Mikel Arteta masterminded Arsenal’s progression to the fifth round of the FA Cup as the Gunners saw off A.F.C Bournemouth 2-1 on Monday evening. The Spaniard risked fielding a youthful side for the knockout competition, but it paid off as they made light work of the Cherries, scoring two early goals and only conceding late on in the encounter. The star of the show at the Vitality Stadium was left back Bukayo Saka, with the 18-year-old providing creativity and width from the channels and consistently terrorising the opposition’s backline.
Saka wasted no time in opening the scoring for the visitors, overlapping Gabriel Martinelli out wide to blast a strike into the roof of the net from just inside the area. It was the 18-year-old’s fourth goal of the season and first in the FA Cup. Saka finished the game with the joint-highest number of shots on target, but where he showed his supreme creative skillset was by playing two key passes. No other Arsenal player created more opportunities with key passes, and it capped an outstanding evening in possession as the Englishman kept an 87.5 per cent pass accuracy.
Furthermore, Saka got into advanced areas to deliver a team-high five crosses; two of which found a fellow Gunners’ player. One sumptuous delivery was put on a plate for Eddie Nketiah to double Arsenal’s advantage and set up a relatively straightforward evening for the north London side as they ensured progression to the next round. To complete a near faultless performance concerning distribution, Saka made sure all of his long balls reached a teammate.
Despite a predominantly attacking match from the left-back position, Saka did not forget his defensive duties, with the teenager making the joint-highest number of tackles of any Arsenal defender. Though Saka usually plays as a winger, he showed excellent positioning and reading of the game to make an interception and helped out his fellow defenders by getting rid of danger with a clearance on two occasions.
Overall it was a complete performance and one that will have given Arteta food for thought as he ponders who his first choice left-back is. With Kieran Tierney suffering from injury issues, Saka is in direct competition with Sead Kolasinac and has a shot at taking the Bosnian’s spot.
