Arsenal continued their imperious form yet again yesterday, with a comprehensive win over Leeds United. It marked yet another huge stride towards Premier League glory, continuing to keep Manchester City at arms length after the fine victory of their own against Liverpool.
With the gap still at eight points, the Gunners must rely on maintaining performances like these, which have seen them blow away plenty of opposition. It marked their seventh straight league victory, done so in emphatic style.
Whilst much of the praise might fall upon the attackers, for once again blowing away the Whites' defence with some of the best football they had played all season, it marked yet another comfortable game for their back four too.
People rushed to laud Bukayo Saka and Gabriel Jesus, and rightly so, but their exploits are only propped up by the rigid solidity of those behind them.
It was expected that the loss of William Saliba could derail this, yet yesterday's win only served to continue the resurgence of Rob Holding. Arguably, he was once again Mikel Arteta's true hero.
How did Rob Holding play vs Leeds?
Starting just his second league match of the campaign, the 27-year-old strolled through the match with purpose and poise. This earned him a Sofascore rating of 7.0, propped up predominantly by his fine defensive work.
Boasting four clearances, one block and one tackle, the Stalybridge-born stalwart was a rock at the back alongside Gabriel Magalhães. He even won an impressive 83% of the six duels he competed in too, marking a resolute display that limited the opposition throughout, via Sofascore.
Before the game, the former Bolton Wanderers ace had been urged to thrive in the absence of his 22-year-old teammate, with journalist Simon Collings claiming: "He's an incredibly popular figure at club. Chance now for him to lead on the pitch as well as off it." It is fair to say that Holding did in fact take that chance.
Not only was he strong in the tackle, but his work in progressing the play also merits further plaudits. The £40k-per-week star also enjoyed 76 touches of the ball, maintaining an 84% pass accuracy that also included five accurate long balls, as per Sofascore.
Given how important Saliba also was in this department, it truly is startling to see his English counterpart thrive in such a role with such ease.
Few could have expected Holding to instantly excel, but that is arguably a testament to the environment that Arteta has created at the Emirates. It allows anyone to feel like they can come in and be a star within his team, and this once-forgotten man serves as the perfect example of such a revival.
