Arsenal put their name in the hat for the FA Cup fourth-round draw with a 2-1 victory over Preston North End on Saturday afternoon, although the route to victory was certainly not as comfortable as the Gunners would have hoped.

With the Championship side taking the lead just seven minutes into the game, and having numerous chances to extend their lead in the first-half, Arsenal responded after the break with goals from Aaron Ramsey and Olivier Giroud.

The performance was far from vintage for Arsene Wenger's side but the Gunners will take credit for the fact they've battled back to secure a positive result once again, having trailed Bournemouth 3-0 last week before securing a draw.

Arsenal have plenty to work on in the months ahead and we've cast an analytical eye back over the match to identify five things we learned from the Gunners performance.

Ramsey pushing for more football

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It wasn't the best performance from Arsenal's Welsh midfielder, who was heavily criticised for his poor performance in the first-half, but Aaron Ramsey responded early in the second-half with a great strike to pull Arsenal level.

Ramsey's effort was his first goal of the season and Arsenal will be hoping he can push-on to return to his best form, in a month where Santi Cazorla remains unavailable and Mohamed Elneny is busy with the African Cup of Nations.

Defensive worries continue

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Arsenal's defence was woeful against Bournemouth last week and they showed no signs of improvement against Championship outfit Preston, with mistakes allowing the Lancashire side to take the lead and see numerous opportunities to extend their advantage.

Arsene Wenger's side will be really concerned with their performances at the back and the fans will too, especially with Bayern Munich awaiting at the Allianz Arena next month when the Gunners return to Champions League football.

Welbeck returns

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Making his first appearance since May, Danny Welbeck returned to the first-team today off the bench after overcoming his latest injury problem. It's a bit of a cliche but Welbeck could really be like a new signing in the months ahead, providing a boost to the Gunners' attack.

Now boasting in-form options of Alexis Sanchez, Olivier Giroud and Lucas Perez, Danny Welbeck will have his work cut-out to push his way into the starting line-up but Giroud has done similar in recent weeks, so there is an opening for the English striker.

Deadly Giroud strikes again

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After putting Bournemouth to the sword, scoring a late equaliser and contributing with two assists, Olivier Giroud was the man of the moment once again against Preston as he netted the winning goal just minutes from the final whistle.

In this form, there's no chance Giroud will be dropped for the matches ahead and it gives Arsene Wenger a nice problem to have. Alexis Sanchez has been sensational this season but is likely to have to contend with playing on the wing once again.

Wenger's impeccable record

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Having fought back to a victory, Arsene Wenger continued his perfect record in the FA Cup third-round and extended his record to 21 successful safe passages through to the next round of the competition- which is extremely impressive.

Arsenal will definitely want more in the months ahead, especially in this competition, and have the credentials to go all the way to Wembley once again.