It’s been a long wait but Unai Emery’s army has finally registered three points in the Premier League. The performance was not first class but like I said in recent weeks, we would get away with it because the opposition was not as strong as previous weeks. The frailties are still there but with the points in the bag the confidence is sure to be up there.

I thought going forward today Bellerin was fantastic. For all the criticism he gets he had two assists and linked up fantastically for the first goal with Mkhitaryan. Mkhitaryan always looked dangerous on the ball for most of the game and was my man of the match. Of course the problem once again defensively was partly down that right hand side and too many times both players were too high up the pitch. Against a better side we would have been punished. This has been a common theme in all three of our opening games and is a worry. Having said that Bellerin couldn’t cross a ball if his life depended on it late last season so to put things in perspective there is improvement which we should be happy about. The defensive side of things will come in due time, we must be patient.

I can’t emphasise how refreshing it is to see the substitutions Emery does compared to Wenger. While Wenger always made questionable substitutions late in games which made little or no impact, Emery is always looking to take action. Another half time substitution with Lacazette coming on showing his attacking intent. The impact was clear with the second goal. Torriera coming on gave Xhaka the freedom to roam forward where he was more effective. Again, Emery subbed based on performance unlike Wenger who would would have sworn some players were treated like protected species. Guendouzi for all the fanfare from the opening two games didn’t play as well in this one and was rightfully taken off. Finally, Welbeck was brought on late and scored. While the performance wasn’t five star, the manager did his bit to ensure we got the win. Well done Unai!

Look I don’t want to criticise the man I really love his football and believe he’s our best player on his day. Especially after all the racism he’s seen in the German team as Arsenal supporters we must absolutely get behind him. Having said that, even under a new era and new manager we are seeing him getting ‘sick’ again. Look for all we know it could be the truth but it seems highly suspicious that it is happening again and frankly I’m sick and tired of hearing this lame excuse come up every few weeks. Whatever is going on, whether it be a bust up with the manager or if he’s genuinely ill, it needs to be sorted out, it just does not make sense.