Swansea 1-2 Arsenal

Arsenal extended their consecutive away wins to 12 games this evening, and went back to the top of the Premier League, with a well deserved 2-1 win at The Liberty Stadium.

The two sides are well known for their similar styles and I personally had this down as Arsenal's toughest test this season so far, but the Gunners proved they are much harder to break through this year.

A lovely, we'll worked move was finished off by the impressive Serge Gnabry, minutes before Aaron Ramsey (who else?) doubled the lead with a shot into the roof of the net. The defence were undone however as full time approached when The Swans Davies snuck in behind Mertesacker.

It was a tense game from start to finish and though there were few clear cut chances, this was a game where two attacking sides were bound to score. Giroud came closest in the opening half, right at the end of it actually, but he dragged his shot wide of Worm's goal.

Swansea looked impressive, particularly when playing through Shelvey but their final ball lacked and Arsenal were tough in the tackle and applying excellent pressure. Perhaps the travelling fans were initimidating the home support, who could often be heard above the Swansea faithful. I only really heard them make noise through booing whenever Ramsey touched the ball!  

Wenger knew a win would put Arsenal in a nice place this weekend with Spurs and Chelsea drawing against each other, Manchester City losing, and Manchester United continuing their sluggish start to the league losing to West Brom (now their worst start to a league season in some time!)

Szczesny had an up-and-down game with his touches and decision making questionable, among making a couple of good saves. In the first half notably, having seen the ball marginally cross the line for a goal kick, had a Swansea player attempt to keep the ball in-play and put the ball inches wide of an open goal. Fortunately the officials made the right call, having seen the ball cross the line but on another day, the confident Szczesny might not have been smiling afterwards.

Ramsey was awarded the Man of the Match award by Sky Sports however Gnabry was an outstanding performer in this game, especially for someone with little experience. Like his fellow teammates, who have played a lot more at this level, he showed the desire and skill needed in a game like this which is very promising. The German finished off a fine move to open the scoring and he was fully deserving of his excellent goal. Let's hope he continues in a similar fashion as Walcott and Chamberlain remain sidelined.

I don't feel Ozil had his greatest game with passes failing more often than we have become accustomed to. He could also have scored his first Arsenal goal but when 1v1 with Worm, the Dutch keeper stuck out a firm hand to deny the German. Ramsey however continued to excel in the midfield and like I mentioned, continued his fine goal scoring form this year to make it four in the league already.

Morale is high and the team are playing excellently from defence to attack. It's the return of the Champions League on Tuesday and Arsenal host Napoli (7.45pm k/o) in their second group stage match.

The two sides drew 2-2 in the Emirates Cup match in the summer but I expect a very different game this time around.

The former Cardiff kid secures the points against the Swans

Sorry West Brom - it was Nacho night

First of all allow me to apologise for the title...I'm not usually a great fan of using puns. However it was Nacho Monreal's winning penalty kick that sent Arsenal through to the next round of the League Cup last night at the expense of West Brom.

It is bad enough listening to football on the radio, without the use of eyes as comfort to know exactly what is going on, but to say it was tense listening to a penalty shoot-out doesn't quite come close enough. I did a fist pump in celebration as the better half tried to watch TV; I don't think she understood how dramatic it was.

Anyhow, the Gunners will now play Chelsea in the fourth round at the Emirates, where they will hope the home tie will give them the edge over Jose Mourinho's side. But, on recent form, I would still give us chance if the tie was due to be played at Stamford Bridge!

Last night's cup game extended Arsenal's away winning form but it was a contest that, as the game progressed, might have swung one way or the other, before penalties could have been established.

The (and I use the word loosely) 'Great' Dane Nicklas Bendtner played in an Arsenal shirt for the first time since 2011 and he did okay. He has a point to prove, if he is as good as he thinks, and I believe Wenger will give him that opportunity as we now lack in striking options due to injuries.

