Aubameyang leads Arsenal charge as Dani Ceballos steps up amid Guendouzi exile

Arsenal made it three wins on the spin as they defeated Norwich City to boost their hopes of qualifying for Europe.

The Gunners kicked off football’s return last month by losing to Manchester City and Brighton, but they have since turned their form around.

After beating Southampton and, then Sheffield United in the FA Cup, they defeated Norwich 4-0 at Emirates Stadium.

Two goals from Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, and one each from Granit Xhaka and debutant Cedric Soares, completed the victory as Arsenal enjoyed a comfortably evening’s work against the Canaries.

The win pushes Arsenal up to seventh in the Premier League, and here Standard Sport takes a look at some of the talking points from the victory.

Aubameyang makes history with 50th Premier League goal

A bit like Arsenal, Aubameyang has been slow to get going since the Premier League returned last month.

The forward, however, got back into his stride against Norwich as he bagged two goals and an assist in the victory.

The first goal was Aubameyang’s 50th in the Premier League and, after doing so in 79 games, he becomes the fastest player to reach that landmark for Arsenal.

That is no mean feat when you consider the players he has beaten to that tally, such as Alexis Sanchez, Robin van Persie and Thierry Henry.

Aubameyang has done it quicker than all of them and his performance against Norwich was a reminder of his value to this Arsenal team.

First he opened the scoring in the 33rd minute by pressing goalkeeper Tim Krul into a mistake and then he laid on Xhaka for the second moments later - before finding the net again in the second-half for his 51st Premier League goal.

Bukayo Saka was tied down to a new contract on Wednesday and, with one year left on his, Arsenal fans will be praying they can agree fresh terms with Aubameyang too.

Ceballos gives best performance since home debut

After Dani Ceballos’ home debut against Burnley back in August, Arsenal fans couldn’t wait to see what the midfielder would do this season.

Sadly, he has struggled with injury and form but, against Norwich, he was able to strut his stuff

Ceballos was at the heart of everything for Arsenal, particularly in the first-half, as he skipped past Norwich defenders for fun.

His passing was on point too and, had Alexandre Lacazette had his scoring boots on, the Spaniard could have nabbed himself an assist or two.

Mikel Arteta has recently spoken of his admiration for Ceballos, who was struggling with injury when he took charge of the side.

The midfielder has fought back and become a regular, and it is a shame that his best performances are seemingly coming as he prepares to leave north London.

The 23-year-old’s loan deal is due to expire at the end of the current campaign and he is set to head back to Real Madrid.

A month ago, Arsenal fans would have perhaps not been too sad to see Ceballos depart - but this performance against Norwich was a reminder of the talent he has.

Guendouzi exile continues as Arteta shows no sign of backing down

Matteo Guendouzi may have escaped a three-match ban from the FA for his altercation with Brighton striker Neal Maupay last month, but he has now endured one anyway.

Since that defeat on the south coast, Arteta has left Guendouzi out of Arsenal’s match-day squads and that happened again for the third time in a row here against Norwich.

It has been a telling few games and a clear indication of how Arteta is not afraid to leave someone out if they don’t - as he says - “jump on the boat”.

The Frenchman’s exile appears to show no signs of ending too as Arteta said before kick-off on Wednesday: “The situation hasn't changed.”

When asked to clarify what the situation is, the Spaniard simply replied: “The same as it was last week.”

All of that paints an uncertain picture of Guendouzi’s future and, the longer he is left out, the harder his route back into the team seems.