Did anyone else have Nottingham Forest-shaped nightmares after the end of that first half?
By any estimation, the Gunners had an abject first 45 minutes at League 1 strugglers Oxford on Monday night and I must confess to having that sinking feeling when the whistle blew at 0-0. It had all the hallmarks of our humiliating trip to the Forest Ground around this time last year.
On that night, we failed to pick ourselves up for the second half and were ultimately dumped out of the competition by a buoyant home side and rightfully so.
Mercifully, there was to be no repeat this time around.
The Gunners’ greater quality (and a bollocking from the manager) ultimately told as they slipped into a higher gear after the break to power to a victory that perhaps looks a little more comfortable on paper than it actually was.
The ever-reliable Mohamed Elneny opened the deadlock with a superb header from Fabio Vieira’s free-kick before Eddie Nketiah netted twice to put the tie to bed.
Up until Elneny’s opener, though, Mikel Arteta’s men made heavy weather of things, with a lack of urgency, intensity, and creativity making for a dour performance. There was a lack of substance in the centre of the park and a lack of options in our build-up play, meaning we struggled for much of the opening exchanges to build any momentum.
Watching the ball go back and forth between Rob Holding and Gabriel quickly became tedious, while Oxford simply held their position. It’s not as if the hosts were outstanding because, frankly, they didn’t have to be. Arsenal were kept at arms’ length with little more than positional discipline.
Vieira was clearly told to push up closer to Nketiah after the break and the freedom to do so at last gave Oxford something to think about. Slipping into the spaces between the midfield and defence, Vieira looked at home and was able to affect the play in a way that had proven beyond him in the deeper role.
Once the first goal had gone in, the Gunners relaxed and there was no way back for the hosts, who quickly deflated. Though they offered next to nothing as an attacking force, there was a lot to admire in Oxford’s commitment and organisation. On another night, they made have made more of the set pieces that did come their way.
It wasn’t to be, though, and we can look forward to a trip to the City ground as ‘reward’ for victory tonight.
Special mention goes to Nketiah for two superbly taken goals on the night. We may have missed out on the loan signing of Joao Felix from Athletico Madrid but the Hale End youngster continues to do the business whenever called upon. Whatever happens, he won’t easily be distracted from his task.
It ended up a good night also for Vieira, who has been short of minutes and short of luck this season. He badly needed something to go his way and, with two assists to his name, he might just have taken a little confidence from his performance, even if it was against Oxford. Let’s hope he can build from here.
That’s it for now. Check in later this week when we begin our north London derby build-up.
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