8/10 Arsenal star just outshone Eze & Trossard

They’re through to the next round of the League Cup, but last night’s performance was hardly an impressive one from Arsenal.

Mikel Arteta’s side travelled to League One side Port Vale and would have been hoping for a hefty win to bolster morale.

However, the North Londoners had to settle for a goal in each half and not many clear-cut scoring chances.

That said, there were still a few players who put in some good performances, including one who outshone Eberechi Eze and Leandro Trossard.

Eze & Trossard’s displays

With Gabriel Martinelli out on the left, Eze had the chance to start a game from the midfield for Arsenal last night, and he certainly made an impact.

It was the former Crystal Palace star who opened the scoring with a delicate finish in the middle of the penalty area in the eighth minute – his first goal since joining the club.

He should have really added a second in the closing stages of the first half, but it was a good stop from the Port Vale keeper that denied him a brace.

The Englishman had some more good moments here and there, but was eventually replaced by Declan Rice in the 81st minute.

However, it was the other change at that time which was far more consequential for the Gunners, as Trossard came on for Martinelli.

It didn’t take long for the Belgian star to make his mark, as in the 85th minute, he latched onto the end of a great long ball from William Saliba, drove across the box and drilled home a low shot to the keeper’s right.

In all, both Eze and Trossard were able to stamp their authority on the game through their goals, but there was another starter who was arguably even better.

The Arsenal star who outshone Eze & Trossard

So, while the overall performance left a lot to be desired, there were still a few players who looked decent, such as Saliba in defence or Max Dowman and Viktor Gyokeres when they came off the bench.

However, in this instance, we are referring to the exceptionally talented Myles Lewis-Skelly.

It was the Englishman’s first start of the season, and were Riccardo Calafiori not in such incredible form himself, we’d argue he’d deserve another start at the weekend off of last night.

The Hale Ender did practically everything right, and while he didn’t score a goal, he was involved in Eze’s opener, getting the faintest of touches on the ball from Martinelli.

On top of that attacking contribution, he seemed to have the better of Port Vale’s attackers whenever they came down his side, be it through his surprising strength or brilliant timing.

While this all might sound a little hyperbolic, we were not the only ones impressed, as the Metro’s Liam Grace awarded the teenager an 8/10 match rating at full-time, writing that it was a ‘really strong performance.’

Unsurprisingly, the Hale Ender’s statistics more than justify the praise.

In 94 minutes of action, he provided the assist, made two clearances, won 100% of his ground and aerial duels, made one tackle, took 98 touches but lost the ball just five times, completed 76 of 78 passes and was successful in 100% of his dribbles.

Ultimately, while it was a fairly uninspiring performance from most of the Arsenal team, the likes of Eze, Trossard and especially Lewis-Skelly really impressed.