Arsenal: Fans lament half-time withdrawal of Lucas Torreira against Crystal Palace

Plenty of Arsenal fans on Twitter pointed to the half-time withdrawal of midfielder Lucas Torreira as a turning point this afternoon.

The Uruguay midfielder was replaced at the interval by Matteo Guendouzi in today’s draw away to Crystal Palace and appeared to be carrying an injury.

The 23-year-old made his presence felt in the first half at Selhurst Park, winning one tackle and making one interception, one clearance and one block. Despite only playing 45 minutes, he made 52 passes against the Eagles, the third highest of anyone in Arsenal’s line-up, with a completion rate of 86.5%. [via WhoScored]

Crystal Palace recorded just two shots in the first half but, after Guenzoudi had taken Torreira’s place in the Arsenal midfield, the home side drew level through Jordan Ayew in the 53rd minute and had four shots after half-time.

Several reporters lauded Torreira’s contribution during his 45 minutes on the pitch. Joshua Jones of The Sun felt that Arsenal “didn’t look the same after he went off” and The Mirror‘s Matt Maltby wrote that the Uruguayan “battled non-stop before injury forced him off”. In the Daily Express, Ben Pringle said that the 23-year-old “helped glue Arsenal together with an excellent first half full of key blocks, vital tackles and smart passing”.

These Arsenal fans felt that the exit of Torreira was a key moment in this afternoon’s match: