Arsenal: Tomiyasu dominates Mo Salah

Are Arsenal again? It’s an unimaginable query to reply however the actual fact that’s even a dialog proper now’s a testomony to how far they’ve come.

The Gunners started final season with three straight defeats as they sunk to the underside of the Premier League desk. They ended the marketing campaign in a equally dismal vogue, failing to qualify for the Champions League.

The resurgence this time period, due to this fact, is quite exceptional. They might not be eating on the high desk of continental soccer however they give the impression of being each bit an elite workforce once more. They’ve misplaced simply once of their first 9 top-flight video games this season as they sit on the summit of the desk, forward of Mikel Arteta’s former employers, Manchester Metropolis.

Final weekend’s victory over Spurs was a landmark one, a win that informed us quite a bit concerning the course this facet have been heading in. Nonetheless, it was Sunday’s overcome Liverpool that was their boldest assertion but.

Jurgen Klopp’s facet might not be the beast they’ve been in current seasons however for onlookers to take Arsenal significantly this time period, they needed to beat among the finest within the division they usually have now executed that in successive league matches.

Arteta has had a vibrant and swashbuckling assault to thank for that, with Bukayo Saka and Gabriel Martinelli netting of their 3-2 win over the Anfield outfit at this time.

The latter was a rampant pressure on the Emirates, placing Trent Alexander-Arnold and certainly his defensive colleagues to the sword, with the north-London facet proving harmful with each assault.

But, these on the again additionally deserve an enormous quantity of reward, with Takehiro Tomiyasu notably spectacular.

Missing match health within the early weeks of the marketing campaign and forged apart to the bench amid Ben White’s emergence at right-back, he hadn’t started a Premier League match till at this time.

Able to enjoying at right-back, centre-back or as we discovered at this time, left-back, Tomiyasu is the definition of solidity and reliability.

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The Japanese defender was enjoying out of place this afternoon and had the unenviable job of marking Mohamed Salah. So good was Tomiyasu, nonetheless, that the Egyptian menace was introduced off by Klopp on 69 minutes.

That was full credit score to Arsenal’s quantity 18 who had pocketed him expertly on the left-hand facet of Arsenal’s defence.

He set the tone early within the first half when Salah tried to bop previous the 23-year-old on the sting of the world, just for him to cease him in his tracks, earlier than nonchalantly strolling away with possession.

Throughout the course of the sport, Salah’s affect was lacking with Tomiyasu successful a formidable seven defensive duels whereas having 66 touches.

The total-back, charged with enjoying on the left within the absence of Oleksandr Zinchenko, was rock stable as he made a whopping six clearances and three profitable tackles.

Technically proficient, he was most popular to Tierney for that very motive, with the Japanese star equally nearly as good on his left foot as he’s on his proper with the previous Bologna star expertly finishing up Arteta’s recreation plan.

It was his ambidexterity for which he was in comparison with the most effective on each ft within the fashionable recreation with soccer information scientist Tom Worville dubbing him “Cancelo-esque” for his capability to cross the ball.

This was a landmark victory for Arsenal and it was one which typified their new-found squad depth, in addition to their gritty nature. Simply how lengthy the Gunners will be capable to maintain this run is up for debate, however for now, a lot to the distaste of a sure Richard Keys, they have to have a good time simply how far they’ve come within the final 12 months.