Arsenal’s midfield came in for a lot of stick against Liverpool so it was encouraging to see Aaron Ramsey put in a man-of-the-match performance against Chelsea on Sunday.

Facing up against Cesc Fabregas in the middle of the park, Ramsey could have struggled to contain the Spaniard, and Stewart Robson told ESPN FC that the Welshman eventually got the better of the playmaker, reports the Express.

“After (a poor start), Aaron Ramsey started to dominate him. He got tight to him, he stopped him playing forward passes. When he won possession, he got at the weakness of Fabregas. He started to run behind him, he had one great run where he hit the post.

“Those two Arsenal central midfield players, Xhaka and Ramsey, were absolutely brilliant. They were more disciplined than they ever have been and I thought they were outstanding. Only once did Ramsey when he broke forward allow Xhaka to be outnumbered.”

This is exactly what Arsenal fans want to hear about the central-midfield pair. I believe most supporters know by now that Ramsey and Xhaka can be deadly against inferior opposition, with Xhaka’s ability to play an inch-perfect pass and Ramsey’s dynamism.

But against the big sides, I feel they just seem to get caught out and forced into mistakes too often. If the duo can find a way to play against the bigger sides, like they did on Sunday, they could become much stronger candidates to hold down the positions permanently.

It’s just one game, however. Ramsey and Xhaka need to continue such form over the course of the season before we can consider them having turned a corner.