Arsenal lifted the pressure on manager Mikel Arteta as they secured their first points of the Premier League season with victory over Norwich City at Emirates Stadium.
Arteta was under mounting scrutiny after a miserable start to the campaign with three defeats that left the Gunners at the foot of the table, so a win that was workmanlike rather than spectacular will be gratefully received.
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang was back on target to set Arsenal on their way after 66 minutes, with a finish from almost on the goal-line after Canaries’ keeper Tim Krul turned Nicolas Pepe’s shot on to the post and the same player then struck the woodwork again.
Arsenal had an anxious moment as referee Michael Oliver conducted a VAR check for offside before the Emirates Stadium celebrate with a mixture of elation and arelief.
It is still very early days, on the other hand. The Canaries still have plenty of time to kick-start their season and get things going in less taxing fixtures. They face Watford at home next and that is the sort of game Farke will have ringed on his calendar as one from which they must pick up three points.
Norwich will feel they have a hard luck story to tell about Aubameyang’s decisive goal but they must put this behind them and work on adjusting to Premier League life.
