Arsenal: 4 talking points from huge 3-1 win over Aston Villa

3. Nuno Tavares Puts in Superb Display in Tierney’s Stead

The biggest compliment that you can pay Nuno Tavares was that – it sounds strange to even say it – Kieran Tierney wasn’t missed on Friday.

Out with a bruised ankle, the left-back came in and made his full Premier League debut and was industrious to the extreme with a surprisingly brilliant performance. Everyone has seen his talent and his flaws during his outings for the club so far, so to see nothing but positives in what was a huge night for the team and for him is credit to his mentality.

He kept Matty Cash pinned back for large stretches of the game, winning the ball back high and bursting down the left with aggression and technical craft in equal measure. He never stopped.

Such a relenting engine was matched with clever positioning as he combined with Smith Rowe in the final third as comfortably as he covered his tracks defensively.

With Tierney having started the season in uncharacteristically poor fashion, the calls have already emerged for the Scot to be displaced. These are calls that should remain inside the four walls they might have come from. The Scot will come back into the team when fit.

What Tavares’ display does show, however, is that there is comfort to take in the understudy that losing a key player like Tierney is no longer an occurrence to shriek in fear from. They will push each other, which is what healthy competition is.

A really encouraging display.

Continued…