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Sunday saw Arsenal take on Cardiff City, in search of their first away win under Unai Emery. Cardiff, on the other hand, came into the game looking for their first win since their return to the top flight, and in fact their first goal.
It was Arsenal who came out on top, winning 3-2 in what was a very entertaining encounter, but they were forced to work for it against a resolute Cardiff side.
Arsenal went ahead through Shkodran Mustafi, who rose highest to bullet a header home from Granit Xhaka’s corner. Cardiff responded on the stroke of half time, with Victor Camarasa firing in at the far post to score Cardiff’s first league goal since their promotion from the Championship.
Arsenal regained the lead in the second half, with Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang finishing brilliantly from the edge of the box to get his first goal of the season. Once again Cardiff hit back, with Danny Ward rising high in the penalty area, to head in via the post.
However, Arsenal found the killer blow, with Alexandre Lacazette providing it on his first start of the season so far.
Here are three players who fired, and three players who didn’t, in the game at the Cardiff City Stadium.
Hit- Alexandre Lacazette
It has been a tough start to the season for Lacazette, who has been starved of opportunities in the Arsenal team, with Unai Emery opting to go with Aubameyang as his lone striker. Against Cardiff, he was given the opportunity to start and repaid the faith his manager had shown in him. He led the line brilliantly and played a key role in Aubameyang’s goal before he produced a brilliant finish to win the game late on. He has certainly done enough to keep his spot for the next game.
Flop- Sean Morrison
At times, Cardiff have been strong defensively this season, but it was a different matter on Sunday afternoon. They struggled to deal with the pace and movement of this Arsenal side and were all over the place at times. Morrison, in particular, seemed to struggle to adapt, and really looked out of place. He was excellent last season in the Championship, but he almost looked out of his depth against such a high quality of opposition.
Hit- Neil Etheridge
If there is one Cardiff player who deserves credit from their opening four games in the Premier League, it is their goalkeeper. He has kept them in games and won points singlehandedly at times, and things were no different against Arsenal. He made a number of top saves and was unfortunate to be on the losing side. There was nothing he could do about any of the goals but will know, he has to keep producing top performances if Cardiff are going to have any chance of staying up this year.
Flop- Granit Xhaka
It seems harsh to keep singling out Xhaka, but he really is struggling in that Arsenal midfield at the moment, and this is not helped by the fact that summer signing Lucas Torreira is sat on the bench. He gave the ball away in the lead up to Cardiff’s first goal, and just looked so uncomfortable in possession of the ball. It really is tough to see what his role in this team is, and it looks like only a matter of time until he is replaced in the starting XI.
Hit- Danny Ward
Ward personally needed this performance, as did Cardiff. They hadn’t scored in any of their opening three league fixtures, and really lacked a threat going forward. This was Ward’s first start in the Premier League, and he looked like a real handful for Arsenal’s defenders. He was involved in some good link up play with Bobby Reid, and he really deserved his goal when it came. That is certainly the sort of level of performance he will hope to keep up in the coming weeks.
Flop- Harry Arter
Arter looked like an excellent signing for Cardiff when they bought him in on a season long-loan from Bournemouth, as he bought that Premier League experience that they were lacking. He was expected to be a calming influence in the middle of the park, but he has been the exact opposite in reality. He hasn’t always been great in possession, but he has been so rash in his tackling. He was lucky not to be sent off against Newcastle United a couple of weeks ago, and he was booked again today. It will be a struggle for Cardiff whatever happens this season. They cannot afford to be playing with ten men.
