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3. The Granit Xhaka return

One of the major storylines prior to kick-off was the return of Granit Xhaka. After more than a month on the sidelines, during which he was stripped of the captaincy following his contentious substitution against Crystal Palace, Xhaka made his first appearance in an Arsenal shirt.

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From a footballing standpoint, Xhaka was who he has always been. Slow, a good passer, got booked, aggressive, physical, sometimes controlling, other times too ponderous and cautious. There was the good and the bad of Xhaka on display. He even filled in at centre-half after Shkodran Mustafi was withdrawn in the second half due to injury.

But from a personal perspective, it was nice to see him back on the pitch. While the relationship between the Swiss international and the supporters is still fragile and he will only repair it through industrious, high-quality performances on the pitch, he is a footballer and he should be playing football.

What the future holds for Xhaka remains to be seen. It likely depends on the future of Emery, who has been one of the biggest supporters of the largely shoddy midfielder. But it was encouraging to see him back on a football pitch, whatever you may think about his personality and performance.