Goals from Alexandre Lacazette, Alexis Sanchez and Mesut Ozil and a brace from Olivier Giroud wrap up easy win for the Gunners at the Emirates
NORMAL service has been resumed at the Emirates. Arsenal are back where they belong.
Fourth.
OK, so they are not going to win the League, or even get that close to the leaders for that matter.
But at least they are seeing off the lesser lights of the Premier League once again while reclaiming local bragging rights over stuttering Spurs.
A devastating second-half goal was more than enough to keep the Gunners in their cosy comfort zone on the outer fringes of the title race.
Now they have the chance to show that this time they really mean business when Manchester United come calling this weekend.
Arsene Wenger now how has more help than he knows what to do with following the appointment of Raul Sanllehei as head of football relations this week.
The Spaniard joins the club’s recently appointed head of recruitment, director of high performance and contract negotiator in Wenger’s backroom team.
But it’s the old fella himself who still makes all the big decisions. And he’s not going to give up any of that power in a hurry.
Wenger had hinted that this week’s three games in the space of seven days would be the opportunity for his fringe players to finally get some Premier League action under their belts.
Yet Jack Wilshere, Olivier Giroud, Danny Welbeck and Francis Coquelin were still stuck on the bench as the manager stuck with his tried and trusted starting line-up.
And it is a fair bet that none of them will be in the starting line-up against United on Saurday evening.
The only change to the team which had won at Burnley on Sunday was the return of Mesut Ozil from the mystery illness which had suddenly laid him low on the eve of the trip to Turf Moor.
Huddersfield boss David Wagner made six alterations to the team which had run itself into the ground chasing shadows against Manchester City at the weekend.
But it didn’t make a scrap of difference as they were ripped apart by Arsenal’s first attack of the evening to leave them with a mountain to climb.
Granit Xhaka’s third minute pass forward was flicked on by Aaron Ramsey to send Alexandre Lacazette clear of Wagner’s experimental defence for his seventh goal in an Arsenal shirt.
The £54million Frenchman has been a bit of a slow burner since becoming the club’s record signing in the summer but is gradually starting to look the part as he acclimatises to the pace of the English game.
What a pity that the Emirates was still half empty when Lacazette stamped his authority on proceedings so early on.
INTERACTIVE STATS - CLICK on the categories to find out how the teams fared
You would think that the Arsenal supporters would be a bit more enthusiastic to watch their team considering they have now won 12 in a row at home in the Premier League.
Yet the only noise was generated by the visiting Town fans who were relishing the first League meeting between these teams since 1972.
They had travelled in hope more than expectation considering their team had not scored away from home since their opening day victory at Crystal Palace.
And there was little to suggest that they were about to break that seven-match drought as they struggled to break out of their own half for any length of time.
It was a good job for Huddersfield that their hosts were in such a generous mood, regularly surrendering possession at the drop of a hat.
Sead Kolasinac should have put the game beyond reach in the 33rd minute but somehow contrived to shoot over from a yard out after Lacazzette’s clever chip had been hooked out from under his own bar by Martin Cranie.
It summed up Arsenal’s lackadaisical approach that they simply shrugged their shoulders at such sloppiness and continued to look for the Hollywood pass.
And they could have paid the price for their arrogance when Colin Quaner was allowed a free run at goal just before the half-time interval.
But the German never looked convincing as he bore down on Petr Cech and a poor touch allowed Laurent Koscielny enough time to get back to make a crucial block.
INTERACTIVE LINE-UPS– CLICK on a player’s number below to see their stats
Quaner had another go shortly after the break and at least he was able to test Cech’s reflxes this time with a slow shot which the Arsenal keeper saved with an outstretched leg.
There was another let-off for Arsenal when Steve Mounie’s shot ballooned up off Nacho Monreal and Cech shovelled the ball against the bar as he struggled to make his ground.
But Huddersfield’s hopes were firmly crushed midway through the second-half by a magnificent burst of three Arsenal goals in the space of four minutes.
Olivier Giroud, on as a half-time replacement for Lacazette, started the landslide when he finished off a breath-taking exchange of passes between Ozil, Kolasinac and Alexis Sanchez.
Sanchez turned from provider to finisher seconds later when he buried another peach of a delivery from Ozil.
So it was fitting that the German playmaker who still divides opinion after five seasons at the Emirates should have the final word when he raced on to Aaron Ramsey’s through ball to shoot beyond the advancing Jonas Lossl.
But Arsenal were still not finished and with Huddersfield begging for the final whistle Giroud struck again following more good approach work from Kolasinac.
