NORMAL service has been resumed at the Emirates. Arsenal are back where they belong.
Fourth.
OK, so they are not going to win the League, or even get that close to the leaders for that matter.
But at least they are seeing off the lesser lights of the Premier League once again while reclaiming local bragging rights over stuttering Spurs.
A devastating second-half goal was more than enough to keep the Gunners in their cosy comfort zone on the outer fringes of the title race.
Now they have the chance to show that this time they really mean business when Manchester United come calling this weekend. Arsene Wenger now how has more help than he knows what to do with following the appointment of Raul Sanllehei as head of football relations this week.
The Spaniard joins the club’s recently appointed head of recruitment, director of high performance and contract negotiator in Wenger’s backroom team.
But it’s the old fella himself who still makes all the big decisions. And he’s not going to give up any of that power in a hurry.
Wenger had hinted that this week’s three games in the space of seven days would be the opportunity for his fringe players to finally get some Premier League action under their belts. Yet Jack Wilshere, Olivier Giroud, Danny Welbeck and Francis Coquelin were still stuck on the bench as the manager stuck with his tried and trusted starting line-up.
And it is a fair bet that none of them will be in the starting line-up against United on Saurday evening.
The only change to the team which had won at Burnley on Sunday was the return of Mesut Ozil from the mystery illness which had suddenly laid him low on the eve of the trip to Turf Moor.
Huddersfield boss David Wagner made six alterations to the team which had run itself into the ground chasing shadows against Manchester City at the weekend.
But it didn’t make a scrap of difference as they were ripped apart by Arsenal’s first attack of the evening to leave them with a mountain to climb.
Granit Xhaka’s third minute pass forward was flicked on by Aaron Ramsey to send Alexandre Lacazette clear of Wagner’s experimental defence for his seventh goal in an Arsenal shirt.
The £54million Frenchman has been a bit of a slow burner since becoming the club’s record signing in the summer but is gradually starting to look the part as he acclimatises to the pace of the English game.
What a pity that the Emirates was still half empty when Lacazette stamped his authority on proceedings so early on.
From The Sun
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