Arsenal 100-year record: The good, the bad and the weird

Arsenal beat Stoke City 3-0 in the Premier League this afternoon thanks to late goals from Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Alexandre Lacazette. While there are question-marks over Mesut Ozil possibly diving for the first goal, which came from the penalty spot, Aubameyang’s finish for the second was emphatic and showed why the club spent so much on him this January. Alexandre Lacazette then added the third with a second penalty, giving him a much-needed lift after a poor run of form and a spell out injured.

The good

Well, this is quite an achievement by Arsenal – 100 consecutive years in the top division of English football confirmed today, something no other team has ever managed.

The bad

Danny Welbeck was dreadful. Not good news for Gooners that this is the man tasked with leading the line for them in the Europa League for the rest of the season due to Aubameyang being cup-tied in Europe.

Quite astonishing how this man is still an Arsenal and England regular is beyond us, and he’s surely running out of chances to prove himself at the top level if he can make so little impact against a Stoke side as bad as this one that’s surely heading for relegation.

The weird

Remarkably, this was the first time Arsenal have managed two consecutive Premier League wins since all the way back in November.

Arsenal manager Arsene WengerArsene Wenger has finally managed two Arsenal league wins in a row

We know they’ve been bad, but that really is something else from Arsene Wenger’s side as their win today merely gives them a bit of breathing space ahead of Burnley creeping up behind them in 7th place. Arsenal fans will hope they can now end the season strongly and make a late fight for fourth, but it looks so unlikely that it’s no wonder Wenger rested a number of big names today to focus on the Europa League.