This one was huge. It meant a lot, an awful awful lot, certainly to Mikel Arteta and Arsenal. As Leandro Trossard knocked the ball past Harvey Elliott and raced towards goal, his crisp finish, which took a deflection off Virgil Van Dijk, sent the Emirates Stadium into a frenzy.
Like Jose Mourinho in the prime of his management, Arteta was dashing down the touchline, high-fiving supporters before warmly embracing his coaching staff.
This wasn’t the night the Gunners won the Premier League, far from it, but in a game where they couldn’t afford to drop points, sealed a 3-1 win that kept their title ambitions alive.
Just a few weeks ago it looked as though the north Londoners were sliding away from things. An FA Cup exit at the hands of Sunday’s opponents, Liverpool, condemned them to three defeats in a row. Since that moment, they have now won three on the spin and sit two points behind the Reds. It’s evident, then, just how big this was.
Had Arteta’s men tasted defeat then they would have sunk eight points behind the Anfield outfit. Goals from Trossard, Bukayo Saka and Gabriel Martinelli were enough, but the most praise deserved to go Jorginho’s way.
Jorginho’s performance in numbers
When the Italian signed for Arsenal a year ago there was despair. Why, supporters wondered, were the Gunners keen to acquire a player who was supposedly past his best and being cast out by?
Well, today’s game showed why. This wasn’t the first time Arteta has trusted the 32-year-old in a ‘big game’. Jorginho started against Liverpool in the cup a few weeks ago and has also played against Manchester City, Chelsea and Newcastle this term. After arriving in January 2023, he also played in those fixtures last season.
Why? Well, the view of Gary Neville summed it up nicely after he starred versus the Toon in 2022/23: “The reason why Manchester United players and Pep Guardiola have said Paul Scholes is their favourite player was because in moments in the hardest atmosphere in a difficult away game those players are unique. They have the composure, the balance to get the team playing. That’s what Jorginho reminded me of – he was fantastic.”
That was precisely the case again this weekend, with the midfield veteran handed the official Man of the Match award after an exceptionally calm display in the middle of the park.
No Arsenal player had more touches than Jorginho’s 70, while he completed 87% of his passes and won seven duels. The stats may not look extraordinary for the former Chelsea star but it is hard to quantify just what he brought to the game through numbers alone.
That said, his midfield partner in crime was also “utterly ridiculous”, as one analyst noted. Step forward £105m man Declan Rice.
Declan Rice’s performance in numbers
Jorginho arguably outshone his mega-money partner in the centre, something that demonstrated his immense performance levels.
However, as Rice has been all season long, he was outstanding against Liverpool again on Sunday.
Playing in a double pivot means he doesn’t have to do all of the defensive work himself. He’s given extra freedom to play forward and that layer of his game certainly gives the Gunners an extra level.
It was a performance inspired by his colleague too. Speaking to Sky Sports after the game, the former West Ham star noted: “Before I signed for Arsenal, the prospect of playing with him (Jorginho), [Thomas] Partey – Playing against them before, knowing how he controls games. I think he’s got qualities that not a lot of midfielders have.”
Again, it’s hard to justify just how good Rice was via numbers alone, but to put things simply, he was everywhere, winning four tackles, making two interceptions and completing 86% of his passes.
|
Declan Rice vs Liverpool |
|
|---|---|
|
Minutes played |
90 |
|
Touches |
66 |
|
Accurate passes |
43/50 (86%) |
|
Key passes |
2 |
|
Long balls |
4/5 |
|
Duels won |
6/11 |
|
Fouls |
2 |
|
Interceptions |
2 |
|
Tackles |
4 |
|
Stats via Sofascore. |
|
So good was Rice that he was handed a highly impressive 9/10 match rating by the Evening Standard’s Simon Collings, who wrote at full-time: “Was everywhere and bossed the midfield. Continues to deliver in the biggest games for Arsenal. Worth every penny of the £105m Arsenal paid.”
That summation was just about perfect. Here was a man more than justifying his price tag. If £105m ever felt cheap, then you only need to look at the awe-inspiring level of performance he’s dropped since signing.
He was largely signed to strengthen the midfield but he has been so complete that late winners have even been scored against Manchester United and Luton Town.
If Arsenal do win the league at the end of the season they’ll owe a huge amount to the 25-year-old.
