Arsenal break Barcelona-style curse as Vieira sends message to Arteta in FA Cup win at Oxford
Arsenal beat Oxford United away from home on their fifth claim on Monday night, putting them through to the FA Cup fourth round and ending the Ligue 1 side's unlikely feat of never losing at home to the Gunners - a claim also held by Barcelona. Having had to wait patiently for his opportunity, Fabio Vieira played a starring role at Kassam Stadium to send a message to manager Mikel Arteta.
Arteta may not have given too much thought to Arsenal's poor record at Oxford ahead of Monday's kick-off. The teams have met four times on the Yellows' turf over the years with a pair of draws between 1987 and 1988 preceded by a 3-0 hammering and a 3-2 defeat in the mid-1980s.
For much of the game, however, it looked like Oxford would continue their unlikely streak - one they share with Spanish giants Barcelona, which Arsenal never got the better of at the Camp Nou. But the Gunners found their groove after the hour mark with Mohamed Elneny's open header kicking off a wave of dominance that saw Arteta's side claim a comfortable victory.
Vieira sent a sumptuous through ball to the Egyptian and his through ball to Eddie Nketiah was equally incisive for the second of the night, as substitute striker Gabriel Jesus rounded the keeper to score.
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Nketiah was set up by Gabriel Martinelli a few minutes later before confidently returning the ball, but the surprise was certainly Vieira as he seized the opportunity to replace in-form captain Martin Odegaard of the two hands claiming two assists with some real quality moments.
Vieira was signed from Porto on a lucrative summer deal but his time at the Emirates has been somewhat disappointing so far, with Odegaard's blistering streak limiting him to just one Premier start League.
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The 22-year-old has still managed to produce results while feeding on scraps, contributing six goals in 17 games so far this season. He was even more effective for Porto last season with a huge tally of 14 assists in the Portuguese league, scoring six goals.
Odegaard's scintillating form, coupled with claiming the Arsenal armband, makes him virtually invincible under Arteta, with the Gunners pushing for a first Premier League title since 2003/04. Manchester City are trying to chase them away, while Monday's victory over Oxford sets up a tantalizing fourth-round clash with Pep Guardiola's side.
Vieira could be in line to start against City if Arteta is keen to save his most important players for Premier League action, but that may not be such a bad thing, with the former star 'Arsenal and England's Karen Carney among those praising the Portuguese after the final whistle.
"The delivery [for the first goal] is phenomenal," she told ITV. "All the defenders are petrified by it. You just got in the head. It's horrible because you, the keeper, can't get out. You can p...
Arsenal beat Oxford United away from home on their fifth claim on Monday night, putting them through to the FA Cup fourth round and ending the Ligue 1 side's unlikely feat of never losing at home to the Gunners - a claim also held by Barcelona. Having had to wait patiently for his opportunity, Fabio Vieira played a starring role at Kassam Stadium to send a message to manager Mikel Arteta.
Arteta may not have given too much thought to Arsenal's poor record at Oxford ahead of Monday's kick-off. The teams have met four times on the Yellows' turf over the years with a pair of draws between 1987 and 1988 preceded by a 3-0 hammering and a 3-2 defeat in the mid-1980s.
For much of the game, however, it looked like Oxford would continue their unlikely streak - one they share with Spanish giants Barcelona, which Arsenal never got the better of at the Camp Nou. But the Gunners found their groove after the hour mark with Mohamed Elneny's open header kicking off a wave of dominance that saw Arteta's side claim a comfortable victory.
Vieira sent a sumptuous through ball to the Egyptian and his through ball to Eddie Nketiah was equally incisive for the second of the night, as substitute striker Gabriel Jesus rounded the keeper to score.
RIGHT NOW:
Nketiah was set up by Gabriel Martinelli a few minutes later before confidently returning the ball, but the surprise was certainly Vieira as he seized the opportunity to replace in-form captain Martin Odegaard of the two hands claiming two assists with some real quality moments.
Vieira was signed from Porto on a lucrative summer deal but his time at the Emirates has been somewhat disappointing so far, with Odegaard's blistering streak limiting him to just one Premier start League.
NOT TO MISS...
READ MORE Rio Ferdinand can't contain the laughter as Partey compared to Casemiro
The 22-year-old has still managed to produce results while feeding on scraps, contributing six goals in 17 games so far this season. He was even more effective for Porto last season with a huge tally of 14 assists in the Portuguese league, scoring six goals.
Odegaard's scintillating form, coupled with claiming the Arsenal armband, makes him virtually invincible under Arteta, with the Gunners pushing for a first Premier League title since 2003/04. Manchester City are trying to chase them away, while Monday's victory over Oxford sets up a tantalizing fourth-round clash with Pep Guardiola's side.
Vieira could be in line to start against City if Arteta is keen to save his most important players for Premier League action, but that may not be such a bad thing, with the former star 'Arsenal and England's Karen Carney among those praising the Portuguese after the final whistle.
"The delivery [for the first goal] is phenomenal," she told ITV. "All the defenders are petrified by it. You just got in the head. It's horrible because you, the keeper, can't get out. You can p...
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