There was some bad stuff to mull over from the game yesterday between Arsenal and Aston Villa but there was also quite a few positives, something that did not look likely after the first 45 minutes.
Nicolas Pepe
He did not have a great game I accept that, but he did score and that could be the kickstart his Arsenal career needs. Sometimes all it needs is a goal, it lifts confidence and gets a hoodoo of ones back and while his overall performance was below par we may look back on this game as the moment things turned for the Ivory Coast forward.
Matteo Guendouzi
Yes, he was ineffective for large parts of the game and ran around like a headless chicken but in the second half he was the driving force, he was the catalyst for the comeback, he made the goal for Chambers and pushed the whole team forward with his energy. It is so easy to forget he is just 20-years-old.
Character
How often have we seen an Arsenal team collapse once it goes wrong? A lot is the answer but not yesterday, they were down to ten men and twice fell behind and yet they still won, this comeback will give the team belief the next time they fall behind or get a player sent off. Yesterday’s win could be more significant than we think.
Unai Emery
You have to be fair with the guy, he got his calls right yesterday, whatever he said in the dressing room at half time worked, his substitutions worked and the players obviously responded to his instructions. He deserves criticism when he gets it wrong and he also deserves praise when he gets it right and yesterday he got it right.
Calum Chambers
He unfairly started on the bench but when he was called upon he did his job and more, he scored the second goal and it was not a straight forward goal either and while he may not be the long term answer in defence he has definitely forced himself into the reckoning for a start next time out. Normally the defenders get ripped and it is nice now and then to be able to praise one of them.