Arsenal earned their first win since the return of Premier League action with a 2-0 victory away to Southampton on Thursday evening.
An early goal from Eddie Nketiah showed why Mikel Arteta was right to start the youngster - and fellow academy graduate Joe Willock added a second late on to put the game beyond the Saints.
Three points for Arteta’s side was a vast improvement after the defeats against Manchester City and Brighton and Hove Albion - and they now move to ninth, within six points of fifth-placed Manchester United.
With Matteo Guendouzi dropped from the matchday squad after his confrontation with Neal Maupay at the weekend, a double pivot of Granit Xhaka and Dani Ceballos were given the task of dealing with Southampton’s aggressive pressing system.
They had dealt relatively well with the threat posed by Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg and James Ward-Prowse, with very few chances for the Saints throughout the first half.
Xhaka, in particular, was regularly involved in possession and provided a good pass for Bukayo Saka in the lead up to Nketiah’s disallowed goal early on. That type of incisive passing from Arsenal’s midfield has been a big reason for a lack of balance between defence and attack this season but the Swiss international demonstrated his attributes there even if the goal was eventually ruled out.
Other than that, Arsenal’s midfield pair provided a good platform for more advanced players to press Southampton’s defensive line and Nketiah was duly rewarded for his efforts when he capitalised on an Alex McCarthy mistake.
Xhaka and Ceballos both looked to switch the play with diagonal passes towards Saka or Pepe but those types of passes often lacked pace or intent and put the receiving player in danger.
In the second half, Southampton started to gain more of a foothold in the game through Hojbjerg and Ward-Prowse but the Arsenal midfield remained firm to deny them any clear-cut chances.
That will be something that significantly pleases Arteta after two weak defensive performances against Manchester City and, in particular, Brighton and Hove Albion and the absence of Guendouzi was not as keenly felt as it may have been.
Both Xhaka and Ceballos provided good protection in front of the back four and added security from Rob Holding who performed well meant that Southampton were limited to very few opportunities to beat Emiliano Martinez in the Arsenal goal.
While there will be more challenging hurdles to face against the likes of Leicester City, Spurs and Liverpool before the end of the season, Arsenal’s midfield pairing demonstrated key defensive traits that will hold them in a better manner than had been seen in their last two fixtures.
It may be questioned whether or not Ceballos can provide a viable defensive solution in the long-term, but Arsenal’s run-in towards the end of the season indicates that they will be firmly focused on the games in front of them and preventing any defeats similar to Manchester City and Brighton.
There will be plenty for Arsenal to work on before they face Sheffield United on Sunday but Thursday’s clean sheet and fairly comfortable win showed some real positives going forward.
