Matchday Recap: A stellar showing from the Gunners

A sense of pressure was beginning to boil over around the Emirates. It could've been the immensely high expectations from fans on social media, or the pundits were questioning the ambition of the team or the lack of results against clubs in the bottom half of the Premier League table. Regardless of the reasons why there were no excuses today. Arsenal needed a massive confidence boost and an enormous result.

The opening 20 minutes of the match were abysmal from the Gunners, creating only one possible chance. Then a fluid counterattack opportunity presented itself, and just like that, a pass from midfielder Bukayo Saka into striker Alexandre Lacazette put Arsenal up 1-0.

Recently after the Gunners would go up, they tended to sit back and invite pressure to defend such a narrow lead. That kind of pressure resulted in back-to-back losses to Manchester United and Everton. However, Arteta must've made direct instructions to push on because the Gunners created several more chances in the first half. Thanks to a relentless tenacity from left-back Kieran Tierney, he could head it into the six-yard box to midfielder Martin Ødegaard to put Arsenal up 2-0. Two chances fell into Lacazettes feet after the two-goal lead, but it looks like due to a lack of confidence and play, he couldn't find the ball in time to put a strike on goal.

One of the key attributes why Arsenal had such a solid first half was that goalkeeper Aaron Ramsdale's passing distribution was nothing short of magnificent. In the last minutes of the first half, a strong grab from Ramsdale on a Southampton corner resulted in a kick finding Foward Gabriel Martinelli in on goal for a chance to put Arsenal up 3-0 before the break.

The Gunners went in up 2-0 at the half, and the standout players were Ramsdale, Ødegaard, and right-back Takehiro Tomiyasu. All three players rose to the occasion and grew confident as the match went on.

The opening minutes of the second half was a bit lackluster from Arsenal due to slow passes and a lack of pace upfront in their attack. It wasn't until the 58' minute when the Gunners had a corner and scored a goal off a Southampton defensive miscue, but VAR ruled Arsenal defender Gabriel offside in the goal. He would get his second chance just minutes later on another corner, sprinting into the 18-yard box for a commanding header, crashing into the far post, and propelling Arsenal into a 3-0 lead.

After the third goal, Arsenal was ready to crash the net. Both Saka and Martinelli struck the woodwork after two illustrious individual moves. The Gunners proceeded to dominate possession and control the rest of the game. Arteta brought on defender Rob Holding for Gabriel, midfielder Sambi Lokonga for midfielder Granit Xkaka, and winger Nicholas Pepe for Lacazette.

It was the dominant win that Arsenal needed. There were groans to start the match and echoed for so long. However, those echoes were shattered when Arsenal finally went up. A 1-0 win was not going to cut it today in terms of confidence for fans and the dressing room. Credit must go to Arteta and the same starting 11 that crumbled at Goodison Park. Many fans were calling for a managerial change for the constant stumbles this season, but today Arsenal showed that they could score and produce lovely football.

One of the immediate positives of the match is the chemistry between Kieran Tierney and Martin Ødegaard. Since Tierney's return to the lineup, he has bagged two assists in two games, and both assists have gone to Ødegaard. As for the Norweigan international, he's now scored in three consecutive matches after struggling to find form earlier in the season.

Other player standouts were both Ramsdale and Martinelli. Ramsdale earned another clean sheet while commanding the defense on adjustments from seldom Southampton attacks. As for Martinelli, he displayed such a threat on the left side (against a strong Southampton defender, Tino Livramento) that Arsenal hasn't shown with Aubameyang on that side this season. This starting 11 showed confidence that may force Arteta's hand in maintaining the same starting lineup against West Ham United on Dec. 15.

Of course, with this win will come drama. Arteta told the media prematch that Aubameyang was out due to a "Displinenary Breach" within the club. When asked if it was a long-term suspension or just for today, he replied, "It starts today." The Athletic writer David Ornstein reported that the reason Aubameyang is suspended is due to a late return from a personal trip that resulted in a COVID-19 protocol breach. Regardless of why it is unclear how long Aubameyang will serve a team suspension from Arteta.

Post-match thoughts consist of a dominant win from the Gunners and one they needed to show everyone. Defensively, there were moments when Arsenal left themselves exposed with lackadaisical passes lost in the middle of the field and slow pressing at times, but overall all four defenders performed at a satisfactory level. As for the midfield, both Xhaka and Thomas Partey looked stronger together than their last appearance together against Everton. In addition, Ødegaard continues to shine and is becoming central in creative opportunities upfront. As for the front attack, both Saka and Martinelli were an immediate threat, but Lacazette must gain back confidence and bury his chances when he receives them. Of course, Lacazette scored a terrific goal today, but he had two clear chances that he took too many touches on. If he can work on that in training, he could become the regular starter up top moving forward this season. Overall the subsequent training sessions will be essential to keep the hard-working mentality going and go on a positive run into this hectic part of the schedule before the start of the new year.

The next match against West Ham is an absolute decisive game for the Gunners. Arsenal must get a result. They'll be at home at the Emirates, and West Ham will be traveling in their weakest form this entire season thus far. With Tottenham gaining momentum under new manager Antonio Conte and West Ham in fourth, a draw will not cut it. It'll be interesting who Arteta chooses to start in that game, but all signs seem to be pointing towards the same 11 that started today.