Pain in the Arsenal
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3 positives & negatives from Arsenal’s 3-0 win against Oxford United

By Mitch Peotter

OXFORD, ENGLAND - JANUARY 09: Eddie Nketiah of Arsenal celebrates with Emile Smith Rowe during the Emirates FA Cup Third Round match between Oxford United and Arsenal at Kassam Stadium on January 9, 2023 in Oxford, England. (Photo by Marc Atkins/Getty Images)
OXFORD, ENGLAND - JANUARY 09: Eddie Nketiah of Arsenal celebrates with Emile Smith Rowe during the Emirates FA Cup Third Round match between Oxford United and Arsenal at Kassam Stadium on January 9, 2023 in Oxford, England. (Photo by Marc Atkins/Getty Images) /
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Positive #2: Smith Rowe is back!

Emile Smith Rowe enjoyed a 15-minute cameo at the end of the game. (Photo by ADRIAN DENNIS/AFP via Getty Images)
Emile Smith Rowe enjoyed a 15-minute cameo at the end of the game. (Photo by ADRIAN DENNIS/AFP via Getty Images) /

Emile Smith Rowe finally made his return from injury late in the second half. He looks to be still shaking off the rust, but he’ll be so crucial to Arsenal as they continue to progress in the league, FA Cup, and Europa League.

This is also a crucial time for his return as he’ll be a key player off the bench to finish matches as an attacker, which Arsenal desperately need.

With the North London Derby less than a week away, it’s great to see ESR back on the pitch.

Negative #2: B team drop off

Mohamed Elneny’s goal ignited an impressive end to the contest. (Photo by ADRIAN DENNIS/AFP via Getty Images)
Mohamed Elneny’s goal ignited an impressive end to the contest. (Photo by ADRIAN DENNIS/AFP via Getty Images) /

Arsenal kicked the match up a gear after the first subs. Adding Oleksandr Zinchenko and Granit Xhaka to the team on the pitch was huge for Arsenal to step up the quality and win the match.

Granted, the second team as a whole doesn’t get to play as much, so rust could be an explanation, but there is a clear drop in technical quality to the second-teamers at Arsenal, which is a problem that will be improved over time.

Continued on the next slide…

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