His hair and facial hair has grown since we last saw him all of two-years-ago. Wilson!!

 I managed to catch the very brief BBC highlights late last night, and saw he should have scored late on when 1v1. However he slowed too much allowing an excellent recovering tackle by one of the Baggies' defenders, but from listening to the game as well, he appears to have the mentality and professionalism to come back to the side with the attitude to succeed. He definitely has some rustiness to shake off first!

West Brom looked threatening against an Arsenal side mixed with experience and new, young talent. They held their own against West Brom though which is a good sign. People knew what they would see in Wenger's starting XI and the youngsters impressed.

Bellerin, Miyaichi, Gnabry, Hayden, Olsson, Eisfield and Akpom all featured with Iwobi and unused substitute, alongside loanee keeper Viviano and forward Ju Young Park.

That's right, I said Park! Remember him? I still do not know why Wenger signed the South Korean who never gets a game. He couldn't even get on last night and I would love to question Wenger on where he stands at the club.

However, on the pitch Arsenal took the lead when Bendtner slipped a perfect pass to Eisfield, whose nice touch allowed to calmly slot the ball into the West Brom goal just after the hour mark.

The game had needed a goal, but it then got another ten minutes later. This time, West Brom were level when Saido Berahino found space in the box and headed past Fabianksi. The Baggies man was eager to continue his scoring form, following a hat-trick against Notts County in the previous round.

This made things tense as West Brom began to dominate against a young and tiring Arsenal midfield. They came close with the bar denying them but they could not be separated at the end of 90 minutes or after extra time.

Penalties would decide who would progress to round four.

Reid stepped up first four the Baggies who smashed it high into the roof of the night with Fabianki never having a chance (1-0). Bendtner cooly placed Arsenal's first (1-1), before Rosenberg went down the middle (2-1). Then it looked unlikely to be our night as Gnabry saw his poor effort saved (2-1) and West Brom added their third from Morrison's well placed spot kick (3-1). Olsson scored his penalty to prevent Arsenal's chances slipping away (3-2) but then McAuley hit his penalty wide of Fabianski's left hand post (3-2). Arsenal levelled through Akpom who sent Daniels the wrong way (3-3), Amalfitano then missed (3-3), and Monreal stepped up to strike Arsenal's fifth and winning penalty to send the Gunners through to the next round.

West Brom 0-0 Arsenal (Arsenal win 4-3 on penalties)

Arsenal play away to Swansea on Saturday evening (17:30pm k/o) in the Premier League. Swansea will be looking to move on from their League Cup exit last night, as they fell at the hands of Championship side Birmingham City 3-1.

Jubilance as Monreal's penalty secures a fourth round tie with Chelsea.

The five-match milestone: Arsenal move on from season opener in style

The season may only have recently started but assessing early progress, albeit with five games played, is worth it.

Looking back on the club over the last eight years is hard. But with the difficulties faced, for Wenger and the side any apparent  progress being made now should be taken little by little.

By this I feel the club's aims and goals should be short-term and assessments made in short intervals. We have seen sides go up and down in form, and despite fans being hopeful the side can keep things going the way they currently are, nobody would be foolish for thinking a dip could occur at any moment.

At least for now, the side appear to know each other and this comes from Wenger being able to maintain his starting players for the first time in years. Not that we need reminding but in the past top players in the likes of Vieira, Henry, Clichy, Nasri, Fabregas, and Van Perise have all left, questioning the sides abilities to challenge with the best. 

A poor start against Villa seems a long, long time ago

So in assessment of this early milestone, what has happened at Arsenal so far?

It began with the usual; fans (including myself) demanding for Wenger to spend what is demanded on world-class players. Nothing happened among all the media talk of Higuain, Suarez and Rooney and I saw the team struggle in their pre-season tournament against Napoli (2-2), before losing against Didier Drogba's Galatasary (1-2) at the Emirates Stadium.

