Arsenal thumped Sheffield United 6-0 away at Bramall Lane on Monday. This result made the North London side the first Premier League team to score 5 goals or more in a match in 3 back-to-back away games – 6-0 at West Ham and 5-0 agianst Burnley. (according to Optus Sport).
The game started off with a bang, as Bukayo Saka shattered the crossbar. The ball then fell over to Gabriel Martinelli who made a tame effort at goal. Not long after, Martin Odegaard got the first goal courtesy of Declan Rice. After that, Saka put a ball in the box, only for Jayden Bogle to turn it into his own net.
Almost immediately after, a beautiful bit of play between Jakub Kiwior and Martinelli resulted in the latter slotting one home. 10 minutes later, as the Gunners were on a breakaway, the Brazilian was slung to the ground. Luckily, Kai Havertz played to the advantage well and put it past the keeper. Soon after, the visitors scored again through Declan Rice to make the score 5-0 before half-time.
The next half was not as exciting for the obvious reasons you might think. Thomas Partey and Gabriel Jesus returned from injury and played for 30 minutes. About 20 minutes into the second-half, Ben White scored a lovely goal from the right side of the box, assisted by Rice. Gabriel Jesus took a shot, but their keeper Ivo Grbic made a wonderful save to keep him out.
After this win against Sheffield United, the goal difference for Arsenal stands at 45. If the Premier League title race comes down to goal difference, which wouldn’t be surprising considering how tight the title race is, the Gunners will have the upper hand on Liverpool and Manchester City. Here are some takeaways from the game:
1. First Half To Forget For Sheffield United, Something To Cherish For Arsenal.
After the North Londoners obliterated Chris Wilder’s men in the first-half in what looked to be a score-line from an under-7s match, one can’t help but wonder how far Mikel Arteta’s men can push the scoring limits. The Gunners have done all this in the past few weeks without a world-class striker, which really echoes Arteta saying that he believes goals can come from anywhere on the field. He isn’t wrong, as their right-back also got on the scoresheet.
2. Arsenal Injury Woes Getting Less And Less Prominent
Thomas Partey and Gabriel Jesus have made their return and got some precious minutes under their belts. The Arsenal fans can start to relax. Now that the title contenders are getting these players back, there are a few questions on some people’s minds.
One of those questions is what will happen to Kiwior? He has been defensively so solid and attacking-wise he has been superb. Oleksandr Zinchenko has had his defensive capabilities questioned before, and they can’t move him to midfield, as it is locked in already. Arteta has a tough decision ahead of him.
Read More:
- Arsenal Injury Update – Martinelli, Tomiyasu & Other Key Injured Players and Expected Return Dates
- Arsenal ‘Top Contender’ to Sign €40million Rated Serie A Striker, Good Alternative to Ivan Toney
- Norwich City Looking to Offer Arsenal Coach the Managerial Job Next Season
3. Arsenal’s Early Goals Set The Tone For The Game
It seems every time the Gunners get an early goal, they turn it up a notch and pin down their opponents in their own box. This was the fifth time in their last 7 Premier League games that they have scored in the first 18 minutes, and they have won all those games. Arsenal’s momentum cannot be stopped, and their chances of winning the league are just as high as City and Liverpool, if not higher.
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