Aaron Ramsey's Explosive Effort vs. Sunderland a Sign of Things to Come

Aaron Ramsey's explosive two-goal performance against Sunderland on Saturday couldn't have come at a better time for Arsenal, who were able to come away from Stadium of Light with three monumental points that lift them to the top of the Premier League table with four matches in the books.

But even better news for Gunners supporters, the Man of the Match's remarkable effort appears to be a sign of things to come.

Ramsey now has five goals and an assist in six appearances with Arsenal in all competitions this season. That's awfully impressive considering that last season he finished with just two goals and five assists in 47 appearances in all competitions. 

Prior to 2013-14, Ramsey had never scored more than four goals in a single campaign.

But despite his lack of scoring output in recent years, the 22-year-old Ramsey's incredible play shouldn't come as that much of a surprise. After all, Arsene Wenger and Arsenal clearly saw loads of potential in the Welshman to sign him from Cardiff City five years ago at the age of 17.

And now, with more than 150 career appearances with Arsenal under his belt, Ramsey looks settled and is striking the ball with total confidence. That was evident in Saturday's 3-1 win over the Black Cats. After putting the Gunners ahead in the 67th minute, Ramsey struck again less than 10 minutes later, making the most of Olivier Giroud's first-time pass.

That sort of production and fearlessness will make Wenger look like a genius for playing him up top with Giroud and Theo Walcott. 

Coming into Saturday's match with Sunderland, Ramsey had an average Premier League match rating of 7.4, according to WhoScored.com. That number is up to 7.9 following his effort on Saturday, which was good enough to earn him a near-flawless 9.4 rating. 

It would be unrealistic to expect Ramsey to keep up his current pace. But he has obviously taken the next step in his career and is ready to take on a major role with the Gunners.

With so much potential and time ahead of him, Ramsey's fast start in 2013 and memorable two-goal performance against Sunderland are only signs of more positive things to come.

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