Though Lucas Torreira was being showered with accolades during Arsenal‘s unbeaten run, the young midfielder’s form was lacking a defining moment.
No more. Torreira scored the goal that sealed the Gunners’ 4-2 win over fierce rivals Tottenham on Sunday, underlining his status as the Emirates Stadium’s new favourite cult hero. It was the Uruguayan’s first goal in England after arriving at Arsenal this summer.
Here’s a closer look at how he performed in his first north London derby.
KEY STATS
Goals – 1
Assists – 0
Shots – 3
Shots on target – 1
Passing Accuracy – 90%
Dispossessions – 12
1 - Lucas Torreira is the fourth Arsenal player to score his first ever Premier League goal for the club in a match against Spurs, after Nicklas Bendtner, Mikael Silvestre and Per Mertesacker. Greats. #ARSTOT
— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) December 2, 2018
30-SECOND REPORT
Faced with anchoring Arsenal’s midfield against the resurgent Moussa Sissoko and Eric Dier, Torreira rose to the challenge. His presence helped the Gunners make a fast start, as he and Granit Xhaka denied Spurs any time on the ball.
The Uruguayan’s positioning and reading was key to Arsenal’s press, and he quickly matched the intensity of the game with his own performance. His display included the usual collection of sharp passing and robust tackling, but sprinkled with his first Arsenal goal.
GOT RIGHT
Defensive work rate
Torreira has taken the mantle of Arsenal’s ace defensive midfielder with aplomb, and he was at it again on Sunday. Recovering the ball 12 times is an astonishing statistic, especially in a game of this magnitude. Torreira covered every blade of grass.
Passing
Though the goal he scored was the headline moment, it was the way his passing contributed to Arsenal’s attack that stood out. Torreira rarely misplaced a ball, as he found either Xhaka or one of the attackers with accurate, incisive passes throughout.
VERDICT
Arsenal’s 19-game unbeaten run is proof of Torreira’s impact on this side. This was without a doubt his best performance of that run, and not just because he scored – though there may not be a more popular goalscorer at the Emirates all season.
It was a display that would have had Spurs’ Dele Alli looking on in envy – and possibly admiration, if he could step back from the bitterness of this rivalry. Torreira was every bit the same, snappy terrier and cult hero.
RATING – 9/10
FT. Arsenal 4-2 Tottenham. There is a lot to take from this, but what a difference Lucas Torreira has made to this team. Not only does he win the ball back, but he’s also an accomplished passer. His influence highlighted by the fact no one produced more ball recoveries today. pic.twitter.com/G2KyWMLjch
— Kristan Heneage (@KHeneage) December 2, 2018