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Arsenal recorded their second win of the season as they edged out Cardiff City 3-2 in a thrilling encounter in Wales. Shkodran Mustafi's thumping header put the Gunners in front before Victor Camarasa slammed one in from close range for the equalizer deep into stoppage time of the first half.
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang put Arsenal back in the lead in the 62nd minute as his exquisite right-footed effort from outside the box found the bottom right corner. But, it didn't take Cardiff long to strike back as a powerful header from Danny Ward levelled the game once again.
However, Alexandre Lacazette put the dagger in the contest when his forceful right-footed shot found the roof of the net and gave Arsenal a second consecutive Premier League win.
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On that note, here are the 5 talking points from the game:
#5 Ozil puts in a fair performance
Mesut Ozil misfiring for Arsenal has become something of a familiar sight. But, the former German international did have a slightly better game but as a whole, did not possess much of a threat during the entirety of the game before being taken off in the 83rd minute.
From a statistical point of view, there was nothing that stood out as Ozil had zero attempts at goal, completed just one key pass and one successful cross and surprising won two aerial duels. The 29-year-old's passing also lacked a certain cutting edge as he had a passing accuracy of just 83% and was unable to find any killer passes.
However, he did have a role in Arsenal's second goal when he threaded a pass to Alexandre Lacazette and the latter set it up for Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang. There were instances during the game when he linked up very well with the duo up front but lacked a certain end product.
From a defensive standpoint, there is nothing much you can expect from Mesut Ozil. However, the former Real Madrid needs to step up work rate to the levels demanded by the entire Arsenal faithful or else average games like the one against Cardiff will only draw more criticism and furthermore, affect his morale.
#4 Cardiff end their goal drought
It took Cardiff City four games to score their first goal in the Premier League this season. They managed to score with both their shots on target but it wasn't enough as they came out empty-handed and remain rooted just outside the drop zone.
Cardiff came back to equalize twice in the game, firstly through new signing Victor Camarasa, who scored from close range to put his side on level terms at the stroke of halftime.
The Bluebirds fell behind once again in the second half but responded directly eight minutes after conceding as a compelling header from Danny Ward off a Sean Morrison corner brought back Neil Warnock's side back into the game.
In the long run, Cardiff City do lack firepower up front but moving ahead into the season, it is important that the goals keep coming from different areas of the pitch if the target is survival in the Premier League and experienced Premier League campaigners like Junior Hoilett need to be the foundation of the Welsh club's setup.
#3 Cech has another sloppy game
Petr Cech's woes as Unai Emery's starting goalkeeper keep on piling. The 36-year-old almost committed an error right after kickoff when his hesitance saw him hold onto the ball for far too long before clearing it away from an on-rushing Cardiff City attacker to evade disaster.
Cech's mistakes didn't seem to take a rest as six minutes later, he nearly gifted the Bluebirds the opening goal. A misplaced pass fell right into the feet of Harry Arter but luckily for the former Chelsea goalkeeper, Arter hurled the ball over the crossbar.
Far too many questions have been raised about Cech's awareness and his distribution this season. The veteran goalkeeper's passing has been below par and has affected Emery's possession style of play when Arsenal try to play it out of the back.
Cech has been unable to adapt to this new setup and his weakness have been exposed. It is high time that Emery drops him and brings in summer acquisition Bernd Leno in his starting lineup before it's too late and the Gunners once again fall behind in the race for a top-four finish in the Premier League.
#2 Cardiff's defence struggles against the Arsenal frontline
Cardiff City were on the back of two successive clean sheets heading into their clash against Arsenal. However, they failed to contain the Gunners on Sunday afternoon and crashed to a narrow 3-2 defeat as the concerns keep increasing for Neil Warnock's men.
Firstly, the Cardiff defence found it hard to keep up with the pace and movement of the Arsenal frontman and found themselves all over the place at certain crucial junctures of the game.
They did close down the Arsenal attack very well at times but players like Sean Morrison and Harry Arter were careless. They failed to complete any clean or successful tackles and instead committed a number of rash challenges.
The Cardiff defenders looked out of their depth against Arsenal and it is necessary that they find their feet quickly in the Premier League or else they will keep getting exposed against top quality players heading forward into the season.
The only positive was the goalkeeper, Neil Etheridge, who despite conceding three goals made a number of top saves to keep Cardiff well and alive in the game. There was little he could do about the goals that went past it him but if he keeps up his excellent form intact, he will surely win a number of points for the Bluebirds this campaign.
#1 Aubameyang and Lacazette's partnership reaps rewards
For the first time this campaign, Unai Emery lined up his starting XI with both Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Alexandre Lacazette up front. Both the strikers got on the scoresheet and guided Arsenal over the finish line in a difficult away trip to the Welsh capital.
This was the fourth time ever that the duo has started together and have already combined for seven goals. This was clearly an indication for Emery that despite possessing the similar qualities, Aubameyang and Lacazette do have an understanding between themselves and must be played together more regularly.
Aubameyang scored Arsenal's second goal of the game and his first of the season when he curled a splendid shot into the far corner from 18 yards to put the Gunners in command in the second half.
Lacazette had come close to scoring earlier in the game when his shot had rattled the woodwork. The Frenchman registered an assist and looked involved in the game as he completed three key passes and showed his strength against the Cardiff defence by winning a couple of aerial duels.
Lacazette ultimately scored the winner as he latched onto a pass from Lucas Torreira and struck the ball extremely hard to find the roof of the net from an acute angle and gave Neil Etheridge no chance of saving his shot as the Gunners romped over to an important win against the Bluebirds.
