APATHETIC Arsenal finally discovered some backbone in the steel city to keep their faint European hopes alive.
The Gunners have been drifting along in no man’s land for so long that even a trip to rock-bottom Sheffield United appeared to be fraught with danger.
A pre-match snowfall didn’t exactly augur well for Mikel Arteta’s snowflakes either, particularly with half of their team missing through illness or injury.
But against all expectations, the visitors were able to grind out the victory required to edge their way back into the top half of the table.
They even managed to secure their first clean sheet in 15 games, even if it was against the Premier League’s lowest scoring team.
But beggars can’t be choosers and Arteta will take any positives right now as he tries to keep Arsenal’s disappointing season alive.
Two goals from stand-in skipper Alex Lacazette and another from Gabriel Martinelli were more than enough to cut the gap to sixth placed Liverpool to seven points.
But with only seven Premier League fixtures remaining, it is still going to require a near perfect run-in for Arsenal to stand any chance of qualifying for Europe through their League position.
Winning this season’s Europa League remains their best hope of securing European football for a 26th successive year.
But they have it all to do in Thursday’s quarter-final return away to Slavia Prague after conceding a stoppage time equaliser at the Emirates last week.
Yet at least this win has bought them a bit of breathing space and they can take some heart from this long overdue return to form
Arteta made five changes to the team which had fallen down right at the death against Slavia.
Most notable among the absentees was captain Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, who had gone down with a nasty case of Ozilitis, the mystery virus which prevents Arsenal’s big-time stars from travelling to inhospitable grounds in the north of England.
Aubameyang’s ‘misfortune’ meant a rare start for teenager Martinelli, the Brazilian forward so beloved by the Arsenal online community.
Arteta has been reluctant to rush the 19-year-old back into action too soon following a serious knee injury which had sidelined him for more than six months.
But he was finally unable to ignore the online clamour and his faith was rewarded by Martinelli’s first goal in 15 months to end any fears of another late collapse.
Yet even against a Sheffield United team resigned to relegation a long time ago Arsenal still seemed fixated with scoring the perfect goal rather than simply cashing in on their opponents’ frailties.
Bukayo Saka was just too high with an early sighter but it wasn’t until midway through the first-half that Blades keeper Aaron Ramsdale was called into action.
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Even then it was a save all of Ramsdale’s own making when he drilled an attempted clearance straight at Alex Lacazette before catching the ricochet off the startled Arsenal skipper.
Martinelli hammered a decent opening wastefully into the side netting and Calum Chambers was denied by John Egan’s goal-line block as the visitors looked to step up the pace.
But Arsenal finally forced the breakthrough their overwhelming dominance demanded in the 33rd minute, and it was a goal which was well worth waiting for.
Thomas Partey, Lacazette and Saka exchanged possession in a blur of first-time passes before Dani Ceballos’ backheel set up Lacazette for his 14th goal of the season.
It was far too good for the bewildered Blades, who are now so far adrift at the foot of the table that they now need snookers.
They are now 18 points from safety with just seven games remaining.
And considering they have only managed 14 points from their first 31 games, it is safe to assume that their goose is pretty much cooked.
In fact relegation will be confirmed as soon as this Saturday if Brighton and Newcastle both take a point and they lose at Wolves.
Any hopes of taking anything from this game were destroyed by John Lundstram’s suicidal 73rd minute pass on the edge of his own area straight to Nicolas Pepe.
Ramsdale was able to parry the shot from Arsenal’s record signing but powerless to prevent Martinelli from cashing in on the follow-up.
And their fate was finally sealed four minutes from the end when Lacazette was sent on goal by Partey’s sliderule pass.
The Frenchman had missed an identical opportunity against Slavia in midweek when he smashed his shot against the bar with only the keeper to beat.
But he had learned his lesson well and made no mistake this time with a precise low shot into the far corner.
But it wasn’t all good news and Arteta will not have been heartened by the sight of the influential Saka limping off midday through the second-half after taking an apparent knock to an ankle.
Like Martinelli, Saka has become far more important to Arnal’s prospects than a player of his tender years should be.
Arteta is going to need all hands to the deck in the coming weeks to keep their ship afloat.
Sheffield United are already holed below the waterline. They will be throwing out the lifebelts any day soon.
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Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
