saka
32.) Emile Smith Rowe
  9.) Alexandre Lacazette (Gabriel Magalhães 45’)

Arsenal subs:
13.) Rúnar Alex Rúnarsson
  6.) Gabriel Magalhães
21.) Calum Chambers
25.) Mohamed Elneny
  8.) Dani Ceballos
12.) Willian
11.) Martin Ødegaard
35.) Gabriel Martinelli
14.) Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang

Wolverhampton Wanderers team:
11.) Rui Patricío
22.) Nélson Semedo
16.) Conor Coady (c)
15.) Wilfried Boly
49.) Max Kilman
  8.) Rúben Neves (Dendoncker 74’)
28.) João Moutinho
37.) Adama Traoré
10.) Daniel Podence (Vitinha 62’)
  7.) Pedro Neto
12.) Willian José (Fábio Silva 91’)

Wolverhampton Wanderers subs:
21.) John Ruddy 
2.) Ki-Jana Hoever
42.) Lewis Richards
54.) Owen Otasowie
32.) Leander Dendoncker
18.) Morgan Gibbs-White
20.) Vitinha
17.) Fábio Silva

The rivalry between Arsenal and Manchester United is not what it once was. In the days of Sir Alex Ferguson and Arsène Wenger, Arsenal and Manchester United were the two best teams in the country, constantly battling out for the league title and just about every other trophy you could think of along the way. Though both teams are nowhere near their former glory, the antipathy has not dissipated.

Despite their 1-3 win over Southampton, Arsenal went into Saturday’s match with an air of foreboding. Key players Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, Bukayo Saka and Kieran Tierney were all missing due to injury or fitness levels, leaving Arsenal with a rather depleated side, depraved of it’s best players, with only one change from the side that won at St. Mary’s Stadium as Gabriel Martinelli came in for the injured Saka.

Arsenal started well, though Manchester United found a few avenues to explore, mainly through Bruno Fernandes, Arsenal were the team that left at half-time with the better pleased of the two sides.

Alexandre Lacazette, Nicolas Pépé and Emile Smith Rowe all linked up well throughout the half and though it was perhaps not the best attacking display on the day, Arsenal still looked menacing.

Half-time saw the controversial tactical substitution of Martinelli in favour of Willian.

The Brazilian has failed to have much of an impact at the Emirates Stadium since his summer switch from Stamford Bridge, so this was seen by many as a chance for him to prove himself.

The second half was a bit more exciting than the first, with both teams having guilt-edged chances. Marcus Rashford, Anthony Martial and Edinson Cavani all came closest for the away side, whilst Willian, Pépé and Lacazette all came closest for the home side, Lacazette in particular, rattling the crossbar from a free-kick.

The final whistle bought an end to a game that, goals aside, had had it all. It was a fast-paced attacking display from both sides and with plenty of intricate tactical planning from both Mikel Arteta and Ole Gunnar Solskjær.

The performance of Willian was perhaps the only down-side for Arsenal on the night. Though the former-Chelsea winger played much better than in previous weeks, there was still a feeling of anti-climax about the Brazilian’s performance. He was handed a guilt-edged chance early in the second-half, which he deliberated over for too long, causing the moment to pass. Though he did redeem himself later with a mazy run which set-up Pépé’s chance a few minutes later. Willian will have to show a lot more than he is doing at the moment if he wishes to be in the starting eleven for Arsenal’s match against Wolves.

Elsewhere, the continued rise of Emile Smith Rowe is plain to see. Though there were the usual sloppy moments one would expect to see from a young player, there were the Manchester United found it very difficult to contain him. Smith Rowe showed new signing Martin Ødegaard that he is not assured of a first-team place and will need to battle Smith Rowe for the position.

The performances of Rob Holding have been astounding to see as well. Though the famous proclamations of Arsène Wenger who said: “I’m sorry he didn’t cost £50m, so he cannot be good” are constantly referenced on social media, it is perhaps a testament to Wenger’s transfer policy to show just how good a bargain of £2m for Holding is in hindsight.

With England manager Gareth Southgate in the stands keeping a watchful eye over proceedings, Holding did very little to keep Southgate from a potential selection headache. Holding was first to every ball, partnered well with man-of-the-match David Luiz and looked as solid at the back as he has in recent weeks.

Though Arsenal (and by extension Manchester United) will be disappointed to come away with only a draw, there was plenty to be excited about for Arsenal fans as the final day of the transfer window draws ever closer and their match against Wolves beckons as well.

Arsenal team:
  1.) Bernd Leno
  2.) Héctor Bellerín (c)
16.) Rob Holding
23.) David Luiz
17.) Cédric Soares
34.) Granit Xhaka
18.) Thomas Partey
19.) Nicolas Pépé
35.) Gabriel Martinelli (Willian 45’)
32.) Emile Smith Rowe (Ødegaard 83’)
  9.) Alexandre Lacazette (Nketiah 94’)

Arsenal subs:
33.) Maty Ryan
  6.) Gabriel Magalhães
21.) Calum Chambers
15.) Ainsley Maitland-Niles
25.) Mohamed Elneny
28.) Joe Willock
12.) Willian
11.) Martin Ødegaard
30.) Eddie Nketiah

Manchester United team:
  1.) David de Gea
29.) Aaron Wan-Bissaka
  2.) Victor Lindelöf
  5.) Harry Maguire (c)
23.) Luke Shaw
39.) Scott McTominay (Martial 37’)
17.) Fred
  6.) Paul Pogba
10.) Marcus Rashford (Greenwood 80’)
18.) Bruno Fernandes
  7.) Edinson Cavani

Manchester United subs:
26.) Dean Henderson
  3,) Eric Bailly
38.) Axel Tuanzebe
27.) Alex Telles
31.) Nemanja Matić
34.) Donny van de Beek
21.) Daniel James
11.) Mason Greenwood
  9.) Anthony Martial

St. Mary’s Stadium hasn’t exactly been the happiest of hunting grounds for Arsenal over the years. Whether it be the 2-0 defeat that spelled the end of Wojciech Szczęsny’s time at the club or the humiliating 4-0 demolition they endured a few seasons back or even this weekend’s 1-0 FA Cup loss, Arsenal fans had a right to enter Tuesday night’s match a little apprehensively.

In light of the unceremonious loss on Saturday, Arsenal’s main priority until the Europa League resumes in February, is the Premier League, which saw a return of all the big names, with the exception of Kieran Tierney, who was left out as a precaution and captain Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, who was out of the side for family reasons.

The game started well enough for Arsenal in the opening two minutes. The team created an early chance, which Alexandre Lacazette saw his rather tame effort saved by the onrushing Alex McCarthy. However, no brighter had they started, than Arsenal saw themselves a goal down.

Poor marking on a James Ward-Prowse corner saw Stuart Armstrong lash home the volley on the edge of the box and give the home side the lead.

It is perhaps a testament to how much the Premier League means to Arsenal at the moment that the team did not drop their heads and soon enough, their perseverance was rewarded. An exquisite through-ball from Granit Xhaka allowed the often-maligned Nicolas Pépé the room to take a touch and comfortably roll the ball into the far corner to bring the visitors level.

Arsenal continued to dominate and created a wealth of chances, with free-flowing attacking movement and passing. Once again, Arsenal found themselves with the space to create as Lacazette exploited Southampton’s abnormally high line to release Bukayo Saka, while McCarthy ran out to block his path, Saka expected it and diverted the ball around him and finished with his weaker right foot into the open net to give Arsenal the lead.

Half-time was a welcome affair for Southampton, but a dissruption for Arsenal, who were playing some of their best football of the season so far and it came as no surprise that Arsenal grabbed a third towards the end of the second-half.

Former Saint Cédric Soares, filling in at left-back, played arguably one of the passes of the season as his cross-field ball was inch-perfect to the feet of Bukayo Saka, who’s first-time cross was met at the far-post by Alexandre Lacazette to settle the tie for Arsenal.

The final whistle blew on a tremendous away performance from Arsenal and one that begins to right some of the wrongs from earlier in the season. From nearly two months without a win or a goal from open-play to 16 out of a potential 18 points.

The performance of Cédric Soares is the main talking point at the moment for Arsenal fans. It was yet another impressive performance from the Portuguese full-back. Though the signing was questioned at the time, Cédric has since adapted to life in N5 well and his performance on both the offensive and defensive side were impeccable and led to a number of opportunities for Arsenal throughout the match.

The continued rise of Bukayo Saka must also be noted. Saka’s performance was one of a seasoned veteran, not a young man in his first full season with the team. Saka was tricky to track, too quick to catch and a handful for the Southampton defence, linking up particularly well with Lacazette.

Though Arsenal fans will no doubt have some concerns over the injury status of both Emile Smith Rowe and Thomas Partey, both players’ performances were other areas that showed improvement in this Arsenal side. Partey and Xhaka are starting to form a formidable midfield pivot, whilst Smith Rowe is looking every bit the part as Arsenal’s creative midfielder, even with the loan signing of Martin Ødegaard.

Next up for Arsenal, is the title-challengers Manchester United and Mikel Arteta will be hoping for a showing similar to the team’s 0-1 win at Old Trafford in November.

Arsenal team:
  1.) Bernd Leno
  2.) Héctor Bellerín (c)
16.) Rob Holding
23.) David Luiz
17.) Cédric Soares
34.) Granit Xhaka
18.) Thomas Partey (Elneny 78’)
19.) Nicolas Pépé (Willock 92’)
  7.) Bukayo Saka
32.) Emile Smith Rowe (Willian 72’)
  9.) Alexandre Lacazette

Arsenal subs:
33.) Maty Ryan
  6.) Gabriel Magalhães
21.) Calum Chambers
15.) Ainsley Maitland-Niles
25.) Mohamed Elneny
28.) Joe Willock
12.) Willian
35.) Gabriel Martinelli
30.) Eddie Nketiah

Southampton team:
  1.) Alex McCarthy
18.) Yan Valery
35.) Jan Bednarek
  5.) Jack Stephens
29.) Jake Vokins (Redmond 66’)
32.) Theo Walcott (N’Lundulu 74’)
27.) Ibrahima Diallo
  8.) James Ward-Prowse
17.) Stuart Armstrong
  9.) Danny Ings (Watts 74’)
10.) Che Adams

Southampton subs:
44.) Fraser Forster
31.) Kayne Ramsay
47.) Will Ferry
65.) Caleb Watts
72.) Kgaogelo Chauke
64.) Alex Jankewitz
11.) Nathan Redmond
  7.) Shane Long
40.) Dan N’Lundulu