ARSENAL started life after Unai Emery with a 2-2 draw at Norwich in the Premier League on Sunday that extended the Gunners’ winless run to eight games in all competitions.

Arsenal fired manager Emery on Friday after the club’s worst run of results since 1992. The Gunners were without a win in their last seven matches following Thursday’s 2-1 home defeat to Eintracht Frankfurt in the Europa League.

Interim manager Freddie Ljungberg insisted he would try and put smiles on the faces of Arsenal fans again, but his team would have left Carrow Road with a defeat had the Canaries not wasted several opportunities in the second half.

Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang’s double three days after Emery’s departure did little to lift the mood, with this encounter highlighting the problems facing the club’s former midfielder in their fight for a top-four finish.

“I was proud and honored to be allowed to stand there on the touchline and lead this great club,” Ljungberg said, adding he thinks the top four is still a reasonable target.

Norwich manager Daniel Farke would have been proud of his side, but left with mixed emotions following an entertaining contest with VAR heavily involved.

Ljungberg made five changes to the team that lost to Eintracht Frankfurt on Thursday with Mesut Ozil and Alexandre Lacazette among those recalled.

Seemingly buoyed by the change, the Gunners dominated the opening exchanges and should have scored in the 10th minute, but Onel Hernandez denied Shkodran Mustafi a goal  with a clearance off the line.

Joe Willock, Lacazette and Calum Chambers had already wasted opportunities by this point and it felt like a matter of time before Arsenal turned their superiority into reward, but it was the hosts who struck against the run of play.

Hernandez won possession from Willock and found Kenny McLean, who waited for Teemu Pukki to make a run and the Finland striker duly delivered as his shot from 18 meters deflected in off Mustafi in the 21st minute.

Arsenal’s poor defending allowed Pukki too much time and the striker duly struck to end his run of eight games without a goal for the Canaries.

Meanwhile, Manchester United threw away a second-half lead to remain eight points outside the Premier League’s top four with a 2-2 draw at home to Aston Villa. A week after Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s men surrendered a late lead to draw 3-3 with Sheffield United, they did not learn their lesson as Tyrone Mings secured a deserved point for Villa.  (SD-Agencies)