Thomas Partey and Emile Smith Rowe are providing Arsenal the fast, forward-thinking football they need

Granit Xhaka has developed an unfortunate habit in recent weeks. The Arsenal midfielder will receive the ball in space, in the centre of the pitch, and look up. Ahead of him are forward runners, with the likes of Bukayo Saka and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang looking to dart into the space behind the opposition defence.

Xhaka will look at them, spot the run, and then turn around. The ball is instead shuffled backwards or sideways, and Xhaka will respond by instantly holding up a hand of apology to his forwards. He is showing them that he saw the run, but also saying sorry for not playing the pass they wanted.

This happened multiple times against Brighton last month, and it happened again against Newcastle United on Monday night. Instead of speeding up the play in these moments, Arsenal are instead slowing it down. Mohamed Elneny has been just as guilty of this in recent weeks as Xhaka, who has been otherwise superb since his return to the side.

What a contrast it was, then, to see Thomas Partey spraying long passes forward against Newcastle. How refreshing it was to see Emile Smith Rowe receive possession on the turn and instantly think about how to move up the pitch, rather than taking the safe option and playing it back.

Forward-thinking, forward-passing. Partey and Smith Rowe set the tone for Mikel Arteta’s side on Monday night, providing the service that allowed Aubameyang and Saka to cause chaos in the final third.

Of course, this is not to say that Xhaka and David Luiz should be launching balls over the top at every opportunity. Arteta would not stand for that, as he has coached this side meticulously in the art of building up attacks from deep. Indeed, it is no wonder so many of Arsenal’s players like to “reset” with the ball, because they have been made so comfortable in those build-up moments by months of careful work on the training ground.

But clearly there are also times to play fast, to try to hurt teams as quickly as possible. Smith Rowe has brought that to the side in recent weeks, providing a far more adventurous option than the ponderous Willian, and Partey led the way in this regard against Newcastle.

Not even 10 minutes had passed when Partey unleashed the first of these raking passes into the path of Aubameyang on the left wing. Another one soon dropped at the toes of Smith Rowe, and there was one more before Aubameyang finally made one count shortly after half-time, racing onto Partey’s delivery and spanking home a fine finish.

Partey is better known for his defensive work in midfield but Arsenal have signed him with his progressive passing in mind, too. The great shame for Arteta is that he has been so rarely available this season, but this victory provided further evidence to suggest he could change the entire dynamic of the side.

“We have been missing Tommy and he has this presence, this aura, that makes him a special player for us,” said Arteta. “Hopefully we can keep him fit because we can all see the difference he makes to the side.”

Asked about Partey’s freedom to express himself in possession, Arteta added: “He can do that. Technically he is more than capable of doing that and he’s great in both transition moments as well. He has all the characteristics that we need to make us better, that’s for sure.

“His dynamism, his physicality, his creativity and the presence that nature has given him. You have that person on the pitch and you are able to dominate a game when it is needed and Thomas has this quality.”

And what of Smith Rowe? This may have been against desperately poor opposition but no player created more chances than the 20-year-old who has been dubbed the ‘Croydon De Bruyne’. That nickname is catching on: in a social media post after the game, Saka said “thanks for the assist Kevin”.

In all competitions this season, Smith Rowe has registered five assists and two goals in 10 appearances. No other Arsenal player has more than three assists. He is providing the creativity that Willian was expected to bring to the side, in a position where Mesut Ozil (so close to finalising his move Fenerbahce) once dominated.

Inevitably, there will be dips for Smith Rowe and Saka, and Partey is not yet at full fitness. But they showed on Monday that they are capable, when the time comes, of moving Arsenal through the gears. It was fast football and forward football, and it was another sign of progress for a team that seems to be building momentum.