Arsenal finally managed to halt their horrendous start to the new season on Saturday as they edged past Norwich City 1-0.
It was a crucial match for the Gunners having lost each of their opening three matches of the campaign.
A goal from Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang was just enough for Mikel Arteta to earn his first Premier League victory of the season, whilst the Gabonese’s effort also ended the Gunners’ poor form in front of goal with the team’s first league strike of the campaign.
There were brief appeals from the visitors for the goal to be chalked off for offside but the Gunners were able to celebrate following a VAR check, whilst those celebrations continued after the final whistle as Arsenal finally chalked up their first three points of the season.
The win moves the Gunners out of the relegation zone and up to 16th for the time being after four games of the season.
football.london takes a look at the national media’s verdict as Arsenal squeezed past the Canaries at the Emirates Stadium.
The Arsenal boss came into the game under the spotlight after starting the season with three defeats on the spin without scoring, and the tension was growing further inside the Emirates Stadium until Aubameyang struck after 66 minutes. In the aftermath, Arteta hailed it as "the best week of my career" as the Gunners got their season up and running.
It was a goal that survived a VAR review as the striker had looked offside when turning in from close range after Nicolas Pepe struck a post, but the replays showed the ball had come off Norwich goalkeeper Tim Krul's leg into his path.
Somehow, Arsenal only managed the one goal despite registering 30 efforts on the Norwich goal and had to come through an edgy final few minutes to earn their first three points of the season.
Sarcastic chants of "we are staying up" rang around the home stands at the Emirates, while Norwich's return to the Premier League has now started with four straight defeats.
If ever there was an afternoon when any win would do, then this was it. Arsenal’s performance will not live long in the memory but change has to begin somewhere and Mikel Arteta now has some sort of platform from which to develop his new-look side. They showed glimmers of genuine potential and, once Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang had turned in a singularly scruffy winner midway through the second half, rarely looked in trouble. Nobody present will be left under too many illusions, though, about the amount of work required to effect a meaningful recovery.
Arteta will simply be relieved they are off the mark, even if the alternative would have been unthinkable. At the outset this bore the hallmarks of a potential upset, another week of hand-wringing and gathering doubts about the manager’s employability. In the event, a usually skittish venue produced an upbeat, relentlessly supportive environment and Arsenal responded by squeaking home with the outcome they ultimately deserved.
One small step for Aubameyang, one giant leap for Arsenal? Time will tell.
But the Arsenal captain broke his and his team’s duck - and Norwich’s resistance - with a controversial goal from a yard out to ease the early season pressure on Mikel Arteta.
Norwich keeper Tim Krul led the protests. He had diverted a Nicolas Pepe effort on to the post and was not the only one who thought Aubameyang was offside when Pepe hit the other upright with the follow-up.
But Arsenal’s first goal of the season stood and it was enough to give them victory in this relegation six-pointer.
The home fans rediscovered their sense of humour, following the goal up with a chorus of “We are staying up”. They also dug out the “1-0 to the Arsenal” chant, a relic of happier days.
After this 1-0 win over Norwich City, an Arsenal team that had appeared to be in free-fall now have a foothold in their season.
This may not have been the convincing scoreline Mikel Arteta needed to dispel the doubts surrounding his management. But it was a start. And the 4-3-3 formation Arsenal finished the match in perhaps even provided a look at the shape of their future.
Arteta may feel, justifiably, that the margin of victory should have been greater.
Arsenal had 30 attempts on goal in the course of the game — the most they have mustered in any Premier League game under his management, and a full 29 more than they had in their previous outing, against Manchester City two weeks ago.
It’s improvement. And, as before, it’s a start.
