Arsenal's Rob Holding and Gabriel celebrate after the match
Journalist Steve Kay has hailed Rob Holding’s performance for Arsenal in their 4-1 win at home to Crystal Palace in the Premier League as ‘outstanding’.
The Lowdown: Holding steps in
With William Saliba ruled out injured, Holding was entrusted to step in by Mikel Arteta, in what was his first start in the top flight so far this season.
He did concede to a Jeffrey Schlupp goal, but it did not matter in the end, as Arsenal ran riot by scoring four at the Emirates Stadium.
Bukayo Saka grabbed all the headlines with two goals and one assist, while Gabriel Martinelli and Granit Xhaka also managed to get themselves on the scoresheet, as the North London club moved three points closer to winning the Premier League title.
The Latest: Holding ‘outstanding’
Taking to Twitter after the game, Kay hailed Holding’s performance in particular as ‘outstanding’:
“Outstanding performance today by Rob Holdinho.”
The Verdict: Available if needed
Holding has shown that he can step in and do a job if needed.
He has only made 18 appearances in total over all competitions so far this term, with only 10 of them being starts, and has generally been an understudy to both Saliba and Gabriel Magalhaes.
However, with Saliba injured, Holding needed to come into the starting line-up in his place, and put in an inspired performance to help his team gain all three points.
The Englishman won a player-high 11 of his individual duels, and also made more clearances (five) than any of his team-mates, while he was accurate with all five of his long ball attempts, and recorded one successful dribble, two tackles, 87 touches of the ball and a 91% pass accuracy (SofaScore).
Nonetheless, Gunners supporters will have more faith that Holding can step in when needed, although they will also be hoping that Saliba can recover from his injury after the international break.
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