Adama Traore had a novel way of marking William Saliba at corners
Arsenal fans have been left baffled after the Premier League posted a video praising Adama Traore for his less than conventional way of marking William Saliba at a corner.
Mikel Arteta’s menhave firmly established their reputation as the division’s set-piece kings with each of their last three goals coming from laser accurate dead ball deliveries.
Indeed, Saliba scored Arsenal’s equaliser at Craven Cottage on Sunday from point blank range after Kai Havertz had headed Declan Rice’s cross into his path.
Earlier in the game, however, Traore appeared to take matters into his own hands, relying on his trademark strength to muscle the Arsenal defender over the touchline to prevent him from making an attempt to reach the ball.
‘Is that legal?’ asked one fan on X who legitimately questioned whether or not Traore was, at the very least, guilty of obstruction.
‘In Spain 2 weeks back this was given a penalty to Rudiger,’ observed another fan, while a third commented ‘The first post of the day, on the official Premier league account, is showcasing a clear foul on Saliba in the penalty spot, just to troll Arsenal fans on a game we failed to win.’
Arsenal, meanwhile, are back in action this evening against Monaco knowing that a win will take them to within touching distance of automatic qualification for the knockout phase of the Champions League.
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Set-pieces will again prove a weapon in their armoury, but Arteta admits he wants to see more from his side in open play.
He said: ‘We want to create more from every angle and from set-pieces as well, we could have created more than we did and could have scored another one or two, so always trying to evolve and be better.
‘I don’t worry because when I watch the game the situations we have in open play and what the opposition has created in open play, I don’t know if we can do much more than that, especially when I watch Fulham’s previous games and the opposition they’ve played.
‘Set-pieces are a consequence of what we do in open play and how we do defensively.
‘It’s a phase that is part of that. You guys, I know that you see this as set-pieces and that as open play, and I see set-pieces and open play all together, but I respect that a lot.
‘I don’t agree, but I respect it!’
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