Two players were brought in ahead of deadline day in unknown young striker Yaya Sanogo, and there was a welcome return for midfielder Mathieu Flamini. He's been a solid establishment in the Arsenal midfield behind Ramsey, and our attacking force while Arteta has been sidelined through injury.

Speaking of the midfield, Ramsey has been exceptional and few would have expected this of the 22-year-old Welshman following a disappointing season last time round. He has relished in his starting opportunities with goals spread out across the Champions League and Premier league. He currently has six goals to his name this season with three in the league - one behind Giroud, who leads the Premier League's top scorers alongside Aston Villa's Benteke - and there appears to be no stopping the former Cardiff player.

I mentioned Arsenal's poor displays in their pre-season tournament hosting Napoli and Galatasary and they certainly weren't up the opening game of the campaign at home to Aston Villa. They lost 3-1 that day, with some calling it probably the worst league display from Arsenal for some time. Of course the first game of the season is difficult for all teams, who go into the new football year fresh and on level terms, but that afternoon appears to have given Wenger's side the kick up the backside that they needed. Would we be on the high we are now if not?

And then Transfer Deadline Day happened. 

Arsenal's capture of Ozil has been compared to that of Dennis Bergkamp's.
He's become an instant hit, nicknamed the Wizard of Oz.

The capture of Mesut Ozil has been praised continuously. I mean, everyone knew of his abilities and world-class status, but he looks as though he has been playing in this Arsenal side for three years, yet along a few weeks. Lacking in muscle perhaps, but he has all the attributes of a real world-class playmaker and is doing what he does best, with three assists in two games already.

Former Gunner now-turned-coach, Steve Bould, took to helping the defence at the start of the 2012-13 season but I don't think it really clicked (and not that the media talk of a rift between Wenger and Bould would have helped). Something seems different this year however, despite there still being some vulnerabilities, but they are a much more organised side while defending more solidly as a team and this is encouraging.

The first of the two North London derby's is out of the way, with a win for Arsenal, assisting them in the current four game unbeaten run in the league. Add to that their Champions League wins over Fenerbache and Marseille bringing their total unbeaten streak to seven from a possible eight. The Gunners have also won their last ten away games on the bounce; a run which dates back to their 2-0 win against Bayern Munich in Germany in March.

We're five games in and Arsenal begin their League Cup campaign away to West Bromwich Albion (WBA) tomorrow night (25/09 - 8pm k/o GMT) before they travel to the South of Wales to play Swansea on Saturday night (5:30pm k/o GMT), enabling them to increase their unbeaten and away streaks.

All the players are doing well but I still wonder how they will fair against Manchester City or Chelsea. Manchester United have been iffy, but they are the might comeback kings, right? They always turn things around. Still, we shall see what happens when the fixtures come round and as the season progresses. 

Whatever may be around the corner, the fans and the players are jubilant with the form they find themselves in. Long may it continue, but let's assess that at the 10-match milestone.

The BBC's Premier League table can be viewed here.

...And he may well be smiling once again

Marseille 1 - 2 Arsenal

Arsenal finally did enough to see off Marseille in their opening Champions League encounter last night thanks to two second half goals by Theo Walcott and Aaron Ramsey.

Walcott smashed in a rocket of a shot to open his scoring account for the season, before Ramsey drove through the Marseille half before unleashing a deflected shot past Mandanda, to continue his fine form. In the 90th minute he was then deemed to have caught Andre Ayew in the box (though replays showed he got the ball with Ayew making the most of minimal 'contact') whose brother Jordan scored from the spot.

The home side's goal came too late however as Arsenal ran out winners in this tie, marking their tenth successive away win; a run which dates back to Arsenal's 2-0 win on March 13 against Bayern Munich, and is a new club record.

It also marks Arsenal's sixth successive win on the trot this season as the Gunners haven't lost a game since the opening day of the campaign against Aston Villa.

