Arsenal 3-1 Sunderland: Vote for Player Ratings and MotM!

Arsenal struggled to break down a spirited Sunderland side who spurned several gilt-edgedscoring chances. Petr Čech came up with numerous vital saves, and it was Joel Campbell who first put Arsenal ahead. However, as we've seen happen too many times, we conceded a sloppy goal just before halftime, this time as Giroud tried to block a cross only to score an own-goal. In the second half, though, Arsenal showed greater confidence and drive, with Giroud put us ahead again with a headed goal. Just when you thought it was over, though, Ramsey found a third goal after a helter-skelter scramble through the Sunderland box. All in all, the result was desperately needed if not entirely earned, but it sends us to second, two points behind, of all clubs, Leicester. Who'd've thunk it? Anyway, get down to the poll to rate the lads!

If we can't get it sorted against Sunderland, well...

In a season that has already become a caricature of a "typical" Arsenal season—a strong run of form dares us to hope that something special is in the offing, only for injuries to sabotage us yet again—what might ordinarily look like a cakewalk this coming weekend becomes a fixture fraught with fear. Injuries to Koscielny and Alexis last week stripped us of our best defender and attacker and exposed us to dropped points against a Norwich side we should have overcome. We'll welcome a Sunderland side fresh off of confidence-boosting wins over Stoke and Crystal Palace. Can we circle the wagons?

Call it the Curse of the Third Kit

A draw with Norwich in the Prem. A hiding by Bayern in the Champions League group stage. A shocking loss to Sheffield Wednesday in the League Cup's fourth round. Two goals scored, nine conceded. Injuries to Koscielny, Alexis, Oxlade-Chamberlain, and Walcott, a list to which we can now add Cazorla, maybe even Gibbs. What ties this series of unfortunate events together? What execrable element unifies these otherwise-disparate setbacks into one depressing heap? We're through the looking-glass here, people. The only culprit fiendish enough to mastermind such a vast conspiracy is none other than...the third kit!

Norwich 1-1 Arsenal: Vote for Player Ratings/MotM

Things got off to an inauspicious start when Laurent Koscielny came up lame in the game's eighth minute, but it was all
one-way traffic for Arsenal, leading up to a delicious goal from Mesut Özil, assisted by Alexis, to open the scoring. However, the Canaries found a toehold and an equaliser just before halftime. Things went from bad to worse when Alexis succumbed to an injury at the 60' mark, meaning that we've now lost two of our best defenders and one of our best attackers in the span of one week. Thus depleted, we lacked the incisiveness or confidence against a Norwich side that seemed content to nick a point from looked on paper to be three points to Arsenal.  Well, enough said for now. Give our lads what they deserve in the poll below...