Arsenal produced a spirited second-half fightback to overcome a Leeds United side who had dominated the opening 45 minutes at the Emirates Stadium. Mikel Arteta eventually got his players firing on all cylinders, and the Gunners produced just about enough to get past the Championship leaders. One player who made the most of his start was 20-year-old Reiss Nelson.
The youngster was only on the pitch for shortly over an hour, but he made every minute count, as well as bundling in the decisive goal that took Arteta’s side into the fourth-round draw, where they will play Bournemouth. Defensively Nelson contributed admirably, making sure Sead Kolasinac was never completely isolated behind him. The Englishman got back and made three tackles, more than any Arsenal defender, that total was only bettered by Matteo Guendouzi. Furthermore, Nelson also blocked a Leeds United shot to prevent Marcelo Bielsa’s side from troubling Emiliano Martinez in the Gunners goal.
In possession of the ball, Nelson was adventurous but lacked some discipline. The 20-year-old was not as assured as some of his teammates, making just ten passes in the 66 minutes of action he had, with a 70 per cent success rate. Though to his credit, Nelson did create one opportunity for a teammate with a key pass, but they were unable to double the Gunners advantage.
Overall Nelson had the least touches of any Arsenal player who started the game, though that was not helped by being substituted. However, when the Englishman did have the ball at his feet, he was direct and wasted no time in attempting to penetrate the Leeds defence. Evidence comes in the form of Nelson having the best dribbles around opponents per minute ratio of any player in red who started the match. Furthermore, he had the second-highest number of shots, and his solo effort on target proved to be decisive as he scored his second goal this season since returning from Hoffenheim.
There were some areas for improvement, such as being dispossessed on three occasions, as well as being caught offside once and having an unsuccessful touch. But for a forward-thinking player who is still raw and has plenty of time to develop, Arteta will not be too concerned, while the player will be delighted with grabbing his first FA Cup winner.
