Arsenal 5-1 Everton—Vote for Player Ratings & MOTM!

Phew. That match has left me and, I assume, all of you, exhausted and spent. The debuts of Henrikh Mkhitaryan and Pierre-Emerick Aubemeyang might have been even sexier than imagined, with the Armenian notching three assists and the Gabonese oening his account in fine fashion. This one was almost over before it had even begun as we found three goals in the first twenty minutes. Along with their statistical contributions, our new signings seem to have elevated everyone's confidence. The only open question was whether Petr Čech would get his 200th clean sheet. Sadly, the answer is no. Ramsey did get a hat-trick, though, and we waltzed to the win. Who knows? This result—and those signings—might be just enough to launch us a tidy little run. Let's set that aside, though, and rate the lads!

Swansea 3-1 Arsenal—Vote for Player Ratings & MOTM!

Well, that was unexpected. After all of the hype and excitement of adding Mkhitaryan and Aubameyang, Arsenal arrived at Liberty Stadium and promptly laid an egg against the Swans. At least it wasn't a goose-egg, if you don't mind my mixing metaphors. Monreal salvaged a tattered scrap of dignity by briefly putting us ahead. However, horrific defending allowed Swansea an easy equalizer—and without suggesting any blame—Mkhitaryan came on and bore witness to a god-awful comedy of errors as Čech squibbed an easy clearance directly into Ayew's path, and it was 2-1. We never really showed any fightback after that, and we deserved the result—the beating, really. I just hope the ink is dry on Auba's contract. He might be reconsidering his options. Feh. Let's get down to the poll.

By the time you read this, Aubameyang will be a Gunner.

In the absence of any FA Cup news, and in the wake of the departures of Alexis and Theo and the arrival of Mkhi, we all at Arsenal have awaited with bated breath any news regarding the potential addition of Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, the want-away striker from Borussia Dortmund. We've been edging closer and closer to concluding this saga, and if there's any silver lining to crashing out of the FA Cup, it might be that our esteemed overlords can focus on strengthening the squad rather than ousting "lesser" sides from the Cup's fourth round. We've lorded it over the others long enough in this particular competition, haven't we? What say we let others have chance whilst we have a go at the January transfer window? We have one Armenian in, so who's to say we shouldn't add a Gabonese while we're at it? By all signs and portents, Monday is a good day for Aubemeyang to Arsenal.

Arsenal 2-1 Chelsea—Vote for Player-Ratings & MOTM!

It looked like it might be over before it began as Chelsea's Eden Hazard slotted home an early goal and were looking far-more lively despite being shorn of several regulars and Conte worrying about fatigue. However, Nacho Monreal headed a corner in from Mesut Özil, and Chelsea's Rüdiger helped it home to equalize. After going into the half on level terms, Arsenal came out in the second half looking much more purposeful, and an energetic Lacazette worked his way along the edge of the area, and Xhaka pounced on the deflected pass to seize the lead. Four minutes of stoppage time gave the visitors several chances, but Ospina was more than up to the challenge. The winners will go on to meet Man City in the final. More on that when the time is right. For now, let's get down to the poll!

Arsenal 4-1 Palace—Vote for Player-Ratings & MOTM!

Arsenal blitzed Palace in the first 12 minutes through goals from Monreal, Iwobi, and Koscielny. Lacazette added a fourth as the Gunners eased to an easy victory. The only drama centered around whether or not Petr Čech would keep his 200th career clean-sheet. Sadly, he was denied this achievement in the 78th. More's the pity. Still, it's a fine result and one that restores some much needed confidence and, hopefully, momentum as we look for progress in the League Cup, Prem, and Europa. Enjoy this one. It's back to work in just a few days!