Premier League 2017/18: 3 reasons why Arsenal won against Cardiff City

Unai Emery got his second victory, as well as his first away win of the season as Arsenal manager with a patchy 3-2 victory against Cardiff City on Sunday (August 9).

The Gunners' goals came from centre-back Shkodran Mustafi, and forwards Alexandre Lacazette and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, who started together for the first time this season.

"We are continuing to work with the combinations on the pitch and today the two players with the goals helped us with our performance. We can continue working to find the best performance." - Unai Emery

Cardiff fought back to notch up equalizers from Victor Camarasa and Danny Ward after the first two goals, but Lacazette's thumping finish in the 81st minute secured three points for Arsenal.

Listed below are three reasons why the North London side won against the Bluebirds:

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#3 Link-up between Aubameyang and Lacazette

The Arsenal front two continued to thrive in each other's presence on the pitch

The decision to start both of Arsenal's record signings paid dividends against Cardiff. While Aubameyang was shifted to the left flank, Lacazette assumed the role of the central spearhead of the Gunners' attack.

Arsenal took their time to press the accelerator, but once they decided to shift gears, the link-up play between the duo started shaping up.

They collaborated well for Aubameyang's goal, where a pin-point ball from Mesut Ozil was flicked by Lacazette to the Gabon international, who then bent it into the right corner.

The pair continued to pepper Cardiff's defence until Aubameyang was taken off in the 89th minute. Lacazette, in particular, put in an impressive shift with three shots on targets, three key passes, and fifty touches.

"For me, it was important to start well. I wnated to show to the coach I can be in the first 11, and we played well today so I'm happy. We saw some highlights from the goalkeeper, and I knew if I shot with a lot of power I could score so I did." - Alexandre Lacazette

Lacazette and Aubameyang when they play together (six games):Aubameyang: 6 GOALS & 3 ASSISTSLacazette: 6 GOALS & 2 ASSISTS pic.twitter.com/uMIUZH0n2q

— Lacazettes (@Lacazettes) September 2, 2018

#2 Lack of finishing from Cardiff City

Harry Arter missed a glorious opportunity to open the scoring in the first half

The North London side's four-man defence was caught in possession as well as on the counter many times through the 90 minutes, but the hosts failed to capitalize on the mistakes from the Gunners.

They did score their first goal(s) of the season against the frail Arsenal defence but primed to get more, especially in the first 45 minutes.

Petr Cech looked uncomfortable with the ball on his feet and made a glaring error when trying to get rid of the ball, passing it straight to Harry Arter in the six-yard box. The Irish midfielder couldn't pounce on the golden opportunity, though, and shot the ball straight to the stands.

What. A. Chance. Petr Cech passes straight to Harry Arter, but he blasts over the bar. #CARARS

— Michael Pearlman (@MPearlo) September 2, 2018

Cardiff created ten chances but could manage just four shots on target through them. It seems as if promotion to the top-tier has overwhelmed their forwards. The two strikes today might give them the self-assurance they need in front of the goal in future games.

#1 Improvement on set-pieces

The Arsenal boss recently revealed that he aims to bring efficiency to their set-pieces

One of the major disappointments of Arsenal's 2017/18 season was the inadequate output they generated from set-pieces. That aspect of their game, however, has shown steady improvement under the scrupulousness of Emery.

Their effort on corners, in particular, looked on point in the first 45 minutes. Mustafi's header came off a corner from Granit Xhaka in the 11th minute, as the Swiss curled the ball right on the head of the German international.

The Gunners created multiple chances from other corners as well and threatened the Cardiff back-line. Though they need to be more precise with their delivery, Emery's men look to be on the right track on set-pieces.