Whisper it quietly, but it might not be all doom and gloom at Arsenal.
While many seem to be revelling in the Gunners’ struggles this season and writing off their chances of being able to compete for the top honours in the near future, there are some reasons to be positive in the red side of north London.
One of those is Nicolas Pepe. The club record signing may have had a slow start to life at Arsenal, but there are growing signs that the £72 million man is really starting to find his feet and we saw that once again at Sheffield United on Sunday afternoon as he helped fire Mikel Arteta’s side into the FA Cup semi-finals with a 2-1 win at Bramall Lane.
Pepe was excellent, especially in the first half when he led the home side a merry dance down the right-hand side and looked a threat every time he got the ball.
He scored one, from the penalty spot, forced Dean Henderson into a fine stop soon after and fired another effort inches past the post after being picked out by the impressive Kieran Tierney, another player who should provide genuine optimism for the future.
Both Pepe and Tierney arrived last summer and have endured a turbulent first 12 months to their Arsenal careers.
They’ve had three different coaches already and Tierney has been limited to just 14 appearances due to injury. Pepe, meanwhile, has had his lofty price tag to deal with and the expectation that has brought with it. But both are now showing they could be key components of Mikel Arteta’s new look Arsenal.
Pepe’s goal this afternoon was his 16th direct goal involvement of the season, only Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (21) has more for Arsenal. The Ivory Coast winger has scored eight and set up eight, with seven of those goal involvements coming since the turn of the year.
He may not have hit the heights many were perhaps expecting following his big money move from Lille last summer, but his numbers show that he is improving and could be a major player for Arsenal next season.
And in the short-term, he could also be key to Arteta getting his hands on some silverware during his first season in charge at the Emirates because Sunday’s win at Bramall Lane ensures that is still a possibility.
The Gunners have now joined Manchester United in the hat for the FA Cup semi-finals and will be heading to Wembley next month.
Just like at Southampton in midweek, it wasn’t pretty at times but they got the job done, albeit after appearing to undo all their hard work when some comical defending allowed David McGoldrick to cancel out Pepe’s first-half opener with just four minutes remaining.
But the way Arteta’s side responded to the equaliser deserves real credit. Instead of feeling sorry for themselves, they went straight down the pitch and restored their lead through Dani Ceballos, who had replaced Joe Willock 20 minutes earlier.
The Spaniard’s smart finish from a tight angle came two minutes into stoppage time and arrived after some excellent play between academy products Bukayo Saka and Eddie Nketiah on the counter attack.
For Sheffield United, there was no way back. For Arsenal, it was another step forward and in a season that has seemingly lurched from one disaster to another, they now have a 29th FA Cup semi-final to look forward to.