Arsenal: 4 positive takeaways from Southampton win

Winning is great. Winning is positive. Winning 3-0 against Southampton is exactly what Arsenal needed ahead of another crunch clash at the top end of the table against West Ham.

That victory takes the Gunners’ tally up to eight for the season, seven of those coming against teams in the bottom half, with all five of the bottom five included. West Ham, if it wasn’t known by now, are not in those brackets.

Sitting in fifth after the result, hosting the Hammers will be another litmus test to find out what this most recent win actually means.

It’s tough to judge an Arsenal side beating the teams they should be beating on home soil and then losing stupidly in matches against the sides in and around them. Manchester United and Everton being prime examples.

Arsenal: 4 positive takeaways from the 3-0 Premier League win over Southampton as Arteta’s side prepare for West Ham clash

But West Ham isn’t until Wednesday. There is still plenty of time to bask in the events of Saturday afternoon, the like that brought some much needed smiles back to north London.

Mikel Arteta fielded the same side that came up painfully short at Goodison Park and it paid dividends. First half goals from Alexandre Lacazette and Martin Odegaard quelled some very worrying early nerves, with Gabriel adding a third after the break when Arsenal could have been closer to double figures.

The weekend can now be an enjoyable one with eyes on other results while fingers are crossed, and looking back on the Emirates Stadium while doing so will remind us of all the positives we were served up.

Four spring to mind.

1. No Need For Emile Smith Rowe

Someone this team has become increasingly reliant on this and last season, Emile Smith Rowe was sorely missed up on Merseyside as Arsenal struggled to carry the ball and break lines.

His ability to come deep, receive on the half-turn and go either side is a valuable tool against lower blocks, while his keen eye for goal wouldn’t go amiss in a team without goalscoring strikers.

Nursing a minor injury ahead of this game, he started on the bench with Gabriel Martinelli out on the left and, especially in the opening 20 minutes, it felt like a matter of time before he would be called upon to aid the cause.

But on the bench he stayed.

Such was the level of the attacking performance that his services weren’t required. The job was done without him and Arteta didn’t have to thrust an unfit 21-year-old into the game to potential aggravate his issue. He gets extra rest during a hectic period, which is perfectly timed with that crunch clash against the Hammers to come on Wednesday.

That’s a big positive.

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