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Although it was only a small one-goal victory for Arsenal at Brighton and Hove Albion, the form of the performance would surely have pleased the coach, Mikel Arteta.
After weeks of failing to score three points in the Premier League, the Gunners have clinched two wins out of two over the holiday period, and they start the new year looking brighter than they have for some time.
A lot of that has to do with the appearance of the young Bukayo Saka, Emile Smith Rowe and Gabriel Martinelli.
All three have entered the wing and have transformed the way Arsenal have been working in each game.
“Arsenal fans have known about these guys … Martinelli, Emile Smith Rowe, Saka; we’ve seen what he’s done,” former Gunners legend Ian Wright said on Match of the Day, quoted by the Daily mirror.
“The first half didn’t quite work out, but the bravery they showed, they kept trying to get into the spaces, they kept trying to stretch Brighton.
“The second half worked much better. Smith Rowe, his touch, his energy, the physical form. You have them stretched out.
“Saka was fantastic when you looked today… she has literally sustained the club on its own for a while with creativity.
“People talk about the forwards not scoring, that they had no chances to score.
“Lacazette has been on for 29 seconds, look at the precision, the precision. That’s what can happen when you give players opportunities.
“Those three guys, those three young men have literally turned things around in the last two games for us.”
With some big names not on the team, it will be interesting to see if Arteta is brave enough not to change a winning team or if he will return his players tried and tested in the hope that they too will show some hunger and desire boost. Arsenal raises the table.
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