In what was no doubt a thrilling game for the neutral, Arsenal edged out Everton in a topsy-turvy encounter at the Emirates on Sunday afternoon.
The Gunners eventually prevailed 3-2, thanks to a brace from Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and a strike from Eddie Nketiah. But whilst Mikel Arteta will have been pleased with the duo's contributions in a goal-scoring sense, he may be slightly more concerned with the latter's overall display.
When the north London side recalled Nketiah from his spell at Leeds, the immediate suggestion was that he would be heading out on another loan for the rest of the campaign. Instead, the 20-year-old seemingly did enough in training to convince Arteta that he should remain at the Emirates for the duration of this season.
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And having started in the 4-0 win over Newcastle last time out in the Premier League, Nketiah was once again given the chance to shine against Everton. But whilst his equalising goal - a well-timed side-foot finish from an exquisite Bukayo Saka cross - was superbly taken, his overall performance left a lot to be desired.
Standing at just 5 foot 9, and with a physically slight frame, the Arsenal academy product was perhaps never going to win his fair share of the battles with Everton's 6 foot 5 powerhouse Yerry Mina. And so it proved.
As per Sofascore, he won just four of his 14 total duels, whilst he also lost possession 11 times. Whilst the commitment was undeniably there - he could be seen on numerous occasions chasing back (sometimes rather too zealously and giving away a free-kick) - there was a cuteness lacking to his game.
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There were several times where he needed to hold the ball up much better, and relieve some of the pressure on his team. It's that understanding of when to trap and shield the ball away from the defender, and allowing his teammates to get closer to him in order to keep possession. Nketiah struggled to do that, and it was no surprise that he managed a hugely disappointing, and slightly worrying, 14 total passes in 90 minutes worth of action.
The starlet found it difficult to act as a significant presence through the middle for the Gunners, and it just went to show how much he still has to learn about being a number nine for a side like Arsenal. He cannot simply rely on being just an out-and-out goal-scorers. He needs to be stronger at holding the ball, and linking the play, and only then will he be a true all-round striker.
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