We take a look at three key factors in Arsenal’s emphatic win over in-form Sunderland at the Emirates.
Leading up to the match at the Emirates, it was very much the away side that were the form team with Sunderland winning five of their last six matches in all competitions, whilst Arsenal stunted slightly with just two wins in that same period.
It was important for Arsenal to get a win in their match with Sunderland and get a much needed three points on the board after picking-up just one point up from a possible six in their last two matches. They didn’t disappoint either, romping home to a well-deserved 4-1 win which included a much needed brace from Giroud.
We take a look at three key factors to Arsenal’s dominant display and why they proved to be so dangerous.
1) Clinical finishing:
Believe it or believe it not, Arsenal had less shots in this match than they did against Manchester United and only one more shot they had against Liverpool in the 5-1 mauling.
Against Manchester United, Arsenal recorded 17 shots with only five hitting the target and against Liverpool they had 11 shots with only six hitting the target. In the match against Sunderland, Arsenal only recorded 12 shots, however, nine of them were on target.
| Team | Match | Matchday | Total Scoring Att | Ontarget Scoring Att | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Arsenal | Arsenal vs Man Utd | 26 | 17 | 5 | 0 |
| Arsenal | Arsenal vs Sunderland | 27 | 12 | 9 | 4 |
| Arsenal | Liverpool vs Arsenal | 25 | 11 | 6 | 1 |
2) Olivier Giroud
Left out the side in Arsenal’s mid-week match vs Bayern Munich, the French international had something to prove in this game and he couldn’t have done much more.
The goal in the fifth minute was undoubtedly imperative in the player’s performance, which would have given him a confidence boost for the rest of the game.
He scored two and created one of Arsenal’s four goals, won the most aerial battles on the pitch and drew in the most fouls on the pitch too.
A competent and complete performance, well deserved.
| Team | Match | Matchday | Goals | (Ontarget Scoring Att / Total Scoring Att) * 100 | Goal Assist | Fk Foul Won | Aerial Won |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Arsenal | Arsenal vs Sunderland | 27 | 4 | 75.00 | 2 | 11 | 12 |
3) Passing and pass accuracy
Arsenal played beautiful passing football and unsurprisingly were one of the top passing teams in the country at the weekend, making more successful passes than any other side.
| Team | Accurate Pass | Played |
|---|---|---|
| Arsenal | 624 | 1 |
| Manchester City | 620 | 1 |
| Manchester United | 598 | 1 |
| Southampton | 470 | 1 |
| Tottenham Hotspur | 440 | 1 |
It’s part-and-parcel of Arsenal and there was no better showing of just how effective their passing can be than Rosicky’s incredible goal just before half-time. It’s one of those you just have to watch again and again.
image: © Ronnie Macdonald
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