Arsenal and Kieran Tierney: Everything you could ask for

Kieran Tierney made his Arsenal debut in Tuesday night’s 5-0 win over Nottingham Forest. He provided everything you could ask for in an excellent performance.

Arsenal fans have waited a while to get their first glimpse of new left-back, Kieran Tierney. But on Tuesday night, in a sensational 5-0 victory over Nottingham Forest, they were given 75 minutes of joyous action to feast their eyes on. And it would be fair to say that Tierney did not disappoint.

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Playing in a youthful, vibrant side, the 22-year-old looked head and shoulders clear of every other player on the pitch. Unruffled throughout, calm and composed on the ball, powerful when surging forward, this was Tierney displaying all of the qualities that he came advertised with.

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What was especially noticeable was the quality of his delivery. Tierney whipped in several excellent crosses from the left flank, sometimes not even looking to beat a defender, instead just curling a ball around the futile block and into the penalty area. He displayed the bounding pace and power of Sead Kolasinac but then allied that with accurate, high-quality deliveries, something that has plagued the inconsistent Kolasinac throughout his time in north London.

Defensively, there was much less for Tierney to deal with. Forest offered little offensive threat and Arsenal controlled the game. Nevertheless, there was a nice aggressive streak to his play. He was keen to win the ball back, ferocious when he had the chance to tackle an opponent, but balanced this eagerness with control. He competed for the ball with every opportunity but was rarely rash, something that his teammates learn a thing or two from.

After the game, Rob Holding, who also made his season debut, was asked about the performance of Tierney. The centre-back immediately highlighted his character:

"“He’s a top-quality lad and he’s a great lift in the changing room as well. He’s a really nice guy and he’s settled in really well. I’m so happy for him to play and get 60 minutes under his belt.”"

It seems, then, that Tierney has made quite the impression with his teammates. And now he is replicating that impression with the fans. This was a superb debut that featured everything you would want to see from a modern-day full-back: pace, physicality, great stamina, safe and sound passing, tough tackling, terrific crossing ability.

Before everyone gets ahead of themselves, it is important to remember that this was a second-string Championship side. Tierney — and Arsenal more generally — was rarely challenged, awareded the freedom of the left flank to roam throughout the 75 minutes he was on the pitch for.

Nevertheless, for Tierney, he can only play against the opponent in front of him. And so, for a first outing at a new team, this really was the perfect night. You could not ask for anything more.