The ball was in the back of the Canaries’ net after just six minutes thanks to the industrious Saka, who finished off a quick move with a strike into the bottom left corner after Ozan Kabak sloppily gave away possession in his half. Norwich’s efforts to gain some control to tensions boiling over, after challenges on Gabriel Martinelli and Brandon Williams at either end, but the ‘Gunners’ had the last laugh in the first half. Angus Gunn, who was making his first league start since rejoining Norwich, was unable to keep out another low shot across his goal, this time from Tierney.
Mikel Arteta’s side was in complete command, and Martinelli thought he had added another with an audacious close-range chip on the hour mark, only to be pulled back for offside. The third eventually came through Saka, beating Williams before cutting inside from the wing and firing an almost complete replica of his first goal past Gunn – this time further out from the edge of the box.
Lacazette added a fourth from the spot after Kabak clumsily brought down the striker in the box, and Smith-Rowe then came off the bench to stab home a fifth for good measure. It was the latest instalment in a very rich vein of form for the English starlet, who has now averaged a Premier League goal every 29 minutes since the start of December.
Though unable to go higher than fourth in the standings tonight, Arsenal continues their continues under Arteta after taking a comfortable three points. In addition, the ‘Gunners’ remain unbeaten against Norwich since October 2012, and this latest extension of that run leaves the depleted East Anglians rooted to the foot of the table.
