Arsenal fans hail star after 2-0 win over Manchester United. Images via Getty, Twitter - @opheophagus
Arsenal fans hail star after 2-0 win over Manchester United. Images via Getty, Twitter - @opheophagus
Arsenal fans have heaped praise on centre-back William Saliba for his performance in the Premier League match against Manchester United. The clash ended in a 2-0 win for the Gunners on Wednesday (December 4) at Emirates Stadium.
Jurriën Timber opened the scoring for Arsenal with a header after being assisted by Declan Rice with a cross following a corner in the 54th minute. The Gunners found their second goal with Saliba's strike, courtesy of an assist by Thomas Partey with a headed pass following a corner in the 73rd minute.
Along with scoring Arsenal's second goal against Manchester United, William Saliba made five recoveries and two clearances while maintaining a pass accuracy of 94% (67/71). The 23-year-old also won three of his five duels.
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Fans took to social media to hail Saliba for his display in Arsenal's 14th Premier League clash of the season. Here are some of the reactions from X:
One fan wrote:
"Set-pieces naturally—& hilariously—will take the limelight, but that was an utterly monstrous performance from Saliba. His quality under pressure, & particularly his ability to retain the long ball, is like nothing I’ve ever seen. Should be the blueprint for defenders to come."
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Another added:
"Saliba is the best player we’ve had since Thierry Henry. Could play for anyone, will win everything. Phenomenal, colossal. Love the lad."
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"Saliba was amazing today, that dude is tough," chimed in another fan.
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One account posted:
"William Saliba, one of his kind. What a performance!!!"
Another tweeted:
"Another 10/10 performance by William Saliba. He is too special."
"Yeh Saliba is our best defender. Was never worried," posted another.
One user wrote:
"No more debate . Saliba is the best in the world. What a performance 10/10."
While another wrote:
"What a night and what a result! William Saliba is an absolute joy to watch what a player⚽️."
William Saliba has contributed to nine clean sheets and registered one goal in 19 appearances across competitions for Arsenal this season.
Mikel Arteta on Arsenal's 2-0 win against Manchester United in the Premier League
Arsenal head coach Mikel Arteta shared his thoughts on his squad bagging a 2-0 win over Manchester United in the Premier League. The Spanish manager was impressed with his players' display against the Red Devils. He said (via football. london):
"Very happy. Special night celebrating 500 games at this stadium against an opponent with so much history between the clubs and the teams. The way we played, especially after tweaking a few things in the second half, how dominant we were, how convincing we were, not really conceding apart from the save from David [Raya] after a very sloppy throw in."
He added:
"We don't think about half-time how we are. We try to look at our own business, try to perform the way we are doing at the moment and find ways to win the game. I think the team deserved the win today which is very good. What the opposition does we cannot control. You can see week in, week out how good the oppositions are; it's difficult for everybody."
Mikel Arteta's squad maintained a ball possession of 51% against Manchester United while creating five big chances and having six shots on target.
(Stats via Sofascore. These platforms may change the stats as per their prerogative)