Arsenal were far from their scintillating best against Luton Town on Wednesday night, but that doesn't really matter, as, for a few hours at least, the north Londoners are back atop the Premier League table.
Mikel Arteta likely expected a slightly disjointed display from his team after he made sweeping changes to the lineup that drew away to Manchester City over the weekend, and while some fringe players made a strong case for their future involvement, a few certainly didn't.
If anything, the biggest winner from the night's action was a player who spent the whole match on the bench, watching Oleksandr Zinchenko make his case for him.
Oleksandr Zinchenko's performance vs Luton Town
Now, there is often a lot of hyperbole involved in discussions about Zinchenko, be that people decrying him as a defensive disaster or others celebrating him as the best-inverted full-back around, but last night, neither of those things was true.
The Ukrainian international started his first game for the club since the clash against Liverpool two months ago due to both injury problems and the impressive form of his replacements, so to say there was a lot of pressure on him would be fair.
Unfortunately, the fans were not treated to one of his best performances. Instead, they saw him play some nice passes here and there, lose the ball more often than he should've, and commit several defensive blunders, which luckily amounted to nothing.
It might sound harsh, but it's an opinion shared by football.london's chief Arsenal writer, Kaya Kaynak, who awarded the former Manchester City ace a 6/10 on the night.
The journalist wrote that he was responsible for 'a couple of risky giveaways' and that it was a performance that typified the 'classic risk and reward that the Ukrainian brings.'
Kaynak's summary is backed up by the 27-year-old's statistics from the night. In his 74 minutes of action, he won all five of his duels but lost possession 11 times, took 84 touches but maintained a passing accuracy of just 84%, and made one key pass but misplaced three of his four long balls.
Minutes
74'
Expected Goals
0.03
Expected Assists
0.06
Duels (Won)
5 (5)
Lost Possession
11
Touches
84
Accurate Passes
56/67 (84%)
Key Passes
1
Crosses
0
Long Balls (Accurate)
4 (1)
In all, it wasn't a dreadful performance from the talented full-back, but it demonstrated quite clearly why his inclusion in future lineups would be a risk, and unfortunately for him, Arsenal are not in a position to take risks at the moment.
The biggest winner from Zinchenko's display
So, while Zinchenko struggled to make a solid case for his further involvement in the title race, Jakub Kiwior was happily resting on the bench, safe in the knowledge that when the whistle blows against Brighton and Hove Albion at 17:30 on Saturday afternoon, he'll almost certainly be in the starting lineup once again.
The Polish international was the man who came in to replace the Radomyshl-born full-back when he went off injured against Liverpool in February, and while most fans and pundits alike initially viewed him as temporary cover, he has since made the left-back position his own.
In the eight games he has started since, he has helped the team keep five clean sheets, including against City at the Etihad on Sunday. The 6 foot 2 "monster", as described by data analyst Ben Mattinson, might not have the same offensive abilities as the man he replaced – although with three assists and one goal, he's proven his attacking worth this year – he is comfortably the better defender.
Position
Centre-Back
Left-Back
Defensive Midfield
Left Midfield
Appearances
108
28
22
1
Goals
5
2
0
0
Assists
4
5
0
0
Goal Involvements per Match
0.08
0.25
0.00
0.00
This defensive solidity shouldn't be a surprise, though, as, similarly to Ben White, the 24-year-old had spent most of his career as a centre-back before Arteta moved him out wide.
Arsenal's "unstoppable" 7/10 titan was even better than Smith Rowe vs Luton
The brilliant ace won nine duels on the night.
ByJack Salveson HolmesApr 4, 2024
Ultimately, Arsenal are in a lucky position to choose between the two defenders, but when it comes to the must-win games, Kiwior now looks like a shoo-in to start, so the £58k-per-week star has to be the biggest winner from last night's match.