Winners and Losers: Norwich (h)

It finally happened — Arsenal won a match. At home to Norwich, Mikel Arteta’s men earned a 1-0 victory, their first in the Premier League this season. The manager went with a bold lineup on Saturday, starting five of the six new acquisitions from the summer transfer window. Though they could only score one goal, the result and underlying numbers are encouraging. Below are three winners and three losers from a good first step forward.

Winners

Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang

The captain once again led from the front against Norwich, scoring the winner for his side. It may have been scrappy, but Aubameyang popping up in the right place at the right time to bundle the ball home is another example of things starting to click again for the Gabonese striker. In any case, it earned Arsenal a crucial three points. Aubameyang now has four goals to his name this season, which should encourage him to grab more in the coming months. No one will talk about this, but the Arsenal man currently has twice as many goals as Cristiano Ronaldo does so far.

Aaron Ramsdale

Arsenal made the bold call of starting Ramsdale in goal, and the young Englishman delivered. He communicated well with his back line and exuded an air of security throughout the match. Most noticeably, he massively improved Arsenal’s passing out from the back. Ramsdale was sure-footed and at times even silky on the ball, putting Bernd Leno’s ball-playing ability to shame. With this performance, there likely is a new starting keeper in north London, and it’s not the German.

Nicolas Pepe

Arsenal’s record signing had a first half to forget on Saturday. His first touch seemed to disappear at times, and he spent most of the opening 45 minutes stranded near the touchline. But in the second half, the Ivorian came to life. He finished the match with 6 shots, 6 key passes, and 80 touches (the most he has ever had in a Premier League game). Pepe was second on the team in xG, and led in xA. Most importantly, he was the catalyst behind Aubameyang’s winner. Pepe seems to have slowly earned the trust of his manager and teammates, who continued to feed him the ball and get him into more central spaces. With Saka, Smith Rowe, and Martinelli to compete with for starting berths out wide, No. 19 has hopefully made a strong case to hold on to the one he received today.

Losers

Ainsley Maitland-Niles

By this point, we are all aware of Maitland-Niles’ dramatic end to the summer transfer window. Despite Arteta consequently promising the Hale End product was still in his plans, it was nevertheless surprising to see Maitland-Niles given the start in midfield today next to Albert Sambi Lokonga. Unfortunately, the Englishman failed to justify his selection there, with poor passing and his usual nonchalance likely spurring the manager to bring on Thomas Partey. This saw Maitland-Niles moved over to right-back, where he looked better, but not as good as Takehiro Tomiyasu had. Arsenal will likely find themselves ruing their decision to hold on to academy graduate soon enough. The fact of the matter is, he is not a Premier League-level midfielder. And now, he probably has missed his chance to become Arsenal’s starting right-back.

Cedric Soares and Calum Chambers

Speaking of starting right-backs, Cedric and Chambers, each once the top dog in that hierarchy, now look very much consigned to the scrap heap at this stage. Tomiyasu, with very limited time to acclimate to his new club and even less time to train with them, was handed the start on Saturday. While not spectacular, he looked solid enough. The rushed selection of the Japanese defender is rather damning for Cedric and Chambers. It shows that Arteta no longer views them as reliable. Therefore, the pair may very well be in for a season on the sidelines and of sparing usage.

Detractors of the Emirates Stadium crowd

Since the final years of Arsene Wenger’s reign, the home fans at the Emirates have been painted as nasty and impatient. But this season, supporters at the ground have backed the team commendably. On Saturday, they urged the players forward and created an encouraging atmosphere. Clearly, Arteta’s men responded, racking up 30 shots and an xG tally of 3.05 according to FotMob. The manager and captain both referenced the home crowd’s support in post-match statements. Hopefully, those who criticize the atmosphere at Arsenal’s home matches will walk back such statements, which at this point look quite incorrect. There is indeed a twelfth man at the Emirates.

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