Arsenal’s 9/10 star was “insane” vs Sporting

Crisis, what crisis? Arsenal backed up their impressive performance against Nottingham Forest on Saturday with a stunning victory away to Sporting CP in the Champions League last night.

The North Londoners found themselves 3-0 in the first half, and despite a slightly sticky patch early in the second, eventually ran out 5-1 winners.

Unsurprisingly, poster boy Bukayo Saka was at his exceptional best, but there was another starter who was just as good.

Saka’s performance in numbers

It’s become relatively simple in recent seasons: when Saka plays well, Arsenal play well, and that was certainly the case last night.

The Hale Ender was a constant threat off the right, providing a perfectly placed pass for Kai Havertz to double the team’s lead in the 22nd minute and putting away his penalty in the 65th to quell any concerns of a Sporting comeback.

It was a sublime display and one that impressed the Standard’s Simon Collings, who awarded him a 9/10 at full time and described him as ‘dangerous all night.’

It might sound hyperbolic, but it’s not, as, in 92 minutes of action, the 23-year-old dynamo scored, provided an assist, took two shots on target, produced 0.77 expected assists, took 65 touches, was accurate in 100% of his long balls, won two fouls and made two tackles.

Overall, Saka’s performance was sensational, but he wasn’t the only player who looked unreal on the right-hand side.

The Arsenal star who was as good as Saka

So, the good news for Arsenal is that there were several players who could claim to have been as good as Saka last night, but the one we are talking about is Jurrien Timber.

The Dutchman started at right-back for the second game in a row due to Ben White’s absence, and he was utterly superb.

The former Ajax star was more than capable in defence, playing a pivotal role in helping William Saliba deal with the incredibly dangerous Viktor Gyokeres, but he was also an incredibly useful attacking outlet.

Unsurprisingly, the talented international left quite an impression on the watching press, with The Athletic’s Aaron Catterson-Reid describing his display as “insane,” and Collings awarding him a 9/10 on the night.

Like the Gunners’ number seven, the Utrecht-born star’s statistics from the match were seriously impressive and backed up all the praise he’s received since.

In his 92 minutes of action, he produced an expected assists figure of 0.50, won four of six duels, took 84 touches, completed 93% of passes, was accurate in 100% of his crosses, made one clearance, two interceptions and one tackle, completed 100% of his dribbles and created one big chance.

It was a complete performance from the tremendously exciting defender and one that should leave White a little worried about his future place in the team.

Ultimately, Saka will get the majority of attention due to his goal and assist, but fans should not overlook or forget the special display from Timber.