Myles Lewis-Skelly made his seventh senior appearance tonight and it certainly seemed the most significant so far.
Amid a host of injury concerns, Lewis-Skelly was given the opportunity to make an impact from the outset as he started for Arsenal against Monaco in the Champions League.
The fearless 18-year-old certainly made the most of his chance, with the highlight of his 64 minutes on the pitch undoubtedly being the superb pass that he played in the buildup to Bukayo Saka’s opening goal.
Although the suspicion persists that Lewis-Skelly would be even more effective if he was deployed in midfield, the Hale End product is becoming increasingly effective at left-back.
There are still some occasions where his positioning requires improvement, but overall Lewis-Skelly’s performance was of a very high standard.
This is a youngster who believes that he belongs on the senior stage and his performance tonight justifies that confidence.
Before tonight there was perhaps some uncertainty over whether Lewis-Skelly was ahead of Kieran Tierney in the pecking order, even though the latter hasn’t played since last summer due to injury.
However, now Lewis-Skelly is in pole position to be given further chances and create further difficult decisions for Mikel Arteta.
The upcoming Carabao Cup quarter-final clash at home to Crystal Palace could represent another chance for Lewis-Skelly to push on further in his development but tonight may well be seen as the occasion on which he proved that he is ready for more chances.