Arsenal 2-0 Newcastle: 4 talking points from Premier League win

4. Takehiro Tomiyasu Shows New String

Takehiro Tomiyasu has been brilliant since the moment he arrived at Arsenal. The right-back slot is his own and he’s adjusted to the Premier League superbly for a player without any prior English experience.

Such is the competence of his performances that he often goes unnoticed. Doing his job effectively, focus tends to be shifted elsewhere. That’s a credit to the professionalism he demonstrates each and every week.

But there are some who would like to see more from him in an attacking sense. While he wasn’t signed to be a bombarding and relentlessly overlapping full-back (that’s not his remit) some of his contributions in the final third has been singled out as lacking.

Against Newcastle he found himself in advanced positions throughout as Arsenal dominated the ball, and some of the passes he picked out were excellent. This attacking side to his game hasn’t had the chance to sing with his role different in this team, yet it stood out on Saturday.

That pass for Martinelli’s goal? While the finish will take all the plaudits, the weight of delivery from the Japanese was delectable. And in doing so, it meant both full-backs grabbed assists.

Overall, a superb showing from Tomiyasu that showed there is more to him than defensive resilience and winning every aerial duel.