Arsenal vs Fulham: 5 key players in massive bounceback

4. Ainsley Maitland-Niles

On the incredibly cropped list of what went right against Liverpool, the man of the match Ainsley Maitland-Niles has to top it. While I initially thought he would be playing as a wingback, he was instead slotted as an out-and-out winger. Which worked incredibly well.

More from Pain in the Arsenal

• 3 standout players from 1-0 victory over Everton
• 3 positives & negatives from Goodison Park victory
• Arsenal vs PSV preview: Prediction, team news & lineups
• 3 talking points from Arsenal’s victory at Goodison Park
• Mikel Arteta provides Gabriel Martinelli injury update after Everton win

So well, in fact, that I don’t want to see it again against Fulham. I think it’s time to get him back into the wingback role with a back three and let him offset what Sead Kolasinac is going to be doing opposite him.

Maitland-Niles was looking rusty in his first few big matches back in regularity, but you . could see his sharpness returning against Liverpool in a big way. He wasn’t taking heavy touches, he wasn’t rashly driving into the teeth of a defense that could have made easy work of him – he was controlled and cool, like he has so often been before.

His confidence has to be high, and I would hope that this would ensure that, even in spite of the short rest, he would be back out there, asserting himself on a match that is going to require width to pull Fulham out of a likely defensive shell.

Speaking of… let’s get to No. 3.