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In pictures: Crystal Palace v Arsenal
Despite Arsenal’s 1-0 win away to Crystal Palace with 10 men on Monday evening, boss Mikel Arteta has been told that one player is causing a “bit of a problem” with his positioning. Defender Takehiro Tomiyasu was sent off for two yellow card offences, but Martin Odegaard’s second-half penalty was enough to secure all three points at Selhurst Park.
Eddie Nketiah could have put the Gunners in a more comfortable position, having missed a one-on-one with Palace goalkeeper Sam Johnstone as he chipped the ball over the bar from close range after being played through by Declan Rice.
The striker, deputising for Gabriel Jesus, got into some promising positions but former Manchester United, Southampton and Stoke defender Danny Higginbotham felt that some of his movements were hindering Arsenal.
Higginbotham told Peacock: “I think Nketiah is key to it. There’s a few clips that we’ve got from the first half where he’s sort of stretching the game. That’s what you want from him. At times when he’s dropping deep it becomes a little bit of a problem.
Eddie Nketiah during Arsenal's 1-0 win away to Crystal Palace. (Image: Getty)
“You see he drops deep here, and ‘okay,’ you can say that this is good play: he gets down the side, he gets in towards the penalty spot. He wanted a penalty, obviously it wasn’t going to be a penalty. And the other opportunities he got as well is him stretching the game once again. He’s looking on the last defender, Looking on the last defender, gets in really well here. Hits the post and he has another opportunity where he does exactly the same thing.
“He’s looking around, ‘can I play on the shoulder of the last defender.’ He does exactly that. That enables him to find space and he’ll be disappointed he wasn’t able to find the back of the net. But you need to see more of that, in my opinion, from Nketiah. Because the problem is if you’re Nketiah and you’re dropping deep, all of a sudden you’re taking the space of…”
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Co-commentator Robbie Mustow explained how the attack can get crowded, before Higginbotham continued: “Yeah, you’re crowding the space, and then what you’re doing, you’re taking the space of Havertz, you’re taking the space of Odegaard.
"What he needs to do for Arsenal is stretch the game and try and separate the Crystal Palace defensive unit.”
Nketiah has retained the faith of Arteta, leading the line impressively having scored their opening goal of the season against Nottingham Forest while his clever run won the penalty that Odegaard dispatched to secure a crucial three points to keep them level with Brighton and Manchester City as the only Premier League teams to win both of their opening games of the campaign.