Alexis Sanchez Shows the Individual Brilliance to Make Arsenal Title Contenders

EMIRATES STADIUM, London — In the first eight games of Arsenal’s season, Alexis Sanchez could not buy a goal. However, he has since found his form in spectacular fashion.

His last three appearances have brought six goals, and he seems to have returned to the level that made him Arsenal’s Player of the Season in 2014/15.

If he can maintain this for the majority of the season, he could propel the Gunners to the latter stages of the Premier League title race.

The win over Manchester United was, undoubtedly, a thrilling team performance. Arsene Wenger, ever a fan of cohesive team play, was eager to make that point in his post-match press conference.

He told Arsenal's official website: "The group is very united and very strong … and from goalkeeper to No. 9, everybody played very well, which is what you want. Everybody was very good today."

He’s right. Arsenal were brilliant from back to front. Although it was the attacking verve of their first-half display that caught the eye, the Gunners were also grateful to Petr Cech for a series of impressive saves.

There wasn’t a single position in which an Arsenal player offered anything less than an excellent performance.

However, there was one man who stood out over his team-mates. He upstaged even Theo Walcott, who terrorised the United defence with his speed and surprising work rate. He even eclipsed the club’s record signing, Mesut Ozil, who created one goal then scored another to effectively settle the game inside the first 10 minutes.

In a star-laden Arsenal XI, it was Alexis who shone the brightest. If it was a refreshing surprise to see Ozil thrive on the big stage, it was no shock that Alexis flourished in a high-pressure encounter. The Chilean is not daunted by the spotlight. He’s an extrovert who prospers when the pressure is on.

His mark was left all over this match. It was he who opened the scoring, producing an outrageous back-flick to beat David De Gea at his near post. To attempt something like that in a game of this magnitude shows his confidence and courage. To pull it off demonstrates his technical mastery.

A similar piece of impudent skill provided a key moment in the build-up to the second goal. And it was he who added the third, thumping home from the edge of the box after another. De Gea is, arguably, the league’s best goalkeeper, and yet there was nothing he could do to prevent this stunning strike.

Yes, this was a brilliant collective performance, but it was Alexis’ ruthless efficiency that turned this from a victory to a comprehensive trouncing.

Alexis showed the same kind of brilliance that saw Luis Suarez push Liverpool to the brink of the title a couple of years ago. Like Suarez, the 26-year-old is more than a mere forward; He is a talisman and a game-breaker.

Championship-winning teams are often inspired by the feats of one individual—Arsenal’s last two title-winning teams were given their edge by Thierry Henry. Last season’s Premier League winners came to rely upon the wizardry of Eden Hazard, and the dip in his form is certainly a large part in Chelsea’s subsequent decline.

Alexis has the talent and temperament to be Henry’s successor. If the rest of the side continue to support him as they did against United, he can be the difference-maker. Alexis’ gifts deserve to be rewarded with Premier League success.

The United win is a template for how the Gunners must proceed from this point. Wenger’s supporting cast must provide their leading man with the platform his genius warrants.

 

James McNicholas is Bleacher Report's lead Arsenal correspondent and is following the club from a London base throughout 2015/16. Follow him on Twitter here.