Oxford United 0-3 Arsenal: 3 talking points as Eddie Nketiah nets a brace

Arsenal secured their place in the FA Cup fourth round after a 3-0 win over Oxford United. Three second-half goals from Mohamed Elneny and Eddie Nketiah (x2) were enough for the Gunners on what was a difficult night.

Mikel Arteta made a few changes from the side that drew 0-0 with Newcastle last Tuesday as Matt Turner, Rob Holding, Takehiro Tomiyasu, Mohamed Elneny, Sambi Lokonga, and Fabio Viera all got their chance to impress.

The first half was as poor as Arsenal have been all year, as Oxford’s pressure and organisation rendered the Gunners rudderless for 45 minutes.

The visitors improved after the restart, though, and eventually broke the deadlock just after the hour. A free kick from Fabio Vieira found its way to Mohamed Elneny, who headed home from close range.

Eddie Nketiah doubled Arsenal’s lead minutes later as Vieira sent him through before the in-form striker rounded the keeper and slotted home. He soon added a third with a neat little dink and the Premier League leaders saw out the remaining minutes to cruise to a comfortable win that sometimes seemed a long way away.

Next in the FA Cup is the small matter of Pep Guardiola and Manchester City.

Oxford United 0-3 Arsenal: 3 talking points as Eddie Nketiah nets a brace

The game provided plenty of talking points; here they are.

1. Central midfield needs an upgrade

One of the most glaring things to come out of the game is something we knew already…the midfield needs reinforcements. While all the Mykhailo Mudryk talk has dominated the headlines, Arsenal’s midfield needs to add another body and a good one.

Without Thomas Partey, Granit Xhaka, and Martin Odegaard, Arsenal’s midfield looked like a shell of itself. Mohamed Elneny (his nice goal aside) and Sambi Lokonga simply aren’t the answer (Lokonga may be in due time), and it was evident that Arsenal needs to add another midfielder this January.

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