Gary Neville was full of praise for Leandro Trossard after the Arsenal forward did brilliantly to help his defence out during the first 20 minutes against Aston Villa on Sunday.
Arsenal were given an unbelievable shock at the Emirates. Any suggestion that Unai Emery’s side would let the Gunners dictate the game would prove to be wide of the mark.
The Villans soaked up pressure. But they were brave on the ball, and they created openings. Both Ollie Watkins and Youri Tielemans were desperately unlucky to not score, with both players hitting the woodwork in either half.
Leandro Trossard praised in first-half of Arsenal loss
But Villa were not to be denied in the latter stages. Both Leon Bailey and Watkins scored in quick succession to stun North London.
One player who had a difficult afternoon was Oleksandr Zinchenko. And he was perhaps grateful to his teammate for bailing him out at one stage, with Watkins breaking into the penalty area.
Thankfully for Arsenal, Leandro Trossard was able to get a touch on the ball which allowed Gabriel Magalhaes to deal with the Villa striker.
And speaking on Sky Sports (broadcast on 14/4; 16:50), Gary Neville suggested that he was so impressed by Trossard doing the hard yards.
“How good’s that from Trossard? Zinchenko does get drawn out of position into that midfield area. And his left winger’s back, just what you want, digging in together,” he said.
Gunners didn’t heed first-half warnings
It was a big call to start Trossard, who has not always held onto a place in Mikel Arteta’s lineups. His versatility has meant that he has been brought off the bench a lot. But he is someone who has proved to be such a smart signing following his arrival in the 2023 January window.
Some feel that Trossard has even been one of Arsenal’s smartest signings given that he only cost £27 million from Brighton.
He has come up with some big goals for the Gunners. But that intervention should also not be forgotten despite the afternoon turning into an incredibly sour one for Arsenal in the Premier League title race.
The post 'How good's that': Gary Neville so impressed by what £27m Arsenal player did in first-half today appeared first on TBR Football.