Three things Arsenal learned from late win over Cardiff City

Arsenal’s Czech goalkeeper Petr Cech applauds supporters on the pitch after the English Premier League football match between between Cardiff City and Arsenal at Cardiff City Stadium in Cardiff, south Wales on September 2, 2018. – Arsenal won the game 3-2. (Photo by Geoff CADDICK / AFP)

Arsenal can take immense pride in picking up their first away points of the season, but which lessons did they learn?

It was a cagey affair in Wales, but in the end, Arsenal took all three points. Goals from Shkodran Mustafi, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Alexandre Lacazzette got them across the line.

Having discussed how the individuals fared in this match, which lessons can Arsenal take?

Petr Cech is better with his hands.

Petr Cech has received a number of critiques regarding his distribution lately, and rightly so. Whenever the ball comes to him, there is a collective round of silence from the Arsenal supporters as they know there’s a very high chance possession will be lost in a costly area.

He cannot play it out from the back, it’s as simple as that. He holds the legacy for being one of the best in the game in his prime, but it’s no lie that he’s beginning to deteriorate.

However, he does look a lot better when he is distributing the ball using his arms. Obviously this can’t always be the case, but it’s certainly a positive to take. There was a moment in which Cech set Ozil and Lacazette free on the break, by throwing the ball out from a congested Arsenal area.

If he can utilize this to the best of his ability, then the decision to start him ahead of Leno will be justified. He’s a smart player, and he’s under the wing of a smart manager, so I can only assume he will learn from this.