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29th Nov 2015

5 things learned from Arsenal’s 1-1 draw at Norwich

A costly draw for Arsene Wenger...

Simon Lloyd

Arsenal suffered a disappointing afternoon at Carrow Road, drawing 1-1 with Norwich.

While Arsene Wenger will surely look at the result as two points dropped, he will be equally frustrated to see two more key players pick up injuries.

Here are five things learned from the Carrow Road clash:

Koscielny’s injury will test Arsenal’s defence

The contributions of Mesut Ozil and Alexis Sanchez to the Arsenal cause are more obvious, but Laurent Koscielny’s worth was highlighted with Norwich’s first goal.

Norwich City v Arsenal - Premier League

After Koscielny had withdrawn through injury with barely ten minutes played, Gabriel was sent on in his place and was accountable for Lewis Grabban’s equaliser.

Failing to get goal side of the striker made the task of pulling the home side level considerably easier.

Grabban makes a case for more minutes

The season is yet to reach its halfway point, but the early signs are that Norwich are going to be embroiled in a relegation battle.

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With that in mind, offering more game time to Lewis Grabban wouldn’t be the worst idea in the world. The forgotten man showed great composure as he calmly turned and slotted home the home side’s equaliser just before the break.

More of this could be of use to Norwich in the months ahead.

Alexis Sanchez’s injury could put a huge dent in Arsenal’s season…

With the Chilean injuring his hamstring, Arsenal will head into a crunch Champions League clash in Greece without their best player.

Norwich City v Arsenal - Premier League

Domestically, with the busy Christmas period also on the horizon, Arsene Wenger’s men could find themselves losing ground in their title challenge.

… and it’s all Arsene Wenger’s fault.

Having expressed his concern over Alexis Sanchez’s hamstring earlier in the week, his decision to risk him is baffling.

The reaction of Arsenal supporters on Twitter spoke volumes.

Robbie Brady shines for Norwich

Although his side were relatively quiet throughout the first half, Robbie Brady’s quality was on show throughout the game.

His performance on the left caught the eye and was enough to earn him the Man of the Match award.

He offered threat going forward but nullified the impact of the visitors going forward down the right.

Norwich City v Arsenal - Premier League

If Norwich remain in the Premier League, Brady will almost certainly play a key role.