After the stress of Thursday night's draw in west London, Arsenal returned to winning ways in the FA Cup on Sunday evening, confidently dispatching League One Wigan Athletic.
The Latics may well be previous winners of the competition, but their stock has fallen considerably in recent years. Engulfed in a relegation battle, sat 22nd in the third tier, they were no match for Mikel Arteta's side, who put them to the sword in the first half.
Norgaard-Martinelli-Saka-Madueke
Arsenal scored all four of their goals in the 4-0 win in the opening half of the game but that didn't tell the full story. Indeed, it could quite easily have been six or seven for the Gunners.
While these games may not always provide plenty of talking points, it did give Arteta an opportunity to experiment and he will no doubt have been pleased with the results.
How Arsenal defeated Wigan in the FA Cup
With Arsenal still fighting on four fronts, they haven't had many games where they can take it a bit easier than normal. Well, against Wigan, they were certainly able to do so.
Their first half was particularly dominant as the Gunners carved open their EFL opposition at will. One of the stars of the show was Eberechi Eze who bounced back from a particularly tricky night on an individual note against Brentford in midweek.
Eze-Arsenal-Wigan
Eze was dragged off at half-time in that one having failed to stamp his authority on proceedings, but he was exceptional this time around, delivering one of his finest performances in the famous red and white to date.
Within the opening 18 minutes of the match, he already had two assists to show for his efforts, acting as the supply line for first Noni Madueke and then Gabriel Martinelli.
The first assist, in particular, was a moment of magic, turning and then spotting the run of Madueke from out to in. It was a lovely ball in behind and the winger couldn't miss.
The second saw him slip in Martinelli and while the Brazilian still had a bit to do, he finished brilliantly on his left foot past Sam Tickle in the Wigan goal.
An own goal from Jack Hunt and a tidy finish from Gabriel Jesus finished the rout but Eze was not the only talking point. Bukayo Saka has to be another.
The number 7 has struggled with form and with injury this term, notably criticised for a relatively anonymous display when he came on as a sub against Brentford. Well, due to an injury to Riccardo Calafiori, it meant that Myles Lewis-Skelly - who was initially pencilled in to play as a midfielder - had to move to left-back. As a result, Saka played as one of the two 10s alongside Eze and it worked superbly well.
Saka-Madueke-Arsenal
The club's starboy only played the first 45 minutes but in that time, completed 17 carries, was fouled three times, registered two shots and made a key pass. It was only Wigan, but he looked like he was born to play in a more central role.
So, while Eze and Saka staked their own claims, it was a player further back in the team who took home the player of the match award.
Arsenal's man of the match vs Wigan
Eze will rightfully take a lot of the plaudits, but the lesser-spotted Christian Norgaard also deserves his flowers.
Speaking after the game, the Dane simply said that there "has been no frustrations on my side." Now, it would have been rather easy for him to act a little disgruntled.
After all, since signing for Arsenal, the 31-year-old has barely kicked a ball. He's not started a single Premier League game, has only played 13 times in all competitions and has managed just 679 minutes.
That said, he is the definition of a model professional and when called upon this season, has not put a foot wrong. His display against Wigan was his finest for the club to date.
Madueke-Norgaard-Arsenal
Ending the game in central defence, he spent most of the match at the base of the midfield and put in a display that fellow summer signing Martin Zubimendi would be proud of.
The Spaniard has been exceptional since arriving from Real Sociedad, so much so that Norgaard hasn't had a look in. Yet, the Denmark international has more than proven he deserves more minutes after this outing.
Norgaard vs Wigan
Minutes played
Touches
Accurate passes
Key passes
Assists
Fouled
Carries
Total progression
Tackles
Interceptions
Clearances
Recoveries
Ground duels won
Aerial duels won
He kept things ticking over nicely in front of the defence and there was immense precision to the way he spread passes around. Think of Granit Xhaka or Declan Rice. His performance was echoes of both of them.
Like Xhaka in his prime, he was spreading balls about with such ease, notably picking up the assist for Jesus' goal. He clipped the ball over the top into the Brazilian, who did the rest. There were countless occasions in which he played a diagonal ball out wide, completing seven of his nine long balls.
Like Rice, he was particularly composed and acted as a steady building block. He had as many as 109 touches. No player on either side had more than him. He also completed 84 passes at a completion rate of 89%. Not only that but the former Brentford man was no-nonsense with his attitude to defending.
Similar to Arsenal's club-record signing, he was a bully in the middle of the park, winning seven of his nine duels. Yes, this may only have been against League One opposition but there was something so complete, so simple about Norgaard's performance on Saturday.
Norgaard-Martinelli-Arsenal
Aged 31, he knows his game inside out and that is so refreshing for a team that, lest we forget, is still a very young one. He's playing the Jorginho role to perfection but he's more than that. Zubimendi, watch out, your place may not be safe for much longer. Norgaard looked undroppable out there.
Mikel Arteta manager of Arsenal during the Premier League match Brentford vs Arsenal Related
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