Arsenal: 3 positives from 2-2 Crystal Palace draw

3. Ben White Put in a Greataston Shift

Very early on in this clash Ben White misplaced a pass out wide the Takehiro Tomiyasu. He immediately reacted strongly, charging in to win the ball back cleanly as he did with a delicate first touch away from Edouard before nonchalantly backheeling the ball to a teammate.

He held his hands up and moved on.

Everything between that first minute moment and the second goal was near faultless. No hyperbole, he didn’t put a foot wrong. Unbelievably composed on the ball with a couple of carries up to the halfway line when lanes were blocked and some instinctive defensive guile to read the play and nip in ahead of an opponent to pinch the ball, he looked strong. No player made more interceptions than him on the night (3) and he progressed the ball into the final third more than anyone on his team (7).

The way he stood out in that opening period was very good. He looked like a top, top defender.

The goal taints it. Yes, he was thrown under the bus with Sambi losing possession in the opposing half and Palace being quick to transition with a numerical equilibrium, but he did back off too much as Edouard fired past him. If you’re going to back off like that you have to be sure to be in a position to block the shot. He wasn’t.

White was thrown under the bus but he should have done better.

That was it though. That was the only blotch on an otherwise solid evening. It was clear from his reaction to the equaliser that there was relief to his error, and his role in the goal also deserves heralding. Looking to win the knock down he showed clever positioning to drift into a space where the ball could fall unattended, firing in an effort that eventually fell to Lacazette.

One mistake on the night in a match where he barely put a foot wrong. That’s a positive.