Alexandre Lacazette Leads Arsenal to Nervy Win vs. Huddersfield

Arsenal won their first away match in the Premier League since November on Saturday as they beat Huddersfield Town 2-1 at the John Smith's Stadium.

Alex Iwobi broke the deadlock in the 16th minute to hand Arsenal a deserved early lead when he volleyed in Sead Kolasinac's cross via a deflection off Terence Kongolo.

The Terriers were unfortunate not to be awarded a penalty 10 minutes later as they responded well to going behind, when Laurent Koscielny blocked Jason Puncheon's shot with his arm.

Alexandre Lacazette doubled Arsenal's lead against the run of play a minute before the break when he turned home Ainsley Maitland-Niles' cross at the back post.

Adama Diakhaby should have pulled one back early in the second half but shot straight at Bernd Leno, who also made a fine stop to keep him out later on.

Laurent Depoitre fired narrowly wide and Erik Durm saw an effort cleared off the line by Nacho Monreal as the hosts pushed for a way back into the contest.

Huddersfield were eventually rewarded when Kolasinac turned in a shot from Diakhaby in injury time. They are now winless in 14 league matches in a run stretching back to November, and they've lost 13 of them.

Iwobi's Class Crucial to Injury-Plagued Gunners' Champions League Hopes

Iwobi is often maligned by some sections of Arsenal supporters, but they had him to thank for opening the scoring on Saturday.

Having fired into the side netting minutes before, the 22-year-old made amends with his opener, which proved to be vital to the Gunners' victory.

With Arsenal having lost Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Mesut Ozil to illness, Iwobi was the one to step up:

He showed flashes of good chemistry with Lacazette, too, including a backheel to slip the Frenchman through before the Terriers snuffed out the danger.

The winger also applied a fine finish after latching on to a pass from Mkhitaryan, but he was perhaps unfortunate to see the linesman's flag raised, per Arsenal reporter Layth Yousif:

In a match that was largely dominated by the hosts, particularly in the second half, the Gunners' early lead proved invaluable in securing a much-needed three points.

Arsenal remain in sixth, but they're level with Chelsea before the Blues travel to Manchester City on Sunday and they're still in touch with Manchester United, who are one point ahead after their 3-0 victory over Fulham.

The Gunners are still the outsiders in the race to finish in the top four, but when the likes of Aubameyang are absent, contributions such as Iwobi's on Saturday are crucial to keeping their hopes alive.

What's Next

Huddersfield travel to Newcastle United in the Premier League on February 23, while Arsenal host Southampton the following day. The Gunners will be in Europa League action before then, though, with back-to-back Thursday night matches against BATE Borisov in the competition's round of 32.   

This article will be updated to provide more information soon.

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