Sky Sports pundit Gary Neville said that William Saliba was absolutely outstanding as Arsenal secured a hard-fought Premier League draw against Manchester City at the Etihad Stadium on Sunday.
Arsenal went into the game needing a win to return to the top of the table following Liverpool’s 2-1 victory over Brighton & Hove Albion earlier in the day. However, they could not get the result due to Man City’s relentless high pressing over 90 minutes.
They still managed to pick up a point from the contest, thereby ending their poor run at the stadium since 2017. Saliba was adjudged the man of the match by Neville, having won an impressive 7 duels and retained possession on 8 occasions for Arsenal.
He told Sky Sports: “Saliba has been absolutely outstanding, a giant on the pitch. A special mention to Gabriel as well, who wasn’t far behind in his performance. But this has answered the question of how much Saliba was missed last season.”
The Gunners had the chance to make a statement with a win over City away from home. They created a few scoring opportunities through Gabriel Jesus while Leandro Trossard almost found a late winner from a counter-attack.
Despite the 0-0 draw, manager Mikel Arteta should be delighted with the defensive resilience shown by his team. They have picked up 4 points against City in the top-flight this season, having managed none in the last 6 campaigns.
This is a huge progress for a young side aiming to challenge for the English top-flight title. Their destiny is no longer in their hands with Liverpool now top of the standings with a 2-point lead after their close win over Brighton.
However, there are still 9 games to play in the season and there could be plenty of twists and turns to come. Arsenal will entertain Luton Town at the Emirates Stadium in their next league game on Wednesday evening.
