Mikel Arteta has backed Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang to escape his recent troubles and fire back into top goal-scoring form.

Captain Aubameyang slotted home his first goal in six matches as 10-man Arsenal snatched a 1-1 Premier League draw with Southampton at the Emirates Stadium on Wednesday night.

The 31-year-old started the process of atoning for Sunday’s own goal in the wretched 1-0 home loss to Burnley by finishing in style against Saints.

And now Gunners boss Arteta has tipped the Gabon hitman to get back to his best, now the weight of his drought has been lifted.

“Hopefully this unlocks him a little bit, because he’s a player that needs that moment,” said Arteta.

“And hopefully things will change now. Hopefully it’s going to change everything dramatically and he’s going to start scoring every game.

“Because this is what we need at the moment. We need to score a lot more goals.