%20rotate(-8.06)%22%2F%3E%0A%20%20%3Cpolygon%20class%3D%22cls-1%22%20points%3D%22336.19%20136.81%20330.16%2094.25%20326.06%2071.19%20326.44%2071.13%20335.22%2093.54%20352.29%20134.52%20373.95%20131.46%20362.7%2052.01%20350.02%2053.8%20356.05%2096.36%20360.15%20119.42%20359.77%20119.48%20350.99%2097.08%20333.91%2056.09%20312.25%2059.15%20323.51%20138.6%20336.19%20136.81%22%2F%3E%0A%20%20%3Cpolygon%20class%3D%22cls-1%22%20points%3D%22402.91%2059.3%20412.36%20126.02%20427.17%20123.92%20417.72%2057.21%20431.59%2055.24%20429.79%2042.51%20387.23%2048.53%20389.04%2061.27%20402.91%2059.3%22%2F%3E%0A%20%20%3Cpolygon%20class%3D%22cls-1%22%20points%3D%22463.51%20118.77%20458.69%2084.71%20474.68%2082.44%20479.51%20116.5%20494.36%20114.4%20483.11%2034.95%20468.26%2037.06%20472.96%2070.25%20456.96%2072.52%20452.26%2039.32%20437.4%2041.43%20448.65%20120.88%20463.51%20118.77%22%2F%3E%0A%20%20%3Cpolygon%20class%3D%22cls-1%22%20points%3D%22540.5%20107.87%20538.77%2095.68%20518.91%2098.49%20515.77%2076.29%20535.63%2073.47%20533.93%2061.5%20514.07%2064.32%20511.11%2043.42%20530.98%2040.61%20529.25%2028.42%20494.53%2033.34%20505.78%20112.78%20540.5%20107.87%22%2F%3E%0A%20%20%3Cpolygon%20class%3D%22cls-1%22%20points%3D%22299.03%20155.17%20301.29%20171.58%20542.78%20138.39%20540.5%20121.97%20299.03%20155.17%22%2F%3E%0A%3C%2Fsvg%3E)
Arsenal isolated Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang up top again against Tottenham, but this time it worked out, beyond just the goal production.
Confession time: I was not enamored by the idea of leaving Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang isolated up top. Not after how he struggled against Bournemouth for he first hour or so, and certainly not with Alexandre Lacazette on the Arsenal bench.
But this was something completely different. This was a side of Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang that I don’t think we’ve seen in his short time at the Emirates.
Not only did he score two fantastic goals – one a cool penalty and one a thrashing whip of a shot that curled around Lloris from a good distance. Not only did he add a crucial and definitive assist for the fourth goal. Not only was he offside five times (sorry, I had to get that out of my system).
Not only did he do all those things, but he was a complete workaholic. He wasn’t just the tip of the spearhead in the attack, he was the tip of the spearhead in the pressure that made this game so clearly Arsenal’s.
More from Pain in the Arsenal
- 3 standout players from 1-0 victory over Everton
- 3 positives & negatives from Goodison Park victory
- Arsenal vs PSV preview: Prediction, team news & lineups
- 3 talking points from Arsenal’s victory at Goodison Park
- Mikel Arteta provides Gabriel Martinelli injury update after Everton win
Aubameyang’s press was so good that he led the team in completed tackles with five. But that wasn’t just because of the press. It was because he was coming all the way back from his isolated striker role (and also when it was shared with Lacazette) to defend, making one memorable tackle in particular that earned roaring applause from the fans.
Aubameyang saw a big match and he owned it. It takes a lot to get me to forget about five offsides (Theo!!!), but at no point during or after the match was I grinding my teeth about it. Aubameyang was a superhero in this match. His goals, his assist, his clear passion and determination to do something more than he’s used to doing, it was all truly special.
And of course, now he is top of the Premier League with ten goals, the first to double digits, and has set a new standard for what he is capable of doing and how hard of a worker he truly is.
I still don’t know how the Gunners pulled off signing him with so little competition, but there has never been any doubt that he was worth every bit of what was paid. Anyone that has this kind of superhero mode in their back pocket is simply marvelous.