The Gunners enjoyed periods of control, particularly in the opening twenty minutes, but the hosts looked a little threatening on the attack but their shots were limited and from range, with Arsenal's defence showing significant improvements have been made in this area. Szczesny had little to do but looked assured when needing to make a save.

There was one gasp in the second half however when the keeper and Mertesacker appeared to lack communication, with the tall German looping the ball over the Polishman as he left his line. Fortunately Gibbs read it and headed the ball off the line before a Marseille player could attack.

Walcott had had previous chances and following his recent form, continued to prove his lack of finishing in front of goal, though he smashed in his only goal of the game here. Perhaps he had some anger behind the strike, and quite rightly so for someone who claims to want to be a striker but needs chance after chance to get one goal. However Wenger now believes the Englishman will find his eye for goal and fans will certainly hope so too with Giroud our only other injury-free, recognised forward.

Ramsey was pulling the strings yet again in midfield and being involved in all of Arsenal's movement up and down the pitch. Is there any stopping the Welshman who now has six goals in seven appearances so far this season?

Arsenal will welcome last year's Champions League runner's up Borussia Dortmund, who lost 2-0 away to Napoli last night, to the Emirates in the next European encounter, but despite conceding yet another penalty late on this time around, will be pleased to have their Champions League campaign up and running with three points from the first game.

Arsenal continue to be growing in confidence and this bodes well as attentions now turn back to the Premier League. Dogged Stoke are the visitors to London on Sunday (22/09 - k/o 13:30pm GMT) and may be the next side to feel the wrath of Ramsey and co.

Goals scored:
Walcott (65')
Ramsey (84')

Can anyone stop him? Ramsey drives in Arsenal's second at the Stade Velodrome

Ozil and Ramsey dream team?

Who needs Ozil when you have Ramsey? I'm only joking. You'd want them both.

This goes especially on Ramsey's recent form, who continued his fine season so far with two goals to finish off Sunderland on Saturday.

He's certainly been exceptional in our midfield this season, showing maturity and the qualities he has lacked in seasons gone by. Not many would have thought he would be playing at a level as he is now following his leg break against Stoke all of three years ago.

After Sunderland drew level at 1-1 Arsenal managed to find a spell of possession, and Jenkinson's cross was met by a well low struck volley on the edge of the area by Ramsey.  The Welshman later showed a class finish that Walcott could learn from, after an excellent first touch allowed him to calmly slot the ball past Keiren Westwood.

The game gave Ozil his debut in English football and he looked accustomed to it. It took the German only 10 minutes to do what he does best, and assisted Giroud with a well-timed through ball after taking the ball down from a long pass.

The 42.4 million pound signing wasn't initially in Wenger's starting XI, who admitted he would like to have eased him into the side after suffering from illness. However, with Cazorla and Rosicky sidelined, he had little options.

Despite riding their luck with some official decisions, Arsenal showed a lot of attacking class against Sunderland, as we enter the time of year where Arsenal begin to slump in the colder, less Summery conditions.    

Following their 3-1 win at the weekend, Arsenal now look ahead to Marseille tomorrow night (18/09 - 7:45pm k/o GMT) where they will hope to continue their fine form and begin their Champions League campaign in style. 

Giroud and Ozil may not feature however with the striker picking up and knee injury on Saturday and Ozil is not yet completely over his illness. With Podolski out until around Christmas (is it really nearly that time of year already??), and Sanogo out, Walcott could be the only replacement up front but he's hardly the best of finishers half the time as we have seen time and again.

If Wenger had only upped his offer for Demba Ba by £1m he could have had the striker on loan from Chelsea and we wouldn't be in so much of a striker crisis, but recently the side have found a way and it'll be good to see them up against the finest in Europe once more.

Sign of things to come: Ozil on form against Sunderland

Seriously, who's a fan of the international break?

Arsenal's players have been away on international duty this week, but I'm pleased, and re-assured, that Premier League football returns this weekend.

