AUBA THE LINE
Arsenal 1 Norwich 0: Aubameyang scores lucky goal to finally earn a win for Gunners as they climb out of drop zone
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ONE SMALL STEP for Aubameyang, one giant leap for Arsenal?
Time will tell.
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But the Arsenal captain broke his and his team’s duck - and Norwich’s resistance - with a controversial goal from a yard out to ease the early season pressure on Mikel Arteta.
Norwich keeper Tim Krul led the protests. He had diverted a Nicolas Pepe effort on to the post and was not the only one who thought Aubameyang was offside when Pepe hit the other upright with the follow-up.
But Arsenal’s first goal of the season stood and it was enough to give them victory in this relegation six-pointer.
The home fans rediscovered their sense of humour, following the goal up with a chorus of “We are staying up”.
They also dug out the “1-0 to the Arsenal” chant, a relic of happier days.
But until then it seemed possible that the only thing the supporters would have to celebrate was former midfield general Patrick Vieira leading Crystal Palace to a lunchtime beating of Spurs.
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The Emirates Stadium told a tale.
Not all the empty seats that dotted the stands could be explained by problems on the trains bringing supporters down from East Anglia and beyond.
By half an hour into the game, the grumbles were already coming from the seats behind Arteta.
The Arsenal boss had made seven changes from the team humiliated at Manchester City, Granit Xhaka’s absence through suspension was the only one forced upon him.
Needs must, and In from the cold came Ainsley Maitland-Niles, to start in midfield.
Aaron Ramsdale, making his league debut for the club in goal, was pretty much untroubled for the opening 45 minutes.
And Japan international Takehiro Tomiyasu made his debut at right-back and provided moments of excitement at either end of the first half, latterly with a volley just over the bar.
But in between, the dominant, confident performance the crowd wanted did not materialise, despite a decent start.
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Arsenal had most of the ball and the territory for the first 20 minutes. But Aubameyang could not convert either of the chances to come his way.
First the Gabon striker fired wide after Krul had changed his mind about coming to cut out a long ball. Then Martin Odegaard found Aubameyang with a brilliant pass but the lobbed finish was weak and the Norwich ‘keeper diverted it away with an arm.
The curse of the £350,000-per-week contract, which ruined Mesut Ozil’s career, seemed still to be in full working order.
The visitors barely had the ball in the opposition half and when they did Kenny McLean should have done better with a Max Aarons cross than heading it wide.
As the half wore on, Norwich found themselves able to play 15 or 20 yards further up the pitch and deserved to go in level. But not to avoid a fourth defeat from four games.
A brilliant block by Brandon Williams denied Pepe 10 minutes into the second-half but the Ivory Coast winger played a big part in the winne just as the home fans were threatening to turn mutinous
It was his determination to try again after Krul’s initial save that meant the ball eventually found its way to Aubameyang.
In the days before VAR, the goal might have been ruled out for offside.
Some felt the technology should have made that call, too. But it didn’t.
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Krul made two more important saves, from Aubameyang and substitute Emile Smith Rowe.
So, if the goal itself was another hard luck story for Norwich, defeat was not.
They did not do enough to put doubt in the minds of the home side and supporters. They were negligible as an attacking threat for most of the game, leaving them vulnerable to the kind of misfortune that befell them.
They had two shots blocked in the dying moments but cannot complain too much that they remain pointless.
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Which is what their return to the Premier League will feel like unless they can start winning - or at least not losing - soon.
It’s up to Aubameyang, Arteta and Arsenal to ensure that after this small step forwards, they don’t take two steps back at Burnley next weekend.
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