'Clean': Ivan Toney sends message to £55m Arsenal star who completed 54/54 passes vs Napoli
Arsenal continued their perfect start to the season with a 1-0 victory over Napoli in the Champions League league phase on Wednesday night.
The Gunners have struggled against the Naples outfit on the road in the past, but they were fully dominant yesterday and should have won by four or five goals.
The London giants were guilty of squandering six big chances against the Serie A side, but they still came on top after a phenomenal strike from captain Martin Odegaard.
Odegaard scored his fourth goal in five appearances for Arsenal this term. He has been in the form of his life and secured his fourth man of the match accolade in Naples.
Aside from the Norwegian, Ezri Konsa produced a fabulous defensive showing in the heart of the backline.
The England international made his Champions League debut for the Gunners yesterday. He was rock-solid in defence and also controlled possession with tremendous distribution.
He completed 54 out of 54 passes attempted (100 percent). The central defender made four recoveries, two clearances and won three duels against Massimiliano Allegri’s side.
Shortly after the game, Konsa took to Instagram to reveal his delight. He was pleased to represent the Gunners for the first time in Europe after his summer move from Aston Villa.
He posted: “First steps. Proud moment to represent this club in Europe.”
Several players responded to the post, including English compatriot and Al-Ahly striker Ivan Toney, who described his performance as ‘clean’ with a heart emoji.
Here is a screenshot
The 28-year-old signed for the Gunners from Villa in a deal worth £55 million last month. He has adapted seamlessly to his new surroundings and has barely put a foot wrong in his first three appearances.
The former Brentford man had a solid cameo against the Villans on the road after replacing the injured Cristhian Mosquera. He made his first full Premier League start for the club against Chelsea last weekend, where his last-man sliding tackle on Morgan Rogers pleased the Arsenal faithful.
Konsa had another exceptional outing on his Champions League debut for the Gunners. The experienced ace has established himself as an ideal centre-back partner for Gabriel Magalhaes in no time, and Mosquera may struggle to displace him once he returns from a minor muscle injury.
The Englishman’s versatility is another big plus for the Gunners. He can also comfortably operate as a right-back, and we could see him in that role at some stage of the ongoing campaign.
Arsenal will be aiming to move to the top of the Premier League when they face Sunderland on the road on Saturday evening. Konsa is expected to start with Mosquera still unable to train. William Saliba is a long-term absentee with a back problem, while Jurrien Timber has just returned after a groin issue.
Stats from Sofascore.com
The post 'Clean': Ivan Toney sends message to £55m Arsenal star who completed 54/54 passes vs Napoli first appeared on ArsenalNews.co.uk.
