Arsenal: 4 talking points from 2-0 Carabao Cup win over Leeds

3. Comfortable Rob Holding Echoes His Teammate

Finally, just as it seemed that Arsenal and Arteta were getting cohesion in the heart of the defense, against Leeds, that was thrown into chaos. Ben White and Rob Holding were both forced off with apparent injuries and their availability for Arsenal’s next game against Leicester was plunged into doubt.

Fortunately any concerns over White were quelled immediately after the game as Arteta confirmed he was taken off after feeling unwell, the same illness that saw Pablo Mari miss out.

But what about Holding? A comfortable performance from the Englishman saw him embark on some uncharacteristic forays forward from his unusual left centre-back role.

Alongside White, whose elegance in possession was joyful to watch, Holding broke through Leeds’ lines on a number of occasions in the first half, perhaps as a nod to his manager that he’s not the only one capable of breaking from his defensive mould.

Holding isn’t challenging White for a starting berth any time soon, but he is still the second choice option for that position and seeing him add a little glamour to his normally low-block-try-and-pass-me self made for pleasant viewing.

Continued…