The international break frustrates me, and not only because England play dire football, while it makes it feel an age before the last Premier League games, to when they return. Arsenal had some momentum before the break but will hopefully continue to be buoyed with the arrival of Mesut Ozil.

Our £42 million pound signing from Real Madrid scored from the spot and Mertesacker grabbed himself a goal for Germany. Walcott and Wilshere appeared for England in their qualifiers against Moldova and Ukraine, with Walcott looking to have picked an injury following a tough challenge in the game against Ukraine.

Elsewhere Giroud and Sagna got international time for France,who battled from behind to beat Belarus 4-2, and Cazorla and Monreal helped Spain in their 2-2 draw with Chile. Rosicky returns injured however, just for a change, and despite Ramsey's recent run of outstanding performances (which helped him win Arsenal Player for August) Wales succumbed to a 3-0 loss at the hands of Serbia.

San Marino, despite not being considered competition contenders, were Poland's opponents on Tuesday night; a game of which Both Szczesny and Fabianski were unused substitutes for Poland. Southampton's Boruc started in-between the sticks which surprises me considering the form of Szczesny. I'd say our number 1 would be well suited to being number 1 for his country and I feel he would enjoy and succeed with the pressure, which could only boost his performances for he club!

With the Premier League's return on Saturday, Arsenal players will turn their attentions to Sunderland, and I only hope they hit the ground running. Prior to international requirements, Arsenal had won their previous four games in all competitions after the disappointment of their opening day against Villa.

Giroud's class finish and brilliant teamwork (including defending for a change) helped secure a 1-0 win over Spurs where many anticipated a thrashing against our neighbours. Let's hope they pick up where the left off, although there is every chance Paolo Di Canio's Sunderland may well be more refreshed after the international fixtures.

The Black Cats host Arsenal this Saturday at the Stadium of Light (3pm kick off).

The in-form Ramsey, in action against Sunderland last season

Ozil is the business

A couple of days late I may be but first off, welcome to Arsenal Mesut Ozil.

To say Arsene has pulled off a great bit of work here is an understatement. Ozil has proven himself at the highest level and I can't wait to see him start playing for us.

On Monday I fully expected Demba Ba and Angel Di Maria to sign but when I heard Ozil was undergoing a medial (which seemed to drag on) I was still more than happy. I still hoped Wenger would bring in another striker and I am a fan of Ba, but Giroud is in good form so let's hope that continues!

Is the reported fee of £42.4m a bit too much? I'd say so for one player but then I think I've heard of some other players going for more...

Add to the fact Wenger hasn't spent the millions compared to other clubs in recent years, and not even a penny this summer, to spend this amount of money on a world class player doesn't sound too bad.

Ozil becomes the third German over the last couple of years to sign for the Gunners, and he will be welcomed by his fellow international team-mates Per Mertesacker and Lukas Podolski. I can't wait to see Podolski and Ozil link up together, as well as see our new number 11 play alongside other creative talent in Santi Cazrola and Jack Wilshere.

Nobody would have thought Arsenal would've been able to bring in an established player considering their apparently deteriorating status as a footballing force.

Morale will be high at the Emirates however with Arsenal on a good run, and having made one of the best signings possible. It seems, Mesut Ozil is already a fan favourite, and he hasn't even kicked a ball in Arsenal colours! I'm more than tempted to buy a shirt with his name on.

Podolski celebrates with Ozil, as the new signing looks ahead to joining up
with the Arsenal team after the international break

Arsenal also brought in Emiliano Viviano on loan from Palermo on transfer deadline day. The Italian keeper will be in contention with Szczesny and Fabianki for the number 1 jersey, but Szczesny is in top form and it would be difficult to drop him.

Arsene has finally done business that fans have been shouting out for. He surprised us, like he said, and he's acquired one of the best players in the world. These could be exciting times for the club.

New loanee Emiliano Viviano