Arsenal Vs Cardiff City: 5 things we learned – The Lacazette lesson

CARDIFF, WALES - SEPTEMBER 02: Alexandre Lacazette of Arsenal scores his team's third goal past Neil Etheridge of Cardiff City during the Premier League match between Cardiff City and Arsenal FC at Cardiff City Stadium on September 2, 2018 in Cardiff, United Kingdom. (Photo by Catherine Ivill/Getty Images)
CARDIFF, WALES - SEPTEMBER 02: Alexandre Lacazette of Arsenal scores his team's third goal past Neil Etheridge of Cardiff City during the Premier League match between Cardiff City and Arsenal FC at Cardiff City Stadium on September 2, 2018 in Cardiff, United Kingdom. (Photo by Catherine Ivill/Getty Images) /
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CARDIFF, WALES – SEPTEMBER 02: Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang of Arsenal celebrates after scoring his team’s second goal during the Premier League match between Cardiff City and Arsenal FC at Cardiff City Stadium on September 2, 2018 in Cardiff, United Kingdom. (Photo by Catherine Ivill/Getty Images)
CARDIFF, WALES – SEPTEMBER 02: Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang of Arsenal celebrates after scoring his team’s second goal during the Premier League match between Cardiff City and Arsenal FC at Cardiff City Stadium on September 2, 2018 in Cardiff, United Kingdom. (Photo by Catherine Ivill/Getty Images) /

2. Big moment for Aubameyang

Strikers revolve around goals. Although they offer more to the game than just goals, some of the more selfish centre-forwards in the game are infamously unhappy whenever they do not score, irrespective of whether their team wins or not. And while Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang said he wasn’t worried about his absence of goals this season, I don’t believe him for a second.

This, then, was a big moment for the Gabonian. As he received the ball from Alexandre Lacazette’s brilliant flick, Aubameyang did have an option with Mesut Ozil drifting into a nice channel who could have been supplied with a reverse pass. But Aubameyang had a single-track mind: turn, create a yard of space, shoot. That is precisely what he did.

The finish was especially nice, curling it, caressing it, placing his shot into the bottom corner, arching around the splayed fingers of Neil Etheridge. It was done with confidence, an assurance that it would find its way to the net, a steely-eyed focus that only the best of goalscorers possess. This was a big moment for Aubameyang. It could lead to a string of goals in the coming weeks, months and throughout the season.